Day 55: Numbers 5-6

Sunday, February 28th

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%205-6&version=NIV

The Nazarite Vow
Have you ever made a vow before?

Some vows we make in life are toward each other as in the wedding vow. While others vows can be for a certain commitment we wish to make. For example, a few years ago, about eight of my Christians friends decided to go out to a Jazz bar to hear this band and have some fun dancing. Surely nothing could go wrong? We were just going out for a good time of fun and we would all stick together. As the night progressed, one of the young ladies with us went to the restroom. When she came back she was with a man she just met while coming back to where we were. We talked to her but she was determined to be with this man. She was convinced this was the man sent from God for her. It was love at first sight. Over the next year, she dated this person and her spiritual life went out the window. He was not a believer in Christ. The Lord really convicted me for what happened. We went out to have a good time but it ended up making our sister in the Lord stumble. I repented to the Lord and I repented to her for my part in her meeting this man. She finally came to her senses and got right with the Lord. She is now happily married to a Christian man and has a 1 year old little girl. But after this instance, I made a vow I would never step into that Jazz club again. I can’t stop others for what they are determined to do but I can do my part not to cause others to stumble.

We find an interesting vow in Numbers 6. It is called the Nazarite vow:

Num 6:2-6
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no rasor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.

The Nazarite vow is a voluntary vow

Purpose: To separate oneself to the Lord
Time: For a determined season
Conditions of the vow: --Eat nothing that is made of the vine of grapes (sacrifice) --No razor shall come upon his head (Shame) --He can not touch any dead body. (Separation)

This vow requires sacrifice, to bear shame and one of separation. It fits perfectly with one who has decided to be Jesus’ disciple:

Luke 9:23-24 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

When we decide to follow Christ, we must be willing to lay down our own will and desires to please the one we are serving. We must be willing to sacrifice whatever He requires. We must be willing to bear His shame. In Corinthians 11:14, it says long hair on a man is shameful. As followers of Christ, we must bear some shame as the world mocks us and laughs at us for being a follower of Christ. We suffer shame for His name's sake. The Nazarite was prohibited from touching any dead body. The Nazarite had to be totally separated from death. The entire world is dead in trespasses and sins. In order to serve the Lord with all our hearts, we must follow Christ entirely and turn our backs on the things of this world. To follow Christ requires us to separate from the deadness of this world.

There are several examples of someone who took the Nazarite vow: Samson took the Nazarite vow.(Judges 14) He broke it but he wouldn’t shave his hair as required by Numbers 6:9 So someone else shaved his head for him. Samuel took the Nazarite vow (1 Sam. 1:11), John the Baptist (Luke 1:13) and the Apostle Paul seems to have taken this vow for a season (Acts 18:18)

But there is someone else who is under the Nazarite vow and has been for 2,000 years. Jesus of Nazareth during the Last supper it seems He took the Nazarite vow.

Luke 22:15-18 Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; "for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; "for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

Matt 27:3
they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.

Jesus has taken this vow until He is united face to face with His bride the Church! This is you and me!!! He will break the vow when we are all together in the Kingdom.

Rev 19:7-9
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'" And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."

Are we looking forward to seeing Jesus face to face as much as He is looking foward to seeing us?
Submitted by Kirby Wiseman

Day 54: Numbers 3 – 4

Saturday, February 27th

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%203-4&version=NIV

The Priests of the Lord
The Firstborns are mine

Now these are the records of Aaron and Moses when the LORD spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai.2 And these are the names of the sons of Aaron: Nadab, the firstborn, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron, the anointed priests, whom he consecrated to minister as priests.

"Now behold, I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be Mine,13 "because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the LORD."Num 3:12-13

One day, I gave $20 to my son Richard for school lunch money and said to him, “ Richard, use $10.00 to credit your school lunch account and bring the remaining $10.00 home. Richard said, “OK, Mom”.

That afternoon my son came back from school with a big smile on his face and he showed me a new kid’s book. He said, “Mom, I just bought this book from the school bookstore”. “I’ve been waiting forever to get this book”. I interrupted, “Wait a minute, how did you pay for this book? “ Richard said, “I paid with money from the change from my lunch money and I thought you would happy because you love when I read a book. Guess what I told my son? I said, "That money belonged to me and you cannot spend money which isn't yours even for a good reason without my permission." This might sound cold but I had to teach my son some discipline. You cannot spend money that doesn’t belong to you and go against my commands even if you think it is for a good reason.

God called the Levites to be Priesthood, and said to Moses: every firstborn in Israel, whether man or animal belongs to the Lord. That means every first thing we have should to be given back to the Lord.

