Category Archives: Study the Word

Discipline / Correction, Father / Yahweh, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Repenting from Sin, Study the Word, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Your Body Is The Temple for the Holy Spirit

It is amazing to reflect on how much care God demands for things which are holy, set apart for His purpose. The items of the temple were set apart to glorify Jehovah and communicate very specific elements of how he wanted His people to relate to Him. It was a place for worship of our Holy God. Numbers 4 (included at bottom of article) outlines just a handful of duties and instructions that were to be carried out with utmost respect and obedience. Violation could result in death.

With the tabernacle and temple now no longer in place, and with gift of the Holy Spirit to come dwell inside followers of Christ, our bodies have actually become temples for the Holy Spirit. We should take seriously how we care for and respect the bodies He has provided us.

1 Corinthians 6:13-20

13Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them.Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.” 17But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Let us not be reckless or careless but rather good and attentive stewards. That includes spiritual discipline to study the word and prayer and praise to draw us closer to God. It means we should  eat well and exercise appropriately.  Let us not wreck our bodies with toxic substances such as drugs and excessive alcohol. Remain free from sin without exception… adultery, lust, anger, foul speech, etc.  Let us treat our bodies as if they are holy and set apart for God’s purpose dwelling inside us as believers.

Numbers 4

Duties of the Kohathites

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2“Take a census of the descendants of Kohath from among the sons of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ households, 3from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. 4“This is the work of the descendants of Kohath in the tent of meeting, concerning the most holy things.

      5“When the camp sets out, Aaron and his sons shall go in and they shall take down the veil of the screen and cover the ark of the testimony with it; 6and they shall lay a covering of porpoise skin on it, and shall spread over it a cloth of pure blue, and shall insert its poles. 7“Over the table of the bread of the Presence they shall also spread a cloth of blue and put on it the dishes and the pans and the sacrificial bowls and the jars for the drink offering, and the continual bread shall be on it. 8“They shall spread over them a cloth of scarlet material, and cover the same with a covering of porpoise skin, and they shall insert its poles. 9“Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps and its snuffers, and its trays and all its oil vessels, by which they serve it; 10and they shall put it and all its utensils in a covering of porpoise skin, and shall put it on the carrying bars. 11“Over the golden altar they shall spread a blue cloth and cover it with a covering of porpoise skin, and shall insert its poles; 12and they shall take all the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars. 13“Then they shall take away the ashes from the altar, and spread a purple cloth over it. 14“They shall also put on it all its utensils by which they serve in connection with it: the firepans, the forks and shovels and the basins, all the utensils of the altar; and they shall spread a cover of porpoise skin over it and insert its poles. 15“When Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy objects and all the furnishings of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set out, after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry them, so that they will not touch the holy objects and die. These are the things in the tent of meeting which the sons of Kohath are to carry.

      16“The responsibility of Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest is the oil for the light and the fragrant incense and the continual grain offering and the anointing oil—the responsibility of all the tabernacle and of all that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

      17Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 18“Do not let the tribe of the families of the Kohathites be cut off from among the Levites. 19“But do this to them that they may live and not die when they approach the most holy objects: Aaron and his sons shall go in and assign each of them to his work and to his load; 20but they shall not go in to see the holy objects even for a moment, or they will die.”

Duties of the Gershonites

     21Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 22“Take a census of the sons of Gershon also, by their fathers’ households, by their families; 23from thirty years and upward to fifty years old, you shall number them; all who enter to perform the service to do the work in the tent of meeting. 24“This is the service of the families of the Gershonites, in serving and in carrying: 25they shall carry the curtains of the tabernacle and the tent of meeting with its covering and the covering of porpoise skin that is on top of it, 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 gate of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar, and their cords and all the equipment for their service; and all that is to be done, they shall perform. 27“All the service of the sons of the Gershonites, in all their loads and in all their work, shall be performed at the command of Aaron and his sons; and you shall assign to them as a duty all their loads. 28“This is the service of the families of the sons of the Gershonites in the tent of meeting, and their duties shall be under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.

