Leviticus 27 -- A Wrap-Up

Honestly, I said “YEA!” when I saw I was reading the last chapter of Leviticus.  I was ready to be done studying all of the Jewish regulations that they certainly struggled to remember, much less keep.  But then I was surprised by a summary section of this book in my commentary.  It covered what these lessons should mean for us today:

“Our God is a holy God – Whenever we minimize the holiness of God, we’re in danger of minimizing human sinfulness, and the combination of these two errors results in the minimizing of the cross of Jesus Christ.”

“God wants His people to be holy – Whatever else the church may be known for today – buildings, budgets, crowds, busy schedules – it certainly isn’t known for its holiness.”

“Holiness begins at the altar – If I think I’m going to become holy because of my sincere resolutions, my religious habits, or my theological knowledge, I’m heading for certain failure … The cross reveals God’s hatred of sin.  Our sins killed His only Son!  How can I be neutral or even friendly toward that which caused the Son of God to suffer and die?  Unless I learn to detest sin, I’ll never be able to cultivate holiness.”

“Holiness involves obedience and discipline – Our holy God has the right to tell us what’s right and what’s wrong … It isn’t enough to ready and study the Bible.  We’re supposed to keep His commandments … Disciplined obedience is an important part of holy living … It’s only when God’s holiness increasingly begins to touch every area of our lives that we can say we’re starting to make progress in being holy.”

“Holiness must be from God and be genuine – Sentimental religious feelings are no guarantee that we’re pleasing God, and the absence of them doesn’t mean we’re failing God.”

“Holiness involves priestly mediation – In the New Testament church, all of God’s people are priests, but we must come to God through Jesus Christ, our mediating High Priest in heaven.  There can be no growth in holiness apart from fellowship with Jesus Christ.”

“Lack of holiness affects our land – We tend to think of sin as an individual activity that affects only the sinner, but this isn’t true … Idolatry and sexual immorality are the two sins that God especially singled out as polluting the land … Sins that ought to send us to our knees weeping are now acceptable recreation.  Judgment is coming, and it will begin at the house of God.”

“Holiness isn’t a private affair – The Old Testament believing community; he or she didn’t try to go it alone.”

“Holiness glorifies the Lord – Only God gets the glory when people see Christ reproduced in us.  We may not see the changes taking place, but God sees them, and so can others.”

“Holiness means living to please God alone – We live our lives before the eyes of God, to please Him alone, and not before the eyes of others to impress them … It makes no difference how loudly our friends applaud if God is displeased with us … We seek to live a holy life, not so that we can be recognized as holy people, but in order to please a holy God.  We live before him openly and sincerely, hiding nothing; fearing nothing.”

Father, this just about says it all.  Help me to be open and honest before You.  Grow me in holiness.  Show me where I fail and help me to agree with You about it.  You command me to be holy, and Your commandments are Your enablements.  Don’t ever let me believe that holiness is impossible.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 26 -- Responsibilities toward the Lord

My commentary says there are three responsibilities in this chapter that every Christian believer has toward the Lord (and one additional one in the next chapter).

First, OBEYING HIS COMMANDMENTS --  “If I’m walking one direction and God is walking another, I’m moving away from His presence; and God isn’t about to change His direction! … A.W. Tozer reminds us, ‘The essence of idolatry is the entertaining of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.’ … The Jews turned from reality to illusion, from truth to deception, and the consequences were disastrous … Our bodies are the sanctuary of God, and we must be careful to use them for God’s glory … When we lose the sense of the Lord’s presence and the privilege it is to serve Him, then we begin to despise His Word and disobey His commandments.”

Second, SUBMITTING TO HIS CHASTISEMENTS – “For whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”  “Privilege brings with it responsibility, and no nation has enjoyed more spiritual privileges from the Lord than the nation of Israel … In verses 16-17, ‘sudden terror’ means confusion of mind, the kind of terror you feel when you can’t control what’s going on.”

