Give Your "Maw" to Jesus
This shall be the priest’s due from . . . them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or sheep; and they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw. Deut. 18:3.
God intended that the sanctuary ceremonies should teach us about the plan of salvation. Each ceremony and sacrifice had double significance. Not only was it to be a foreshadowing of Christ’s atonement, but it had a personal application of the sacrifice we, God’s people, needed to make if we were to be obedient to God.
For example, when a Jew brought an ox or a sheep as an offering, the priest would receive certain parts. If the person bringing the sacrifice withheld any part, his or her sacrifice was not acceptable. Specifically, the priest was to receive “the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.”
What is the “maw”? It is the stomach.
The stomach? Why would God want the priest to get the stomach?
The sacrifice of the animal was symbolic of us sacrificing ourselves to God. Could it be that God specifically mentioned the stomach because it’s the part of our body that we find so hard to control?
Think about it. The first temptation on earth involved Eve’s stomach—the eating of forbidden fruit. And the first major test in Jesus’ ministry concerned His stomach, when Satan challenged Him to turn the stones into bread. Even today most of us struggle more over physical appetite than any other health-related issue.
The lesson is clear. When we give ourselves to the Lord, our High Priest, we must also give Him our stomachs. We must surrender our perverted, worldly appetites. If we do not, our sacrifice is unacceptable.
Paul says in Philippians 3:18, 19: “As I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame” (NIV).
“Eating has much to do with religion. The spiritual experience is greatly affected by the way in which the stomach is treated” (Counsels on Health, p. 577).
Have you given the High Priest all that He requires? Are you willing to surrender your “maw” to Him?
What does it mean to give your stomach to Jesus? What specifically could you do today to show you have given your stomach to Jesus?
God intended that the sanctuary ceremonies should teach us about the plan of salvation. Each ceremony and sacrifice had double significance. Not only was it to be a foreshadowing of Christ’s atonement, but it had a personal application of the sacrifice we, God’s people, needed to make if we were to be obedient to God.
For example, when a Jew brought an ox or a sheep as an offering, the priest would receive certain parts. If the person bringing the sacrifice withheld any part, his or her sacrifice was not acceptable. Specifically, the priest was to receive “the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the maw.”
What is the “maw”? It is the stomach.
The stomach? Why would God want the priest to get the stomach?
The sacrifice of the animal was symbolic of us sacrificing ourselves to God. Could it be that God specifically mentioned the stomach because it’s the part of our body that we find so hard to control?
Think about it. The first temptation on earth involved Eve’s stomach—the eating of forbidden fruit. And the first major test in Jesus’ ministry concerned His stomach, when Satan challenged Him to turn the stones into bread. Even today most of us struggle more over physical appetite than any other health-related issue.
The lesson is clear. When we give ourselves to the Lord, our High Priest, we must also give Him our stomachs. We must surrender our perverted, worldly appetites. If we do not, our sacrifice is unacceptable.
Paul says in Philippians 3:18, 19: “As I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame” (NIV).
“Eating has much to do with religion. The spiritual experience is greatly affected by the way in which the stomach is treated” (Counsels on Health, p. 577).
Have you given the High Priest all that He requires? Are you willing to surrender your “maw” to Him?
What does it mean to give your stomach to Jesus? What specifically could you do today to show you have given your stomach to Jesus?
Used by permission of Health Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.
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