Leviticus 11-13

February 3

Leviticus 11-13

Some of the food regulations may seem odd to us. They set Israel apart from other people and they gave an object lesson in the holiness of God. If an animal has a split hoof and chews cud you can eat it. If it chews the cud, like a rabbit or a camel, you cannot eat it. If it has a split hoof and does not chew the cud, like a pig, you cannot eat it. The norm is for animals that have split hooves to also chew cud. Any animal that does not fit the norm was not to be eaten.

Normal fish have scales. Animals of the sea that do not have fins; oysters, clams, crabs, etc. were not normal, so they were not to be eaten. Insects that swarm you do not eat they appear chaotic. God is holy and perfect. Anything that is not normal or perfect was not to be eaten. These laws set Israel apart.

Jesus said what goes into the stomach does not matter, what comes out of the mouth is what matters. Peter had a vision in which God told him everything was ok to eat. The dietary laws were removed in the New Testament.

Leviticus deals with various sources of uncleanness; uncleanness from childbirth, from disease, from houses. We get a picture of a world filled with uncleanness while the people of God attempt to live the lives God calls us to live. Some of the uncleanness comes as a result of our actions, some just comes upon us.

There are rituals, requirements, and sacrifices to be made to restore our relationship to God. The laws revealed are for Israel to follow as an object lesson for them and for others to get a glimpse of the holiness of God. The laws that distinguished Israel from the other nations were set aside in the New Testament times, but the moral principles that applied to all men remained.

God is holy and He calls us to be holy as well. "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”" (1 Peter 1:15-16, NIV) We live holy lives not by eating certain foods or making sacrifices based on circumstances, but by allowing God to lead us and direct our lives. We are holy when we put our wants and desires aside and live for God. We are holy because God makes us holy when He fills us with His Spirit.

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”" (Luke 11:13, NIV) Have you asked?

Leviticus 8-10

February 2

Leviticus 8-10

Through the establishment of the tabernacle and the sacrificial system God gave to Moses, God constantly reminded the Israelites of His presence and holiness and their need for regular atonement for sin. Atonement in simple terms it the restoration of the relationship between God and humanity. It is the removal of guilt through the payment of a penalty, namely the sacrifice.

 God is holy and people are sinful. The constant sacrifice of bulls and goats reminds the people that sin separates them from God and there is a cost to restore that relationship. As we read through the law, we are reminded that atonement was hard work. Animals had to be brought to the priest; the priest laid their hands on the animals to transfer their sin to the sacrifice. The animal was killed and cut up and burnt. The priest had to go through the ceremony prescribed by God. The sacrifice was costly in multiple ways.

On top of everything else, the sacrifices did not fix anything. They covered over the sin,  they paid for the sin, but the sin continued. The priest was also guilty of sin, so he had to make a sacrifice for himself before he could begin to make sacrifices for the community. Remember Aaron was the one who made the golden calf. The atonement for sin was a complicated process.

Also notice that everything was anointed with oil including Aaron. Anointing was symbolic of being set aside by God and for God. Anointed in Hebrew was mashiach (messiah), in Greek it is Christós (Christ). Jesus was anointed, set aside for God. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”" (Luke 4:18-19, NIV)

 He came as a new kind of high priest. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16, NIV)

We no longer have to sacrifice bulls and goats. Jesus was the final and perfect sacrifice. His blood does not cover over our sin, it removes it. Our response is to give our lives to Him, to receive His sacrifice. “What can wash away my sin, nothing but the blood of Jesus.”

Leviticus 5-7

February 1

Leviticus 5-7

Reading the rules and regulations laid out by God in Leviticus, we realize if we did not before, that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23, NIV) There were constant offerings being made on the altar. Lambs and rams, pigeons and dove, grain and oil were constantly being offered and burned on the altar. There was a constant reminder that God was in their midst. There was a constant reminder that God was holy and held His people to a high standard. There was a constant reminder that sin was costly, the blood of the sacrifices was constantly flowing. There was a constant reminder that sin leads to death.

