Return God's Devotion

Leviticus 19:1-19 & 27 Deuteronomy 23, Numbers 6 & 30:1–16 
 
Leviticus 27:28-29 “However, anything specially set apart for the Lord—whether a person, an animal, or family property—must never be sold or bought back. Anything devoted in this way has been set apart as holy, and it belongs to the Lord. 29 No person specially set apart for destruction may be bought back. Such a person must be put to death.”
 
HAVE you noticed how personal the law is? The LORD God does not make laws on a whim to restrict Israel. He gives them the right way to live and to respond to many, many circumstances because he loves them.
   One way we see his love in the law is the way he devotes his chosen people to his purposes. For example, he set apart Noah and family from all humanity to save the world from the Flood. He devoted Abram and Sarai to birth Israel. He set apart Israel to bless all nations. He devoted Moses to lead Israel. He sets us apart from sin and the world to be his children.
   Verse 29 also tells us the LORD devoted particular people, nations and objects to be destroyed in order to protect his own.
   No one was to take from God what he had devoted unto himself. For example, a farmer could not replace a crop or animal sacrifice with currency. The LORD set apart those offerings as devoted worship to the LORD and devoted offerings to the priests. Whether people, crops, animals or material goods, whatever God devoted to himself had to remain devoted to him.  
   How does this apply to your life? Are you saved in your repentance of sins and confession of Jesus as Savior? Then God has devoted you to himself. Nothing can take you from him. Second, because you belong to God, he commands your life. In turn, you must devote yourself to God. You are to set him apart as the top authority of your life.
   Yet, our nature is to compromise with God, “If you do this, God, then I’ll do that.” Our tendency is to limit our response to the things we are comfortable to do. Too many of us are comfortable doing nothing. Some of us say, “I give my offerings and my tithe. That’s my devotion to God.” Or “I give my time to God.” Yes, this is well and good. But as the Israelite farmer could not buy the devoted animal from God, you must also consider if your offering is your substitute for a true devotion to God.
          God has devoted you to himself. Know your purpose in the Kingdom. Devote yourself to God’s will to be done in your life as it is in heaven. Be devoted to him as he commands and calls you.