Many Christians bless by giving and helping others but what we are reading here is different. We have to acknowledge that everything we have is the Lord’s: time, money, health, talents, family, jobs..etc. Everything we have comes from God for He is Lord.

In my country, Korea, we have a beautiful family culture and it is very biblical. In our culture we are taught to honor our parents and especially our father as the head of the family. At the dinner table, the food is prepared first for the father. He gets the freshest portion of the food. No one starts to eat until he starts to eat. When the food is served, he gets the first piece. This is just one example of honoring our earthly parents.

How are we honoring our Heavenly Father?

When we bring our tithe or 10 percent is it out of duty or because of the law? You can help others and donate to many different causes but you don’t feel you want to give your tithe to your church. Today, I want to encourage every one to take a moment and meditate upon the meaning of the tithe. If you are calling God as your Heavenly Father and He is Lord, you must remember that everything we have belongs to God and he is letting us keep the remaining 90 percent.

It is a blessings to be able to use the remaining 90 percent after giving God our first 10 percent. We don’t do this because of the law but we do it with a sincere and thankful heart. When we come to the Lord with our offering, we have to bring the best and first fruits. This is not just with our money or income but is also with our time, talent and health. I want to challenge all of you to offer everything we have to the Lord

Submitted by Abrianna Amaris

Day 53: Numbers 1 - 2

Friday, February 26th

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers%201-2&version=NIV

Prepare for Battle
The battlefield is right between our ears

We are starting the Book of Numbers. This book reminds believers of the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged in. It shows the service and walk of God's people and the battles which we may face. The Book of Numbers essentially bridges the gap between the Israelite s receiving the Law (Exodus and Leviticus) and preparing them to enter the Promised Land (Deuteronomy and Joshua).

The book starts off with God’s command to number the army. It is important to note, this command comes from God for later King David numbered the tribes and the Lord was very displeased. (2 Sam 24) What God is leading us to do today may not be the same leading for tomorrow. We must daily hear from the Lord.

Preparing for Battle
Christians are living in two different kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world. We can forget we are in a spiritual battle with unseen spirits. As God’s soldier, we must put on the whole armor of God.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood. Some of the troubles we are facing today have nothing to do with us but rather is a direct attack from demons and spiritual wickedness. Unsaved people are already under the influence of Satan’s grip so the main focus of these demonic spirits are against the people of God. There is a war going on if we acknowledge it or not.

Where is the battlefield?
The physical battles we will read about in Numbers will represent the spiritual battles we face in our minds and thought life. This is where the war is raging. I’ve seen this happen many times. We start to disobey the Lord in the small things and then a door of opportunity is presented to us. This door of opportunity isn’t from God but is from the enemy of God. He is trying to deceive our minds to go through the door. As our emotions get involved and the lusts of the flesh team up with them, we start to experience confusion. Our mind or human reasoning starts to justify taking a step through this door. Once our mind gets deceived, our will is ready to choose sin over God's way. The deception can be so strong, we can start to justify our actions as "God's door of opportunity".

This is why it so important we put on the armor of God to quench these thoughts. As we mediate upon God’s Word and have fellowship with the Holy Spirit, the schemes and devices of the enemy are exposed. Our deceptive thoughts are taken captive and brought into obedience to Christ. In our modern day and age some have rejected this whole concept of spiritual warfare as being so primitive or spiritualizing it away. They have already believed the lies of the enemy.

The Bible says:

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints--
Eph 6:14-18

As good soldiers, we endure hardship and press on in the hard times. There are no vacations but remember the battle is already won. This is why it says, “Stand”. We don’t have to get the victory but God allows us to manifest and proclaim the victory in our circumstances.

For the sake of space, I'm going to bring up one more point found in Numbers 2 which relates to spiritual warfare. God instructed where each tribe should camp around the Tabernacle.

"On the east side, toward the rising of the sun, those of the standard of the forces with Judah shall camp according to their armies; and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be the leader of the children of Judah." Num 2:33

There was only one entrance into the tabernacle where God dwelt and it was on the east side. Russ posted an excellent picture of the tabernacle: http://thebridgeatsecond.blogspot.com/2010/02/day-42-exodus-39-40.html This is where Judah was instructed to camp. The name Judah means, "Praise" If you desired to enter the tabernacle, you had to enter through "Praise".

You humble yourself before God and start praising the Lord and speaking the Name of Jesus all the demons in Hell will flee! Why? When God's presence shows up they tremble in fear. The Bridge class is having a time of prayer and praise this Sunday. You should plan on attending.