Duties of the Merarites

     29“As for the sons of Merari, you shall number them by their families, by their fathers’ households; 30from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, you shall number them, everyone who enters the service to do the work of the tent of meeting. 31“Now this is the duty of their loads, for all their service in the tent of meeting: the boards of the tabernacle and its bars and its pillars and its sockets, 32and the pillars around the court and their sockets and their pegs and their cords, with all their equipment and with all their service; and you shall assign each man by name the items he is to carry. 33“This is the service of the families of the sons of Merari, according to all their service in the tent of meeting, under the direction of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest.”

      34So Moses and Aaron and the leaders of the congregation numbered the sons of the Kohathites by their families and by their fathers’ households, 35from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting. 36Their numbered men by their families were 2,750. 37These are the numbered men of the Kohathite families, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses.

      38The numbered men of the sons of Gershon by their families and by their fathers’ households, 39from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting. 40Their numbered men by their families, by their fathers’ households, were 2,630. 41These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Gershon, everyone who was serving in the tent of meeting, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD.

      42The numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari by their families, by their fathers’ households, 43from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who entered the service for work in the tent of meeting. 44Their numbered men by their families were 3,200. 45These are the numbered men of the families of the sons of Merari, whom Moses and Aaron numbered according to the commandment of the LORD through Moses.

      46All the numbered men of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron and the leaders of Israel numbered, by their families and by their fathers’ households, 47from thirty years and upward even to fifty years old, everyone who could enter to do the work of service and the work of carrying in the tent of meeting. 48Their numbered men were 8,580. 49According to the commandment of the LORD through Moses, they were numbered, everyone by his serving or carrying; thus these were his numbered men, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

Take seriously God’s call for us to take care of those things that are holy and set apart. Keep in mind that above all else we, as followers of Christ, are called to be holy. We should take great care in how we live our lives and actively study and pray to understand and obey the instructions of God in all aspects of our lives.

—-

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.

Fortune Telling, Greed, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Lying / Deceiving, Money / Finances / Wealth, Obeying God, Seeking God, Selfishness, Sin, Sorcery, Study the Word, Tongue / Gossip / Slander, Wickedness / Evil

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.

—-

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.

Demons, Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Idols / False Gods, Obeying God, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable

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.

—-

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.

Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Faith / Trusting God, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Self Control, Study the Word, Teachable

Avoid What Is Unclean

Avoid what is unclean. This remains good advice for many things. We should exercise discipline to avoid what Jehovah says we should avoid. Through obedience we can learn to be set apart and holy, distinct from other pagans who ignore or dismiss the Lord.

In Leviticus 11, scripture records what is clean and unclean to eat. Jehovah does not record why he sets these guidelines about what we are to eat, and what we are to avoid. We can certainly study and speculate the “why”… but more importantly, we should obey.

Let us start by recognizing that all of us inherently already make a distinction about what is good and what is bad, whether in regards to food or behavior… so we should be slow jump to conclusions that Jehovah should not set aside this type of instruction. It is quite natural even for us to establish boundaries like these for ourselves.

By obeying our Father and Creator in our diet we demonstrate obedience and self control, just as in other areas of our lives where we submit to Him. We demonstrate we are different from others around us in a practical way. It reminds us three or more times a day that our Creator exists and we are submitted to Him in all we do. It puts before us a test of self control and obedience similar to the one Adam and Eve failed in the garden with regards to having plenty they are allowed to eat and one item they were forbidden to eat.

God is direct in telling His people not only not to eat certain things, but not even to touch them. We are to approach all temptation to sin in this way. Do not even rationalize getting close to it. Steer clear. Stay far away.

There were also some additional cultural context of idol worship of some of these “unclean” animals within the pagan nations around the Israelite people.