Third, TRUSTING HIS COVENANT – “Whether in blessing, chastening, or forgiving, God always keeps His covenant and is true to His Word.  God may punish His people, but He will never reject them or cast them away.  In fact, one reason for His chastening is to bring His erring people back into His arms of love where He can enjoy them and bless them once again.”

Father, thank You for such awesome love – so much that You discipline and chasten and punish solely to bring us back so You can love us and bless us again once we ask for forgiveness!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 25 -- Did They EVER Do This?

This chapter contained rules from God that were meant to rest the land so that it would provide well for the people; to rest the people from their toil in farming; to release those who’d been bound by economic circumstances, and to restore land that families had lost, keeping the whole system in balance and preventing perpetual slavery and poverty.  But there was a telling notation in my commentary:  “There’s no evidence in Scripture that the nation of Israel ever celebrated the Year of Jubilee!”

It would take great faith to not plant in the 49^th Sabbath year, then not plant in the 50^th Jubilee year, and have no crops recently harvested to tide one over while the crops of the 51^st year matured.  God had promised to take care of them, but their faith was the problem.

Father, help me to trust Your wisdom even when the world says it’s crazy to do so.  Help me to watch and see Your faithfulness to Your promises to me.  Remind me of how You so sufficiently taught me this motto:  “I trust You, God!”

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 24 -- Holy, Holy, Holy

The holy oil used for lighting the inside of the Tabernacle is discussed at length, especially the fact that the people never saw the light it produced.  My commentary said, “The lamp wasn’t there for the people to see but for God to see and for the priest to use as he carried on his ministry.  What happened in the presence of God was far more important than what happened elsewhere in the camp!  Sad to say, many a local church has had its light go out before both God and the world because of the unfaithfulness of the members.  They failed to pray, give, and allow the Holy Spirit to use them.  If the light is to be kept burning, somebody has to provide the oil.”

The shewbread remained on the table for a week before being eaten by the priests.  My commentary said, “From the priest’s viewpoint, the loaves reminded him that his ministry was for real people … the priests could easily get out of touch with the people they were representing before God.  Oil from the people fed the lamp … and the bread they ate … came from flour given by the people … All of this should have made the priests more appreciative of the tribes and more anxious to serve them in the best way.”

One final discussion involved a blasphemy by a half-Jewish man who had spoken against the Lord.  Just as the oil and bread were holy, so is God’s name.  I read, “Our God is a holy God and we must honor His name … the Lord doesn’t execute blasphemers today, but there is coming a day of judgment when the secrets of all hearts will be revealed and then God will render to every man according to his deeds.”

Father, help me each day to respect Your holiness and to be a part of what You are doing.  Don’t let the things of this world pull me away from You!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 23 -- The Calendar That Tells The Future

My commentary called this “The Calendar That Tells The Future”.  I’m having to be brief because of all the information, but here goes:

The Weekly Sabbath – shows God’s tender concern for His creation, including us.

Passover – Christ dying for our sins

Unleavened Bread – cleansing one’s life after being saved through faith in the blood of Christ

Firstfruits – Christ raised from the dead

Pentecost – birthday of the church (the two loaves with leaven represented Jews and Gentiles, sinners that we are, united together in Christ)

Trumpets – the calling of God’s people; the new civil year for the Jews.  God gives His people opportunities for new beginnings, and we’re foolish if we waste them.

Day of Atonement – forgiveness of our sins.  “At one” with God

Tabernacles – pictures the future kingdom God has prepared for Israel when their Messiah returns and they receive Him.  For Christian believers, the best is yet to come for we shall be together with the Lord and His people, every stain washed away, rejoicing in His presence.

Father, thanks for this picture of how undeserving we are of Your grace and mercy, yet how loving You are to call us, accept us, cleanse us, and bless us through Your Son.  Remind me daily to keep the leaven out of my life as my offering to You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 22 -- Ministering Unqualified

“For a priest to serve the Lord acceptably, it wasn’t enough merely that he qualify as a son of Aaron without any physical defects.  He also had to carry on his ministry in such a way that the Lord was pleased with him.  The worshippers might look at the outward ritual, but God would look at his inner heart,” my commentary said.