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Ps 22:33

submitted by Abrianna Amaris and Kirby Wiseman

Here is an excellent worship song by Michael W. Smith. Don't be a spectator but enter into His presence through praise and worship.You will be amazed on the effects in our life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=janQnF-gfzs&feature=related

Day 52: Leviticus 26 - 27

Thursday, February 25th

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2026-27&version=NIV

The Miserable Christian
Blessings or Curses – The Big Flaw of the Old Covenant

This is a huge chapter for it sets the tone for the rest of the Old Covenant. The rest of the Old Covenant shows the consequences of the children of Israel as they don’t live up to their end of the covenant terms.

If you obey these blessings will follow:
Lev 26:3-13

If you are disobedient then these curses will come upon you:
Lev 26:4-43
As you read the list, it’s not pleasant to be the recipient of God’s wrath

Remember a covenant is an agreement between two parties. For the first time, we are reading about a covenant between God and whole nation of people. With all covenants, there are terms one must follow. God is setting forth the terms of the covenant. IF you do this then these blessings will follow IF YOU DON”T DO THIS, then these curses will follow.

The Old Covenant had a huge flaw - Man couldn’t keep the terms of the covenant!!!
The Law was given to show man’s sinfulness and was a school master to bring us to Christ. Through out the rest of the Old Covenant we will read about a remnant that understood this concept and approached God by faith: Moses, Joshua, Caleb, Samuel, David, Hannah, the prophets just to name a few. More are listed in Hebrews 11

Gal 3:21-22
Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Rom 10:3
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.

Getting saved by faith isn't our problem today.I think most of us reading this email have been saved by grace through faith and our righteousness has been imparted to us when we believed on Christ. Faith to be saved isn’t the problem we are dealing with now. The problem is how we are trying to live the Christian life. Some of us have fallen into the trap of Lev 26

A big trap for believers in Christ is to try to go back under to law to live a Christian life. We sure didn’t get saved by obeying the law so makes us think we can live the Christian life by obeying the law by the energies of our flesh. We started off walking with God by faith but then we fall into the trap of following the law to stay right in the sight of God. The Bible calls this “falling from grace”

Gal 5:4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.

This doesn’t mean we lose our relationship with Christ. We are forever sealed by the Holy Spirit. (Eph 1:13 and 4:30). It means we are trying to live the Christian life by obeying the do’s and don’ts. Why do you need grace and faith if living the Christian life is just a bunch of do’s and don’ts? You don’t this is why it’s called falling from grace.

God is very interested in our conduct and obedience and he has given us the key to do it.

It’s the same way we got saved - through grace by faith. You want to be a miserable Christian? Just try living the Christian life through your own will power. You will be frustrated, you will always feel condemned by your lack of performance, you will either live a very defeated life or you will just give up and move more into sin, “What’s the use, I couldn’t do this anyway?” or the flip side, we will move into self-righteousness. “Look how good I’m doing compared to brother or sister so and so. God must be proud of me!” How do I know this, "Been there and done that!"

There is only one person who can live the Christian life and His name is Jesus Christ! As we humble ourselves before Him, ask to be filled with His Spirit and then as we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Rather, we will obey the law!

Gal 5:16
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Lev 26 ends with God saying, “I will not break My covenant with them” This is the other theme running through the rest of the Old Covenant. How God is working a plan through faith to join all of us as one and to bring all of us into everlasting righteousness (Dan 9:24)

Lev 26:44
Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God.

submitted by Kirby Wiseman

Day 51: Leviticus 24-25

Wednesday, February 24th

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2024-25&version=NIV

Do you need a vacation?
The Year of Jubilee

Do you remember the days when you were in school, and you were looking forward to your summer vacation? As I entered the month of May and the weather started to turn summer-like, I just got more and more impatient for the summer vacation. No more school, days and days of swimming in the pool, visiting my grandmother’s farm in Arkansas and just staying up late. A lot of us really look forward to our vacations. Why is this? It is a time of refreshing. It is a time to relax and not think about the daily hustles of going to work and paying bills. This is my time to enjoy and do whatever I desire to do.

In Lev. 25, the Word talks about the year of rest and the year of Jubilee. The Jewish people were commanded to rest ever 7th year. They had to let the land rest every 7th year. Talking about vacation time! If they would obey, God would bless the harvest in the 6th year to last them for three years. Then every 50th year, God said to celebrate the Year of Jubilee. The Year of Jubilee would start with the blowing of the trumpet on the Day of Atonement. This would be a year of liberty

Lev 25:9-10
'Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you; and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.

In the Year of Jubilee:
-If someone was in debt, it was canceled
-If someone had to sell themselves as slave, they were freed
-If someone had to sell their land to pay off a debt, the land was returned to them

Lev 25:28
'But if he is not able to have it restored to himself, then what was sold shall remain in the hand of him who bought it until the Year of Jubilee; and in the Jubilee it shall be released, and he shall return to his possession.

Lev 25:39-41
'And if one of your brethren who dwells by you becomes poor, and sells himself to you, you shall not compel him to serve as a slave. 'As a hired servant and a sojourner he shall be with you, and shall serve you until the Year of Jubilee. 'And then he shall depart from you-- he and his children with him-- and shall return to his own family. He shall return to the possession of his fathers.

This was a once in a lifetime event! Forgiveness of debt reigned throughout the land. It was quite a year! Don't you wish we had a Year of Jubilee?

Good news, we do have one! Jesus stood up in the synagogue at the start of his ministry and read:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:18-21

In essence, Jesus is proclaiming the Year of Jubilee. The time has come for all debts to be forgiven. The time has come for forgiveness to reign throughout the land. The time has come for the captives to be set free. Yes, the time has arrived for liberty and freedom from debt and sin. The beauty of God’s plan is our Year of Jubilee never ends like it did in the Old Covenant. Their Year of Jubilee lasted only one year, ours is still ongoing today and will last throughout eternity.

Are you burdened by sins and debts? Are your oppressed? Is something bringing you into bondage? The Year of Jubilee is upon us, God is waiting on us.

And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Rev 22:17

PS We Americans are probably the hardest working and productive people on the planet. It comes from the Puritan work ethic. We need to be careful we don't lose balance. Where we just work and go and go and go until one day we wake up and our life is gone and we think, "What was I doing all those years?" This is one reason God commanded them to rest every 7th year. It kept them in balance.

Dav 50: Leviticus 22-23

Tuesday, February 23

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2022-23&version=NIV

Believing the Traditions of Men over God’s Word
Not me! I would never do that! Hmm let’s see about that

Okay, I’ll admit today’s lesson is not my teaching style but I wanted to take this route to show the details of God’s word. I also wanted to show the link between the Old Testament and New Testament and how our studies here in Leviticus can give us insight into some common traditions of men we might be holding onto. God gave us His Word and it is very meticulous. Even some major obvious beliefs Christians hold to may not be founded upon God’s Word. We can believe things just because of traditions of men or because we were taught wrong. As people who study God’s Word, you might think, “Not me!!” Well, let’s read on.

The most fundamental and central doctrine for us Christians is the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. If any doctrine we should have figured out, it is this one. Yet let me ask you a question. On which day of the week did Jesus die? Was it good Friday as most Christians believe?

Like I said, this devotional is not my teaching style but I wanted to point out something out of Lev 23 and how it holds the answer to this question. Most of us assume Jesus died on Friday. Yet Jesus said He would be in the grave 3 days and 3 nights.

Matt 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

So why do we believe Jesus died on Friday? Because it says in the scriptures the Romans were going to break Jesus’ legs so they could bury him before the Sabbath which was getting ready to start at 6:00 pm. The Jewish Sabbath is Saturday so naturally, he died on Friday afternoon?

John 19:31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

But for Jesus to stay in the grave 3 days and 3 nights as he told us, he had to die on Thursday afternoon. Remember the Jewish days go from 6:00 pm to 6:00 p.m.

Here is an outline of 3 days and 3 nights

Day 1 Thursday 3:00 pm Jesus dies and is buried before 6:00 pm

Night 1 Thursday Night

Day 2 Friday day

Night 2 Friday night

Day 3 Saturday day

Night 3 Saturday night

Jesus is resurrected before sunrise on Sunday morning

John 20:1 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

Jesus being resurrected before sunrise fits perfectly his other statement:

Mark 8:31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

So what about Jesus dying the day before the Sabbath? Lev. 23:7 holds the key to this dilemma.

Lev 23:5-7 5 'On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD'S Passover. 6 'And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7 'On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no customary work on it.

Bear with me, remember Jesus died on Passover, the 14th of Nisan on the Jewish calendar. Then the 15th day is the Jewish Feast called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This is a Holy Convocation or Holy Sabbath.

Now go back and reread John 19:31 and you will see the work High Day.. This means Friday was a high day or Holy Convocation ie the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This Holy Convocation is a day of rest per Lev. 23:7 or a Sabbath.

John 19:31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

We had two days of rest or Sabbaths back to back. Thursday was Passover and Friday was a High Sabbath or Holy Convocation and then Saturday was the regular Sabbath.