Leviticus 11:13-47

Avoid the Unclean

13These, moreover, you shall detest among the birds; they are abhorrent, not to be eaten: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, 14and the kite and the falcon in its kind, 15every raven in its kind, 16and the ostrich and the owl and the sea gull and the hawk in its kind, 17and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl, 18and the white owl and the pelican and the carrion vulture, 19and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

20All the winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. 21Yet these you may eat among all the winged insects which walk on all fours: those which have above their feet jointed legs with which to jump on the earth. 22These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, and the devastating locust in its kinds, and the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds. 23But all other winged insects which are four-footed are detestable to you.

24By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, 25and whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. 26Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof, or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean. 27Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, 28and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.

29Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole, and the mouse, and the great lizard in its kinds, 30and the gecko, and the crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand reptile, and the chameleon. 31These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening. 32Also anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead becomes unclean, including any wooden article, or clothing, or a skin, or a sack any article of which use is made it shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean. 33As for any earthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean and you shall break the vessel. 34Any of the food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean. 35Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you. 36Nevertheless a spring or a cistern collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean. 37If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean. 38Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

39Also if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. 40 He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

41Now every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable, not to be eaten. 42Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all fours, whatever has many feet, in respect to every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are detestable. 43Do not render yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean. 44For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. 45For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.

46This is the law regarding the animal and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth, 47to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.

Before you dismiss God’s dietary restrictions as obsolete or as no longer “required”, take time to study the word carefully. Jesus taught clearly that He did not come to abolish the Law and further stated that the Law would not pass away, not even a jot or tittle, until “all was accomplished”.  Jesus never changed this teaching even after He died and was raised again. All is not accomplished until after He returns again. He instructed His disciples to teach new believers to observe all that He commanded them. He did not declare new commandments or drop old ones.

Matthew 5:17-19

 17Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 28:18-20

18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

Have you submitted to the Lord in all things? Are you holding back certain areas of your life? Pray for God’s help and study the scripture closely. Do not assume everything you have been taught is correct, for there is much false or misunderstood teaching in churches today.

—

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.

Fear / Reverence for God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Sin, Study the Word, Thankfulness, Through Prophets

The Glory of the Lord Revealed

Leviticus 9 offers us an interesting view into the steps Moses instructed Aaron to follow in preparation for Jehovah revealing His glory to Aaron. What an interesting topic to study for those of us who wish to draw near to God and have a personal relationship with Him. (warning – I have more to learn in regards to the full significance of the Levitical sacrifices… by all means study these for yourself)

Aaron was to make a sin offering and a burnt offering for himself. The sin offering reminds us we need forgiveness and atonement for our sin, which separates us from God. Prior to the death of Christ, animal sacrifices symbolically took on the punishment for our sin. Now, we need instead to accept Jesus as Lord and accept His offer of His own death as ransom for our sin. The burnt offering symbolizes atonement for sin and our voluntary dedication (of ourselves) to the Father. Then he led the congregation in a similar set of sacrifices for their atonement and dedication.

He added a peace offering for the congregation, symbolizing fellowship, rejoicing and thanksgiving with the Lord. In all these things, they obeyed the specific instructions of the Lord. They did things His way. It was then that He revealed His glory before them.

Leviticus 9

Aaron Offers Sacrifices

      1Now it came about on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel; 2and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a calf, a bull, for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defect, and offer them before the LORD. 3“Then to the sons of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both one year old, without defect, for a burnt offering, 4and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the LORD will appear to you.’” 5So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before the LORD. 6Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.” 7Moses then said to Aaron, “Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as the LORD has commanded.”

      8So Aaron came near to the altar and slaughtered the calf of the sin offering which was for himself. 9Aaron’s sons presented the blood to him; and he dipped his finger in the blood and put some on the horns of the altar, and poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 10The fat and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver of the sin offering, he then offered up in smoke on the altar just as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11The flesh and the skin, however, he burned with fire outside the camp.

