Archive for the ‘leviticus’ Category

Spiritual Training 28 May 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: May 28, 2015 in leviticus
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)
Leviticus 19:32 Various Laws

32“ ‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.

People often find it easy to dismiss the opinions of the elderly and avoid taking time to visit with them. But the fact that God commanded the Israelites to honor the elderly shows how seriously we should take the responsibility of respecting those older than we are. Their wisdom gained from experience can save us from many pitfalls.

Lets Bring it Home: How do you show respect and honor to your elders?

Spiritual Training 27 May 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: May 27, 2015 in leviticus
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)
Leviticus 19:9-10 Various Laws

09“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.

This law was a protection for the poor and the foreigner and a reminder that God owned the land; the people were only caretakers. Laws such as this showed God’s generosity and liberality. As people of God, the Israelites were to reflect his nature and characteristics in their attitudes and actions. Ruth and Naomi were two people who benefited from this merciful law (Ruth 2:2).

God instructed the Hebrews to provide for those in need. He required that the people leave the edges of their fields unharvested, providing food for the poor and for foreigners or travelers.

Lets Bring it Home: It is easy to ignore the poor or forget about those who have less than we do. But God desires generosity. In what ways can you leave the “edges of your field” for those in need?

Spiritual Training 20 May 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: May 20, 2015 in leviticus, Sexual Relations, sexual relations with family, STANDARDS
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

Standards for the People

Unlawful Sexual Relations

After the sacrificial system for forgiving sins was in place, the people were instructed on how to live as forgiven people. Applying these standards to our lives helps us grow in obedience and please God

18:4-30 4You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. 5Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD.

    6“ ‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.

    7“ ‘Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

    8“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would dishonor your father.

    9“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.

    10“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.

    11“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

    12“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.

    13“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.

    14“ ‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.

    15“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.

    16“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would dishonor your brother.

    17“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

    18“ ‘Do not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

(God prohibited marrying relatives for physical, social, and moral reasons. Children born to near relatives may experience serious health problems. Without these specific laws, sexual promiscuity would have been more likely, first in families, then outside. Improper sexual relations destroy family life.)

    19“ ‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period.

    20“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.

    21“ ‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

    22“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

    23“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

    24“ ‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. 25Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled.

(Several detestable activities are listed here: (1) having sexual relations with close relatives, (2) committing adultery, (3) offering children as sacrifices, (4) having homosexual relations, and (5) having sexual relations with animals. These practices were common in pagan religions and cultures, and it is easy to see why God dealt harshly with those who began to follow them.)

28And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

    29“ ‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. 30Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

(Several detestable activities are listed here: (1) having sexual relations with close relatives, (2) committing adultery, (3) offering children as sacrifices, (4) having homosexual relations, and (5) having sexual relations with animals. These practices were common in pagan religions and cultures, and it is easy to see why God dealt harshly with those who began to follow them. Such practices lead to disease, deformity, and death. They disrupt family life and society and reveal a low regard for the value of oneself and of others. Society today takes some of these practices lightly, even trying to make them acceptable. But they are still sins in God’s eyes. If you consider them acceptable, you are not judging by God’s standards.)

Lets Bring it home: Such practices lead to disease, deformity, and death. They disrupt family life and society and reveal a low regard for the value of oneself and of others. Society today takes some of these practices lightly, even trying to make them acceptable. But they are still sins in God’s eyes. If you consider them acceptable, you are not judging by God’s standards.

Spiritual Training 19 May 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: May 19, 2015 in leviticus
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

Standards for the People

Unlawful Sexual Relations

(18:1—27:34) After the sacrificial system for forgiving sins was in place, the people were instructed on how to live as forgiven people. Applying these standards to our lives helps us grow in obedience and please God

   18:1-3  1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. 3You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.

The Israelites moved from one idol-infested country (Egypt) to another (Canaan). They also had contact with other cultures (Moab). As God helped them form a new culture, he warned them to leave all aspects of their pagan background and surroundings behind. He also warned them how easy it would be to slip into the pagan culture of Canaan, where they were going. Canaan’s society and religions appealed to worldly desires, especially sexual immorality and drunkenness. The Israelites were to keep themselves pure and set apart for God. God did not want his people absorbed into the surrounding culture and environment.

Lets Bring it Home: Society may pressure us to conform to its way of life and thought, but yielding to that pressure will (1) create confusion as to which side we should be on and (2) eliminate our effectiveness in serving God. Follow God by obeying his Word, and don’t let the culture around you mold your thoughts and actions.

Spiritual Training 18 May 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: May 18, 2015 in atonement, leviticus
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)
Eating Blood Forbidden

17:11-14For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life 12Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.”
13“ ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, 14because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”

(How does blood make atonement for sin? When offered with the right attitude, the sacrifice and the blood shed from it made forgiveness of sin possible. On the one hand, blood represented the sinner’s life, infected by his sin and headed for death. On the other hand, the blood represented the innocent life of the animal that was sacrificed in place of the guilty person making the offering. The death of the animal (of which the blood was proof) fulfilled the penalty of death. God therefore granted forgiveness to the sinner. It is God who forgives based on the faith of the person doing the sacrificing.)

(Why was eating or drinking blood prohibited? The prohibition against eating blood can be traced all the way back to Noah (Genesis 9:4). God prohibited eating or drinking blood for several reasons: (1) To discourage pagan practices. Israel was to be separate and distinct from the foreign nations around them. Eating blood was a common pagan practice. It was often done in hopes of gaining the characteristics of the slain animal (strength, speed, etc.). God’s people were to rely on him, not on ingested blood, for their strength. (2) To preserve the symbolism of the sacrifice. Blood symbolized the life of the animal that was sacrificed in the sinner’s place. To drink it would change the symbolism of the sacrificial penalty and destroy the evidence of the sacrifice. (3) To protect the people from infection because many deadly diseases are transmitted through the blood.)

Lets Bring it Home: The Jews took this prohibition seriously, and that is why Jesus’ hearers were so upset when Jesus told them to drink his blood (John 6:53-56). However, Jesus, as God himself and the last sacrifice ever needed for sins, was asking believers to identify with him completely. He wants us to take his life into us, and he wants to participate in our lives as well.

Spiritual Training 15 May 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: May 15, 2015 in clean break, Daily Motivation, leviticus
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

The Day of Atonement

(The Day of Atonement was the greatest day of the year for Israel. The Hebrew word for atone means “to cover.” Old Testament sacrifices could not actually remove sins, only cover them. On this day, the people confessed their sins as a nation, and the high priest went into the Most Holy Place to make atonement for them. Sacrifices were made and blood was shed so that the people’s sins could be “covered” until Christ’s sacrifice on the cross would give people the opportunity to have their sin removed forever.

Aaron had to spend hours preparing himself to meet God. But we can approach God anytime (Hebrews 4:16). What a privilege! We are offered easier access to God than the high priests of Old Testament times! Still, we must never forget that God is holy nor let this privilege cause us to approach God carelessly.)

Lets Bring it Home: The way to God has been opened to us by Christ. But easy access to God does not eliminate our need to prepare our hearts as we draw near in prayer. 

16:1-34 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the LORD. 2The LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.

    3“This is how Aaron is to enter the Most Holy Place: He must first bring a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bath himself with water before he puts them on. 

5From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

    6“Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. 7Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat 9Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 10But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.

    11“Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 

12He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain.

(A censer was a dish or shallow bowl that hung by a chain or was carried with tongs. Inside the censer were placed incense (a combination of sweet-smelling resins and spices) and burning coals from the altar. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place carrying a smoking censer. The smoke shielded him from the ark of the covenant and the presence of God—otherwise he would die. Incense may also have had a very practical purpose. The sweet smell drew the people’s attention to the morning and evening sacrifices and helped cover the sometimes foul smell of the sacrifices.) 

13He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die. 14He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.

    15“He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkl it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 17No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

    18“Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. 19He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

    20“When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat. 21He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat away into the wilderness in the care of someone appointed for the task. 22The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a remote place; and the man shall release it in the wilderness.

    23“Then Aaron is to go into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there. 24He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. 25He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

    26“The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. 27The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up. 28The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. 

(This event with the two goats occurred on the Day of Atonement. The two goats represented the two ways God was dealing with the Israelites’ sin: (1) He was forgiving their sin through the first goat, which was sacrificed, and (2) he was removing their guilt through the second goat, the scapegoat, which was sent into the wilderness. The same ritual had to be repeated every year. Jesus Christ’s death replaced this system once and for all.)

Lets Bring it Home: We can have our sins forgiven and guilt removed by placing our trust in Christ (Hebrews 10:1-18). 

 29“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves and not do any work—whether native-borne or a foreigner residing among you— 30because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins. 31It is a day of sabbath rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. 32The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments 33and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the tent of meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all the members of the community.

    34“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a yearn for all the sins of the Israelites.”     And it was done, as the LORD commanded Moses.

Spiritual Training 14 May 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: May 14, 2015 in Bible Study, Encourgement, leviticus
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

Discharges Causing Uncleanness

    16:32-33These are the regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen, 33for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who has sexual relations with a woman who is ceremonially unclean.

 15:32-33 God is concerned about health. He upholds the dignity of the person, the dignity of the body, and the dignity of the sexual experience. His commands call the people to avoid unhealthy practices and promote healthy ones with practical instructions. Washing was a God-directed means to maintain physical health; acts of purification or cleansing were God-directed means to preserve spiritual dignity. Millennia before the rise of the AIDS epidemic, God’s directions already preserved people from known and unknown dangers. This shows God’s high regard for sex and sexuality.

Lets Bring it Home: In our day, sex has been degraded by shocking media exposure. It has become public domain, not private celebration. We are called to have a high regard for sex, both in good health and in purity. Our deepest form of gratitude to God for the gift of sex is expressed in how we use the gift.

Spiritual Training 13 May 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: May 13, 2015 in leviticus, Sex, sexuality
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

Instructions for the people

Discharges Causing Uncleanness

15:18When a man has sexual relations with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both of them must bathe with water, and they will be unclean till evening.

The verses in this section are not implying that sex is dirty or disgusting. God created sex for (1) the enjoyment of married couples, (2) the continuation of the race, and (3) the preservation of the covenant. Everything must be seen and done with a view toward God’s love and ultimate authority. Sex is not separate from spirituality and God’s care. God is concerned about our sexual habits. He designed us, including our sexuality, as wonderfully complex and unified creations. We tend to separate our physical and spiritual lives, but there is an inseparable intertwining. God must be Lord over our whole selves—including our private lives.

Lets Bring it Home: In what ways do we acknowledge our relationship with God in your sexuality?

Clean and Unclean Food (Leviticus)

Posted: May 8, 2015 in leviticus
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Under God’s Command (Book of Leviticus)

Instructions for the people

Clean and Unclean Food

11:25 Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.

In order to worship, people need to be prepared. Some acts of disobedience, some natural acts (such as childbirth, menstruation, or sex), or some accidents (such as touching a dead or diseased body) would make people ceremonially unclean (defiled) and thus forbidden to participate in worship. This did not imply that they had sinned or were rejected by God, but it ensured that all worship was done decently and in order. This chapter describes many intentional or accidental occurrences that would disqualify people from worship until they were “cleansed” or straightened out.

Let’s Bring this Home: Similarly, we need to be prepared for worship. We cannot live any way we want during the week and then rush into God’s presence on Sunday. We should prepare ourselves through repentance, correction of errors where possible, and thoughtful anticipation of what it will mean to be in God’s presence with other believers.

Spiritual Training 07 May 2015 (Leviticus)

Posted: May 8, 2015 in leviticus, sexual temptation, temptation
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Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

Instructions for the people

Clean and Unclean Food

 11:1-8   1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2“Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: 3You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.

    4“ ‘There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. 5The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 6The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 7And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. 8You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you. 

God had strictly forbidden eating the meat of certain “unclean” animals; to make sure, he forbade even touching them. He wanted the people to be totally separated from those things he had forbidden.

Lets Bring this Home: So often we flirt with temptation, rationalizing that at least we are technically keeping the commandment not to commit the sin. But God wants us to separate ourselves completely from all sin and tempting situations. Perhaps this passage has made you aware of areas of your life where you have “technical” innocence but in which you have actually been involved in sin. It’s time to cross back over the line and stay there.

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