One problem that could easily enter his ministry is the drudgery of routine.  “The priests offered sacrifices all day long, all year long; it would be easy for them to develop an attitude of professionalism that would turn a sacred ritual into a shallow routine … Nothing is so deadening to the divine as an habitual dealing with the outsides of holy things,” my commentary noted.

A priest could become unclean and worry more about people knowing he was unclean than about serving God while unclean.  “He’d be putting himself ahead of God, more concerned about his reputation than his character … All who serve the Lord and the Lord’s people must be open and honest before God and must minister first of all to please Him alone … The greatest protection against professionalism and hypocrisy in ministry is the fear of the Lord as revealed in a tender conscience … Once conscience is defiled, it gradually gets worse, and eventually it may be so seared that it has no sensitivity at all.”

Father, You know my heart always, and I need to be more worried about what You know than what people may know.  Help me to be quick to admit my sin to You and to ask for forgiveness.  Don’t let me try to hide anything from You or try to ignore my sin.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 21 -- Not What It Sounds Like

At first reading, most everything in this chapter would seem to fly in the face of ministry today.  A priest would not be allowed to enter a home where someone had died, couldn’t mourn, couldn’t marry a woman who’d sinned sexually or who’d been married before.

The high priest was forbidden from touching even his child, parents or siblings who’d just died.  He couldn’t even leave the Holy Place.  And any man with anything less than physical perfection could not present offerings at the altar.

All of this doesn’t seem to fit with Jesus’ ministry to the lame, blind, and deaf, and His compassion for those hurting from loss or ashamed of their sin.

My commentary helped explain it.  God’s requirements for priesthood were necessary because “the sacrifices that the people brought to the Lord had to be perfect; it was only right that those who offered the sacrifices at the altar also be without defect.  Second, the priest exemplified that great High Priest who was to come, and there is no defect in Him.”

My commentary entitled this chapter and the next, “The Cost of Spiritual Leadership.”  “Apart  from the ministry of the priests,” it said, “Israel had no way to approach God … In their personal conduct, physical characteristics, and professional concerns, they had to meet God’s approval.  There’s a price to pay if you want to be a spiritual leader.”

Father, thank You for showing me the importance of maintaining a lifestyle that honors You, and I don’t want, through any of my actions, to dishonor Your Name.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 20 -- How Far We've Come (Strayed)

What a telling tale.  My commentary says, “Except perhaps in some Muslim societies, there isn’t a crime in this list that would merit capital punishment in most nations today … God gave His law to RESTRAIN sin, not to reform sinners; the penalties He imposed were for the purpose of upholding His law, NOT improving the offenders.”

So what were these offenses that God declared the death penalty as payment?  What did He see as a cancer that would eventually take over a society and cause Him to remove them from the land?

                Striking or cursing a parent

                Breaking the Sabbath

                Blaspheming God

                Engaging in occult practices

                Prophesying falsely

                Adultery

                Rape

                Having sex before marriage

                Incest

                Homosexuality

                Bestiality

                Kidnapping

                Idolatry

                False witness regarding a capital crime

                Killing a human intentionally

Most Americans would find it difficult to impose the death penalty for most of these if serving on a jury.  Have we stepped as far away from God’s law as the Israelites did before God sent them to the Babylonian captivity?

One thing I particularly noted:  Over and over in this chapter, God says of the sinners, “They have brought it on themselves.”  No blaming society or parents or schools or neighborhoods or Congress or the President.  Each person chooses to willfully sin, and in the Bible there was no excuse and no offering that could remove willful sin.

Father, show us what we’ve brought upon ourselves.  Show us the way back.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 19 -- Just As Important Today

My commentary entitles this chapter “The Sanctity of Law” and says, “God expects His people to take His law seriously,” and several things mentioned here deal directly with our relationship with Him.  Over and over He says, “I am the Lord your God,” and that alone should cause us to want to obey.  “The law brings sinful people into the presence of a sovereign God who has every right to tell us what is right and wrong.”  I know that during my first years away from home I struggled mightily with that truth.  Satan first starts to attack us there, trying to make us believe that God is being overbearing in His demand to be worshipped.  But we must never forget that He created us and wants us to have His very best.  Our job is to respect Him and obey.