      12Then he slaughtered the burnt offering; and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him and he sprinkled it around on the altar. 13They handed the burnt offering to him in pieces, with the head, and he offered them up in smoke on the altar. 14He also washed the entrails and the legs, and offered them up in smoke with the burnt offering on the altar.

      15Then he presented the people’s offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and slaughtered it and offered it for sin, like the first. 16He also presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the ordinance. 17Next he presented the grain offering, and filled his hand with some of it and offered it up in smoke on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning.

      18Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings which was for the people; and Aaron’s sons handed the blood to him and he sprinkled it around on the altar. 19As for the portions of fat from the ox and from the ram, the fat tail, and the fat covering, and the kidneys and the lobe of the liver, 20they now placed the portions of fat on the breasts; and he offered them up in smoke on the altar. 21But the breasts and the right thigh Aaron presented as a wave offering before the LORD, just as Moses had commanded.

      22Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. 23Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24Then fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Take time to reflect on the significance of what God chose to reveal to us as His people in Leviticus 9. Do not rush over it because “sacrifices are obsolete”. Prayerfully consider the following if you wish to draw near to God and experience close fellowship with Him.

  • Do you learn and obey His ways rather than your own or what is accepted by our culture?
  • Have you accepted that you have a sin problem which separates you from the Father? Have you further come humbly before the Lord and asked Jesus to be Lord of your life… accepting His offer to pay to penalty for your sin? Have you repented from your sin and changed your ways?
  • Have you dedicated yourself to the service of the Father? This means your life reflects obedience to Him and setting yourself apart from the world to be holy and used for His purposes.
  • Do you come before the Father in thanksgiving and praise? Do you set aside time to fellowship with Him on His terms rather than your own?

Now consider that none of these things are one time decisions or actions. They are a new way of living once you are reborn in the Spirit. Pray for His help and then lead your heart in the way of the Lord.  Do these things wholeheartedly and He will draw near to you and reveal more of Himself to you.

—-

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, Offering Sacrifices, Study the Word, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Atonement for Sin, Thanksgiving, and Supplication Before God Are Not Outdated

Burnt offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, guilt offerings, ordination offerings and peace offerings… it can be overwhelming for those of us who grew up without studying these to comprehend all the details and symbolism. On a small scale, it truly mirrors learning the full gospel of Yeshua… none who are new to it can master all of it all at once. We start with the basics and continue to build on that with more Bible study and prayer. With time, help from others who know more than we do, and revelation from the Holy Spirit, we can grow closer and closer to our Lord and Creator, more fully understanding all that He has for us.

Burnt offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings represent atonement for sin. Grain offerings were a freewill offering to our Creator. Ordination offerings were part of ordination process for priests. Peace offerings could be associated with recognizing fulfillment of a vow, a fellowship meal with Jehovah and with other believers, supplication and thanksgiving. These concepts are not “outdated”. They are relevant still today.

Each of these had specific instructions which the Lord laid out for His people to follow. While we no longer need to conduct these formal offerings now that Jesus has become the sacrifice for our sins, we can still learn about God’s relationship with His people by studying these offerings.

We are to come humbly before God as individuals and congregations or communities… asking forgiveness for and repenting from our sin. Our sin is ugly. It is not ok. A price must be paid. We must come before our Father on His terms rather than our own.

God invites us to bring freewill offerings just in thanks or recognition of Him as our Creator and Lord. While it may not be an animal or grain, perhaps today it would be the choice to serve others in His name… to help them even when perhaps we don’t feel like it. We offer our time and talent and our praise to Him.

Of course He also wants us to come humbly before Him in thanksgiving and supplication. Let us take time in all these situations to seek to honor our Creator.

Leviticus 7

The Priest’s Part in the Offerings

      1‘Now this is the law of the guilt offering; it is most holy. 2‘In the place where they slay the burnt offering they are to slay the guilt offering, and he shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar. 3‘Then he shall offer from it all its fat: the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails, 4and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe on the liver he shall remove with the kidneys. 5‘The priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire to the LORD; it is a guilt offering. 6‘Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy. 7‘The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is one law for them; the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it. 8‘Also the priest who presents any man’s burnt offering, that priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has presented. 9‘Likewise, every grain offering that is baked in the oven and everything prepared in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who presents it. 10‘Every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, to all alike.

