"But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for the sin that he has committed a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it and shall put no frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.
God is reasonable. He does not ask that you give what you do not have. Even here in the declaration of Old Testament law he is not hard and fast, unbending. Those who have a lot to give should do so, and those with little to give shouldn't give a lot.
We can learn quite a few other things from these seemingly boring commands about offerings:
- Whether rich or poor, you should give what God asks for - not just what you want to give or what you think God wants
- God doesn't need these things offered (of course) but he asks for specific things to teach us about himself and how we should shape our attitudes towards him, e.g. an offering for sin is meant to be plain and not fancy - you can't make up for what you have done with a particularly special offering (that is not the intent of a sin offering) but you can admit your fault and submit to the offering that God commands
- What is offered should be quality, even if it is plain. You don't give God anything but the best of what you have to give. The good flour, not the bad. Always the first-fruits. God comes first.