My commentary also mentioned the importance of following God’s instructions for worship.  We’re told to “offer it in such a way that it will be accepted.”  That doesn’t just apply to their fellowship (peace) offering back then, but to our monetary offerings today and even our praise and worship to God during our worship.  He expects us to worship Him in spirit and in truth, not simply because it’s on the order of service.

His Name “is sacred and must never be used blasphemously or in an oath that the person has no intention of keeping … If we fear the Lord, we’ll respect His name.”

There’s a part of this chapter that also deals with our relationships with others.  Particularly mentioned are respect for one’s parents and the aged, and concern for those with handicaps.  God also wants both rich and poor to stand equally before Him and before the law, with neither being favored if all are treated equally.  We therefore shouldn’t seek out only the people who can benefit us the most – who have the most to offer us in return for our kindness.  True religion, in James 1:27, calls for sacrificially caring for those who can benefit us the least, who have the least to offer us in return for our kindness, according to David Platt.

Father, restore the respect that Your law requires.  It’s what is so missing in our country today.  These aren’t just old Jewish laws, but wise words from You that cause us to rejoice in living.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 17-18 -- A Legal Code For The People of Israel, And Us

“Leviticus 17-20 constituted a legal code for the people of Israel, touching on many areas of their personal and public life.  The emphasis is … on holiness … The motivation for Israel’s obedience had to be more than fear of punishment.  The people also needed in their hearts a desire to please God and a determination to be a holy people who would bring glory to His name,” my commentary said.

The sanctity of blood was the focus of chapter 17, and it was surprising to read, “The Jews didn’t eat a great deal of meat because it was too costly to slaughter their animals.  The law stated here prohibited them from killing their animals for food anywhere inside or outside the camp.  Any animal used for food had to be brought to the altar and presented as a fellowship offering to the Lord.”

Chapter 18 deals with the sanctity of sex.  While today many feel that how they choose to enjoy sex is a private matter of their own choosing, we’re told here that we’re created in the image of God and that the Creator knows what is best for His creation.  We know that no one can follow God’s laws perfectly, so our salvation is not based on keeping them, but “after we’re saved, our obedience to the will of God, as revealed in the Word of God, is the basis for fellowshipping with God and enjoying the abundant life He wants us to have.  Since God invented sex and ordained marriage, He has every right to establish the regulations that control them, and our obedience will help protect their wonderful blessings from the defilements of the world.”

“The phrase ‘uncover the nakedness’ simply means ‘to have sexual relations with’.”  Since a husband and wife become one flesh in marriage, anyone having sex with a married person other than their spouse would be uncovering the nakedness of that person’s spouse – something that God abhors.  The seventh commandment clearly stated that we shall not commit adultery, and it’s a wonder that these additional explanations of that commandment’s prohibitions would even be necessary!  “What part of “thou shalt not commit adultery” do you not understand?” God seems to be saying.  And as for sex between unmarried people, God’s commands regarding fornication take care of that.  We don’t have the authority to redefine what God has ordained.

God clearly says here that sexual sins cause the land to be corrupted to the point that it has to vomit out the people from it.  How close are we to that point in America today?

Father, wake us up.  It’s not about ourselves and our supposed needs and desires for pleasure.  It’s all about You and Your holiness.  Help us to see this and accept it.  Purify our thoughts and cause our hearts to seek after You!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 16 -- A Picture In The Day Of Atonement

I loved the way that my commentary linked the rituals on the Day of Atonement to what Christ did for us.

“On that day, God called His people to get serious about sin …”  The high priest had to make sure the proper sacrifices were available – a bull, two rams, and two goats – all without defects.

