Category Archives: Holy

Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God

To Be Holy and Set Apart for the Father

To set apart your life and purpose to the service of Jehovah is a big deal. All followers are called to do this … to lay down their wants and desires and sinful temptations and to instead follow the ways of Christ. Less of us, more of Him.

John 3:30

30“He must increase, but I must decrease.

In Leviticus, we see how significant an event it was for Aaron and his sons to be consecrated in order to serve Jehovah. The Father was very detailed in the steps to be carried out. There is rich symbolism we can explore, but there are two areas in particular I want to highlight that we can all apply in our lives today.

Those set aside for the service of the Father were anything but a secret. Their consecration was not subtle. They assembled the congregation of believers. Their dedication to the Father was public, no matter what others may think about it. Second… count how many times in this scripture we are told that the instructions of Jehovah were obeyed. I count at least six times. If we are to be holy and set apart for God, we must be obedient.

Leviticus 8

The Consecration of Aaron and His Sons

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering, and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread, 3and assemble all the congregation at the doorway of the tent of meeting.” 4So Moses did just as the LORD commanded him. When the congregation was assembled at the doorway of the tent of meeting, 5Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded to do.”

      6Then Moses had Aaron and his sons come near and washed them with water. 7He put the tunic on him and girded him with the sash, and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him; and he girded him with the artistic band of the ephod, with which he tied it to him. 8He then placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. 9He also placed the turban on his head, and on the turban, at its front, he placed the golden plate, the holy crown, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      10Moses then took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. 11He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them. 12Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him. 13Next Moses had Aaron’s sons come near and clothed them with tunics, and girded them with sashes and bound caps on them, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      14Then he brought the bull of the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the sin offering. 15Next Moses slaughtered it and took the blood and with his finger put some of it around on the horns of the altar, and purified the altar. Then he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it, to make atonement for it. 16He also took all the fat that was on the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and their fat; and Moses offered it up in smoke on the altar. 17But the bull and its hide and its flesh and its refuse he burned in the fire outside the camp, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      18Then he presented the ram of the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 19Moses slaughtered it and sprinkled the blood around on the altar. 20When he had cut the ram into its pieces, Moses offered up the head and the pieces and the suet in smoke. 21After he had washed the entrails and the legs with water, Moses offered up the whole ram in smoke on the altar. It was a burnt offering for a soothing aroma; it was an offering by fire to the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      22Then he presented the second ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. 23Moses slaughtered it and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 24He also had Aaron’s sons come near; and Moses put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot. Moses then sprinkled the rest of the blood around on the altar. 25He took the fat, and the fat tail, and all the fat that was on the entrails, and the lobe of the liver and the two kidneys and their fat and the right thigh. 26From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD, he took one unleavened cake and one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer, and placed them on the portions of fat and on the right thigh. 27He then put all these on the hands of Aaron and on the hands of his sons and presented them as a wave offering before the LORD. 28Then Moses took them from their hands and offered them up in smoke on the altar with the burnt offering. They were an ordination offering for a soothing aroma; it was an offering by fire to the LORD. 29Moses also took the breast and presented it for a wave offering before the LORD; it was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

      30So Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him; and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.

      31Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the flesh at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and eat it there together with the bread which is in the basket of the ordination offering, just as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’ 32“The remainder of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn in the fire. 33“You shall not go outside the doorway of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the day that the period of your ordination is fulfilled; for he will ordain you through seven days. 34“The LORD has commanded to do as has been done this day, to make atonement on your behalf. 35“At the doorway of the tent of meeting, moreover, you shall remain day and night for seven days and keep the charge of the LORD, so that you will not die, for so I have been commanded.” 36Thus Aaron and his sons did all the things which the LORD had commanded through Moses.

Each of us as followers of Christ should not be shy about our dedication to the Lord. It should be public and obvious as part of our lives rather than a secret. Obedience is a must, even if we don’t always understand why He asks us to do something or do it a certain way. To be holy is to be set apart to live our lives according to His purposes and ways rather than our own or those of the world.

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

Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Obeying God, Offering Sacrifices, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Through Prophets

Sin Is Still Ugly, Even When It Is Unintentional

There is much symbolism and cultural context we could study throughout Leviticus. However, as I read Leviticus 4 today, something much more basic shouted at me from the text. Something that many of us understand, but many still do not take ownership for. Sin is sin… even if it was unintentional. When we sin unintentionally, it may seem as if it is not as bad as intentional sin, but it is still sin. It still may hurt us or others. It still separates us from the Father. We are called to repent of our unintentional sin once we become aware of it… just as we should repent of intentional sin.

Leviticus 4

The Law of Sin Offerings

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, 3if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. 4‘He shall bring the bull to the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, and he shall lay his hand on the head of the bull and slay the bull before the LORD. 5‘Then the anointed priest is to take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the tent of meeting, 6and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle some of the blood seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 7‘The priest shall also put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense which is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and all the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 8‘He shall remove from it all the fat of the bull of the sin offering: the fat that covers the entrails, and all the fat which is on the entrails, 9and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe of the liver, which he shall remove with the kidneys 10(just as it is removed from the ox of the sacrifice of peace offerings), and the priest is to offer them up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering. 11‘But the hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head and its legs and its entrails and its refuse, 12that is, all the rest of the bull, he is to bring out to a clean place outside the camp where the ashes are poured out, and burn it on wood with fire; where the ashes are poured out it shall be burned.

      13‘Now if the whole congregation of Israel commits error and the matter escapes the notice of the assembly, and they commit any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and they become guilty; 14when the sin which they have committed becomes known, then the assembly shall offer a bull of the herd for a sin offering and bring it before the tent of meeting. 15‘Then the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the LORD, and the bull shall be slain before the LORD. 16‘Then the anointed priest is to bring some of the blood of the bull to the tent of meeting; 17and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the LORD, in front of the veil. 18‘He shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar which is before the LORD in the tent of meeting; and all the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering which is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 19‘He shall remove all its fat from it and offer it up in smoke on the altar. 20‘He shall also do with the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven. 21‘Then he is to bring out the bull to a place outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly.

      22‘When a leader sins and unintentionally does any one of all the things which the LORD his God has commanded not to be done, and he becomes guilty, 23if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a male without defect. 24‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the male goat and slay it in the place where they slay the burnt offering before the LORD; it is a sin offering. 25‘Then the priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26‘All its fat he shall offer up in smoke on the altar as in the case of the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven.

      27‘Now if anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and becomes guilty, 28if his sin which he has committed is made known to him, then he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without defect, for his sin which he has committed. 29‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slay the sin offering at the place of the burnt offering. 30‘The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering; and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 31‘Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.

      32‘But if he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring it, a female without defect. 33‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they slay the burnt offering. 34‘The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and all the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar. 35‘Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of the peace offerings, and the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar, on the offerings by fire to the LORD. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin which he has committed, and he will be forgiven.

Sin is ugly, whether intentional or not. Do not let yourself make excuses like “I did not mean to.” The Father still calls us to repent, change our ways, and ask forgiveness. Let us not excuse our sin, but rather ask forgiveness for it and strive to do better and sin less.

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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.

Compassionate, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Holy, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Offering Sacrifices, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Speaking, Study the Word, Through Prophets

Do Animal Sacrifices Still Have Relevance Today?

We no longer conduct animal sacrifices as God’s people. Our repentance and forgiveness are no longer administered through an earthly priesthood, but rather now directly through death and resurrection and relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is both the sacrifice and the priest. He is our savior.

Animal sacrifices documented in the Old Testament were an important part of demonstrating repentance and remaining in communion and relationship with God before Christ’s earthly ministry. There is deep symbolism and meaning to be studied and appreciated that still has meaning today.

The burning body of the animal reminds us of the judgment awaiting those who do not accept the gift of forgiveness by grace through faith offered by Jesus Christ. The penalty for sin is death. God is serious about sin. It is offensive. A holy and righteous God requires a penalty be paid. Fortunately for us, this same loving God came to walk among us as Jesus Christ and pay the penalty for us.

The sacrificial animal was to be without blemish. This is a foreshadowing of the perfection we witness in Jesus Christ.

The owner must choose of his own free will to make the sacrifice. Jesus indeed made this choice of His own free will on our behalf.

The person bringing the sacrifice would take action to put their hand on the head of the animal symbolically so the sacrifice could make atonement on their behalf. Similarly, we must make a choice of our own free will to accept Jesus as Lord and submit our lives to Him. He is our sacrifice, but we must choose Him.

We also see another example of understanding and compassion in our Creator. For those who could not afford the animals of the herd, they could bring one from the flock or even some small birds. God was not demanding someone to go bankrupt with big “donations”. He was leading the people to come before Him asking for repentance and forgiveness. He was helping them to remain aware of their sin and need for repentance.

Leviticus 1

The Law of Burnt Offerings

      1Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. 3‘If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. 4‘He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make atonement on his behalf. 5‘He shall slay the young bull before the LORD; and Aaron’s sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 6‘He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. 7‘The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8‘Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 9‘Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.

      10‘But if his offering is from the flock, of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt offering, he shall offer it a male without defect. 11‘He shall slay it on the side of the altar northward before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood around on the altar. 12‘He shall then cut it into its pieces with its head and its suet, and the priest shall arrange them on the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. 13‘The entrails, however, and the legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer all of it, and offer it up in smoke on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.

      14‘But if his offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, then he shall bring his offering from the turtledoves or from young pigeons. 15‘The priest shall bring it to the altar, and wring off its head and offer it up in smoke on the altar; and its blood is to be drained out on the side of the altar. 16‘He shall also take away its crop with its feathers and cast it beside the altar eastward, to the place of the ashes. 17‘Then he shall tear it by its wings, but shall not sever it. And the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar on the wood which is on the fire; it is a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the LORD.

There is much more significance than what little I have covered here. The Old Testament is rich with symbolism and meaning to help us understand our Creator and how He wants us to relate to Him even today. Take care not to neglect the study of the Old Testament for sake of only reading the New. That is like reading only part of an instruction manual and assuming you understand the whole thing. Both are consistent. Understanding the Old will help you gain a greater context and understanding for the New. They are intended to work together to communicate the full picture of God’s relationship with His people and how He wants us to live and interact with each other and Himself.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Holy, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

In The Presence of Jehovah

Jehovah is indeed worthy of reverence and respect. To be in the presence of such a holy God should not be taken lightly.

Exodus 34:29-35

Moses’ Face Shines

      29It came about when Moses was coming down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the testimony were in Moses’ hand as he was coming down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with Him. 30So when Aaron and all the sons of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31Then Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the rulers in the congregation returned to him; and Moses spoke to them. 32Afterward all the sons of Israel came near, and he commanded them to do everything that the LORD had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 33When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34But whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with Him, he would take off the veil until he came out; and whenever he came out and spoke to the sons of Israel what he had been commanded, 35the sons of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses’ face shone. So Moses would replace the veil over his face until he went in to speak with Him.

Few have experienced the presence of God as Moses did. What an awe inspiring opportunity! The very presence of our holy Creator transforms us. Do not take lightly that He invites us to come before Him and that He cares for each of us so fully. Seek Him out and draw near to Him. It will change your life for the better and lead to life everlasting in communion with Him.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Help / Serve Others, Holy, Interceding for Others, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Speaking, Through Prophets

Moses Intercedes Again For The People

If you read the preceding chapters you will refresh yourself on the sin and rebellion of God’s people against God when Moses went up Mount Sinai to be with Yahweh. Moses interceded with God on behalf of the people and God spared them by not destroying them. There were consequences and the people were kept at a distance from God due to their sin. God remained close Moses and Joshua, the righteous.

Now we see Moses intercede again on behalf of the people, that they would have the continued presence of God among them.

Exodus 33:12-23

Moses Intercedes

      12Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13“Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16“For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”

      17The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23“Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

Moses found favor in the sight of God. Moses was a righteous and faithful servant. As such, he drew near to God and God to him. When he interceded on behalf of the people, God listened because of this relationship and favor.

If we choose not to seek after God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, do not expect to be able to effectively intercede for others. When you do draw near to God and wish to intercede, remain focused not only on the people, but also on God and His name… His kingdom… His glory.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Father / Yahweh, Holy, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin

Sin Separates Us From God

Sin separates us from God. This theme is repeated consistently throughout the Bible. When we choose to sin, we create distance between us and our loving Father in heaven. We may still seek Him, but He is a holy God and will not tolerate being close to sin. We must repent and turn back to Him asking forgiveness.  Even so, there are still consequences we may experience because of our choice to sin.

In Exodus 33, God removes Himself from amongst the people after they chose to turn away from God’s instruction and worship a golden calf while Moses was with God on Mt Sinai.

Exodus 33:1-11

The Journey Resumed

      1Then the LORD spoke to Moses, “Depart, go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give it.’ 2“I will send an angel before you and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. 3“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.”

      4When the people heard this sad word, they went into mourning, and none of them put on his ornaments. 5For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the sons of Israel, ‘You are an obstinate people; should I go up in your midst for one moment, I would destroy you. Now therefore, put off your ornaments from you, that I may know what I shall do with you.’” 6So the sons of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward.

      7Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the LORD would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. 8And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. 9Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the LORD would speak with Moses. 10When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. 11Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

God did not reject or pull away from the righteous, such as Moses or Joshua. He was still present with them. However, even though the people now mourned for their mistakes, there were still consequences. God continued to keep His promise to the people to deliver them to the promised land, but now the people had to keep a distance from God, even while God approached Moses and Joshua.

How do I apply this in my life today? Consider that when we choose to sin we create separation from God. Even if or when we repent and seek forgiveness, we may still experience real consequences that affect our life. We should strive to draw near to God and not rely on His grace or forgiveness as an excuse to go on sinning.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Family, Holy, Righteousness / Serving God, Sin

Love The Father, Not The World

It is a very natural instinct to want to blend in, to avoid drawing too much attention from those around us as being “different”. This approach seems on the surface to make life easier, to help gain more friends, to avoid negative attention and conflict. We must be careful to train ourselves and our children (for parents reading this) so that we become comfortable being different for the right reasons. We are called to be a light and shine to show others the glory of God so that they may also be saved. We are told by Jesus not to hide the light… not to blend in. To be effective disciples of Christ, we must be ready to live with conflict from others who love the world instead of God.

Matthew 5:14-16

    14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

We are instructed multiple times throughout the Bible to not be conformed to the world… to instead renew our mind and live in such a way as to glorify God and live His way.

Romans 12:2

2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

We must caution ourselves not to get too attached to the things of the world, so that they do not draw us away from God Himself. As a simple example, if we love money, Satan and our inherent selfish nature will struggle with whether we serve money or God in our actions. Our love of the world may draw us away from God or just keep us from growing closer to Him.

1 John 2:15-17

  15Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

To be effective disciples of Christ, we must recognize that much of the world will hate us, as it hates Jesus. The world loves its own. We are not greater than Jesus, and thus we can expect people to come against us. We should prepare to be in conflict if we are to stand for Christ.

John 15:18-25

  18“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. 20“Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21“But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me. 22“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23“He who hates Me hates My Father also. 24“If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. 25“But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’

How then, do we act in order to serve God in this manner? Let us continue from one of the verses above in Matthew 5.

Matthew 5:14-19

  14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

      17“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18“For 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. 19“Whoever 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.

To let our light shine, we follow after Christ and what He taught. We live by the commandments which God has given us and teach others to do the same. We live according to God’s instruction rather than that of the world.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Church / Body of Christ, Father / Yahweh, Guide, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Holy, Holy / Set Apart, Speaking, Through Prophets

Let Us Not Misuse What God Has Prepared For His Purposes

Jehovah expressed in great detail many practical aspects of how His people were to relate to Him. He was not random. He is intentional. Each detail has a purpose. We should take care to seek to understand His purpose and to apply it in our lives.

In Exodus 30, Jehovah reveals to Moses great detail in preparation of the anointing oil and incense for use in the tent of meeting. The anointing oil and incense were meant to symbolically make holy the tent of meeting. This means it symbolically shows that they are set apart for God’s use. They are special and not common. They have specific purpose. God demonstrated this should be done with excellence and great skill, not just throw together something that “smells nice”. God further insisted that it is not to be used for other common purposes. What He directed to be holy should not become common by being used for other purposes.

Exodus 30:22-38

The Anointing Oil

      22Moreover, the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 23“Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, 24and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. 25“You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. 26“With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, 27and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, 28and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. 29“You shall also consecrate them, that they may be most holy; whatever touches them shall be holy. 30“You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister as priests to Me. 31“You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘This shall be a holy anointing oil to Me throughout your generations. 32‘It shall not be poured on anyone’s body, nor shall you make any like it in the same proportions; it is holy, and it shall be holy to you. 33‘Whoever shall mix any like it or whoever puts any of it on a layman shall be cut off from his people.’”

The Incense

      34Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each. 35“With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy. 36“You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting where I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you. 37“The incense which you shall make, you shall not make in the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the LORD. 38“Whoever shall make any like it, to use as perfume, shall be cut off from his people.”

If God takes that much care in the detail of creating incense and oil, imagine how much more He is interested in how He creates each of us as beings made in His image! Imagine the great care and attention as He knits together our genetic code to make each of us completely unique in all the world.

Psalm 139:13-14

      13For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.

      14I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

We each have different gifts and abilities and weaknesses. He has specific purpose for each of us. We are to seek it out and live it. We are to develop the skills He has given us and use them for His purposes rather than our own.

If your gift is to sing, then sing to the glory of God. If your gift is in administration, do so to the glory of God. You get the idea. We are to set ourselves apart for His use and His service rather than for our own purposes. Pray that He would help you identify the gifts He has given you and seek wise counsel from those you trust around you as well to understand what you are good at and what you are not.

Then seek to live your life as an offering to our heavenly Father, a sweet smelling aroma like finely crafted incense.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Father / Yahweh, Holy, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Repenting from Sin, Sin, Speaking, Study the Word, Through Prophets

Why Was It Important For Aaron To Wash His Feet?

There are sections of scripture which I often am tempted to read over quickly because the significance is not always clear to me. I find it a different way to read the Bible to break it into small pieces daily and refuse to skip over these sections, but instead read, reread, and study in some of the Biblical commentaries to understand their significance more clearly.

Reading through Exodus 30, I found myself tempted  to do so for some of the rituals about which God instructed Moses for Aaron and his sons. But if we take time to dig even a little below the surface we will often find some significance that reinforces the gospel message even today. That is because our God has not changed. How He wants to relate to His people and guide them has not changed.

Exodus 30:17-21

      17The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 18“You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base of bronze, for washing; and you shall put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and you shall put water in it. 19“Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet from it; 20when they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, so that they will not die; or when they approach the altar to minister, by offering up in smoke a fire sacrifice to the LORD. 21“So they shall wash their hands and their feet, so that they will not die; and it shall be a perpetual statute for them, for Aaron and his descendants throughout their generations.”

Certainly it seems a bit intimidating as to why God indicated that Aaron and his sons would die if they failed to wash their feet and hands before approaching Him. We could probably spend a bit of time here, but it would appear clear that this was important to our Father in heaven and He was making that clear to Aaron and his sons.

It is very unlikely that Jehovah was just concerned about dirty hands and feet or germs. So much of His instruction is for teaching the people about how to properly relate to Him. We should remember that Jehovah is a holy God. There is no sin in Him. We are sinful people. To be cleansed of sin once, such as when we come to Christ or when Aaron and his sons were made priests, is not enough. We must daily seek to cleanse our spirit from sin and repent and seek to become clean in order to maintain close relationship with the Lord. As Aaron and his sons were instructed to cleanse themselves daily, so too we can remind ourselves that we must choose to obey and follow our Lord daily. We must be cleansed of sin and rebellion if we are to develop a close relationship with the Father.

There is no power in water and soap to do this type of cleansing. That was a ritual to remind the priests. However, by accepting Jesus as Messiah and repenting from our sins we can be cleansed. This is not a one time activity but rather an ongoing part of our daily lives. Let us never grow complacent that “we accepted Jesus a long time ago. nothing else is required”. Accepting and submitting to Jesus is part of every day in our journey as a disciple of Christ.

Ask yourself, “How often to I consciously choose Christ in determining my attitudes and activities? Do I ask forgiveness often? Do I choose to repent from wrong behavior often? Do I test everything I do against the scripture or just accept what local community or church culture defines as acceptable? “

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Holy, Holy / Set Apart

Holiness Matters To Jehovah

Holiness matters to Jehovah. To be holy is to be set aside to serve Jehovah. Consecration is a process He laid out by which we are made holy. In Exodus 29, our Father clearly demonstrates that the priesthood is not to be taken lightly. He created a specific ceremonial activity to consecrate Aaron and his sons to His priesthood. They were to take their role seriously, and so were the people they led.

This is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ as He replaced the earthly priesthood and now serves as our high priest and intercessor with the Father. Jesus was and still remains holy, set aside for service to Jehovah.

Exodus 29

Consecration of the Priests

      1“Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them to minister as priests to Me: take one young bull and two rams without blemish, 2and unleavened bread and unleavened cakes mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; you shall make them of fine wheat flour. 3“You shall put them in one basket, and present them in the basket along with the bull and the two rams. 4“Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the doorway of the tent of meeting and wash them with water. 5“You shall take the garments, and put on Aaron the tunic and the robe of the ephod and the ephod and the breastpiece, and gird him with the skillfully woven band of the ephod; 6and you shall set the turban on his head and put the holy crown on the turban. 7“Then you shall take the anointing oil and pour it on his head and anoint him. 8“You shall bring his sons and put tunics on them. 9“You shall gird them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them, and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute. So you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

The Sacrifices

      10“Then you shall bring the bull before the tent of meeting, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the bull. 11“You shall slaughter the bull before the LORD at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 12“You shall take some of the blood of the bull and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger; and you shall pour out all the blood at the base of the altar. 13“You shall take all the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and offer them up in smoke on the altar. 14“But the flesh of the bull and its hide and its refuse, you shall burn with fire outside the camp; it is a sin offering.

      15“You shall also take the one ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram; 16and you shall slaughter the ram and shall take its blood and sprinkle it around on the altar. 17“Then you shall cut the ram into its pieces, and wash its entrails and its legs, and put them with its pieces and its head. 18“You shall offer up in smoke the whole ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the LORD: it is a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD.

      19“Then you shall take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on the head of the ram. 20“You shall slaughter the ram, and take some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the lobes of his sons’ right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet, and sprinkle the rest of the blood around on the altar. 21“Then you shall take some of the blood that is on the altar and some of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and on his garments and on his sons and on his sons’ garments with him; so he and his garments shall be consecrated, as well as his sons and his sons’ garments with him.

      22“You shall also take the fat from the ram and the fat tail, and the fat that covers the entrails and the lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them and the right thigh (for it is a ram of ordination), 23and one cake of bread and one cake of bread mixed with oil and one wafer from the basket of unleavened bread which is set before the LORD; 24and you shall put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons, and shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 25“You shall take them from their hands, and offer them up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering for a soothing aroma before the LORD; it is an offering by fire to the LORD.

      26“Then you shall take the breast of Aaron’s ram of ordination, and wave it as a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be your portion. 27“You shall consecrate the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering which was waved and which was offered from the ram of ordination, from the one which was for Aaron and from the one which was for his sons. 28“It shall be for Aaron and his sons as their portion forever from the sons of Israel, for it is a heave offering; and it shall be a heave offering from the sons of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace offerings, even their heave offering to the LORD.

      29“The holy garments of Aaron shall be for his sons after him, that in them they may be anointed and ordained. 30“For seven days the one of his sons who is priest in his stead shall put them on when he enters the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.

Food of the Priests

      31“You shall take the ram of ordination and boil its flesh in a holy place. 32“Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram and the bread that is in the basket, at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 33“Thus they shall eat those things by which atonement was made at their ordination and consecration; but a layman shall not eat them, because they are holy. 34“If any of the flesh of ordination or any of the bread remains until morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.

      35“Thus you shall do to Aaron and to his sons, according to all that I have commanded you; you shall ordain them through seven days. 36“Each day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement, and you shall purify the altar when you make atonement for it, and you shall anoint it to consecrate it. 37“For seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it; then the altar shall be most holy, and whatever touches the altar shall be holy.

      38“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two one year old lambs each day, continuously. 39“The one lamb you shall offer in the morning and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; 40and there shall be one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with one-fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering with one lamb. 41“The other lamb you shall offer at twilight, and shall offer with it the same grain offering and the same drink offering as in the morning, for a soothing aroma, an offering by fire to the LORD. 42“It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the doorway of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. 43“I will meet there with the sons of Israel, and it shall be consecrated by My glory. 44“I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; I will also consecrate Aaron and his sons to minister as priests to Me. 45“I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God. 46“They shall know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them; I am the LORD their God.

We are to take Jesus seriously as our high priest. It is not to be a casual relationship between ourselves and Him. He is holy and set aside for service to the Father. So too, we should take seriously the role of earthly teachers and ministers who are called to be holy, to be set aside for the service of the Father. In fact, all who disciple themselves after Jesus should set themselves apart to be used by Jehovah rather than just blending in to society “like everyone else”. To be holy is a good thing. We should all strive to be holy in our service to our Father. Seek to do things His way. Set yourself aside to serve Him rather than do things your own way. Pray for His guidance and support.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.