Category Archives: Seeking God

Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable

Scripture Is Rich and Full of Meaning… Search for It Like Hidden Treasure

There is much significance in the study of scripture when we take the time to explore it. Consider a small section of Numbers 8 regarding lamps. It is almost easy to pass right over, but what if you dig even just a bit below the surface? There is treasure to be found in opening up the scripture. That is not to say we should believe everything someone says about scripture, but taking to explore and study and praying for the Spirit to guide us is well worth making time for.  Test everything you hear, of course, against scripture itself. God does not contradict Himself in His written word.

Numbers 8:1-4

The Seven Lamps

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you mount the lamps, the seven lamps will give light in the front of the lampstand.’” 3Aaron therefore did so; he mounted its lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 4Now this was the workmanship of the lampstand, hammered work of gold; from its base to its flowers it was hammered work; according to the pattern which the LORD had shown Moses, so he made the lampstand.

Of course there is some obvious symbolism about the lamps representing the only light in an otherwise dark place. They are in the holy place. Light comes from God and no other. The lights were to be maintained so they never go out… as with God who never sleeps or takes a break. We are called to be the light of the world by bringing God’s truth to the world. The scripture is called a lamp unto our feet as it guides our path.

Take a little time and explore the following links or find some of your own.

BibleHub.com – search lampstand

GotQuestions.org – search lampstand

BibleTools.org – search lampstand

NeverThirsty.org – search lampstand

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Fasting, Fear / Reverence for God, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Self Control

The Nazirite Vow

I find the law (instructions) of the Nazirites to be very interesting to study, albeit briefly today. Many of us have heard of John the Baptist or Samson being Nazirite from birth, but in most cases it was intended to be for a limited time. The word Nazirite means separation, as in separation from the world. It is a vow that is intended to help us focus on being holy or set apart for the Lord.

Normally, the Lord allows drinking of wine and strong drink in moderation. Yeshua drank wine and even converted water into wine as His first miracle. However, wine in excess leads to much sin. Without debating too much why abstaining from strong drink was part of the Nazirite vow, we can certainly see that if we vow to avoid something to honor the Lord, we should take it very seriously. They were to avoid any consumption of grapes or grape skins, not just wine. This is a good parallel to demonstrate our approach to things which displease the Lord, such as sin. When He says to avoid sin, we should go far from it and take care not to rationalize how close to a sin we can get and still “be acceptable to the Lord”.

Perhaps in regards to the hair it is a way of separating ourselves from the focus on personal grooming. A separation from the shallow focus on how we look to other people.

Without dwelling too much on the remainder, which you can read for yourself, I think we can also consider that a believer and follower of Yeshua may want to take a vow of holiness or separation from time to time. It may not look exactly like the Nazirite vow, but let us take heart in supporting them if it is well founded. If someone wants to abstain, or “fast”, from alcohol for a time to honor the Lord… why should we discourage them.  Generally we would want to test that what we are abstaining from is consistent and not contradictory with the Biblical teaching. For example, I would not recommend abstaining from prayer… that separates us from the Lord, not from the world to draw nearer to the Lord. I would not abstain from helping others. You get the point.

Numbers 6:1-21

Law of the Nazirites

     1Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to dedicate himself to the LORD, 3he shall abstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes. 4‘All the days of his separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.

      5‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.

      6‘All the days of his separation to the LORD he shall not go near to a dead person. 7‘He shall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. 8‘All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.

      9‘But if a man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his dedicated head of hair, then he shall shave his head on the day when he becomes clean; he shall shave it on the seventh day. 10‘Then on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting. 11‘The priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him concerning his sin because of the dead person. And that same day he shall consecrate his head, 12and shall dedicate to the LORD his days as a Nazirite, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering; but the former days will be void because his separation was defiled.

