Friday, July 4, 2025

 Leviticus 13   The Lord spoke to Aaron and Moses about leprosy.  This terrible disease was a "defiling skin disease".  The great detail that the Lord taught Moses and Aaron to look for.. and what to do about it.. shows just how serious this was.  The priests were given the responsibility to diagnose the disease and to determine what must happen with the person who was suffering with it.  Instructions were also given for when a spot.. either of mold or mildew.. was found in any kind of garment.  It was a dreaded.. costly.. and life-altering disease. 

This is one of those hard sections to read.. we can't really relate to this disease in our daily lives. Except, maybe we do.. if we are troubled by eczema or even skin cancer.  Still, we don't go to our pastor and we aren't proclaimed "clean" or "unclean" when we do have some kind of issue.  We aren't commanded to walk around saying "Unclean, unclean!" or told to live in isolation.. away from the community. 

So, what is it that we need to learn here?  What is our Shepherd saying?

All that we have read so far in the book of Leviticus has pointed to Jesus.. and I am led to look at how Jesus handled this disease.  In Matthew 8.. as Jesus concluded His great sermon.. "a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, 'Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.' And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying. 'I am willing; be cleansed.' And immediately his leprosy was cleansed."  Jesus then instructed the man to go show himself to the priest "and present the offering that Moses commanded for a testimony to them." (v4)  How great is the compassion and kindness of our Lord and Savior.  

Luke tells us another story about Jesus healing.. this time 10... lepers. He heard them crying out to Him from a distance.. " Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  And He did.  He did not draw near to them or touch them, but told them to go show themselves to the priests.  "And it came about that as they were going, they were cleansed."   Only one of the ten turned around to praise God..  Jesus said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine - where are they? Was no one found who turned back to give glory to God except this foreigner? And He said, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well." ( Luke 17:11-19) 

In both of these cases, Jesus showed His mercy and compassion.. and in both cases those healed were told to follow the Law of Moses as we read in Leviticus.  In both cases the men who were healed would give a testimony about what God had done. 

Father in heaven, we are so thankful for a Savior who heals and cleanses us from all iniquity.. from every sinful spot that makes us unclean in Your sight.  He is the Healer who touches more than our bodies.. but our hearts and souls as well.  How we need to know.. without doubt..  that You are willing to make us clean!  We give glory to You, our great God who does the impossible, the merciful, and the wonderful work of salvation and healing in us. Thank You Jesus!  Praise to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Thursday, July 3, 2025

 Leviticus 12  The Lord gave Moses specific commands regarding childbirth. A woman who gave birth to a male child would be considered "unclean" for 7 days and then the boy would be circumcised.  She would then take 33 days more, where she could not be touched, nor could she enter the sanctuary. After that .. then she could offer the sacrifices for her purification..   If it was a girl child, she would be "unclean" for 14 days and would take 66 days before she could present the sacrifices for her purification. 

After the days were fulfilled the new mother would offer a burnt offering and a sin offering. If she could afford it, the burnt offering would be a 1 year old lamb and the sin offering would be a pigeon or turtledove. If not, she could offer 2 of the birds.  It appears that the woman would bring her offering to the priest at the door of the tent herself.  And the priest would "make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean." 

In Luke 2:21-24 we read that this was exactly what happened after Jesus was born.  Joseph and Mary went up to Jerusalem after the days of purification.. 33 days after Jesus was circumcised. ( A total of 40 days after His birth).   "And when they had performed everything  according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth." (v39) 

We do not know why the days required for a daughter were different than for a son.. but this was what God said, so that is what they did.  This would be a precious time.. don't you think?  A time for the mother and child to rest.. to bond.. to be cared for.. to heal.  The new mother was exempt from any other responsibility besides caring for her newborn child.  At the end of this time of purification she would be ready to present her offerings.. to worship the Lord who blessed her with a child..  to enter back into the life of the community.. 

Father in heaven, how precious are the children we are given.. a blessing that we do not take for granted.  Thank You for the privilege of becoming a mom.. a grandmother.. or a great-grandmother.  Thank You for the joy of seeing our children grow.. especially in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus. We commit them to You.. we pray for their salvation and for their love to grow deep as they learn to walk in Your ways.. by the grace and mercy that You alone pour out upon us... through the blood of the One true Lamb who has made atonement for us.  Be glorified in our lives and in our families we pray.. in the Name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

 Leviticus 11 gives us God's instructions to Aaron and Moses regarding food that was either "clean" or "unclean".  The priests were given this revelation with the responsibility to teach the people.  The Lord tells His people how they can remain pure.. by obedience to His commands.. and what to do when they become "unclean".  He tells them in verse 43 "Do not render yourselves detestable.. you shall not make yourselves unclean.. "  This is the Lord's revealed will for His people so that they will be "holy". 

"For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am holy." v44b

"For 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." v45

"This is the law.. to make a distinction between the unclean and clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten." v46-47

Food is a necessity. But why these laws?  In Acts 10:14-15 we read about how God spoke to Peter, telling him to "kill and eat" these "unclean" animals that the Law condemned.  Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean."  Yet, God replies.. "What God has cleansed no longer consider unholy." 

This is not the only time that God spoke to people about what they were to eat.  Remember in Genesis 2 when God gave the first commandment to Adam?  "and the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.. " (v16-17)  It is after the flood that the Lord makes a new covenant with Noah and his sons.  In Genesis 9:3-4 the Lord says, "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave you the green plant.  Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood."

The commentaries suggest that the laws given to Israel about clean and unclean food.. or actions.. or anything... were for one purpose.. to distinguish His people from all others.. to set them apart as "holy". 

So.. how does this effect our lives today?  God still calls us to be holy.. as Peter writes.. "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, 'You shall be holy, for I am holy." (I Peter 1:14-16)   It is not about the food we do or do not eat.. for  Jesus said..  in Matthew 15.. " Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is eliminated? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man." (v17-18)  Holiness "in all your behavior"..  in your manner of life; your conduct, your conversation .. goes beyond just what you eat.. it is about what is in your heart!

Father in heaven,  cleanse us as only You can.. for we are bought.. redeemed.. not with perishable things.. "but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. " ( I Peter 1:19)  Our faith and hope are in You.  May we be obedient to the truth.. so that we may be purified in our souls, and have a sincere love of our brothers and sisters in Christ.. (v22) We come and ask this in His Name.. Amen

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

 Leviticus 10:10-20  After the death of Nadab and Abihu , Aaron was given a command directly from God.. the command to stay sober... "so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses." 

It had been a tough day... Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar were not allowed to grieve the deaths of Nadab and Abihu.. God had brought a quick and powerful judgement.. and it had to have shaken them to the core. They were responsible to do all of the sacrifices for the nation... a difficult, bloody, physically taxing job.. and they were finding that God would not tolerate any failures, mistakes, or wrong thinking as they carried out this work. They are now told that they are responsible to teach the whole nation "all the statutes" of the Lord. They had a responsibility for the spiritual education of an entire nation. 

Moses gave Aaron a reminder that they needed to sit down by the altar and eat their portion of the grain offering.  He needed to take the meat of the wave and peace offerings and serve his family as the Lord commanded.  Rest and food.. a provision that was desperately needed. 

But, there was also a problem.. the "goat of the sin offering" was burned up.. its blood had not been poured out and nothing was left for them to eat... and Moses was angry!  "Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place? for it is most holy and He gives it to you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord."  But, Aaron couldn't handle anything more ... "this very day..", he said, "When things like these happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of the Lord?"  And Moses was satisfied with that answer.  

Aaron suffered the loss of two sons.. he was given difficult instructions.. greater responsibility .. and faced the anger of Moses.. yes... it was a hard day.  But, he shows here a discernment that perhaps displays a measure of spiritual growth.. God was at work in Aaron's life.. in the most difficult situation.. to bring him into conformity with the work that He called him to do. 

Father in heaven, help us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus.  Help us to be diligent to add virtue and knowledge, self-control and patience, godliness and kindness.. and love.. by the grace You pour into our lives through faith, which is a gift that You give to us.  All we are and all we have is in Your hands, and we need You to fill us again with Your Spirit that we might live in conformity to Your will and purpose in whatever You call us to do. Have Your way.. in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 

Monday, June 30, 2025

 Leviticus 10:1-11  Reflecting on the first 9 chapters.. where all the law of the offerings were laid out, where the priests were anointed, and where the tent of meeting.. the tabernacle was consecrated.. and God's glory came down..  I once again rejoice in the fulfillment of every requirement in the death of our perfect Savior, the Lamb of God who was slain. 

 I have found myself thinking about the significance of these offerings.. and how they are reflected in our own worship.  We give praise and glory and thanks to our Father for the offering that He presented.. His only begotten Son.. who died for our transgressions.. who suffered in our place.. the Perfect Lamb of God.  He is the One who has made atonement for us that we might be forgiven and accepted by our Father.. like the burnt offering.  He is the One who is our Provider so that we might give a tithe from what He has provided.. like the grain offering.  When we give an offering..  to the Lord ...whether it is our money, our time,  or our service- from our hearts.. out of devotion and not duty.... it is like the grain offering.. seasoned with salt.. the salt of the covenant.. affirming our agreement, our pledge..our allegiance with our God.  Christ is our guilt offering, our peace offering, our sin offering..  and.. He is our Perfect High Priest.  Hallelujah!  What a Savior!

In chapter 10.. all the requirements have been laid out and the responsibilities have been turned over to Aaron and his sons.. 

"Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron took their respective firepan's, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had no commanded them.  And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord." 

They did not take the Word of the Lord seriously and  the two men were immediately punished for their failure to treat the Lord "as holy".   The Lord would not allow His Name to be treated in such a way that would dishonor Him before the people.  Like Cain.. they chose to offer something that they thought was a better choice than what God required. 

The bodies of the two men were removed from the camp by their cousins. 

Aaron and his two remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, were not allowed to leave the tent or mourn the loss of their family members.  The rest of the Israelites were permitted to mourn this loss. 

Then the Lord spoke directly to Aaron.. giving him this command,  "Do no drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you may not die - it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations- and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean..."

Was this what caused Nadab and Abihu to do what they did?  Had they been drunk? They failed to offer what was holy..  in fact the word "strange" could mean loathsome or profane.. foreign.  Far from what God commanded. 

Again we are reminded of the fact that our offerings before the Lord are to be pure.. holy.  We cannot offer anything of our own will or desire.. but only what God requires.. which He Himself provides through Jesus Christ the Lord.  We can  bring ourselves and offer our bodies.. our hearts.. our whole self before Him, with contrite hearts, with praise and thanksgiving.. for Jesus paid it all! He calls us to lay down our lives, take up our cross, and follow Him.. 

Our Father in heaven, let Your Name be hallowed and honored.. let Your will be done and Your kingdom come.  We ask for Your provision of daily bread and forgiveness of every trespass. We forgive those who have sinned against us. We ask for You to lead us in righteousness and not allow the temptations of this world to draw us from Your Presence. Deliver us from all evil we pray. In the name of our Perfect Savior, Jesus Christ we come. Amen. 

Friday, June 27, 2025

 Leviticus 8-9  Everything was ready.. the tabernacle finished and furnished; the high priest's and other priest's garments prepared.  Aaron and his sons were now set apart  to be consecrated for the work that the Lord commanded them to do. 

Moses followed closely all the commands that the Lord gave him..  Aaron and his sons were washed. They were clothed in the sacred garments. They offered the sin offering and the burnt offering for their atonement.  Moses anointed the tabernacle and the priests.  Aaron and his sons spent 7 days in the tabernacle to complete their ordination.. "just as the Lord commanded..

On the eighth day Aaron started his new job.. The whole congregation was brought before the tabernacle and a sin offering and a burnt offering, along with a grain offering was presented before the Lord on behalf of all the people of Israel. "And Moses said, 'This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.' " ( 9:6)

Everything was done exactly to the Lord's commands.  When it was all complete, Aaron "lifted up his hands towards the people and blessed them..  Moses and Aaron went together into the tabernacle and when they came out they gave another blessing and " the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. "

"Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces." (9:24)

We think about the law and the sacrifices that the people of Israel were commanded to do.. and frankly.. we are glad we do not have to do this anymore..  but, just think about the amazing privilege that they had.. to see..  with their physical eyes..  the "glory of the Lord" and the fire that just came and consumed the offerings.  Don't we long to see the glory of the Lord in such a way?   Sometimes we get just a glimpse.. while we worship together with our church family.. but nothing close to what these Israelites saw that day.  

And yet.. they stayed stubborn, complaining, and rebellious. It seems impossible that they could ever want anything.. or any other idol.. after experiencing such a profound meeting with the Almighty God! But, we know they did. 

And what about us?  Are we any different?  Paul wrote this in 2 Corinthians 3:18  "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." We are given and opportunity to see God's glory in God's people, aren't we ?

  As we learn from the book of Hebrews.. we have a greater High Priest.. we have a greater covenant.. and we have a greater sacrifice.  We can draw near.. not to a tent..but to a Savior.  We "enter the holy place" instead of standing at the door.  We have  a new and living way.. through the blood and flesh of Jesus Christ.  Our hearts are "sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Hebrews 10:19-22)  We have a living hope.  We have the Spirit of God within us..  so "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." (v23)

Father in heaven, all glorious above.. keep us in the presence of Your glory.. continue to sanctify us through and through.. transforming us from "glory to glory".. to be the reflection of Jesus our Lord. Let Your will be done.. today.. in us we pray.. In His wonderful name. Amen. 

Thursday, June 26, 2025

 Leviticus 6:8-7:38  This passage sums up the role of the priests in the offering of all the sacrifices.. the parts that are offered as a burnt offering,  the parts that are given to the priests as their food, and the place that those are to be eaten.   The Lord reminds them all that these offerings are "holy".  They must never be touched by anyone unclean.. and those who are clean and offer the sacrifice will be "consecrated". 

The law was given that the fire on the altar was to burn day and night (6:12-13)  There would be a continual offering rising up to the Lord as His people walked in obedience to His commands.  The burnt offerings, the grain offerings, the peace offering, the guilt offering.. and 7:37 includes one more.. the "ordination offering."  This would be the next thing as Aaron and his sons are consecrated to serve as priests.   Every offering was required for a purpose.. that sinful people could be made clean, and able to come to the God who loved them.. 

I am reminded once again that Jesus Christ accomplished the satisfaction of every Law.. every requirement that the sacrifice of lambs and bulls could not.  Because of His sacrifice on the cross.. we are accepted.. our atonement has been completed.. our lives are redeemed.. and we can come before Him with praise and thanksgiving... for we are the Lord's forever.  Jesus is the Perfect High Priest and the Perfect Lamb who was slain.  He is an amazing Savior and our glorious King. 

Amen.