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