      11‘Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the LORD. 12‘If he offers it by way of thanksgiving, then along with the sacrifice of thanksgiving he shall offer unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and cakes of well stirred fine flour mixed with oil. 13‘With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving, he shall present his offering with cakes of leavened bread. 14‘Of this he shall present one of every offering as a contribution to the LORD; it shall belong to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the peace offerings.

      15‘Now as for the flesh of the sacrifice of his thanksgiving peace offerings, it shall be eaten on the day of his offering; he shall not leave any of it over until morning. 16‘But if the sacrifice of his offering is a votive or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what is left of it may be eaten; 17but what is left over from the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire. 18‘So if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings should ever be eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted, and it will not be reckoned to his benefit. It shall be an offensive thing, and the person who eats of it will bear his own iniquity.

      19‘Also the flesh that touches anything unclean shall not be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. As for other flesh, anyone who is clean may eat such flesh. 20‘But the person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the LORD, in his uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from his people. 21‘When anyone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing, and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to the LORD, that person shall be cut off from his people.’”

      22Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall not eat any fat from an ox, a sheep or a goat. 24‘Also the fat of an animal which dies and the fat of an animal torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but you must certainly not eat it. 25‘For whoever eats the fat of the animal from which an offering by fire is offered to the LORD, even the person who eats shall be cut off from his people. 26‘You are not to eat any blood, either of bird or animal, in any of your dwellings. 27‘Any person who eats any blood, even that person shall be cut off from his people.’”

      28Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 29“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘He who offers the sacrifice of his peace offerings to the LORD shall bring his offering to the LORD from the sacrifice of his peace offerings. 30‘His own hands are to bring offerings by fire to the LORD. He shall bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be presented as a wave offering before the LORD. 31‘The priest shall offer up the fat in smoke on the altar, but the breast shall belong to Aaron and his sons. 32‘You shall give the right thigh to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifices of your peace offerings. 33‘The one among the sons of Aaron who offers the blood of the peace offerings and the fat, the right thigh shall be his as his portion. 34‘For I have taken the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons as their due forever from the sons of Israel.

      35‘This is that which is consecrated to Aaron and that which is consecrated to his sons from the offerings by fire to the LORD, in that day when he presented them to serve as priests to the LORD. 36‘These the LORD had commanded to be given them from the sons of Israel in the day that He anointed them. It is their due forever throughout their generations.’”

      37This is the law of the burnt offering, the grain offering and the sin offering and the guilt offering and the ordination offering and the sacrifice of peace offerings, 38which the LORD commanded Moses at Mount Sinai in the day that He commanded the sons of Israel to present their offerings to the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai.

Let us remember to come before God humbly in repentance asking forgiveness for our sin, in thanksgiving for our blessings, and in supplication as we ask for His help and presence in our lives. Let us come before Him on His terms rather than our own. Make the Lord a focal point and a “main thing” in your life. Praise Him! Serve Him through obedience to His word.

—-

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.

Discerning / Judging, Offering Sacrifices, Seeking God, Study the Word

Learning to Dig for Gold

After spending a few days focused on Leviticus 6, I am convinced I need to set aside some time and go for a deeper dive into the meaning behind the details recorded here for my personal growth in relationship with God. I will not likely be able to capture and share it here in short daily articles.  There is a humorous song I have heard from which a verse goes something like this, “The Bible is a gold mine, now where is your pick and shovel.”

The level of detail included in the text may be overwhelming to those of us who are trying to make sense of all of it without the benefit of living in that culture and time. Fortunately there are great resources available online. You will surprise yourself if you try a simple internet search for something like “compare burnt offering to sin offering Leviticus”. Of course you have to take some time to discern which explanations  appear reasonable and which are “missing the mark”.

Leviticus 6:24-30

      24Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 25“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: in the place where the burnt offering is slain the sin offering shall be slain before the LORD; it is most holy. 26‘The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting. 27‘Anyone who touches its flesh will become consecrated; and when any of its blood splashes on a garment, in a holy place you shall wash what was splashed on. 28‘Also the earthenware vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then it shall be scoured and rinsed in water. 29‘Every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy. 30‘But no sin offering of which any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place shall be eaten; it shall be burned with fire.

Take a few minutes to find your favorite search engine and do a search like the one I listed above. Scan through a few listed explanations and materials. It is amazing what is available on the internet, but we must still be prepared to dig through it to make sure we find real gold and not just accept the rock someone hands us. There are many wonderful resources and many that will lead you astray. The challenge I lay out… most of us already do this kind of research all the time. We may be buying a washer or dryer or oven or car. We get online and search. We review and discern truth from lies in advertising. We do this in deciding what foods are healthy to eat and which are not.

Doesn’t it make sense to put the same time and energy into seeking the truth of God’s word and applying it to our lives? The implications of developing this study habit focused on our relationship with God will last a whole lot longer than your next car.

What more can you find to help you get deeper understanding from today’s scripture?

—-

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.

 

Faith / Trusting God, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy / Set Apart, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Study the Word, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Seek the Lord and Serve Him In The Way of His Choosing

There is rich historical and spiritual context to be studied in reading through Biblical commentaries or other study material online regarding the sacrifices detailed throughout Leviticus 6. I encourage each of you to take some time and read some. BibleHub.com has many available online at no charge… just a few clicks away. One example is Matthew Henry’s Commentary.

Even on the surface of the scripture we can appreciate some things it tells us about our Father and what He desires from our relationship with Him. Our Father calls even those serving Him full time to (such as Aaron and his sons) come before Him with offerings. There is much preparation for those who serve the Father even in how we give offerings. We are called to take time in doing this His way. It is a main activity and not a distraction. We are to focus on the Father and what He wants. We are not to hurry and treat this as a distraction from our daily lives.

 Leviticus 6:19-23

      19Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 20“This is the offering which Aaron and his sons are to present to the LORD on the day when he is anointed; the tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening. 21“It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle. When it is well stirred, you shall bring it. You shall present the grain offering in baked pieces as a soothing aroma to the LORD. 22“The anointed priest who will be in his place among his sons shall offer it. By a permanent ordinance it shall be entirely offered up in smoke to the LORD. 23“So every grain offering of the priest shall be burned entirely. It shall not be eaten.”

Do you set aside time to maintain and grow your relationship with the Father the way He calls us to? In the example above, many of us may struggle with why the priests should go to so much trouble to prepare an offering, just to burn it all. There is actually some spiritual messaging there if we go and study to understand it in greater depth, but also even on the surface we can see that we are called to obey and serve the Father His way… even if we don’t always understand it.

Discerning / Judging, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Prayer, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable

Digging for Truth in Scripture

I am continuing to walk through Leviticus slowly and challenging myself to look through the context and cultural differences and seek to understand more about it every time I read. I am always looking for some valuable nugget of scripture that I can apply in my life. The scriptures are filled with meaning and significance. The question is who will dig to find it and take time to look for it.
As we read about the grain offering in Leviticus 6, there are several areas of interest in which we could dig for “gold”. Our offerings are pleasing to God. Though God wants to provide for those who carry out His work, such as the priests in this scripture, the first portion goes to God. The priests get what is left. There is a common theme of unleavened bread or cakes. Leaven is often symbolic of sin, a small amount affecting the whole loaf or cake. Here the symbolism seems to be applied again… those that serve God are to be set apart
for His purpose, to avoid sin, to be holy. We are reminded that their provision is not from the one giving the gift or offering, but rather from God Himself. He provides some of His portion for them.

