Category Archives: Holy

Faith / Trusting God, Help / Serve Others, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Interceding for Others, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Purposeful / Intentional, Repenting from Sin

Cleanse and Purify The Chosen; Let Them Be Separate

There is tremendous depth in the symbolism of scripture. We can read it and gain value at a surface level and also dig deeper and deeper and find more and more treasure of insight waiting to be found. Numbers 8 is no exception. At the very surface level we can appreciate that Jehovah calls some of us to be set aside for His purposes. To do so effectively, we must be cleansed and separated from the world. We can not be set aside to be holy and serve Him and yet still blend in with the world around us.

Do not limit your thinking only to pastors and missionaries as the “chosen”. These roles may be chosen, but so too let us consider all of us chosen to follow Christ. We must cleanse ourselves of sin and the ways of the world. We must be different if we are to honor and glorify God and lead others to Him.

Of course, you can study and find much deeper significance as well in Numbers 8. Why using a razor over their whole body? What is the significance of the offering? Why present the Levites in front of the whole congregation? We see also the coming together of the whole congregation to pray over the Levites as they enter the service of the Lord. What is the significance and tie back to the first born and the exodus from Egypt? Finally, don’t miss verse 22, in which the Bible records that the people obeyed the instructions of God. They did not debate them with God or pick the ones they liked and disregard the reset. They obeyed all He told them to do.

Numbers 8:5-22

Cleansing the Levites

     5Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 6“Take the Levites from among the sons of Israel and cleanse them. 7“Thus you shall do to them, for their cleansing: sprinkle purifying water on them, and let them use a razor over their whole body and wash their clothes, and they will be clean. 8“Then let them take a bull with its grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil; and a second bull you shall take for a sin offering. 9“So you shall present the Levites before the tent of meeting. You shall also assemble the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, 10and present the Levites before the LORD; and the sons of Israel shall lay their hands on the Levites. 11“Aaron then shall present the Levites before the LORD as a wave offering from the sons of Israel, that they may qualify to perform the service of the LORD. 12“Now the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls; then offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the LORD, to make atonement for the Levites. 13“You shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and before his sons so as to present them as a wave offering to the LORD.

      14“Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the sons of Israel, and the Levites shall be Mine. 15“Then after that the Levites may go in to serve the tent of meeting. But you shall cleanse them and present them as a wave offering; 16for they are wholly given to Me from among the sons of Israel. I have taken them for Myself instead of every first issue of the womb, the firstborn of all the sons of Israel. 17“For every firstborn among the sons of Israel is Mine, among the men and among the animals; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself. 18“But I have taken the Levites instead of every firstborn among the sons of Israel. 19“I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the sons of Israel, to perform the service of the sons of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement on behalf of the sons of Israel, so that there will be no plague among the sons of Israel by their coming near to the sanctuary.”

      20Thus did Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the sons of Israel to the Levites; according to all that the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so the sons of Israel did to them. 21The Levites, too, purified themselves from sin and washed their clothes; and Aaron presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. Aaron also made atonement for them to cleanse them. 22Then after that the Levites went in to perform their service in the tent of meeting before Aaron and before his sons; just as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites, so they did to them.

Take some time to pray for the Spirit to help enlighten your mind to the truth and depth of scripture including its applicability for your life today. Then spend time digging through scripture and studying routinely. It should not be a one time or infrequent activity.

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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.

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.

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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.

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Courage / Fear, Holy, Justice / Judgment, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Whom Shall I Fear?

People are complacent. They have either outright rejected God as fiction or remade God in the image they want… one that loves and accepts everyone without any change or obedience from them. They have created in their mind a God that has no standards of right and wrong and just wants to be recognized in name alone, or perhaps a church service attendance once a week. They dismiss the truth of God as holy… as a judge… as one who holds the eternity of each person in His hand.

Their is no need for anyone to repent. All just assume whatever they are doing or however they act is acceptable to God and “good enough” to get them into heaven.  If God is to be feared or judge people, then people say… “I just don’t believe in a God who doesn’t love everyone.” The flaws in this line of thought are limitless. You can choose not to believe in gravity, but it is still there and you will still be affected by it.

Psalm 14:1

1The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;
There is no one who does good.

Psalm 27:1

1The LORD is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?

Proverbs 9:10-12

     10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

      11For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.

      12If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

Just to ensure clarity of understanding, this next verse was spoken by Jesus to those who were listening to His teaching. It was not a message about “those sinners who were not in attendance”. It was a message to the people who came to listen to what Jesus had to teach. It was a message about being a disciple. Even as a disciple, a learner after Christ, He warns us to fear God rather than man.

Matthew 10:24-33

    24“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25“It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

      26“Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27“What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops. 28“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31“So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

      32“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33“But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

To fully understand the truth of who God is, do not rely on books written about the Bible, though some may be good tools. Do not rely on sermons from pastors because they teach from a church pulpit, though many are godly men. Seek God personally and directly. Search Him out in prayer and study of the Bible. Challenge yourself to understand what the Bible teaches. To do that you often have to be willing to humbly admit that what you understand, what you have been taught by the churches growing up, what our culture claims is right… may be all wrong or mostly wrong. Pray, seek, study the Bible. Pursue a personal relationship with God as if it is the most important relationship you will ever have… it is. Refuse to be complacent just accepting what is taught and said about God.

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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.

Anger (unrighteous anger), Consequences of Sin, Controlling Thoughts, Discipline / Correction, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Justice / Judgment, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Self Control, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Holiness Contrasted with Rebellion and Disrespect

God paints quite a contrast in Leviticus 24 between holiness and rebellion. He wants us to actively focus on keeping relationship with Him all day, every day… just as the Levitical priests were to keep the lights burning continually before Him.  We are not simply called to spend an hour a week in church listening to His word, but rather have a relationship with Him daily. With the temple gone, and the veil which separated us from God now torn open, we are invited through Jesus to be in relationship with the Father directly rather than just indirectly through the priesthood. We are still to spend even more time with Him on Sabbath as the Levitical priests did with the frankincense and bread. As we take a day off from working, we certainly have time to rest and pray and study the word… maintaining and growing our relationship with the Father.

Contrast that with how God deals with those who blaspheme and curse Jehovah. He is not pleased. It is deeply offensive to Him. There is simply no good reason for a godly, obedient person to curse the Father. Sadly, it is common place today in our culture to show complete lack of respect for His holy name. While you will not be stoned for such an infraction today, consider that our Father is just as displeased as He was by such action back in Levitical times.

Leviticus 24:1-16

The Lamp and the Bread of the Sanctuary

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Command the sons of Israel that they bring to you clear oil from beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. 3“Outside the veil of testimony in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the LORD continually; it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations. 4“He shall keep the lamps in order on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.

      5“Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6“You shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. 7“You shall put pure frankincense on each row that it may be a memorial portion for the bread, even an offering by fire to the LORD. 8“Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the LORD continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the sons of Israel. 9“It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the LORD’S offerings by fire, his portion forever.”

      10Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the sons of Israel; and the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel struggled with each other in the camp. 11The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed. So they brought him to Moses. (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.) 12They put him in custody so that the command of the LORD might be made clear to them.

      13Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 14“Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then let all the congregation stone him. 15“You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he will bear his sin. 16‘Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

Pray for our cities, states, nation, and around the world. Pray that people would once again gain a deep respect for Jehovah and put aside rebellion, denial of His existence, and worship of self. As a believer, be a light before men to show them the ways and love of God.

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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.

Abortion, Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Consequences of Sin, Discerning / Judging, Discipline / Correction, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Father / Yahweh, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Fortune Telling, Grace / Forgiveness, Heaven and Hell, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Homosexual Behavior, Hope, Idols / False Gods, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Justice / Judgment, Obeying God, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Self Control, Selfishness, Sorcery, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Immoral Behavior Is Offensive To God and It Is Wrong For Everyone

Jehovah could not make it much more clear… He wants us to follow His statutes and not those of the pagans who reject Him. We are not to blend in in this world. He takes sin very seriously. There is absolute right and wrong and many in this world are doing wrong. He does not promise us His blessing regardless of our behavior. He does lay out clear consequences and accountability for those who choose to sin, to live outside of His statutes and guidance. Jehovah has not changed His mind on what He approves of since Leviticus. He is unchanging in His character.

Leviticus 20

On Human Sacrifice and Immoralities

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“You shall also say to the sons of Israel:
‘Any man from the sons of Israel or from the aliens sojourning in Israel who gives any of his offspring to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3‘I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his offspring to Molech, so as to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name. 4‘If the people of the land, however, should ever disregard that man when he gives any of his offspring to Molech, so as not to put him to death, 5then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut off from among their people both him and all those who play the harlot after him, by playing the harlot after Molech.

      6‘As for the person who turns to mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7‘You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8‘You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

      9‘If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his bloodguiltiness is upon him.

      10‘If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11‘If there is a man who lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death, their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 12‘If there is a man who lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed incest, their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 13‘If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 14‘If there is a man who marries a woman and her mother, it is immorality; both he and they shall be burned with fire, so that there will be no immorality in your midst. 15‘If there is a man who lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; you shall also kill the animal. 16‘If there is a woman who approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

      17‘If there is a man who takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the sons of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he bears his guilt. 18‘If there is a man who lies with a menstruous woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow, and she has exposed the flow of her blood; thus both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19‘You shall also not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for such a one has made naked his blood relative; they will bear their guilt. 20‘If there is a man who lies with his uncle’s wife he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they will bear their sin. They will die childless. 21‘If there is a man who takes his brother’s wife, it is abhorrent; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They will be childless.

      22‘You are therefore to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to live will not spew you out. 23‘Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of the nation which I will drive out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I have abhorred them. 24‘Hence I have said to you, “You are to possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25‘You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal or by bird or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have separated for you as unclean. 26‘Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.

      27‘Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.’”

There is quite a list of immorality and rebellion identified in this scripture. Our Father is trying to be very clear about these sins. They are unacceptable. No excuses. No rationalizing. He has not changed His mind about these things being wrong. Take care in reflecting on these. Just because it is no longer common that someone may be sacrificing their child to Molech does not mean this is an obsolete passage. People today sacrifice their unborn children through abortion essentially to the god of self. For their own selfish desires they kill their unborn children rather than care for the children and raise them, taking accountability for past mistakes and showing respect for life. Globally there are over 40 million abortions a year. By the numbers, it is a much greater horror than any singular event in history, even the Hollocaust which was gruesome and killed 6 million. God is not pleased with sacrificing children through abortion any more than He was in killing them before Molech.

I do not believe that we are still commanded to execute those specific punishments, in light of Christ’s death and resurrection for our sins. But we are called to rebuke wrong behavior and call evil what it is and good what it is. We should not call what is evil good and what is good evil, as so many do today in our society. We should have laws against most of these behaviors, though some should need no laws, because our laws should reflect our Christian values. There should be punishments for these crimes to help discourage others from embracing sin and harming themselves and others.  Some should be laws, some should be active engagement from the Christian society to rebuke offenders (in love) so that they should repent. We should not cheerfully embrace offenders of these laws as if what they do is acceptable before God.

We can also bring forth the good news of forgiveness that is offered through Christ to those in sin. Jesus Christ died for our sins. We need to admit we are sinners who can not save themselves and accept His offer of forgiveness through grace by faith. Turn from our sinful behavior. Ask forgiveness from the Father. Turn toward the Father’s ways and ask for His help through the Spirit.

Take time to read the list thoroughly. Some of the sin covered here are rejected widely by society for now, but others have already been deemed acceptable and “good” by the world. Given a chance, the world will continue to redefine all of these sinful behaviors to caste them as “good” and caste those who rightly denounce them as “intolerant” and “cruel”.  We must repent personally, pray for God’s help for our nation and local government and the people, and stand against what is evil boldly by confronting it in our communities, churches, and influencing our legal system by actively engaging as a voters or in public office as followers of Christ.  We should never separate church and state. That is just an excuse to open the door for evil to prosper and it was never the intent of our founding fathers of the USA and is certainly not Jehovah’s desire. The founding fathers embraced Christian values and principles and teaching and integrated it into all aspects of the government they created (but that is a topic for another day).

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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.

Children, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Parenting, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

To Be Holy Is A Good Thing

I think it is sad that our society has made an insult out of the concept of someone being “holy”. Ever heard someone who is sinning and does not want to face it get angry with someone who is not and just rationalize it by saying that person is acting “holier than thou”? I have. In the right context, I understand the comment. Some people are not genuinely trying to be holy, but rather put on a show. But truth be told, if we understand what being holy means, then we should consider it a powerful virtue. To be holy is to be set apart for God’s use and purposes. We should strive to be holy and God tells us so. He is holy and we should be holy.

In Leviticus 19, He then continues to give examples of being holy. They are examples of simply obeying the commands He already provided… honor your mother and father, honor the sabbath as a holy day of rest set aside for God,  to not make idols to worship for there is only one true God. He then continues to give another example related to a peace offering which most of us are less familiar with today. It is a reasonable conclusion, and could be verified of course with some additional study, that it is another example for His people to simply obey what He has told them to do already as means of being set apart for His purposes… being holy.

Leviticus 19:1-8

     1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:

      2“Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. 3‘Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths; I am the LORD your God. 4‘Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods; I am the LORD your God.

      5‘Now when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6‘It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and the next day; but what remains until the third day shall be burned with fire. 7‘So if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an offense; it will not be accepted. 8‘Everyone who eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned the holy thing of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from his people.

I want to be holy and I want my family to be holy. I pray for God’s help to fill us with the Spirit so that we may be holy in our daily lives in order to serve and honor the Father. It requires seeking His ways and changing our behaviors and attitudes when they are different than His instructions. It can seem hard as you have to turn away from things and boldly be different from your extended family or friends and certainly different from most of those you encounter in daily life. Many will mock you. Few will understand.  But it is hard for us to be a light for God to show others the way to Him, if we just blend into society like a dim bulb in a dark room. Better for us to be a bright light that God can use to lead the way for others.

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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.

Children, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Parenting, Repenting from Sin, Sin

Are Babies Clean and Sinless at Birth?

You will often hear people speak about the innocence of babies. The unstated assumption being that only by consciously choosing to sin can we be sinners. This is patently false. Whether or not we are aware of our sin, it is still sin. Babies do not need to be taught to look out for themselves… crying when they want something or later growing up and taking something from others or yelling “mine!”. In fact, babies are products of a sinful and fallen mankind. Each is born inherently sinful and will ultimately need to repent of that sinful nature and embrace Christ as Lord if they are to be in right standing with the Creator. If both mother and father are sinful beings, how can a baby be sinless?

Leviticus 12 documents additional support for this understanding. While I am not in a position whereby I can meaningfully comment on the distinctions God makes between ceremonial uncleanness for birthing boys vs. girls, I can easily point out that God considers the children unclean from birth until they are ceremonially cleansed.

Leviticus 12

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:
‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean. 3‘On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. 4‘Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. 5‘But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.

      6‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 7‘Then he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. 8‘But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

While there is obviously more to Leviticus 12 than I have the clarity of understanding to address in this article, I do find it serves as a meaningful reminder that we are all born inherently sinners rather than innocent. Let us then address children with that understanding and begin at our earliest opportunity to train them up in the ways of the Lord so that when they have grown they will not part from it. Do not leave them simply to make their own choices without guidance and boundaries our Lord has already provided to us.

Proverbs 22:6

   6Train up a child in the way he should go,
Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

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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.

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.

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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.