      13‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall bring the offering to the doorway of the tent of meeting. 14‘He shall present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering and one ewe-lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering and one ram without defect for a peace offering, 15and a basket of unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, along with their grain offering and their drink offering. 16‘Then the priest shall present them before the LORD and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering. 17‘He shall also offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, together with the basket of unleavened cakes; the priest shall likewise offer its grain offering and its drink offering. 18‘The Nazirite shall then shave his dedicated head of hair at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and take the dedicated hair of his head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings. 19‘The priest shall take the ram’s shoulder when it has been boiled, and one unleavened cake out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his dedicated hair. 20‘Then the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. It is holy for the priest, together with the breast offered by waving and the thigh offered by lifting up; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.’

      21“This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD according to his separation, in addition to what else he can afford; according to his vow which he takes, so he shall do according to the law of his separation.”

If you or someone you know decides to take a vow of separation from the world, please pray and consider carefully. Take care not to make it so complex and so burdensome that you can not manage it. (I believe this may be why the Lord was so specific in the Nazirite vow… so men would not make it more complicated by adding their own rules.) It is better to not make a vow to the Lord than to make one and then not complete it fully.

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

    4When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! 5It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

However, His grace abounds for those who have right heart and are seeking Him. If we stumble, we can repent and ask forgiveness. Seeking separation from the world and to be set apart for the Lord is good indeed. It will draw us nearer to Him.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Help / Serve Others, Holy / Set Apart, Salvation, Seeking God

Engage God Personally; No One Can Do It For You

It is a fantastic concept… a whole section of the people set apart to be holy and serve God without distraction of trying to provide for their families. It can be very powerful to remain focused on the things of God. However, the Levitical priesthood no longer exists. Contrary to what some teach, there is no longer a priesthood which is supposed to serve God as a focal point and intermediary for the people. With the death and resurrection of Christ, the veil is torn and we are all invited to come before our Father in heaven directly. Pastors may be helpful in shepherding the flock, but they are not intended to replace the individual’s relationship with God. In a way, we are each called to serve Him directly and at the same time Christ is our chief priest or intermediary with God on our behalf. What a great and glorious upgrade from a priesthood of men!

Do not pass up this invitation to engage God personally. No one else can do it for you.

Numbers 3

Levites to Be Priesthood

     1Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai. 2These then are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 3These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he ordained to serve as priests. 4But Nadab and Abihu died before the LORD when they offered strange fire before the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai; and they had no children. So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron.

      5Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6“Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may serve him. 7“They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, to do the service of the tabernacle. 8“They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting, along with the duties of the sons of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. 9“You shall thus give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel. 10“So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood, but the layman who comes near shall be put to death.”

      11Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12“Now, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn, the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel. So the Levites shall be Mine. 13“For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, from man to beast. They shall be Mine; I am the LORD.”

      14Then the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, saying, 15“Number the sons of Levi by their fathers’ households, by their families; every male from a month old and upward you shall number.” 16So Moses numbered them according to the word of the LORD, just as he had been commanded. 17These then are the sons of Levi by their names: Gershon and Kohath and Merari. 18These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families: Libni and Shimei; 19and the sons of Kohath by their families: Amram and Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel; 20and the sons of Merari by their families: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households.

      21Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites; these were the families of the Gershonites. 22Their numbered men, in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, even their numbered men were 7,500. 23The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward, 24and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael.

Duties of the Priests

     25Now the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent, its covering, and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting, 26and the hangings of the court, and the screen for the doorway of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and its cords, according to all the service concerning them.

      27Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites and the family of the Izharites and the family of the Hebronites and the family of the Uzzielites; these were the families of the Kohathites. 28In the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, there were 8,600, performing the duties of the sanctuary. 29The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle, 30and the leader of the fathers’ households of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel. 31Now their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all the service concerning them; 32and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the chief of the leaders of Levi, and had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary.

      33Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites; these were the families of Merari. 34Their numbered men in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward, were 6,200. 35The leader of the fathers’ households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail. They were to camp on the northward side of the tabernacle. 36Now the appointed duties of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle, its bars, its pillars, its sockets, all its equipment, and the service concerning them, 37and the pillars around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords.

      38Now those who were to camp before the tabernacle eastward, before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise, are Moses and Aaron and his sons, performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel; but the layman coming near was to be put to death. 39All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the command of the LORD by their families, every male from a month old and upward, were 22,000.

Firstborn Redeemed

      40Then the LORD said to Moses, “Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward, and make a list of their names. 41“You shall take the Levites for Me, I am the LORD, instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel.” 42So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel, just as the LORD had commanded him; 43and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward, for their numbered men were 22,273.

      44Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 45“Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites. And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the LORD. 46“For the ransom of the 273 of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites, 47you shall take five shekels apiece, per head; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary (the shekel is twenty gerahs), 48and give the money, the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons.” 49So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess, beyond those ransomed by the Levites; 50from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, 1,365. 51Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons, at the command of the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

There are many who serve in ministry activity. Many of those genuinely desire to serve and honor God. We should prayerfully consider how Jehovah wants us to support them as they are a very important part of the body of Christ. However, never let someone else take the place of your having a personal and direct relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ. Jesus already died to pay for our sins and reconcile us to the Father in a way we can never do on our own. Accept Christ as Lord and ask forgiveness for your sin and turn your life to seeking and following the instructions of God. What a glorious gift from the Creator of everything that we are invited through His son to have a relationship with Him directly and personally! Don’t give it up and let someone else do it for you. You will not be blessed with His presence in this way or find your way to heaven in this way. You must have the relationship with Christ. No one else can have it for you, on your behalf.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Seeking God

A Holy Calling

The Levitical priests are examples of people set apart by design for God’s service. This is literally a holy calling. To be holy is to be set apart for Jehovah’s purposes. Leviticus 22 covers a lot of ground regarding guidelines and instructions for the Levitical priesthood.

With the death of Christ on our behalf and the veil being torn, now all followers of Christ are invited to come before the King of Kings and serve Him. We are all called to personal holiness and relationship with God.

At a high level, Leviticus 22 reminds us that those who wish to be holy are called to be different than the general population around them. We are to do things in obedience to God rather than the same way as the world around us. God no longer requires us to make animal sacrifices, which foreshadowed the sacrifice of Christ. We now can give thanks and embrace the actual sacrificial death of Christ on our behalf… for our sins. Through Christ we are justified (reconciled to God; forgiven of our sin) and sanctified (made holy). However, it does depend on our wholehearted and undivided submission to Christ rather than living in rebellion to Him and praising Him only with our lips.

Leviticus 22

Sundry Rules for Priests

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name; I am the LORD. 3“Say to them, ‘If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me; I am the LORD. 4‘No man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or who has a discharge, may eat of the holy gifts until he is clean. And if one touches anything made unclean by a corpse or if a man has a seminal emission, 5or if a man touches any teeming things by which he is made unclean, or any man by whom he is made unclean, whatever his uncleanness; 6a person who touches any such shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat of the holy gifts unless he has bathed his body in water. 7‘But when the sun sets, he will be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy gifts, for it is his food. 8‘He shall not eat an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, becoming unclean by it; I am the LORD. 9‘They shall therefore keep My charge, so that they will not bear sin because of it and die thereby because they profane it; I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

      10‘No layman, however, is to eat the holy gift; a sojourner with the priest or a hired man shall not eat of the holy gift. 11‘But if a priest buys a slave as his property with his money, that one may eat of it, and those who are born in his house may eat of his food. 12‘If a priest’s daughter is married to a layman, she shall not eat of the offering of the gifts. 13‘But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or divorced, and has no child and returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s food; but no layman shall eat of it. 14‘But if a man eats a holy gift unintentionally, then he shall add to it a fifth of it and shall give the holy gift to the priest. 15‘They shall not profane the holy gifts of the sons of Israel which they offer to the LORD, 16and so cause them to bear punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts; for I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”