The high priest took off his glorious garments, washed at the laver, and put on the simple linen garments of an ordinary priest.  He left his special garments in the holy place where he would return later to put them on again.  Laying aside his glorious robes was an act of humiliation, and washing at the laver was an act of sanctification … In a much greater way, Jesus did all of this for us … He never needed to be cleaned from sin because He was sinless, but He did set Himself apart to serve us.  He laid aside His glory and came into this world as a poor baby.  As God’s suffering servant, He humbled Himself and died on the cross.  His work completed, He returned to heaven and “dressed Himself” once again in the glory that is rightfully His.”

“Since the cloud of incense symbolized the glory of God, the high priest put God’s glory ahead of everything else … We need to remember that the ultimate goal of God’s great plan of salvation is not the good of people but the glory of God.”

“The releasing of the goat symbolized the sins of the people being carried away, never to be held against them again.  ‘As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.’”

“Once he was sure that the scapegoat was officially lost in the wilderness, the high priest went into the holy place of the tabernacle, took off the linen garments, bathed, and put on his official robes.  This reminds us of our Lord’s return to heaven, where He received the glory He had laid aside when He was here on earth.”

John Stott was quoted:  “We strongly reject, therefore, every explanation of the death of Christ which does not have at its center the principle of ‘satisfaction through substitution’, indeed divine self-satisfaction through divine self-substitution.”

Father, thank You again for this Old Testament reminder of what You and Your Son agreed to do before the world was created, and the love You showed to us as poor, wicked sinners that was so undeserved!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 15 -- Something Beautiful In The Midst Of Something Distasteful

My commentary particularly noted that this chapter distinguishes between natural and unnatural flows of liquids from the human body, and unnatural included anything from diarrhea to discharges from venereal diseases.  “The main thrust seems to be that of enforcing personal sanctity.  Not everyone is a leper, but all of us have occasional discharges that defile us and could defile others.”  I saw in that a nugget of wisdom.

“Moses is dealing here with ceremonial uncleanness, not moral uncleanness,” my commentary said, and that’s what seemed worth exploring.  These people were in the middle of the Exodus, and they were witnessing the very presence of God in a real and tangible way on a daily basis, with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night.  God was inhabiting the mercy seat on the top of the Ark, and dwelling within the tabernacle.  That’s something I don’t think any human being would want to be excluded from.  Because of God’s holiness, and His role as Creator, He has the right to determine under what conditions we may approach Him, whether they involve sin or not, and whether they involve sex or not.  These rules excluded people from His presence – something that should be a very desirable thing they would be missing – and therefore this motivated them to purify themselves so they could resume that fellowship with Him.

Think of what church would be like today if we were so concerned about our own conditions that defilement would cause us to be unable to worship!  That the hunger for God would cause us to be doubly sure that we didn’t intentionally or unintentionally cut ourselves off from Him!  How much more energized our worship would be, I think!

Father, help me to so desire worshipping You that I will be constantly on guard to avoid anything or anyone who might cause me to be separated from You, even for a moment!  Make my relationship with You that important in my life on a daily basis!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 13-14 More Than Meets The Eye

Seeing what I was about to read, I prayed, “God, don’t let me skim over this.  Show me something important.”  And He did.  I loved what Wiersbe said in my commentary.

“In Scripture, disease is one of the images of sin”  Chapter 13 illustrates sin and chapter 14, salvation.

“Sin is deeper than the skin … sin is not a surface problem that can be solved with simple remedies, like trying to cure cancer with land lotion.  Sin comes from within, from fallen human nature; unless the heart is changed, there can be no solving of the sin problem.”

“Sin spreads … when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death (James 1:5)”

“Sin defiles … whatever sin touches, it defiles; only the blood of Jesus Christ can was away the defilement.”

“Sin isolates … there is no company in hell, because hell is a place of eternal isolation and loneliness … lost sinners will dwell alone; they we be alone FOREVER.”

“Sin is fit only for the fire … Hell is God’s eternal garbage dump.” 