The sin and the guilt offering are both to atone for unintentional sin. Notice these regulations do not allow for intentional sin. Elsewhere in the law, many of the intentional sins lead to death. God wanted to make sure the Israelites know that He was holy and He expected His people to live in obedience to Him. But when they made a mistake, He provided a way to restore them.

After the sin offering was presented before the Lord, the priest was allowed to eat it. He was to eat it in the courtyard of the tabernacle. But it says that “whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy.” (27A)

When Jesus was hung on the cross, He was the ultimate sin offering. He died so we could live. He became the high priest making the offering, but He was also the offering being made. He fulfilled the sacrifice so it did not have to be made again.

"The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Hebrews 9:13-14, NIV)

 

Jesus died so that we could be made holy and so that we can serve the living God; so great a gift given for us. No more blood sacrifices, Jesus now looks for us to present ourselves back to Him as living sacrifices. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1, NIV)

Leviticus 1-4

January 31

Leviticus 1-4

 

God gives the Israelites specific instructions for worship. He tells them what to offer, when to offer, and how to make the offering. There are burnt offerings, sin offerings, offerings of meat and offerings of grain. We are told that the offerings placed on the fire on the altar created an aroma that was pleasing to the Lord.

 

A phrase that seems to stick out in these chapters is; "Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings." (Leviticus 2:13, NIV) Why does God instruct the Israelites to include salt with their offerings?

 

Salt is essential to life, it heals, preserves, and adds flavor to food. Salt was a valuable commodity. Romans soldiers used to be paid in part with a salt ration. Which is where we get our phrase that someone is not worth their salt. But why does God want his offerings to have salt in them?

 

Salt was used and is still used to seal a promise in the Middle East. Salt was used to seal a truce between enemies or a symbol of alliance between friends. Treaties were sealed by sharing salt. A salt covenant bound the participants to one another, not only for their lifetime, but for generations to come. The Arabic word for “salt” and “treaty” are the same word. Eating together, sharing salt together, bound two people to be loyal to and to protect one another.

 

As the Israelites brought their sacrifices before God, they included salt. The salt bound them to God and reminded them that God was bound to them. God is faithful and will protect them whatever they may face. When they sinned against God, they brought an offering with salt to heal the relationship.

 

The custom of sharing salt is not a part of our culture, but we still have a covenant with God. Jesus told us "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”" (Matthew 28:20, NIV) Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. He was the final sacrifice. What the blood of bulls and goats could not do, the sacrificial death of Jesus accomplished for all time. Through His life, death, and resurrection, we have a new covenant with God. Jesus said; "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28, NIV)

God sealed His promise with the blood of Jesus. He invites us to sign our portion by giving ourselves to Him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to him. (Romans 12:1). Salt symbolized the sealing of a covenant and the healing of relationships. God invites us to enter into a covenant with Him and He forgives and heals our relationship with Him. This is the ultimate win/win situation.

Genesis 39-40

January 30

Genesis 39-40

Fastened to the turban worn by Aaron the high priest was a gold plate engraved with the inscription “Holy to the Lord.” Every time the high priest prepared to go into the tabernacle he was reminded that what he was doing was “holy to the Lord.”

 “Holy” means devoted to God or set aside for God. The entire tabernacle was built as a holy place wherever they traveled. When the Israelites settled in a land they set up the tabernacle as a place set aside for the Lord or devoted to the Lord. They built it by God’s blueprint.

The high priest wore the names of each tribe on his ephod as he made the daily sacrifices. God was central to the camp and central to the lives of the Israelites. When they got up in the morning they could look toward the tabernacle and see the cloud of God’s presence over the Holy of Holies. After the sun went down, they could look toward the tabernacle and see a pillar of fire. They knew God’s presence was with them. They were set aside for God to reveal His presence and character to the world. They were a holy people.

When we ask Jesus to be Lord of our lives, we become holy people. We are set aside for God. 1 Peter 1:15-16 and 1 Peter 2:4-10 describes the holiness of those who follow Jesus. Paul wrote; "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV)

Just as the temple and all its furnishings were holy to the Lord, we are holy to the Lord. God wants to use us to reveal His presence, His grace, His love, His character to a lost and broken world. Go shine your light in your world today and remember you are “holy to the Lord.”  Reflect Him well.