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.


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.


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 7:7 I saw among the simple, I noticed among the young men, a youth who lacked judgment

Stupid boy! Grow up! Do not let a whore use you like that. Do not let her destroy you. Do not go near her. Get away, now! Your soul, body, and reputation are at risk. You are playing with fire, and you will be burned (Pr 6:27-29), even if you are strong (Pr 7:26).

Solomon’s proverb used these words to begin his lengthy parable about an adulteress seducing a young man (Pr 7:6-23). He identified the character of the victim as a simple person, a youth, and a young man without understanding. Mature and wise young men will not fall for a whorish woman as easily, for they understand the danger and avoid her.

What is a simple person? It is a person who lacks ordinary sense or intelligence, more or less foolish, silly, or stupid. It includes being immature and naïve. Solomon used a vulnerable youth for his parable, because he had observed many foolish and stupid young men ruined by lascivious women. His goal was to get the attention of his son (Pr 7:1,24).

What is a youth? It is a person between childhood and adulthood. If childhood ends at puberty and adulthood begins at 30, then it is the 18 years between the ages of 12 and 30 (Num 4:3; I Chron 23:3; Luke 3:23). Solomon observed that both childhood and youth were vanity (Eccl 11:10). As a wise man, he had no regard for the age of 18 as indicating maturity. Any man that has lived to 30 knows that he thought like an infant at 18.

What is a young man void of understanding? He is a male before adulthood that has not grasped the seriousness of life, the consequences of sin, or the dangers of women. He thinks life is a game for pleasure without responsibility or punishment for foolish choices. He has no fear of God, so he chooses by feelings and lusts. The Bible teaches he ought to bear a yoke of hard labor in his youth (Lam 3:27) and sobriety is his chief duty (Tit 2:6).

Such young men are incredibly dangerous – to themselves! They need fathers that will keep them away from temptation, that will train them in righteousness, and that will warn them of the severe consequences of sexual sins. Young man, are you a stupid fool, or a sober and wise man? Father, have you taught and trained your son for life, or not?

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will drive it away (Pr 22:15). All the world’s psychologists can bark about the innocence of children and youth, but God inspired Solomon to write the truth. Wise parents will recognize their children’s inherent depravity and work hard to restrain it. If they do not do their duty, they will be soon shamed (Pr 29:15,17), and their son will die prematurely (Pr 23:13-14).

Paul warned Timothy about youthful lusts, when hormones are raging and the mind and soul are weak (II Tim 2:22). David asked God to forgive him the sins of his youth, when he had fallen to temptation (Ps 25:7). You should be a child in malice – holding no grudges, but a man in understanding – letting wisdom set your conduct (I Cor 14:20).

How can a young man save himself? “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Ps 119:9). Especially Proverbs (Pr 1:1-5)!


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 6:18 A heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil.

God is watching your heart and your feet. How well are you ruling your thoughts? He will hold you accountable for them in this life and the next. He hates the wicked imaginations and fantasies of your foolish heart. How well are you restraining and guiding your feet? He hates hasty and impulsive sinners who rush from sin to sin.

Contrary to popular opinion, hate is good. God hates seven sins and sinners, as the context clearly shows (Pr 6:16-19). God hates the foolish workers of iniquity (Ps 5:5); He hates lovers of violence (Ps 11:5); He will declare soon that He never knew them – He never had any affection for them (Matt 7:23). David also hated them (Ps 139:21-22). Two of the sins and sinners that God hates are listed in this proverb. Reader, are you guilty?

You cannot hide from Jehovah’s all-seeing eyes (Pr 15:3; Ps 11:4). The Creator God sees and ponders all you do (Pr 5:21; Jer 17:10). In His holy sight, foolish thoughts are sin (Pr 24:9; Ezek 14:4; Matt 5:28). He can divide between your soul and spirit, and every thought and intent of your heart is naked before Him (Heb 4:12-14). He sees where you go and what you do, no matter how well you hide from others (Job 34:21; Ps 139:1-6).

What is a heart that devises wicked imaginations? It is a heart that forms sinful thoughts from lustful affections and emotions. God described Noah’s generation with such words (Gen 6:5). Do you allow lusts of your heart to form sinful ideas and thoughts? This is how sin gets started (Jas 1:13-16). You must guard and rule your heart (Pr 4:23).

Do you have sexual fantasies (Pr 6:25; Job 31:1)? Do you surmise evil about others (I Tim 6:3-5)? Do you hold grudges (Lev 19:18; Matt 18:35)? Are you puffed up about yourself (Col 2:18)? Do you envy the advantages of others (Jas 3:14-16)? Do you hate anyone in your heart (Lev 19:17)? Do you curse rulers under your breath (Ec 10:20)?

What are feet that are swift in running to mischief? They describe a man who is hasty and impulsive to sin (Pr 1:16). He has a greedy desire for it; for he not only lacks conscience and restraint, but he also lasciviously craves sin (Eph 4:19). Revenge is sweet to him, and he races to exact vengeance. He is often in trouble, as he speedily goes from sin to sin.

If you have a temper, it is your duty to rule it, or your quick anger will offend God (Pr 14:29; 16:32; Jas 1:19-21). Stay away from angry persons, for they will lead you to sin (Pr 22:24-25; 29:22). Are you cautious and slow in dealings, or do you rush impetuously ahead (Pr 19:2,11; 22:3)? If you sinned in the past, then turn, run away, and stay away!

The all-seeing eyes of Jehovah are looking for faithful men, for He will put forth His might to bless them (II Chr 16:9; Ps 34:11-16). Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life (Pr 4:23). Love the true God with all your heart (Deut 6:4-5). Keep your feet in the way of understanding (Pr 21:19). Do not go near the strange woman (Pr 5:8). Avoid the wide gate and broad way that leads to destruction (Matt 7:13).


Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 5:10 Lest strangers feast on your wealth and your toil enrich another man’s house. 

Whores are expensive. At best, they want you and your money; at worst, they want your money without you. Even when they do not take your assets or income directly, they are expensive to entertain and support. If you needed another reason to avoid them, here it is.

King Solomon in this proverb gave his son another reason to stay away from the strange woman (Pr 5:3), which is any woman he had not married – whether prostitute, whore, or adulteress. It costs a lot to buy their favors or keep them happy; his assets and income would go to those outside his family, even though they do not provide any lasting benefit.

Here is the wisdom of God! To combat the powerful lusts in a young man and warn him thoroughly of the folly of fornication and adultery, you need to say more than, “Flee fornication,” (I Cor 6:18) and, “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Ex 20:14). There are many other threats and warnings you can give to help him defeat this powerful lust.

You would hope and wish a young man could be kept sexually pure simply by knowing God has forbidden such sins, like Joseph was with Potiphar’s wife (Gen 39:9). But that is neither realistic nor wise. Many young men are not even born again to have a heart that fears God, and those that are may not be at Joseph’s level of spiritual maturity and zeal.

Most of Proverbs shows the natural consequences of sins. While some of God’s laws are stated and applied, much of the book is observations of pain and suffering caused by sin. Wise parents will take note. They can do a much more thorough job of training their children, if they follow Solomon’s lead and explain all the painful consequences of sin.

Fornication and adultery have painful consequences, no matter what the world may say positively about casual sex. Solomon knew the costs: he had seen them in his father’s life after his adultery with Bathsheba. He warned often against this destroyer of young men (Pr 2:16-19; 5:1-23; 6:23-35; 7:1-27; 9:13-18; 22:14; 23:27-28; Eccl 7:26-29).

Whores are expensive. If a young man foolishly visits a prostitute, the price is very high for mere seconds of pleasure. She gives no discount for guilt, a grieved conscience, or an STD. His hard-earned money is split between a woman who does not care about him and her pimp, who is the lowest scum of the race. Wake up, young man! Marry a godly woman and make love freely every night with your best friend and perpetual companion.

Whores are expensive. If a young man foolishly takes an adulteress, he must give gifts, since she expects liaisons that flatter her, or he must outdo her husband. Caught in the deceitful trap of imagined and feigned love, the young fool will do all he can to pamper this wicked and unfaithful wife, forgetting that she is taking his living with no commitment, while staying married to another man. Wake up, young man! Marry a godly woman and make love freely every night with your best friend and perpetual companion.

Whores are expensive. Other young men choose the party scene of clubs and bars, where they must maintain a successful image or lose popularity and draw. Expensive cars, clothes, accessories, housing, entertainment, and lifestyle – all for merely an appearance of prosperity and power to seduce women with a soul no deeper than a dollar bill – will eventually put a man in the poor house. Wake up, young man! Marry a godly woman and make love freely every night with your best friend and perpetual companion.

Think, young man! What if your wife, friend, and lover worked with you to build a family estate of children and property, instead of taking your assets and income for the estates of others? What a difference! Solomon wrote you about it in the context (Pr 5:15-19). Think how much faster you would get ahead, how much farther you would get ahead, and how much more secure you would be. Wake up, young man! Marry a godly woman and make love freely every night with your best friend and perpetual companion.

Whores are expensive. Even pornography can rob a man, for whores and publishers, whether magazines or the Internet, want a return for their destructive wickedness. Many visual and mental adulterers have lost money and time, let alone peace, happiness, and sexual function, by funneling money to whores at a distance and/or losing their professional zeal and productivity by the distraction of the addicting and consuming sin.

Build your own estate, young man, rather than another’s. Love the wife you have, and be satisfied with her breasts and ravished by her love (Pr 5:19). Do not even think about dipping into a sexual cistern or well that does not belong to you (Pr 5:16). Have children, legitimate children, and a lot of them, and rejoice with your wife, as your family tree becomes a happy and powerful influence in the earth (Pr 5:17-18; Ps 127:3-5; 128:1-6).

For the man who has already fallen like a fool to a Delilah, save your life, and revive your soul, by running far from her and repenting like David did (II Sam 11:13; Ps 51:1-19; 32:5). There is mercy with the Lord of heaven, even for men foolish and wicked enough to chase whores of any variety. Repent! God is faithful and just to forgive those who truly repent, no matter the greatness of the crime (Pr 28:13; I Jn 1:9; Job 33:27-28).

Let every reader consider the application of this proverb to spiritual adultery. Any man or woman commits spiritual adultery when they befriend false religion or the world. Your affection, attention, time, energy, emotion, and/or money are then given to another god or entity that is an enemy of the true God of heaven and His Son Jesus Christ. The Bible is full of warnings about God’s great jealousy and His severe judgment of those who take what belongs to Him and give it to others (Jas 4:4; Ezek 16:1-59; II Cor 11:1-4; etc.).


Under Gods Command 

Proverbs 4:23-27 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; Keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; Keep your foot from evil.

Our heart, our feelings of love and desire-dictates to a great extent how we live because we always find time to do what we enjoy. Solomon tells us to guard our heart above all else, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path. Make sure your affections push you in the right direction. Put boundaries (Guard Rails) on your desires: don’t go after everything you see. Look straight ahead, keep your eyes fixed on your goal, and don’t get sidetracked on detours that lead to sin.


Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

Disobedience can Kill

10:1-2 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihua took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. 2So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

What was the “unauthorized fire” that Nadab and Abihu offered before the Lord? The nature of Nadab and Abihu’s wrongdoing is debated, but it clearly involved the burning of incense. The “unauthorized fire” could mean “foreign” (as in Psalm 44:20; 81:9), and thus “unauthorized” (see Exodus 30:9) or even “pagan.” Apparently, Nadab and Abihu used fire from a source not approved by God (Numbers 3:4; 26:61), possibly even a pagan source. It has also been suggested that the two priests gave an offering at an unprescribed time. Whatever explanation is correct, the point is that Nadab and Abihu abused their office as priests in a flagrant act of disrespect to God, who had just reviewed with them precisely how they were to conduct worship. As leaders, they had special responsibility to obey God. In their position, they could easily lead many people astray.

Aaron’s sons were careless about following the laws for sacrifices. In response, God destroyed them with a blast of fire. Performing the sacrifices was an act of obedience. Doing them correctly showed respect for God. It is easy for us to grow careless about obeying God, to live our way instead of God’s. But if one way were just as good as another, God would not have commanded us to live his way. He always has good reasons for his commands, and we always place ourselves in danger when we consciously or carelessly disobey them.

Lets Bring it Home: If God has commissioned you to lead or teach others, never take that role for granted or abuse it. Stay faithful to God and follow his instructions.


Under Gods Command

John the Baptist had prepared the way for Jesus by preaching repentance. The apostle’s message of salvation also included the call to repentance-acknowledging personal sin and turning away from it. Many people want the benefits of being identified with Christ without admitting their own disobedience and turning from sin. The key to forgiveness is confessing your sin and turning from it.

When we repent, God promises not only to wipe out our sins, but also to bring spiritual refreshment. Repentance may at first seem painful because it is hard to give up certain sins. But God will give you a better way. As Hosea promised, “Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth” (Hosea 6:3) Do you feel a need to be refreshed?

The time when God will “restore everything” refers to the second coming, the Last Judgment, and the removal of sin from the world.

Acts: 3:19-21 Repent, then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you-even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Please remember that these emails are going to over 100 people.  I used BCC to keep your email address private.  I just want to share my own personal walk with you, and yes, please hold me accountable for my actions.   I love you all with the love of Jesus and there is nothing that you can do about it. 


Under Gods Command

Proverbs 29:15- The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Parents of young children often weary of disciplining them. They feel like all they do is nag, scold, and punish. When you’re tempted to give up and let your children do what they want, or when you wonder if you’ve ruined every chance for a loving relationship with them, remember-kind, firm correction helps them learn, and learning makes them wise. Consistent, loving discipline will ultimately teach them to discipline themselves.


Under Gods Command (Book of Leviticus)

Leviticus 9:24 The Priests Begin Their Ministry

24Fired came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

As a display of his mighty power, God sent fire from the sky to consume Aaron’s offering. The people fell to the ground in awe. Some people wonder if God really exists because they don’t see his activity in the world. But God is at work in today’s world just as he was in Moses’ world.

Lets Bring it Home: Where a large body of believers is active for him, God tends not to display his power in the form of mighty physical acts. Instead, he works to change the world through the work of these believers. When you realize that, you will begin to see acts of love and faith that are just as supernatural.