He also saw salvation in chapter 14 … “The steps in the leper’s cleansing and restoration picture to us what Jesus Christ has done for sinners:”

“The priest goes to the leper … outside the camp … Jesus come to us that He might heal us of the sickness of sin.”

“The victim offers two birds …”  The first bird, killed in the clay jar, represents Christ, killed in the clay jar of a human body.  The blood-stained bird turned loose pictured His resurrection.  The victim knew he was clean when the priest said so, and we can know we are clean when His Word tells us we are.”

The person cleanses himself twice – that’s us “applying personally  what God has said was true positionally.  The man was ceremonially clean and had the right to live in the camp, but he needed to be made personally and practically clean so he would be fit to live in the camp … ‘Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh AND spirit…”

Father, thanks for these awesome and totally unexpected pictures this morning, and for reinforcing the ugliness and defilement of sin and how it isolates me.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 11-12 All About Separation To God

God gave the Jewish people dietary laws that helped set them apart from the rest of the world as His covenant people.  There may have been health considerations and benefits, but the primary reason for the rules “was to remind the Israelites that they belonged to God and were obligated to keep themselves separated from everything that would defile them,” my commentary said.  Even for us today, “The fact that we know God must make a difference in every aspect of our lives.”

As far as foods go, “Jesus made it clear to His disciples that all foods were clean,” in Mark 7, my commentary added.  One thing unusual about these instructions was the command to “hate” things they weren’t supposed to eat.  Quoting from a tract entitled, “Others May, You Cannot”, Wiersbe said he learned to get his directions from God and not from other people, and that he had to be willing to be different. “My great desire had to be to please the Lord joyfully, not grudgingly, and not to see how close I could get to sin and still not get into trouble.”  That’s really what chapter 11 is all about.

He also mentioned the human tendency to take steps toward disobedience by “reclassifying” sin and making it look acceptable instead of abominable.  Discernment was a way to prevent that occurring.  “The Jews had to remind themselves every hour of every day that they belonged to Jehovah … and that belonging to the nation of Israel was a high and holy privilege.”  The New Testament Christian was not to walk “as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind …”  “Christ has redeemed us, not that we might be free to please ourselves, but that we might be free to serve Him, which is the greatest freedom of all.”

Father, please help me to have discernment to know what I must stay away from.  Point out clearly to me what is defiling for me.  Don’t let me try to reclassify sin to make it acceptable.  If You call it sin, it is.  I want my greatest desire to be to please You joyfully, not grudgingly.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford

Leviticus 9 & 10 -- Early Lessons About Ministry

Without going into the stories behind them, I was moved by the lessons in these two chapters as the priesthood began.  My commentary said:

1)       Being imperfect, the priests had to offer sacrifices for themselves first before they could offer sacrifices for the people.

2)      The order of the sacrifices is significant:  We must first deal with our sins before we can dedicate ourselves totally to the Lord; then we can enjoy fellowship with Him.

3)      We must be in fellowship with God and one another if we’re to be a blessing to others.

4)      The paradoxical response of the people helps us better understand the experience of worship, for they were both joyful and overwhelmed.  There was joy in their hearts that the true and living god had deigned to dwell among them and receive their worship, but there was also fear as the people fell on their faces in awe.  The two attitudes balance each other.

5)      If our ministry doesn’t glorify God, then God can’t bless it and use it to help others and win the lost.

6)      It’s a serious thing to be a servant of God, and our service must be empowered by His Spirit and controlled by His Word.  We must serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:  for our God is a consuming fire.

7)      It wasn’t enough for the priests merely to teach the people the difference between the holy and the unholy; they also had to practice it in their own lives.

8)      We dedicate ourselves to God, and He consecrates us for His service.  He wants servants who are clean, yielded, obedient, and marked by the blood and the oil.

9)      Apart from the finished work of Christ and the power of the Spirit, we can’t serve God acceptably.

10)   We minister first of all to the Lord and for His glory.  No matter how much we sacrifice and serve, if God doesn’t get the glory, there can be no blessing.

Father, remind me often to check these “compass points” so that I can be sure that I am staying on course in serving You.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford