Mark 1:1-11  This gospel account is shorter than the others.. going "immediately" from one scene to the next as Mark gives us snapshots of "Jesus Christ, the Son of God".   May we see and know Him more as we read and study this gospel book.. 

Mark starts with a brief look at John the Baptist.  Isaiah had foretold of a "messenger" that would "prepare the way" for the Lord and John fulfilled that prophecy.  " John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." (v4)  People came to John to be baptized, "confessing their sins".  He spoke continually of the One who was coming.. the One mightier.. the One who would "baptize.. with the Holy Spirit." (v5-8) 

The testimony of John prepares the way for the entrance of "Jesus.. (who) came from Nazareth in Galilee".  As John baptized Jesus three things happened..  the heavens opened.. the "Spirit like a dove descended upon Him, "  and the "voice came out of the heavens"...saying "Thou are My beloved Son, in Thee I am well pleased." (v9-11)  Then "immediately"  Jesus was taken by the Spirit into the wilderness where He fasted for 40 days and was "tempted by Satan".. and finally ministered to "by angels."  (v12) 

I want to read this familiar passage with a focus on knowing more about Jesus and coming to know Him more.. to look at each of Mark's "snapshots".. to allow the Spirit of God to draw me into the picture.. so to speak... 

The first "picture"  Mark gives us is of John the Baptist.  A man who wore "camel's hair" and a "leather belt around his waist".. A man who ate locusts and honey.  A man who preached repentance and told that the Messiah was coming.  John's father was Zacharias, a priest, a descendant of Aaron.  John would have also been able to serve as a priest.. but God called him for a different purpose.. to announce the coming of the Savior and to prepare his people by calling them to repent and to be baptized.. to gain forgiveness from their sins.  John was called upon to baptize Jesus and he did.. not because Jesus had any sin, but because God wanted to publicly pronounce that this was His Son, that He was given His Spirit.. and that He was well pleased! 

Father in heaven, give me eyes to see.. to see Jesus.. submitting to the baptism of John.. being filled by Your Spirit.. hearing Your voice come out of heaven.. going out into the wilderness and resisting the temptations of Satan...  Coming to bring Your kingdom.. preaching repentance.. leading me to believe! Let the Good News be proclaimed again today!  Let the eyes and ears of those who need repentance and salvation be opened up so that they might also see Jesus! Let Your Kingdom come, Father, with power and glory and blessing, in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

 Leviticus 27 brings to conclusion the terms of God's covenant with Israel.. verse 34 "These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the sons of Israel at Mount Sinai."  

This last chapter is about the price of vows.. something that is unfamiliar to us.  The first 8 verses explain a price to be paid whenever a person makes a "difficult vow".  Another translation is "singular vow"... meaning something above and beyond one's power; something wonderful or extraordinary.  Depending on age or sex.. there was a price valued accordingly.  An example of this would be a "Nazirite" vow to dedicate one's self to the Lord. ( Numbers 6:2)  Deuteronomy 23:21-23 "When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and the Lord your God will surely require it of you. However if you refrain from vowing, it would not be sin in you. You shall be careful to perform what goes out from your lips, just as you have voluntarily vowed to the Lord your God, what you have promised."   Hannah made a vow to present her son to the Lord if God would give her a child... she completed that vow with Samuel.. instead of money. 

Vows made to the Lord were expensive and not to be made lightly. David proclaimed in Psalm 61:8 "So I will sing praise to Thy name forever, that I may pay my vows day by day."  In Psalm 65:1 he wrote, "There will be silence before Thee and praise in Zion, O God; and to Thee the vow will be performed." And again in Psalm 116: 14 and 18 the psalmist here writes "I shall pay my vows to the Lord".. speaking both times about calling on the Lord and giving thanks. 

A vow to the Lord could also be a promise to give the Lord an animal, a house, or a field.. beyond the offerings already required.. like the first-born of the flock.  The people were required to tithe a tenth of their land, of their crops or fruit.. this already belonged to the Lord, "it is holy to the Lord." (v30)  Beyond that they could give willingly what they were led to give. 

The Lord also gave instructions for the redemption of these gifts to the Lord. A man could redeem his house, field, or even his tithe but it would cost him the original amount plus 20%. 

Jesus spoke about vows in His sermon on the mount.. "Again you have heard that the ancients were told, 'you shall not make false vows, but shall fulfill your vows to the Lord' But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by  heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth for it is the footstool of His feet.. but let your statement be, 'Yes, yes or No, no'; and anything beyond these is of evil." ( Matthew 5:33-37)

To make a vow to the Lord and not keep it.. to make a promise to the Lord and not fulfill it was so evil in our Lord's sight that He warns us not to make any vow at all.  The Lord will hold us to our promises.. 

Father in heaven, may we be cautious in our words and in our thoughts.. may we keep every vow that we have already promised to You.. to the glory of Your Name.. by the strength given to us by Your Holy Spirit. May we be like David and give You praise and thanksgiving day by day.. and may we walk in truth as Jesus walked.  We come before You with humbled hearts, knowing that we have need of the redemption that only Christ can give, and we bow before Him to find forgiveness for every sin. Keep us walking in Your ways we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen .

 Leviticus 26:40-46  God is so gracious and kind!  He gave Israel the way of life and the consequences of rejecting His way.. but, knowing them as He did.. He also gave them hope... for is they turned away and were taken into captivity He gave them this promise..  " If they confess their iniquity.. if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they make amends.. then I will remember My covenant.. " (v40-42) 

"In spite" of their rejection of His commands.. the Lord says "I will not reject them... for I am the Lord their God". (v44)  The Lord said He would "remember for them the covenant with their ancestors.."  They had forgotten their covenant.. they had rejected His Word.. they had become abhorrent in His sight.. but if they would turn back.. if they would confess their sins.. humble their hearts.. and make amends for their iniquities.. He would not reject them.. but would bring them back to Himself. 

This is the God we serve! He is so gracious and merciful.. full of lovingkindness and forgiveness.  He has made a way for every heart to turn back..no matter how far we have gone astray.  Our great Shepherd still considers us His own.. even when we have wandered off and gotten lost.. broken.. dirty.. stuck.. He will find us and bring us home if we will just call to Him.  Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Father in heaven, thank You for not forgetting us.  Thank You for giving to us such a merciful Savior who came to seek and save the lost. Thank You that even when we forget Your promises.. You remember FOR us and that You are still the Lord our God.  We praise You today with grateful hearts. Our love for You grows deeper every time we stop striving and know that You are God.. and that You have loved us with an everlasting love. Amen and amen!

 Leviticus 26:14-39 The Lord promised so much to the nation of Israel if they would just walk in His ways.. but He knew they wouldn't..  so He spelled out for them clearly the penalties for not obeying His word, and gave them a choice. 

"But if you do not obey Me and do not carry out all these commandments, if instead you reject My statutes, and if your soul abhors My ordinances so as not to carry out all My commandments, and so break My covenant, I, in turn will do this to you: "    Then the Lord lists the horrible results of rejecting Him and His covenant. 

It would start with "Sudden terror.. consumption.. fever." 

Their enemies will steal their crops. They will strike them down. They will overtake them and rule over them. 

And...if that doesn't turn them back to their God " I will punish you seven times more for your sins.." 

He will "break down" their pride and power.  He will "make the sky like iron and your earth like bronze" They will produce no food. The trees will produce no fruit. 

Again, they would have a chance to turn back.. but if not "I will increase the plague seven times according to your sins."  The wild animals will attack them.. destroying children and cattle. 

If that doesn't change them.. "I, even I, will strike you seven times for your sins."  The sword will "execute vengeance for the covenant".  Pestilence will invade their cities. 

"Yet, if in spite of this, you do not obey Me, but act with hostility against Me, then I will act with wrathful hostility against you; and I, even I, will punish you seven times for your sins."  This would result in severe famine.  They would actually kill their children to have food to eat. Their land would become desolate.. waste would be the only thing left from their beautiful land. They would be consumed by their enemies and would "rot away because of  their iniquity". 

These judgements remind me of the final judgements that will come in the end times.  The 7 seals.. the 7 trumpets,  and the 7 bowls. ".. and they did not repent of their deeds" ( Rev.16:11) 

The Lord our God has always given people a chance to choose.. to obey or to not obey.  A choice of blessings or curses...  A choice of life.. or death.  It started in the beginning with Adam and Eve.. a choice to eat of the fruit that was forbidden.. or to obey.  Life or death.  Israel was given the same choice.. as are we... 

Father in heaven, we have chosen to follow Jesus and we will not turn back.. by the power of Your Spirit within us.. by Your grace and great mercy.. we choose Life.  We want to cling to You and rest in the hollow of Your Hand where we will never be snatched away. Keep us, Father, in Your will.. in Your Kingdom.. in Your Holy Presence. Thank You for providing a way through Jesus Christ our great Savior and King. Glory to His Holy Name! Amen. 

 Leviticus 26:1-13  If the people of Israel would keep the Lord's commandments.. having no idols, keeping the sabbath day,  reverencing the sanctuary.. and walking according to His statutes and commands.. the Lord promised to bless them.  These blessings were  more than any of them could ask or imagine.. especially these people who had just come from living in slavery and oppression all their lives.

The Lord promised to always send the "rains in their season".  They would never lack food for in every season the land would produce bountifully.  "You will thus eat your food to the full and live securely in you land." 

The Lord promised "peace in the land."   Peace... because He would protect them from wild animals and from enemies that would come against them.

The Lord promised that He would "turn toward" them and  He would make them "fruitful and multiply" them..

The Lord also promised that He would dwell with them. ".. and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God and you shall be My people." 

The Lord restates His relationship with Israel, "I  am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so that you should not be their slaves, and I broke the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect." 

Imagine a land that always had enough food for all its people. A land that never suffered from danger.  A land where families grew and no woman suffered from barrenness or miscarriages.  A land where God Himself walked among His people.  This is the land that God promised His people. This is the land that we long for.. like Abraham.. we are "looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." ( Hebrews 11:10)  One day we will find this city.. "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ' Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them." ( Rev.21:3) 

Father in heaven, You are the Lord our God and we eagerly await that day when we will be with You in that beautiful city where there will be no more tears, no more sorrow, and no more death.  Sin will be no more and we will be free from the things of this world forever. We will worship You and rejoice in Your Presence forever and ever!  Oh what a day that will be!  Father, help us to walk in this living hope and in the righteousness that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord, to the glory of Your Name. Amen. 

 Leviticus 25 introduces the Sabbath year and the year of Jubilee.  After the people of Israel would enter the land that the Lord would give them, they were commanded to keep a "sabbath unto the Lord" every 7 years.. not planting their crops or pruning their vineyards.  God would provide 3 years worth of food during the 6th year so that they would have enough for the 7th and 8th year when they would plant again.  He promised that they would have enough to feed themselves, any servants, and even the cattle or other animals that they kept. 

And.. to add to that every 50th year they would celebrate a year of Jubilee. The 49th year and the 50th year would be set apart.. and they would not plant for those 2 years.. trusting the Lord to provide enough. "For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you. You shall eat its crops out of the field."  This celebration would start with the sound of trumpets on the day of atonement.  

Not only was the year of jubilee a year to give rest to the land.. but it was a year of liberty.  During this year any land that had been sold would have to be returned to the man and his family who sold it. The number of years until the next jubilee year determined the amount that someone would pay for the land.   The Lord said, "The land, moreover, shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me." ( v23)

Also, any person who sold himself because of his poverty would have to be set free on the first day of the jubilee. The Lord desired His people to help each other. "Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner , that he may live with you." (v35)  They were forbidden to charge "usurious interest... but fear they God; that thy brother may live with thee." (v36)

The Lord taught His people the need for redemption. If a fellow Israelite became so poor and sold himself to a foreigner then they should make arrangements to buy them back.. pay the redemption price that corresponds to the number of years to the next jubilee. 

It is Jeremiah who reveals how much the Lord valued the keeping of these sabbath years and the Year of Jubilee.  In Jeremiah 25:10-11 he prophesied, " Moreover I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstone and the light of the lamp. And this whole land shall be a desolation and a horror, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years."  Israel had failed to observe the sabbath year (7th year) 10 times.. 70 years..  Jeremiah 29:10 "For thus says the Lord, when seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. " 

Jeremiah also recorded the covenant that God made with King Zedekiah and the people in Jerusalem.. to set free the Hebrew men and women who had been kept in bondage by their own people. (Chapter 34). The people first obeyed this law.. but then took it back.. ".. you turned and profaned My name and each man took back his male servant and .. his female servant, whom you had set free according to their desire, and you brought them into subjection.. " (v16)  Because of this the Lord said, "You have not obeyed Me in proclaiming release each man to his neighbor. Behold, I am proclaiming a release to you... to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you a terror to all the kingdoms of the earth." (v17)

I don't know if Israel ever kept the sabbath years or the years of Jubilee.. or if they do now.  But, I know this.. Jesus proclaimed, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He  anointed  Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord." ( Luke 4:18-19) 

This is the reason we can celebrate .. sound the trumpets.. rejoice in God's provision of a Wonderful Savior who came to release us from captivity and bring us home..to where He is.. forever and ever! Amen. 

 Leviticus 24:1-9  The Lord instructed Moses to command the people to bring pure olive oil to Aaron who would use it in the tent of meeting every day. ."from evening until morning".  He was also told to bring 12(large) cakes of bread to place on the gold table each sabbath day.  This bread would be "most holy" and could be eaten only by Aaron and his sons as it was replaced each week. Frankincense was also added to the table as a memorial offering to the Lord.  This bread would be known as the "bread of the Presence" .  Light and Bread.. "a perpetual statute".. these would stand "before the Lord continually."  Aaron was instructed to keep both of these "in order" before the Lord.  

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." (John 8:12)  He also said, "I am the Bread of life. whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty." ( John 6:35)  

The pure light was supposed to be kept in order "continually".. and we have been given the "Light of the world" . .Jesus Christ.. to be with us continually so that we might walk in the Light and not in darkness.  The bread of the Presence.. points to the One who gives us life so that we will live in His Presence continually and eternally.   Hallelujah! What a Savior! As the Bread of the Presence was renewed every Sabbath.. we are renewed when we come together each week to worship Him in our own churches! 

Verses 10-23 of this chapter are an interruption in the middle of the instructions regarding the laws and statutes of the Lord.  

A man whose mother was an Israelite and whose father was Egyptian got into a fight with an Israelite man. This man "blasphemed the Name and cursed."  He was taken into custody and brought before Moses.  The Lord gave Moses instructions to have the man taken outside the camp,  those who witnessed this man's words put their hands on his head, and then the whole congregation was ordered to take stones and kill this man for his sin.  The Lord said,  " If anyone curses his God, then he shall bear his sin." (v15) 

The Lord also added more instructions for dealing with disputes and struggles between people:

Someone who takes a life would be put to death. 

Someone who killed an animal had to replace that animal.