Flawless Animals for Sacrifice

     17Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 18“Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or of the aliens in Israel who presents his offering, whether it is any of their votive or any of their freewill offerings, which they present to the LORD for a burnt offering— 19for you to be accepted—it must be a male without defect from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats. 20‘Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you. 21‘When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it. 22‘Those that are blind or fractured or maimed or having a running sore or eczema or scabs, you shall not offer to the LORD, nor make of them an offering by fire on the altar to the LORD. 23‘In respect to an ox or a lamb which has an overgrown or stunted member, you may present it for a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted. 24‘Also anything with its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the LORD, or sacrifice in your land, 25nor shall you accept any such from the hand of a foreigner for offering as the food of your God; for their corruption is in them, they have a defect, they shall not be accepted for you.’”

      26Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 27“When an ox or a sheep or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be accepted as a sacrifice of an offering by fire to the LORD. 28“But, whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not kill both it and its young in one day. 29“When you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the LORD, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. 30“It shall be eaten on the same day, you shall leave none of it until morning; I am the LORD. 31“So you shall keep My commandments, and do them; I am the LORD.

      32“You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the LORD who sanctifies you, 33who brought you out from the land of Egypt, to be your God; I am the LORD.”

Praise God! He is great indeed. He is holy by nature. He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him and made holy so that we can approach Him and have relationship with Him! Praise God for sending a Helper in the Spirit to dwell inside us and strengthen us in our faith and observance of God’s instructions.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Seeking God

Pursue Holiness As You Draw Near to the Father

Leviticus 21 can be difficult chapter to fully digest in our culture today. We can study and debate how much of the specific instruction is still literally applicable since now the veil has been torn (with the death of Jesus). Now all followers of Christ are welcome to approach God, made holy through Christ Jesus rather than our own actions.

What seems a bit more clear, however, is that our Father expects those who come before Him to be holy and set apart for His service.  They should not just blend in with everyone else around them. We can not, for example, claim to be made holy by accepting Christ as Lord while yet actively and willingly rebelling against God and His instructions in our life. If we rebel against Him openly, than surely we have not submitted to Him fully. This does not mean we need to be perfect. There is a difference between seeking Him truly and making mistakes and claiming His name and openly dismissing or rejecting Him by how we live our lives.

Leviticus 21

Regulations concerning Priests

     1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them:
‘No one shall defile himself for a dead person among his people, 2except for his relatives who are nearest to him, his mother and his father and his son and his daughter and his brother, 3also for his virgin sister, who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may defile himself. 4‘He shall not defile himself as a relative by marriage among his people, and so profane himself. 5‘They shall not make any baldness on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts in their flesh. 6‘They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they present the offerings by fire to the LORD, the food of their God; so they shall be holy. 7‘They shall not take a woman who is profaned by harlotry, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God. 8‘You shall consecrate him, therefore, for he offers the food of your God; he shall be holy to you; for I the LORD, who sanctifies you, am holy. 9‘Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

      10‘The priest who is the highest among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil has been poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes; 11nor shall he approach any dead person, nor defile himself even for his father or his mother; 12nor shall he go out of the sanctuary nor profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him; I am the LORD. 13‘He shall take a wife in her virginity. 14‘A widow, or a divorced woman, or one who is profaned by harlotry, these he may not take; but rather he is to marry a virgin of his own people, 15so that he will not profane his offspring among his people; for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.’”

      16Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17“Speak to Aaron, saying, ‘No man of your offspring throughout their generations who has a defect shall approach to offer the food of his God. 18‘For no one who has a defect shall approach: a blind man, or a lame man, or he who has a disfigured face, or any deformed limb, 19or a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, 20or a hunchback or a dwarf, or one who has a defect in his eye or eczema or scabs or crushed testicles. 21‘No man among the descendants of Aaron the priest who has a defect is to come near to offer the LORD’S offerings by fire; since he has a defect, he shall not come near to offer the food of his God. 22‘He may eat the food of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy, 23only he shall not go in to the veil or come near the altar because he has a defect, so that he will not profane My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’” 24So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel.

Submit to Christ and ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Through Christ we can be justified and sanctified (forgiven and made holy). The Spirit can fill us and provide the power for us to live increasingly holy lives.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Anger (unrighteous anger), Church / Body of Christ, Compassion, Consequences of Sin, Grace / Patience, Greed, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, How do I get started?, Humility, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Justice / Judgment, Kindness / Gentleness, Love, Lying / Deceiving, Peace / Rest, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Thankfulness, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Put On A New Self… With the Help of the Holy Spirit

Want a quick, objective check on your personal relationship with Jehovah? Read through Colossians 3 with me. Let the Spirit guide you toward the areas in your life where you fall short and encourage you in the areas where God is transforming your life.

First, if you are made new through Christ, keep seeking the things of God. Set your mind on the His ways rather than the world’s.

Colossians 3:1-17

Put On the New Self

     1Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

      5Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. 6For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, 7and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. 8But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— 11a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

      12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

This scripture serves as a great summary of some key character traits we should demonstrate as new creations in Christ and a list of traits we should not be demonstrating anymore. Pray for the Spirit to help you in areas where you are struggling. Praise Him and thank Him where He is helping you. What a wonderful Lord we serve that He is mindful of us! He sends His helper to dwell with us to transform us. Let us live in the world but apart from the world so as to glorify the Father.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Greed, Heaven and Hell, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Loving / Kind, Righteousness / Serving God, Seeking God, Thankfulness, Wickedness / Evil, Wise, Worldliness

Imitate God Rather Than The World

Ephesians 5 speaks for itself. It is a timeless warning to avoid worldliness and a call to righteousness.

Ephesians 5

Be Imitators of God

     1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

      3But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; 4and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

      6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them; 8for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light 9(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; 12for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

14For this reason it says,
“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine on you.”

      15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, 19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; 21and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Let us take a challenging look at ourselves and our lives and test to see if we are living as imitators of God, or of the world. In most cases, we struggle at some level in that we still are reflections of the sin culture of the world. Let us call upon God to help purify us further and help us to change our attitudes and actions to reflect better and better the righteousness of God rather than the values of the world.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Exploring (and Obeying) God’s Instructions

For most of us it can be a challenge to focus and read through the detailed sections of the Old Testament like Leviticus where it covers many of the laws and instructions that God set forth for His people. They seem different and strange at times. We have not been taught this material as a serious part of our church life in the modern Christian church. Some of the ceremonial laws and instructions relating to animal sacrifices no longer apply.

However, there is rich insight into what our Father values and wants from His people embedded in the text. We have to treat it like a gold mine and go mining. Take as an example, Leviticus 19. It instructs us about reaping the harvest of our land and not reaping every corner or gathering fallen fruit. It may be easy to say, “I am not a farmer, so I will skip ahead”, but that is missing the point. Farming is just a context common to the people of that time. The principle is that we should not be so greedy to claim every last nickel of what is “ours” such that we leave nothing to help others who are in need. Surely this principle can be applied to all of us today, regardless of our trade or skill. Notice, the government has nothing to do with taking the extra that is left and giving it to the poor… it is direct from the person to those in need and freely given.

Not stealing… not dealing falsely… not lieing… not swearing falsely by His name… that is certainly still applicable and quite straightforward.

Notice in verse 13, we are not only to avoid robbing our neighbor, but we are not to oppress him either. We are to pay to others what is due them as hired workers without delay and stalling. Do not treat the blind and deaf badly just because the deaf man can’t hear what you did to him or the blind man can’t see what you did to him. To do these things is to not revere and respect God Himself.

I encourage you to fully explore the scripture and challenge yourself to ask “How might this apply to my life?”

Just because God talks about how to treat slaves does not mean he is endorsing slavery as we know it. That topic requires more study to understand the cultural context of slavery at the time, which was quite different than what we in the US think about slavery as we know it from earlier in our history as a nation. Further, God speaks up to protect the slaves and provide laws for how they should be treated.

Leviticus 19:9-37

Sundry Laws

     9‘Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10‘Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.

      11‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. 12‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.

      13‘You shall not oppress your neighbor, nor rob him. The wages of a hired man are not to remain with you all night until morning. 14‘You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.

      15‘You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor defer to the great, but you are to judge your neighbor fairly. 16‘You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor; I am the LORD.

      17‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. 18‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.

      19‘You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together.

      20‘Now if a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave acquired for another man, but who has in no way been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they shall not, however, be put to death, because she was not free. 21‘He shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD to the doorway of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22‘The priest shall also make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed, and the sin which he has committed will be forgiven him.

      23‘When you enter the land and plant all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as forbidden. Three years it shall be forbidden to you; it shall not be eaten. 24‘But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25‘In the fifth year you are to eat of its fruit, that its yield may increase for you; I am the LORD your God.

      26‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying. 27‘You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard. 28‘You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.

      29‘Do not profane your daughter by making her a harlot, so that the land will not fall to harlotry and the land become full of lewdness. 30‘You shall keep My sabbaths and revere My sanctuary; I am the LORD.

      31‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

      32‘You shall rise up before the grayheaded and honor the aged, and you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.

      33‘When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34‘The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.

      35‘You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or capacity. 36‘You shall have just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt. 37‘You shall thus observe all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them; I am the LORD.’”

Much of this text is obvious and straightforward. Some requires additional study of the context of the culture and nearby neighboring cultures to fully understand what God is instructing. Some instructions are intended to show love to other people and some show love and honor to God. We are to seek to understand and obey if we are to truly live a life that shows love to our Father.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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His Way, Not Our Own

Much of Leviticus serves to remind us to seek to understand and follow God’s ways rather than each make our own way. God laid out for His people specific guidance for them to follow.

People at the time were struggling with the freedom God had previously allowed them in regards to making their own alters and conducting their own sacrifices as Abraham had done and Jacob. With this freedom came a tendency toward idolatry or sacrifices to demons. God now instructs His people to bring the sacrifices to His tabernacle. This is a firm reminder to them which God is Lord. There is only one, and He is called Jehovah or Yahweh.

Jehovah also had previously instructed the people not to eat the blood of the animals. Whether or not we understand fully, we should obey. The blood was intended to be set apart for atonement, not to be consumed. It represents the life of the animal.

Some may ask, “what does this mean for me today?” A fair question to be sure. Let us be reminded to seek to understand and obey the ways of Jehovah. Let us follow His ways rather than our own. Take care not to stray toward idolatry and worship of things other than our Lord and Creator or to stray in our obedience to Him.

Leviticus 17

Blood for Atonement

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the LORD has commanded, saying, 3“Any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or who slaughters it outside the camp, 4and has not brought it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD, bloodguiltiness is to be reckoned to that man. He has shed blood and that man shall be cut off from among his people. 5“The reason is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing in the open field, that they may bring them in to the LORD, at the doorway of the tent of meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the LORD. 6“The priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and offer up the fat in smoke as a soothing aroma to the LORD. 7“They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot. This shall be a permanent statute to them throughout their generations.”’

      8“Then you shall say to them, ‘Any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, 9and does not bring it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man also shall be cut off from his people.

      10‘And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’ 12“Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘No person among you may eat blood, nor may any alien who sojourns among you eat blood.’ 13“So when any man from the sons of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, in hunting catches a beast or a bird which may be eaten, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.

      14“For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life. Therefore I said to the sons of Israel, ‘You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.’ 15“When any person eats an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or an alien, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening; then he will become clean. 16“But if he does not wash them or bathe his body, then he shall bear his guilt.”

Focus on and obey the ways of our Lord. For those parts we don’t fully understand… pray and study the Bible to learn and gain godly wisdom. Do not just ignore something because it does not make sense to you. Instead seek to understand. Ask Him to reveal it to you and do not be slothful in your study of the Word. Be encouraged as well… in that we don’t have to be perfect. We do not seek reconciliation and salvation by our works, but rather by faith, through grace in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But if we love Him, we will seek to understand His instruction and obey Him.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Atonement: Getting Right With God

All of us should set aside time to consider atonement for our sins. Leviticus 16 describes animal sacrifice and ceremonial laws which were relevant to God’s people prior to the death of Christ. There is much focus on atonement, even ending with instructions to take a day each year to do no work just to reflect on atonement.

We all sin, even believers. The more we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit, the less we sin perhaps but none the less any sin is punishable by death. That is inherently a reminder built into the animal sacrifices. The penalty for sin is death. Prior to Christ’s death on the cross, animals were substituted for us and ceremonially paid the price for our sin for us to get atonement. Notice there is much detail in regards to approaching God. It is not just slaughtering an animal. There is a process to be followed in coming into God’s presence. We are to be cleansed and purified as we come into His presence.

Now, Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sin with His blood, shed on the cross. Through His sacrifice, our debt for sin is paid. We need not sacrifice animals. His sacrifice was sufficient. However, we do well to set aside time to reflect on atonement, which is simply the reparation for a wrong… the price to be paid for our sin. We should thankfully accept the gift God has offered us in Christ Jesus. Turn from our sins… our wrong attitudes and actions. Let us seek after God to do things His way… asking forgiveness for our wrong doing and wrong thinking.

Leviticus 16

Law of Atonement

      1Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the LORD and died. 2The LORD said to Moses:
“Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3“Aaron shall enter the holy place with this: with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4“He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments). Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on. 5“He shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering. 6“Then Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household. 7“He shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8“Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9“Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the LORD fell, and make it a sin offering. 10“But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.

      11“Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself. 12“He shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil. 13“He shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, otherwise he will die. 14“Moreover, he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

      15“Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. 16“He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities. 17“When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel. 18“Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides. 19“With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times and cleanse it, and from the impurities of the sons of Israel consecrate it.

      20“When he finishes atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat. 21“Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. 22“The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

      23“Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there. 24“He shall bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes, and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people. 25“Then he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar. 26“The one who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; then afterward he shall come into the camp. 27“But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire. 28“Then the one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, then afterward he shall come into the camp.

An Annual Atonement

     29“This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you; 30for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31“It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute. 32“So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement: he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar. He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34“Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.” And just as the LORD had commanded Moses, so he did.

My family and I have started setting aside a day of Sabbath rest once a year consistent with God’s instructions at the close of this chapter in scripture. It serves well as a reminder to be humble and remember our sin and be thankful as we accept God’s gift of forgiveness through Christ. So, too, it reminds us that we continue to sin and should come before God humbly and thankfully, asking for His help to more fully commit our lives to Him and His ways… letting go of our own sinful and selfish desires. I encourage you to do the same.

If you are interested to participate in the day of Atonement, it usually comes in late Sep or early Oct. Because man changed the calendar we mostly find it confusing to follow these Biblically commanded days. There are many Jewish websites which try to maintain the Jewish calendar in the same way as Moses and the Israelites did in the past. You can search for day of atonement and probably find some websites to help you. Else you can search “Jewish holidays”. Do not be discouraged, just because the world labels them this way… and you are Christian. The facts are that God did not change the calendar, man did. They are not Jewish holidays… they are Jehovah’s holy days. The exact day is less important than the act of setting aside time to spend with our Father reflecting and praying regarding atonement for our sin and continuing our journey to repent from sin and become more like Jesus.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? Are you living today filled with the peace and joy of truly knowing and following Jesus Christ? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.