Leviticus 6:14-18

      14‘Now this is the law of the grain offering: the sons of Aaron shall present it before the LORD in front of the altar. 15‘Then one of them shall lift up from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering, with its oil and all the incense that is on the grain offering, and he shall offer it up in smoke on the altar, a soothing aroma, as its memorial offering to the LORD. 16‘What is left of it Aaron and his sons are to eat. It shall be eaten as unleavened cakes in a holy place; they are to eat it in the court of the tent of meeting. 17‘It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their share from My offerings by fire; it is most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. 18‘Every male among the sons of Aaron may eat it; it is a permanent ordinance throughout your generations, from the offerings by fire to the LORD. Whoever touches them will become consecrated.’”

Seek to dig a bit further on these themes. Study the commentaries and pray for God to guide you. It is a good discipline to develop… to dig for truth in scripture as if we were digging for gold.  The treasure is not always just lying in the open waiting to be found… sometimes we must seek it with discipline, commitment, and passion to find it.
—-
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.

Faith / Trusting God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Prayer, Provider, Study the Word, Through Prophets

Do Not Let the Fire Go Out

I will admit, as I read through the entirety of scripture, I do find times and passages where I struggle to immediately find value for application today. I have to dwell on it and sometimes study some of the commentaries. I am reminded by 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that even after our Lord Jesus was crucified and raised again from the dead,  the entirety of Old Testament scripture is still inspired by God and valuable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness… so we may be equipped for every good work. It is worth the time to seek to understand how it applies in my life still today.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Leviticus 6:8-13 has quite a bit of significance, though I would miss it if I just scanned it and said… “sacrifices no longer apply, so I will skip this.” I challenged myself to study further and take time to pause and meditate on it.

Our Father has provided many instructions to help us. Some we understand… some we do not. All are intended to help us love God and love one another. Should we insist that we must understand all that He asks in order to obey? No. That is not the natural order of things. All of us who had good and loving parents had to obey them as children, even if we did not understand why every time. They were helping us, protecting us, teaching us, etc. We could not as children understand as much of the complexity of life as the adults did. So too with us as adults… we can not fully understand the ways of God, but we can still obey and seek Him.

Leviticus 6:8-13

The Priest’s Part in the Offerings

      8Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 9“Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the law for the burnt offering: the burnt offering itself shall remain on the hearth on the altar all night until the morning, and the fire on the altar is to be kept burning on it. 10‘The priest is to put on his linen robe, and he shall put on undergarments next to his flesh; and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire reduces the burnt offering on the altar and place them beside the altar. 11‘Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place. 12‘The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it. It shall not go out, but the priest shall burn wood on it every morning; and he shall lay out the burnt offering on it, and offer up in smoke the fat portions of the peace offerings on it. 13‘Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.

There are many things we could explore and study in this passage. Why did the priest put on undergarments next to his flesh when approaching the alter? What symbolism is intended in the detailed instructions for this activity, which is set apart to honor God… it is holy. Why should the fire never go out? How might that apply for me today?

I will take one of those and unpack it a bit. I encourage you to read some commentaries (available through the link on BibleHub.com for no cost) and seek out more meaning and background.

The priests were to keep the fire going continually. They were not to let it go out. Our relationship with God needs constant attention. We should always be mindful of Him. We do not “turn on” and “turn off” our relationship with a spouse or child and neither shall we do so with God. He is to be continually a part of our focus through our daily life. We are to obey Him and seek Him in prayer and study His word and share His word and help others… continually. God does not wish us to go to church (e.g. light a fire to please Him) for a short while once a week, then ignore Him for a week (e.g. allow the fire to go out) until it is time to go to church again. We are to be in constant relationship with our Father. Yes… it takes time and commitment. Yes… He must be a priority and we must not get too distracted on lesser important things. Yes… if we tend to His business and obey, He will take care of the rest.

What else can you unpack from this scripture through prayer and study to apply in your life?

—-

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.