Leviticus 19 -- At The Core We Find ....

It would be easy for an unbeliever to claim that this chapter is just a bunch of don’ts.  But it’s easy to notice that as God lines out the behavior He expects from His people as His ambassadors on earth, He’s telling us something else as well – “I am the Lord.”  It’s as if He’s saying the reason You should do this is “because I am the Lord.”  SIXTEEN times He says that in this chapter.

My commentary says, “The people were to express their reverence for Jehovah by their respect for one another.  Also, “God is a God of separation, and in these physical examples He was teaching His people to separate themselves from sin and defilement.”

As if to drive it all home, the chapter ends with “Remember all My laws and rules, and obey them, I am the Lord.”

Father, You are the best reason for me to have if I am to obey.  That’s because You gave Your own Son up for me on the cross.  This world is not my home.  Help me to separate myself from it and to separate myself to You.  Thank You for being my Lord and my God.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 15-18 Not Just Old Laws

This was new stuff the Israelites were hearing.  God was creating a people to call His own, vastly different from the people of Egypt where they’d been living and from the people of Canaan where they were headed.  Both of these peoples had elevated personal pleasure to a religion and in the process they’d begun to make their own gods.

I thought about what it would have been like to hear this for the first time, especially after seeing how God had taken the lives of Aaron’s sons – men who might have one day become high priests.  There’d be no doubt that He was serious about all this and powerful enough to carry out any promise He’d made for disobedience.  Suddenly, an individual’s private actions begin to impact those around him, and he has a duty to self-disclose his own uncleanness in order to protect those near to him not just from that uncleanness, but particularly from what God might do to them for being made unclean from that individual and not even knowing it.  That elevates confession to a whole other level!

My sidebar picked up on a very important concept related to this:

“The strongest protection a marriage can have … is in the attitude of the partners towards the marriage and toward each other.  No one – absolutely no one, male or female – who has vowed faithfulness to another human deserves sexual satisfaction outside the marriage bond.  Yet self-centered people have justified their sin by the premise that sexual satisfaction is somehow their right – because God made them this way and they can’t help it … But in fact, the marriage vow subordinates one’s individual satisfactions in all areas to one’ marital partner – declaring publicly that sex is less important than one’s spouse, less important than the health of the relationship.  Sexual satisfaction is no longer a right, but a blessing, a gift of the relationship to its partners … He who worships anything of himself is a candidate for extra-marital sex.  His marriage is vulnerable.  His desires have become his PRIVILEGES.  So long as he is his own god, he feels himself free to obey nothing and no one but himself.”

God’s partnership with the people of Israel was like a marriage and He demanded and deserved absolute faithfulness in return for all His blessings.  Through all of these rules, He was transforming His people from selfish self-worshipers into people who would subordinate their own desires to their love for HIM.  These aren’t old don’t-apply-to-non-Jews rules.  They are basic to our own accountability to God for those times when we are tempted to put ourselves ahead of Him.  We have to come to a point where we throw out the thought that we deserve privileges, and instead see how freely and undeservedly God blesses us instead.

Father, feelings of entitlement don’t come from You.  Help me to immediately cut off thoughts that I feel entitled to allow myself to thing.  They can’t be from You.  Instead, make me keenly aware, as You did here for the Israelites, of how my own uncleanness affects those around me, and how it impacts my ability to worship and to serve You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 11-14 Why This Is IN There

God gave the Israelites rules and a long list of things they could and could not eat.  The phrase that kept catching my eye was, “It is unclean for you.”  God was setting them apart as a holy people.  We know that in the New Testament Christians were told through Peter’s vision that all things were edible.  So God was with these commands calling a specific people to Himself with these specific rules regarding eating.    It was unclean for them, but not necessarily for others, perhaps.

In the same way, I think certain things today could be considered unclean for some and not for others.  For instance, for alcoholics, even a taste of alcohol can cause them to become enslaved to it.  Others might be able to partake it in moderation with no problem.

Whether because of sin or heredity, we each probably have things that could be considered unclean for us.  Yes, peanuts are edible, but for me to eat them would be an invitation to an upset stomach.  It didn’t use to be that way, but as a kid I overindulged in them to the point of developing an allergy!

What if it’s the same for certain sins?  So long as we obey God and avoid certain sins entirely, we may never have a problem with them.  But if we ever commit them once, we may discover that we have a propensity for that sin, and we’ve just opened Pandora’s box.  Rather than risking the possibility of having to fight a battle for the rest of our lives against such a sin, we’d be much better off obeying God and never tasting it. 

Father, I pray for myself and for my boys about this matter.  They are going through that time in their lives when they will be tempted to question the validity of the boundaries You’ve set for us.  Satan always tempts us into believing that we are the exception, and that only blinds us to where he’s taking us.  Give them spiritual eyes to see his lies, Father.  Keep them strong in You and help them to never feel the need to question Your commandments.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 10 -- Not Following Instructions Or Active Rebellion?

Aaron’s sons were ready to burn incense before the Lord.  The holiness of that Holy Place inside the Tent of Meeting should have made them want to double-check everything they did.  They filled the pans with coals and added incense, but something wasn’t right.  Apparently they were supposed to use coals from the golden altar, but instead they substituted everyday coals from another fire instead.

God saw this as short-cutting or failure to obey completely everything He’d commanded. 

The Holy Place represented where God resided among His people Israel on earth, and only things consecrated to Him could enter.  The “strange fire” they used amounted to bringing unholiness into God’s presence.  That was disobedience and therefore sin.  God burned them with the special fire from the altar.

Seeing what happened, Moses quickly warned Aaron and his remaining two sons not to show any sadness or remorse about their deaths, for it would be seen by God as revolt against His righteous dealings.

For many years, I didn’t like what I read here.  After all, we all like to hope that God will somehow stop us just before we sin, but He provides us with free choice that no other creature has and we are therefore responsible for those choices.

Aaron’s sons knew the rules.  God’s reply to His actions was, “I MUST be RESPECTED as HOLY by those who come NEAR to Me; before all the people, I MUST be given HONOR.”

God wasn’t on an ego trip.  Instead, He can’t let one or two people get away with sin, particularly those who have been appointed to serve in His presence.  If they don’t respect His rules, how can He hopte that anyone else will?

Father, there’s no such thing as a little sin to You.  Sin is disobedience, and disobedience amounts to disrespect for who You are and rebellion against what You have righteously commanded.  And that is flat out wrong.  Help me to remember that next time I’m tempted to sin, to shortcut what You’ve asked me to do, or to show dishonor to You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 9 -- Never Getting The Debt Paid

After seven days of offerings to consecrate Aaron and his sons to their offices as high priest and priests, it was time for them to perform their duties.  So what was the first thing they needed to do?  Moses said, “Go to the altar and offer sin offerings and whole burnt offerings.  Do this to remove your sins and the people’s sins so you will belong to God.”

In the 8^th chapter, Moses had killed a bull and two sheep every day for seven days, saying, “The Lord commanded the things that were done today to remove your sins so you will belong to Him.”  They’d done that – for seven days.  Now, on the 8^th day, with their sins already having been removed on the previous seven days, the high priest has to have his sins removed again!

I doubt that he’d broken an major commandments overnight.  But he’d sinned in some way that caused him to once again need his sin removed before he could act as the spiritual representative of his people before God.  That shows how serious even our smallest sins are to God.  They get in the way of our walk with Him and our fellowship with him.  What an error we make when we try to rationalize or minimize our sins!

Father, I thank You that I have a High Priest who never sinned – who never has to offer a sin offering for Himself before He can serve You.  All the cattle and sheep in the world wouldn’t be enough to remove my sin and keep me acceptable to You.  Thank You for bridging that gap with the death of Your Only Son.  Such love!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 8 -- What It Takes

God had told Moses to appoint his brother Aaron and his sons as priests.  The seven days of consecration services described here remind me less of the importance of the office of high priest and more of the sinfulness of man and the atoning sacrifices God performs, even in the lives of the highest religious figures.

My commentary said that everything described in chapter 8 was repeated daily for seven days.  They first placed their hands upon the head of the animal being sacrificed, ceremonially conveying their sins upon it.  After the animals were killed, the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on them and on the altar to purify them and remove their sins.  The fact that it took seven days of this ritual to “purify” Aaron and his sons, who were supposedly already loyal to God, speaks volumes about why we need a Savior.

Father, though my sins were as scarlet, You washed them white as snow with the blood of Your Only Son.  Thank You for such a precious and costly gift.  Thank You that I can boldly approach the throne of grace.  Thank You for promising me a home forever with You and Your Son.  Thank You for the Christmas season that causes us to remember where it all started.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 6:8-7:38 What ABOUT These Offerings Today?

The laws regarding offerings are restated with a focus on the priests’ side of things.  I wondered about today’s Jewish faith.  There is no Temple, and as far as we know there is no Tent of the Meeting.  What does a Jewish believer do today, reading in God’s word that what is commanded here must be kept for all time?  What do they feel when they read that the fire on the altar must NEVER go out?  When these offerings are called for and they cannot offer them in the manner prescribed any longer, what do they do?  And what will God do regarding these commandments not being kept?

Centered too in all of this is the demand for ritual cleanliness.  A believer could not present and offering, and a priest could not offer it, without being ceremonially clean.  Nor could either consume the offering without ceremonial cleanliness.  My commentary said, “Those priests did not become holy by touching the offerings.  Holiness was not imparted by touch, but defilement WAS.”  Likewise, the blood of the sin offering could not be carried out of the sanctuary into everyday life, or else it would be profaned.  God made the offerings holy.  People couldn’t do that. 

Father, I don’t know what the Jewish believers do now with these offering sections.  It would seem to be a glaring hole in their faith.  I thank You that my faith is secured by Your Son’s death and resurrection, and all I have to do is believe.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 4:1-6:7 Just What IS An "Accidental" Sin?

“When a person sins by accident ….”

The sin offering was brought by an Israelite in covenant relationship with the Lord … it has to do with sins committed unconsciously or unintentionally,” my commentary said.  It suggested that “sin through ignorance” seems to mean more than lack of knowledge of the sin.  It probably meant that the sin was not willful, deliberate, or done in defiance.  The person who brought a sin offering was acknowledging  that he had sinned unintentionally through weakness or negligence.”

The big thing I read was this:  “There was NO sacrifice for willful sin; the death penalty had to be exacted.”

I tried to explore the difference between unintentional and willful sins.  In chapter five, for instance, certain types of “accidental” sins are listed:  Not testifying in court when ordered to; touching something unclean; making a promise before the Lord without thinking; doing something against the holy things; doing something the Lord has commanded not to be done, whether you know it or not; lying about what happened, stealing something or cheating someone; and making a promise before the Lord and not meaning it.

I’m trying to wrap my mind around just how those were considered “accidental” sins versus willful, deliberate, and defiant sin and rebellion.  The only key seemed to be that phrase “acknowledging that he had sinned unintentionally through weakness …”

My commentary said, “Some suggest that the sin offering speaks of Christ dealing with what we ARE, whereas the trespass offering pictures Him dealing with what we have DONE.” 

He knows we are dust.  He knows we are sin-infected.  It sounds like, knowing our particular weakness, He also knows we are prone to fall to that weakness, never intending to sin.  We played into our weakness.  That would seem to indicate that willful sin would fall more into the nature of premeditation, with forethought and malice, as they say on TV.    For instance, someone who views pornography that pops up on a screen might be very different from someone who decides to subscribe to several pornographic magazines.

Father, I’m trying to understand this.  I want to think that when weakness overcomes us You understand and call it unintentional, but I don’t want to minimize my own role in sin.  If I know that what I’m considering leads me to sin against You if I continue, it seems that I’m being willful by continuing.  Please help me to know how Your heart sees this, for that’s what really matters.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 2-3 What We Can Learn From Yeast, Honey, Salt, Fat, and Blood

Along with the burnt offering, Israelites had two other voluntary offerings they could make.  The grain offering consisted of bread or the ingredients used to make it.  The person offering it was acknowledging God’s bounty in providing the good things of life, my commentary said.

Such an offering could never contain yeast or honey, and always had to include salt.  Although the offeror prepared the offering at home, God, being all-knowing, would know whether these instructions had been followed or not!

The fellowship or peace offering was handled much like a burnt offering, but instead of the animal being consumed by the fire, parts of the animal were burned on the fire, parts were kept by the priests, and the rest was returned to the offeror to be used as a feast with other Israelites.  One law was included in these instructions:  “You must NOT eat any fat or blood.”  Those parts belong to the Lord, and no matter whether the food was being prepared as an offering or for a meal at home, they were not to eat the fat or the blood.  My Bible says, “This law will continue for people from now on.”  God probably wanted us to understand that these parts were not good for us.

Father, You are wise and all-knowing.  Even in simple things like these, our sin-nature will react and say, “Throw some yeast or honey in, or leave out the salt, and see if God notices or does anything!”  Or even, “If He says not to eat the blood or fat, then I’ve got to try it!”  That’s the very nature of sin – rebellion against God – and even if we’d gain nothing from it, it still infects our thoughts and actions.  Father, please help me to remove such thoughts the instant I feel them coming in.  Don’t let me explore the what-ifs of sin, even in my thoughts.  The devil is regularly trying to establish a foothold in my life, and I don’t need to be aiding my enemy!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 1 -- Not A Nice Thing

In the introduction to this book, Max Lucado says it’s like being given a field, but to get the deed transferred, you have to get the rocks out of the field.  It turns out to be an impossible task.  Once you admit that, you’re given a field with the rocks already removed.

Leviticus is about holiness, and our inability to ever achieve it on our own.

I think it would be great for every Christian to have to offer a whole burnt offering once in their lives – to have to pay for the finest bull, then take it to the Temple and go through the procedures described here.  To see it standing there trustingly beside us … to place our hand on its head, understanding that God is placing our sin upon it … Then to have to kill it ourselves and watch as the priests collect the blood and sprinkle it on the sides of the altar, seeing the spots of blood – representing our sin – desecrating the beauty of that altar.  Then we’d have to skin the animal and butcher it, watching as the priest laid the head, the fat, and other pieces on the wood in the fire.  Then the bad part – we’d have to wash the inner organs with water, along with the animal’s groin area, before these parts were also added to the fire.

It would be enough to have to do that ourselves.  But then what if we were fourth in line, or 500^th?  To have to watch, and smell, and hear it all? 

I think about the look on the priest’s face.  You’d think it would be one of reverence and helpfulness, much like that of a pastor’s during an invitation.  But this is a dirty job, and it never ends.  The first time he places an animal’s head on an altar, he probably feels that.  But what about 3 years into the job, and after seeing the same person each year having to make this atonement for his sin?  Would he still feel the same?  Or would he feel more like a butcher at a grocery store?  Would there be any reverence left as the next head gets laid on the fire, or is he looking at how many people are left in line before he can go home?  And when he sees the repeat customer, does he want to tell him to stop sinning so much that he has to return so often?

I think after the third or fourth time that I brought an offering and went through these procedures, I’d feel pretty hopeless.  I’d see that it wasn’t producing holiness in me.  Instead, it was only highlighting my own sinfulness and inability to obey God.  I’d see that I needed more.  I’d need a Savior.

Father, it might indeed be good for us to have to see the waste that our sin causes and the death that sin brings with it.  But I wouldn’t like the hopelessness that would follow.  Thanks for sending me a Savior.  Thanks for offering the perfect sacrifice in Your own Son.  I’m totally unworthy, but I’m infinitely grateful.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 21-22 -- What An Ending!

My commentary makes sure to distinguish between the Millennium – the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth – and the Eternal State.  In the Eternal State, we have a new earth, but we also have a new heaven, it says!  In the Millennium, sin and death are still present, but not in the Eternal State.

When the New Jerusalem descends from Heaven, my commentary noted that the Bible never actually says that it lands.  It’s possible that it hovers, it says.  But regardless, it is lit by God’s glory and God resides with His children on earth.

Father, the end makes the journey all worthwhile.  Whatever we experience or endure on this earth will pale in comparison to spending eternity with You in our resurrection bodies.  Keep me ready for Your Son’s return and for living with You for all eternity!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 19-20 -- What Awaits Those Who Don't Believe

A lot happens in these chapters.  The Tribulation is past.  It’s time for the marriage of the Lamb.  The church will not be simply His bride any longer, but His wife.

Jesus comes from Heaven riding a white war horse.  He brings His armies with Him, but they never have to fight.  He handles it all Himself.  The saints return to earth with Him.

The beast and the false prophet are captured and hurled alive into the lake of fire burning with sulfur.  Then an angel comes down from heaven, seizes Satan, and locks him in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years.  He cannot go out and deceive the nations.

Once Satan is released, he rebels against God for the last time.  Fire comes down from heaven and consumes his troops.  The devil is cast into the lake of fire, joining the beast and the false prophet, who’ve been there for the thousand years.  (My commentary said this disproves the idea that we are annihilated when we die.)

Those whose names are not listed in the Book of Life are judged, with all of them headed to hell.  The judgment is not to decide heaven or hell – that’s a foregone conclusion.  Instead, it determines the degree of punishment each will receive in hell.

With the unbelievers and Satan – their boss – taken care of, the rest of Revelation can tell about Who wins.

Father, hearing what awaits the unsaved, I am all the more thankful that You reached out and saved me.  It also makes me keenly aware of the importance of telling others about Your Son’s sacrificial death on their behalf, for only through accepting His death for our sins can we have any hope of eternity in heaven with You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 17-18 I Don't Know WHAT To Write About This

I don’t know what to write about this.  It’s certainly not Babylon in Iraq that is being addressed.  I don’t really believe it’s a to-become-wealthy-in-the-future city either. 

I believe this entity exists now.  It is worldwide.  It has amassed incredible wealth for itself, yet hoards that wealth rather than using it to help the poor as the Bible commands.  Yet most importantly, it has used its power to trick men into following it rather than following God.  It is guilty of persuading millions to believe something other than what the Bible says, and because of this, untold millions have ended up in hell rather than heaven for accepting what they thought was truth.

Father, I don’t know if I’ve understood You correctly or not.  I’ve always thought this was future, but what You tell me this morning indicates that it represents both the past and the present as well.  Please lift the veil from the spiritual eyes of those entrapped by this belief.  Allow them to come to You in Truth and in Light.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 14-16 NOT A Good Time

Boy, this describes a time when it would definitely be better to be dead than living on earth!  The last seven disasters of the Great Tribulation are turned loose:

1)       Ugly and painful sores cover everyone’s body.

      2)      The sea turns to blood, killing all life in it.
      3)      The rivers and springs of water turn to blood.  No one will be able to satisfy their thirst.
      4)      The sun flares up, causing severe burns.
      5)      Darkness covers the entire kingdom of the beast
      6)      The Euphrates River dries up, opening the way for land forces from the kings of the east to     head toward Israel.
      7)      Flashes of lightning, noises, thunder, and the worst earthquake ever cause Babylon to split into 3 parts, every island and mountain vanish, and great hailstones weighing about 100 pounds each slam into the earth.

It will be an incredibly miserable time for those still left behind.  Yet those people still left on earth have allowed their hearts to become so hardened that, even in the midst of all this incredible misery, they still sin greatly, and they curse God rather than calling to Him for help!

Father, you have every right to send the judgments upon mankind for our rebellion and sin against You.  Yet in Your mercy You say that You will have removed Your people from all of it, keeping us safe.  I pray that the horrors of this time will so pervade my conscience that I will do everything possible to bring people to You, for I do not want those I love to have to endure that time.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 13 -- AMAZING What We'll Believe!

“Then the whole world was amazed and followed the beast … It was given power over every tribe, people, language, and nation.  And all who live on earth [as opposed to living for heaven?] will worship the beast – all the people since the beginning of the world whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life.” 

My commentary said, “Those who are not true believers … are given over to error.  They would not believe the truth; now they believe a lie.”

This is saying that people will become so deluded in their own minds that they will readily follow someone and be unable to discern that he is truly evil.    I believe this is already happening in one form today.  There are those who have bought into the lies about a global consciousness and a global vision for the world – that all people will act in a noble way, desiring the best for everyone and willingly sacrificing their own freedoms and resources to accomplish this.  Yet the heart is basically evil without Christ.  Even Christians struggle to not let selfishness get a handhold.  Our very sin nature will not allow such a condition in the world to exist.  But people become so blinded, believing in a utopia and desiring to be part of it that they’ll believe anything they’re told.

Father, please continue to grant us discernment.  Don’t allow us to be fooled by such trickery.  Keep our eyes on You as the days draw near.  Give us the knowledge we need to not get caught up in the hype.  Instead, keep us focused on the Truth.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 12 -- Could Be THAT's Why He Knows

This chapter tells about an epic battle in heaven where Satan is kicked out of heaven for good.  My commentary indicates that it is future, not past, and that, as in Job, it describes Stan’s access into heaven, where he accuses us before the Father.  That access will finally be completely cut off and he will be banished to earth as his prison.  Poor us!

I suppose another way of viewing it is that, with God’s timelessness – being able to see the future at the same time as the past and present --  Satan would have been able to see all of our sins before we were ever born by looking into that future.  That would allow him to be able to accuse us before God before the world was created.  Then the epic battle could have taken place in the distant past and Satan cast down from heaven, “ruling” earth for all of human history, to taunt us and tempt us with those very sins he’s already witnessed.  He would actually know our weak spots and the situations we’d be walking into that he could exploit.  He’s certainly not above doing that.

Father, You know my steps.  You also know my weaknesses and where I’m susceptible to sin.  I pray that You will strengthen my faith and my character when You know I’m headed for one of those encounters.  Keep Satan from giving me opportunities to disappoint You.  It’s sure tough having an enemy who knows all about me, but it’s awesome being protected by a God who knows me and still loves me!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Genesis 10 & 11 -- The End In Sight

“There will be no more waiting!  In the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, God’s secret will be finished.  This secret is the Good News God told to His servants, the prophets.”

The Good News is the Gospel of Christ.  It’s about salvation.  So does this mean that when the seventh angel blows his trumpet, that God will be turning off salvation by faith in Christ?  After that, will it be too late?

In chapter 11, when the seventh angel did blow his trumpet, loud voices in heaven announced that God had taken back rule over the earth.  Satan would no longer flaunt his rule.  The announcement was made that it was time to judge the dead and to destroy those who would destroy the world.

By this point, the hearts of those left behind are certainly hardened.  Otherwise, they would reflect on all these catastrophes and determine that they’d rather be on God’s side!  How blinded they’ve become!

Father, as I look back at my own life, I remember all too well a time when I let pride blind me to Your truth.  Thank You for restoring me before it was too late.  Thank You for undoing much of the damage I’d done to myself and others.  Please keep me ever mindful that time is short and people need to hear Your Good News.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Revelation 8-9 -- Not The Quiet Game

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

Despite all of the judgment that rained down from heaven onto the earth in these chapters, despite the terrible suffering and pain inflicted upon those who remained on earth and did not believe, this one sentence caught my eye.

For I doubt that Heaven had ever experienced such silence before.  The angels and elders had, for eternity, been bowing before God and worshiping Him.  After all, He is infinitely worthy of worship.  So what would ever cause them to cease worshiping for even a few seconds, much less for 30 minutes??

They know that what is to follow is God’s final offer of salvation.  The Book of Life is about to be closed and locked, and no other names will ever again be added once this period that’s coming is done.  And I believe that fact was breaking God’s heart.

Father, help me to do what I can to make sure that as many as possible are added to Your kingdom before that day ever arrives.  I don’t want anyone I know to have to endure what’s described in these chapters.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford