GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

In the journey there are instructions which we should learn on both holy and normal things for us to have a peaceful journey which pleases God and the community.

Exodus 20:24-26 “You need make for me only an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your offerings of well-being, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. ²⁵ But if you make for me an altar of stone, do not build it of hewn stones; for if you use a chisel upon it you profane it. ²⁶ You shall not go up by steps to my altar, so that your nakedness may not be exposed on it.”

Here we learn about the burnt offering and peace offering. Why the two offerings? Burnt offering is to honour God because He is the owner and peace offering is the one which brings you prosperity. In our time, the tithe presents His position, to honour God and make God joyful. When you give tithe you tell God take your position in my life, my work, my business. You also honour God by giving offerings for the first fruits because He deserves your first wages.

Tithe and offering of the first fruit is to give God His position and honour Him because He is the one who has given you what you have. By doing this you make Him happy and if you don’t do it, it means you are denying God His position and so anything can happen to you. If you don’t give tithe God will find a way to eat what is His and even the remaining through diseases and many problems because you don’t honour Him.

Peace offering gives us gain. This is the offering we give for thanksgiving, love and gospel and it is how you give that you will become prosperous. It is called the token offering for making reconciliation by showing a relationship with God. Tithe is His, but when you take some of what belongs to you (the 90%), then you are building a relationship with God because you are telling Him that you want to eat with Him and you want Him to be with you.

Therefore we give some of the offerings to honour His position and some to make us prosper, so choose if you only want to honour God or you just want to prosper. However you cannot prosper if you don’t honour Him, and you cannot prosper if you have not reconciled and have a relationship with Him so make sure you do both offerings.

There are also other types of offerings which are for individuals such as offering for healing, education, marriage etc but the two type of offerings are the main one.  

Exodus 21:1-36 “These are the ordinances that you shall set before them: ² When you buy a male Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, but in the seventh he shall go out a free person, without debt. ³ If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴ If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s and he shall go out alone.....”

Now we see the guidance to the community. We see God Gave the instruction to Israelites for the holy things and also for the normal things in life so that they can live peacefully. The commands are about their lifestyle.

From verse one we learn that God wanted His people not to bind others to be their slaves even if they bought them that is why He commanded them to let them free on the seventh year. In this we also learn that it is wrong to stay with a wife you have not paid dowry for that is why God commanded them not to allow the slaves to leave with the wife and children because they were given freely.

We also learn that anyone who kills must dies, but if God handled the person before someone to be killed, the person will be free but he must run and stay at the priest place because it is a place of refuge. There are people who God take them to other people to be killed as a result of their own acts example those who provoke God. Most of us have many wrongs and we were supposed to go to hell or eaten by witches but we have been brought to Jesus to be saved because He is our refuge so stay in Jesus and don’t go anywhere for your safety.

When you come to the kingdom of God there is safety but if you still encounter challenges know that there is a problem in you for you did not take heed of something. When you hear a command listens to it for you to be safe and live. Get the understanding on the admonition for you don’t to die prematurely and live well.

From verse 15 we learn, if you want to live a long life don’t disrespect your parents. We also see if you steal a person you must be killed and to date there are people who steal other people in church while God has commanded not to do so; this is when some leaders in church deceive and take some members from another congregation.  

Exodus 22:1-31 “When someone steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, the thief shall pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep.^[b] The thief shall make restitution, but if unable to do so, shall be sold for the theft. ⁴ When the animal, whether ox or donkey or sheep, is found alive in the thief’s possession, the thief shall pay double...”

In this chapter we continue to see God’s commandments to the Israelites which helped to discipline them in the journey.

How does God judge? When people are brought before the Lord, a priest will give them a test before the altar because before the Lord nothing is hidden, that is why we see God commanding them to bring other cases which have been hard to judge before Him for an oath. Learn that there is nothing you can hide from God.

We also learn that offerings for the dead and rituals are not supposed to be done but only to God of heaven.

We continue to learn why Israelites were not allowed to kill the Egyptian because God never wanted them to do bad things to strangers for they were once strangers. We can see even in this generation, tribes which received strangers and welcomed the missionaries are prosperous. When you allow a guest in your place you allow yourself to be identified, but when you reject them prosperity is difficult. Any parent who used to take care of strangers his/her children are blossoming even when they will also go to strange places. Helping strangers paves a way for your generation not to be in need and find favour in eyes of people they are not familiar with. Do not push away strangers because you don’t know what tomorrow will be to your seed.

Never abuse a widow or an orphan because God has promised to hear their cries and His wrath will become even more. Just forgive them even when they wrong you, don’t quarrel with them because you will be quarreling with God. 

Also we are learning that we are not supposed to lend money to the poor and charge them interest. This means that you should not lend money to a person whom you know that your income is above them but just give them freely as a help.

Don’t receive clothing and home furniture for collateral. A believer learn not to borrow money and put your clothing and home furniture as your collateral but work hard because God has promised to bless the work of your hands. Wherever you are do something that will help to raise your income for you to stay away from debt. We should be people who help others and not people who borrow from others.

By Servant of God Apostle and Prophet Josephat Elias Mwingira, Efatha Church.

A Month of Prayer and Fasting