Someone who injured another person would be inflicted with the same injury that he caused. "fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him." (v19) 

God's justice is perfect. Sometimes it is severe, but it is still perfect.  Jesus spoke of this judgement in Matthew 5:38 during His great sermon.  He said, "you have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also."  The Bible Knowledge Commentary says that the Law given in the Old Testament was called the "law of retaliation" and meant to protect the innocent and make sure that the retaliation was not greater than the offense. What Jesus pointed out was that the righteous man did not need to claim his right to retaliate.. but to be humble and selfless.. allowing God to judge and "set all things in order" Himself. As Romans 12:19 states, "Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay" says the Lord." 

Father in heaven,  may our thoughts be renewed.. our minds transformed by Your Word.  May our lives be illuminated continually by the Presence of Christ Jesus who abides in us and we in Him.  May we partake of the true Bread of Life and be continually renewed by His life in us.  May we live in humble and selfless surrender to Your perfect will.  We give it all over to You.. for You are the God who is perfectly holy and perfectly just. We look for Your Kingdom to come and Your will to be done as we honor Your Name. Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to You we pray, in Jesus' name Amen. 

 Leviticus 23 The Lord gave Moses a yearly timeline of feasts and assemblies for Israel. 

Every week, on the 7th day, was the Sabbath.  A holy day.  A day of rest.  A day of no work.. "a day of sacred assembly".  

Then... these appointed times.. feasts to the Lord. 

1st month -14th day:  The passover. 

1st month-15th -21st day: The Feast of Unleavened Bread.  A sacred assembly on the 15th and another on the 21st.  A food offering by fire every day of that week. 

Verses 10-14 describe a special ceremony for the "first fruits" of the harvest. Whether this is at a separate time or during the Feast of Unleavened Bread is debated by scholars.  On the first day of the harvest, they were to bring a sheaf of barley to wave before the Lord. They also brought a one year old lamb without defect for a burnt offering. Adding to this would be a grain offering together with some wine.  Until this offering was made the people were not to eat any of the newly harvested grain. 

7 weeks  (7 sabbaths) after the wave offering.. on the 50th day they were told to present a new grain offering.  This included 2 loaves of bread, ( with leaven) as a "first fruits to the Lord".  Added to this was 7 one year old lambs, a bull, and 2 rams;  one male goat for a sin offering; and 2 more lambs for a peace offering.  The bread and the 2 lambs were given to the priests.  There would be a holy assembly on that day. 

The next festivals would be during the 7th month. 

The 1st day trumpets would announce a "holy convocation".  No work could be done and offerings were presented. 

The 10th day was the Day of Atonement.  "it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord."   The people were called to humble themselves or be "cut off from his people."  They could do no work.  It was a day of complete rest and humble souls starting on the evening of the 9th day until the evening of the 10th day. 

On the 15th day the Feast of Booths began with another holy assembly. 7 days of offerings were followed by another holy assembly.  This was a time of gathering to celebrate the harvest. During this time they would gather branches of palm trees and "beautiful trees" like the willows.. and rejoice before the Lord in the booths that they made with these branches. This was to remind Israel of how God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt. 

Some believe that these appointed festivals preview the life of Christ.. The passover, of course,  points to His sacrifice as the perfect Lamb of God. The presentation of the first fruits points to the resurrection of Jesus as the "first fruits" of those who will be resurrected on the day He returns.  The seven weeks feast points to the day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Then there is a gap in the Jewish calendar until the 7th month. ( perhaps these years since Christ ascended into heaven). After this begins a new era.. with the sound of trumpets, then a period of humble repentance.. for atonement.. followed by the "ingathering".. a celebration of the final harvest of the year.. pointing to the return of Christ and the gathering of all believers into His eternal kingdom. 

Father in heaven, once again we rejoice in Your goodness and mercy upon us. We are so thankful for the salvation that we have through the atonement that Jesus made for us.  We come before You to humble ourselves.  We put aside everything else to worship before You. Our hearts yearn for that trumpet to sound and for Christ to come.. and we pray that we will be ready.. that our children will be ready.. that Your church will be ready for that great day.  Lead us Holy Spirit into true sabbath rest.. to be a holy assembly before our Lord... prepare us for that Day..  We ask this in Jesus' name. amen

 Leviticus 22   This chapter addresses two areas that involve the priesthood. 

 First.. the priests themselves must 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."   The "holy gifts"  would include every offering.. whether a freewill or sin offering or any other.  Once it was offered to the Lord it was considered holy.. it was consecrated to the Lord and kept separate from anything "profane".  This would include any priest who was "unclean".. either from sickness, sin, having touched a corpse, or anything else. They could not eat  it, even of the portion set aside for the priests and their families.. until they were considered "clean". 

The second area that the Lord addresses was the requirement for a "perfect" offering...  The lamb, goat, bull.. whether a burnt offering or a freewill offering could not have any defects such as blindness, a broken bone, a sore or any other thing that would  make it imperfect.  If the offering was defective the person "would not be accepted".  

"And you shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the Lord who sanctifies you... " (v32) 

Again, we look at the book of Hebrews which shows us how Jesus Christ fulfilled both of these laws.  First of all, He is the perfect High priest.  Hebrews 5 reveals that Jesus was appointed by God to be "a priest forever according to the order of Melchezedek."   He offered up "both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of all eternal salvation." (v7-9)

Not only is Jesus the perfect priest, always obedient to the Father, He was the perfect Lamb of God who died.. "having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time," ( Hebrews 10:12)  "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." (v15) 

So, as followers of Christ Jesus, what do we learn from these passages?  We have a perfect Savior who is both our great High Priest and our Redeemer who offered Himself for our atonement.. sanctifying us completely.  He has set us apart to be holy and blameless before Himself.  But, He does still call us to offer a sacrifice.. as Romans 12 tells us, "present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship."  His word also reminds us to give from our resources.. "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver." ( 2 Corinthians 9:7)

Whatever we give to the Lord is holy.. set apart for His glory.  Do we give Him our best?  Are our offerings.. acceptable  and holy?  Are we living holy lives, yielded...surrendered.. obedient offerings to our Holy God?  Do we give of our time, our money, our resources... purposefully.. generously.. willingly?

Father in heaven, stir our hearts and our wills to honor You with our words and our actions. May we come before You in holiness and obedience to present tithes and offerings with cheerful hearts.. not under compulsion or grudgingly but with joy and abundant love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave His life that we might live eternally in Your Holy Presence.  Thank You for showing such love and mercy on us by sending Your Precious Son, the Lamb of God in whose name we pray. Amen. 

 Leviticus 21 gives special instructions for the priests.. the sons of Aaron and their descendants. "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 bread of their God; so they shall be holy." (v6)

The position of priest carried a great amount of personal sacrifice as well as great responsibility for the spiritual health of the nation.  The priests were forbidden to "defile themselves " by being in the presence of anyone who died.. except for immediate family.  But the high priest could not even mourn for any person.. not even his own parents.  There were specific directions for marriage, for clothing, and even for how they cut their hair or beard.  Anyone of Aaron's line who had any kind of physical defect could not serve in the role of priest.  It was not an easy calling.Every priest had to be holy.. separated to the Lord.. to the highest degree. 

As we know, the priesthood became as corrupt as... or even more... than the rest of the people of Israel.   Jeremiah spoke these words.. " For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for gain. And from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely. And they have healed the brokenness of My people superficially , saying 'Peace, peace' But there is no peace." ( Jeremiah 6:13-14) 

Malachi also spoke about the priests.. ".. O priests who despise My name.."  the Lord said.. He condemned them for offering defiled food on the altar of the Lord. Malachi  wrote, "For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge and men should seek instruction from his mouth.. but as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi.. " (Malachi 1:6; 2:7-8)

We know that the priests at the time of Jesus were also corrupt and despised the Lord.  They had fallen so far away from the Lord's plan for them.. that they did not even recognize the Lord, Himself. 

Thankfully, the Lord God sent Jesus.. our perfect High Priest.. who did all that the levitical priesthood could not do.  He offered the perfect sacrifice.. His own life on the cross.  He spoke truth and fulfilled the covenant of the Law, while giving us a new and better covenant.  He separates us from our sin and the death we deserve and sets us apart by His Holy Spirit to be made holy to our God. 

Praise God! Praise God! From Whom all blessings come to those who call upon the Name of Jesus!

Father we thank You and praise You for this great salvation in Christ Jesus! Amen

 Leviticus 20 "Then the Lord spoke to Moses... "  Again, the Lord gives instructions to His people ...defining for them with great detail..  what would defile them.. "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." They needed to live as people of a Holy God... "I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples."

Their actions, their customs, their relationships, and even the food that they were given to eat... everything was "separated".. the clean from the unclean... the holy from the profane.. so that they could be consecrated and holy.  "I am the Lord who sanctifies you." (v8)

The Lord gives severe judgement for the sins listed here.. especially for those who would offer their children to Molech.    Idolatry and immorality were the downfall of the nations that were living in Canaan.  These sins would also be the downfall of Israel in the years to come.. leading to captivity.  It is the downfall of many nations in our world today.. including our own.   The penalty is death for many of these sinful actions.  God is the Judge and He will "cut off" those who do not live according to His Word. 

"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." (v26)

As followers of Jesus Christ we are made holy by His blood shed on the cross.  We have a Redeemer who washed us so that we can be set apart also.  He is still calling us to holy living.. our actions.. our customs.. our relationships.. and in some ways what we eat and drink..  as I Corinthians 10:31 says.. "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 

Father in heaven, You are the Lord, the One true and holy  God. We hallow Your Name and pray that You would forgive every sin and trespass so that we can be clean before You. Sanctify us through and through that we may be "preserved complete, without blame at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. " (IThessalonians 5:23)  Amen

 Leviticus 19  The Lord tells Moses to speak once again to the congregation, beginning with these words.. "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."

15 more times in this chapter the Lord repeats these words.. " I am the Lord your God" or "I am the Lord".  The "Lord" - Jehovah=the existing One;  the eternal and one true God.. is setting apart these people as sacred.. holy.  Their lifestyles would be different than that of the world. Their government would be different, their culture would be different.. because they belonged to Jehovah who is HOLY!

Because they were His people.. the people of the One true God.. their lives were meant to reflect His holiness. They were commanded to:

Reverence their mothers and fathers (v3)

Never make any "molten gods" for themselves. (v4)

Follow the instructions for eating the peace offerings (v5-8)

Not glean the corners of their fields or vineyards so as to leave it for the needy. (v9-10)

Not steal, lie, swear falsely, oppress, or rob.. (v11-13)

Not mistreat someone who is deaf or blind. (v13)

Not do injustice to anyone, whether rich or poor.. but to judge fairly.. no matter who it is (v15)

Not slander or "act against the life of your neighbor" (v16)

Not hate your "fellow countryman in your heart;"  but "you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him." (v17)

Not take vengeance.. or hold a grudge.. (v18a) 

"But you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord." (v18b)

Verses 19-25 deal with some statutes that would also distinguish the Jewish people from other nations.. they were not to try to breed two kinds of cattle together nor mix two kinds of seeds in their fields, and also not mix two kinds of fabrics in one garment.  They were not to mistreat a female slave. They were not to eat the fruit of a new tree until the 5th year.. 

Verses 26-37 warn against divination; soothsaying; pagan practices of cutting off certain parts of the hair or beard; cutting the flesh or tattooing the skin. ( Yes it actually says that in verse 28)  And the very next verse speaks of profaning a daughter by making her a harlot..  giving us the seriousness of these offenses to the Lord. 

The Lord again reminds the people of the importance of keeping His sabbath and revering His sanctuary. (v30) 

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

The Lord tells His people to revere and honor the aged.. do not wrong the "stranger" who resides with you; but to love " him as yourself".  They needed to use honest "balances and just weights".  

"You shall thus observe all My statutes, and all My ordinances, and do them; I am the Lord." 

We know that because of Christ we are no longer under the Law.. but that does not change the Lord's definitions of what He considers holy.. set apart to Him.  We need to seek His direction regarding these statutes and ordinances.. laying ourselves before His feet and allowing Him to show us what He desires for each of us. We surely would agree that selling our children into prostitution is unholy.. but what about mixing two kinds of fabric together in a garment?  We might disagree about tattoos.. but we surely agree that mistreatment of any human being is against God's will for His people.  Leviticus 10;10 tells us that the Word was given to the people of God to "make a distinction between the holy and the profane."   Peter reminds us that we are also "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession.. " (I Peter 2:9) He wrote, "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.' " 

Father in heaven, these are Your Words.. not mine. These words are the path to life.. the lamp for our feet, the light for our ways.. help us to hear what You are saying and to obey Your commands.  Spirit of God, open our ears and give us discernment and willing hearts to serve You fully.. with all holiness. .in Christ Jesus our Redeemer and King.  It is in the Name of our Lord Jesus that we ask for grace and mercy.. forgive us every sin and trespass and cleanse us once again that we might be Your holy people. Amen. 

 Leviticus 18 This chapter begins with a reminder of the covenant between Israel and the Lord.. "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ' I am the Lord your God.' "   

The Lord gave Israel His statutes and judgements regarding personal relationships.  He called out His people to be holy.. "You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes." 

The Lord's  statutes would lead Israel away from immorality.. which seemed rampant among all the other nations at that time. God was establishing His people as a nation that would be different than all the rest, living by a moral code that He established and they were commanded to keep.. " so that the land may not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you. For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among the people. Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so not to defile yourselves with them; I am the Lord your God." ( v28-30)

Before the flood, Genesis 6 tells us, mankind multiplied on the earth and they became more and more corrupt.. "Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (v5).  They "married" whoever they wanted.. there was corruption in every place.. and there was much violence.  Jesus said, "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. for as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah enter the ark." ( Matthew 24:37-38)  

Here in Leviticus we see God's plan for marriage.. as He separates the holy, moral, and perfect marriage relationship.. from the unsanctioned, corrupt, and immoral relationships that had become common among the nations of the earth. 

The Word given by the Lord is very precise when it comes to what a right marriage relationship is in His sight and what is not acceptable.  He declares that any sexual relationship outside of one man and one woman who are not "blood relatives".. is condemned.  This includes marriage or sex with a parent or step-parent, a sibling or step-sibling; an aunt or a child or grandchild; an in-law of any kind;  a relative of your spouse.. or a neighbor's wife... an animal.. or someone of the same sex.. which the Lord calls an "abomination".   There is no doubt left here for God's people.  

This moral code was established by God. It is His will and desire for His people and I do not believe that He has changed His mind!  Are things here in our times as bad as it was in the times of Noah?  We are getting closer and closer to that amount of corruption.. if not more.  Immorality  flourishes in our country and around the world.. violence has broken out all over.  If we saw even a small part of what God sees we would be devastated and fall on our faces. What we see is bad enough.. sex trafficking.. abortions.. rape and murders.. killing for no reason.. fraud and lies.. and on and on.. but God sees the hearts of everyone and surely this statement is still true.. "the wickedness of man [is] great upon the earth and every intent of the thoughts of his heart [is] only evil continually." 

Father in heaven,  we grieve over the wickedness of our world.. as we grieve over the wickedness in our own homes.. in our families.. in our own hearts.  Thank You for sending us a great Redeemer who sets us free..Who cleanses us from all of our sins and makes us holy and righteous before You.  We can not stand before You and claim any holiness on our own part.. but we can stand on Christ Jesus, the Rock of our Salvation! Hallelujah!  He is a wonderful Savior and He is our coming King.  Oh Lord, may we be ready for that day when Christ returns.. let Your will be done in us.. let Your grace and mercy overflow in our lives.. and may Your Kingdom come into many more hearts today we pray.. in Jesus' powerful name, Amen. 

 Leviticus 17  This chapter talks about blood... not the most pleasant topic.. but one we really need to understand. 

The first 9 verses give the commandments regarding the slaughter of any "ox, or a lamb, or a goat in the camp... or outside the camp..."  Every animal had to be presented at the tent of meeting.  "The reason is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord.. "  (v5)  "And they shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot. " (v7).   Anyone who did not obey this command was to be "cut off from among the people". (v4 and 8)  The blood of the sacrifice was to only be sprinkled on the altar of the Living God. There could be no atonement without the blood and the sacrifice being offered to the Lord God and Him only. 

Here were the people that God chose.. that made a covenant with Him.. those He rescued from Egypt with great signs and wonders.. but who were still practicing idolatry.  It is astounding to us that they couldn't seem to stop their sinning in this way!  But, God gave a serious penalty for those who did not follow this command.  He is a holy God who judges with all righteousness and although He shows mercy..  He will not ignore sin. 

Verses 10-16 speak of the commandment about eating blood.  No one .. whether Jew or alien among them.. was to eat blood.  The Lord explained the reason for this command.. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement."  Even the blood of a wild animal killed by a hunter had to be poured out "For as for the life of all flesh, its blood is identified with its life." (v14) 

Our Savior shed His blood.. as He was beaten.. as a crown of thorns was thrust on His head.. as nails were pounded into His hands and feet.  Think of what Jesus said during the last Supper.. "This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." 

I Peter 1: 18-19 says, ".... Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold..  but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ."

John 6:53-58 "Jesus therefore said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him. As the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.' "   This was an astounding Word to those who heard it. In verse 63 Jesus says, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words I have spoken to you are spirit and are life."  

Jesus made atonement for our souls by His precious blood.. His life flowed out in that blood.. to give us eternal life.  We had no life in ourselves.. but when we believe and receive His Spirit.. we are partakers of His life. It is His broken body and poured out blood that we receive and live.  Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Father in heaven,  Your ways are higher than our ways and Your thoughts higher than our thoughts.  From the beginning You created us as flesh and blood.. giving us physical life. Yet, we had no true life until You gave us the True food and the True drink.. the life of Jesus Christ the eternal Son.. broken and poured out so that we might have eternal life in Him..  We abide in Him and He abides in us as we receive His Life by His Spirit. It is astounding and amazing to us that You would give us such a treasure.. thank You for life in Christ Jesus the Lord. We offer our selves to You.. with all praise and thanksgiving.. May Your Name be glorified in all the earth! Amen. 

 Leviticus 16 gives the instructions for the Law of the Atonement.  This would be required once a year and the High Priest would be the only one to enter into the Holy of Holies on that one day....

The sacrifices required would be:  A bull for a sin offering for the priest and his household.. for their atonement.  A ram for a burnt offering.. Two male goats for a sin offering for the congregation. A ram as a burnt offering for the congregation. 

The two goats were taken to the doorway of the tent. Aaron would cast a lot for the goats. One would be sacrificed for the Lord.. and the other would be a scapegoat.. taken out into the wilderness to "carry" away all the iniquities and transgressions of Israel. 

When Aaron entered the most holy place he had to come with fire and incense.. and the smoke would rise before him as he approached the Mercy Seat.  He would also sprinkle blood from the sacrifices on the ark and on the altar.  He made atonement for himself, for the people; for the tabernacle,  and for the altar.  This would be required every year on the 10th day of the 7th month.  It was a day of "solemn rest".. a day of humbling themselves before the Lord.... " for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you shall be clean from all your sins before the Lord." (v31)

Verse 32 "So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father's place shall make atonement; he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments."  Again, my thoughts are turned to Jesus.. our great High Priest.  Hebrews 3:1 says, "therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus the Apostle and High Priest of our confession."   

Jesus did not wear the linen garments of Aaron.. but He put on flesh.. He "emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on a cross." ( Philippians 2:7-8)  When He had died on that cross, a man named Joseph took His body and wrapped it in a" clean linen cloth."(Mathew 27:57-58) His Priesthood was quite different than Aaron's!

Hebrews tells us that Jesus is the perfect high priest.. One who had no sin.. One who died "once for all".. the One who "obtained a more excellent ministry by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant which has been enacted on better promises." (Heb. 8:6)

Hebrews 10 tells us that the Law was just a "shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things.."  Jesus came to do the will of the Father.  He came to offer "one sacrifice for sins for all time," and then He sat down at the right hand of God. 

Father in heaven, holy and righteous God, we thank You for such a great Savior.. Jesus is the Lamb of God who made atonement for our sins. He is our Great High Priest who is our Mediator and our King.  Thank You for sending Your precious Son to save us.. even one such as I.  I am holding fast.. drawing near.. clinging to You, Lord Jesus.  Have Your way in me.. in us today. Amen. 

 Leviticus 15  This is another chapter that we would probably like to just skip over.. dealing with unclean "discharges"  from men or women. These could be natural occurrences.. or from some kind of infection. Either way, the person or persons affected would have to wash themselves and their clothes ... and sometimes anything that they sat on or touched had to be washed or maybe broken.. .  After that there was a set amount of time that they had to wait before they could be "clean".  Depending on the situation.. a guilt and sin offering would be required. 

Verse 31 gives us the purpose of these regulations.. "Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, lest they die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them." 

Two passages in the New Testament come to mind here:

Mark 5:25-34 - This is the account of the woman who had an  unclean discharge... an "issue of blood" as the KJV renders it.. She would definitely be considered "unclean".  She should not have touched anyone.. let alone Jesus.  But, here she was, in a crowd that was following Jesus and "pressing in on Him."  She believed that if she could just touch His cloak.. she would be healed. So, she did... and she was "immediately" healed.  Now.. if she had touched anyone else she would have been condemned.. just imagine what a Pharisee or Sadducee would do!..  But, Jesus had mercy on her.  He knew that power had "gone forth" from Him.  He knew that she had touched Him.. but instead of condemning her.. He commended her! " Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  He didn't require her to go wash.. or to wait.. or to offer a sacrifice.. although she may have done all of that.  He just set her free and made her clean. 

The other passage that comes to mind is John 13:10.  The Lord and the disciples were together in the upper room for the Passover meal.  Jesus got up from the table and poured water into a basin and washed the feet of His disciples.  Peter did not want the Lord to wash his feet but Jesus told him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part of Me." Then, Peter wanted a whole bath!  Jesus spoke these words.. "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean;  and you are clean, but not all of you."  John goes on to say that Jesus knew that Judas was betraying Him.. and he was the one that was not clean. Judas received the gift of clean feet.. but he needed much more and refused it by hardening his heart. 

Jesus tells His disciples to "wash one another's feet".  I think this passage is most often used to teach us about the humility of Jesus.. the kind of humility that we must have as His followers.  But.. in light of Leviticus.. a new thought occurs to me.. To wash someone's feet.. to participate in the cleansing action.. is an act of great love and mercy.  We allow ourselves to touch the one who may have become unclean.. to risk our own cleanliness... to offer mercy instead of judgement. 

How ofter the Word reminds us to forgive one another.. to encourage one another.. to love one another.  The Lord wants us clean and wants us to help others to share in that sacred holiness.. so they will not "defile" His tabernacle  that is among us. For the sake of His church.. fort the sake of His Holy Name.. let us "wash one another's feet." 

Father, thank You for making a way for us.. to be cleansed and make whole. Thank You for mercy and compassion.. for Your great love and salvation.. for our Good Shepherd who has cleansed us from all unrighteousness by His blood.. shed on that cruel cross.. so that we might be holy.. as You have purposed to be. We give You all the glory and honor and praise!  You are a good, good Father. Hallelujah and Amen!  Help us Father, to love one another with the same depth of mercy and grace as Jesus showed us.. for we ask this in His powerful name. Amen. 

Leviticus 14.. This chapter is titled "Law of cleansing a Leper".. in my Bible.  It is a long, complicated procedure that would take 8 days in all to complete.. after.. a priest had examined a person who had leprosy... or a house that had mold or mildew. 

The priest would act as the mediator.. meeting the leper outside the camp.. walking him through the requirements to be declared "cleansed".. and completing the sacrifices.. a burnt offering, a guilt offering, a grain offering, and an offering of oil. 

The Lord did give an alternative for those who could not afford all of the necessary offerings.. but even then, they were a lot.  They also had to shave off all of their hair.. even their eyebrows!  They had to wash everything they wore.. and if it was a problem in a house.. they had to tear out the bad and restore it with new stone and plaster.. or in some cases... tear the house down completely. 

Once again, knowing that Jesus fulfilled all of the Law,  I think about Him and how He is our Mediator.. showing us the extent of our need to be cleansed from all unrighteousness.. from all our diseases.. from all our sin and guilt and shame.  Jesus paid it ALL!  Hallelujah !

I have heard of some comparisons between leprosy.. a disease of the skin.. and sin.. a disease of the soul. Like leprosy.. sin spreads.. it makes us "unclean".. and it is not able to heal itself.  We cannot take away the "spot" that marks our lives when we sin.. but Jesus died so that He could take away every guilty stain by His own blood.  

Father in heaven, again we rejoice in the Wonderful Savior who came to seek and save us.. to cleanse us from all our sins.. to proclaim us clean.. "whiter than snow".. We can not pay our debt and we cannot remove the stains of sin.. but Jesus has paid it all!  Praise and thanksgiving to our God!  How wonderful is the power of the cross.. where Jesus made a way for us to be whole.. Amen and amen!

 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. 

 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.

 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

 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.