If you ever use a harmony of the gospels (a book that aligns in chronological order the four gospels side by side) when you get to the last week they have to skip a day (Usually Wednesday) so they can have Jesus die on Friday. See example here: http://www.dokimos.org/mmlj/ (scroll down to Passion Week or look in your favorite Study Bible)

Having said all this, my point is not to have people celebrate Jesus’ death on Thursday. I’ll go on celebrating Good Friday like I do Dec. 25th for his birth. The whole point of today's lesson is I want all of us to realize how easy it is for us to believe as truth the traditions of men. We just assume and take it for granted without checking it out in God’s Word. It becomes gospel fact in our mind when in reality it might not be supported by God’s Word at all.

If we are holding to traditions of men on something like this then maybe we could be holding to some other traditions of men on some other issues? This is one reason why we are studying God’s Word! As we read on, we might be surprised on some of the things we are holding onto. To me, its not about which day Jesus died but what sayest the Word of God! We need to cling to what the Word of God says even when it comes against some of our own thoughts and ideas.

Submitted by Kirby Wiseman

Day 49: Leviticus 19-21

Monday, February 22 - Holiness to the Lord

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2019-21&version=NIV

What is our reponse to all these commands? My answer to this question was the key to transforming my attitude toward this book.

Chapter 19 starts with an awesome command then the chapter goes on to list various commands of do’s and don’ts

Lev 19:1-2
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.

We might think this is just an Old Covenant concept yet the Lord Jesus said the same thing

Matt 5:48
"Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

On our best day, if the Lord were to shine his light of His awesome holiness and perfection into our hearts, we would shrink in fear and guilt. So how in the world are we to be holy as the Lord is holy and to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect? Sure when I compare myself to others, I can look pretty good but to compare myself to the Lord of Hosts - this is a whole other matter. We will find our answer later in chapter 20.

First we need to realize we are without hope of obtaining God’s holiness apart from God’s help.

The prophet Isaiah got a glimpse of the 3 times Holy God

Isa 6:1-5
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!" And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

What is our response to all these commands we are reading in the book of Leviticus? Is it, "Hey I'm doing pretty good" Our response to all these commands should be the same response as the prophet Isaiah when he saw the 3x Holy God!

Woe is me, for I am undone!

To be holy, we must realize we aren’t holy! This is the place the holy God meets with sinful man to make him holy

Isa 57:15
For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Yes, as we humble ourselves and cry out to the Holy God, He fills us with His Spirit which then enables us to obey the commands of God. As we walk in the Spirit we won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

This is the same concept we read in Lev. 20:7-8

Lev 20:7-8
"'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

“I am the LORD who makes you holy”

Without Him we have no hope to be holy but through Him we can obtain holiness. Holiness is imparted to us when we become believers in Christ Jesus and as we walk in the Spirit our daily conduct starts to match our position.

Am I holy? By the grace of God and by the blood of Christ I am and day by day as I walk in the Spirit, my conduct starts to match my position in Christ. Positionally in Christ, we’ll never be any more holy than the day we got saved but we sure will be more holy in our daily conduct as God sanctifies us (making our daily conduct match our position)

This is the beauty of God’s work in us is as we walk with Him, we start to desire to obey the commands of God. It becomes as natural to obey God as it did to obey our lusts when we were slaves to sin.

This song by Michael W. Smith sums up my thoughts quite well
submitted by Kirby Wiseman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLh9tK7qPhw

Day 48 Leviticus 16-18

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2016-18&version=NIV


The Day of Atonement. As we are nearing Easter, it is appropriate that we discuss this.

Leviticus chapter 16’s focus is on the Day of the Atonement. The Day of the Atonement was the one day of the year in which the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and provide offerings and sacrifices, which God allowed to be substitutionary atonement for the people of Israel's sins and the total removal of their guilt on a yearly basis.

The Day of Atonement is clearly a foreshadowing of the ultimate Day of Atonement, the day Christ died on the Cross for us at Calvary. So, let’s compare the two days and sacrifices.

On the Day of the Atonement, the High Priest first had to offer a sin offering to be followed by a burnt offering, both of which were for himself, that he might be cleansed and consecrated before acting as priest for the people.

Jesus Christ did not have to cleanse himself as he was already in a pure state.

Hebrews 7:27 states,

“Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”

Then the High Priest would offer two goats to the Lord. One, he would slay as a sin offering for the people, the other he would lay his hand on the goat and then let the got go free. This is known as the scape goat.

Two important theological concepts are in play here. Propitiation and expiation. Propitiation is the satisfaction of God’s wrath. His wrath has to be satisfied because we have broken His law. His wrath must be satisfied and justice must be meted out. The goat’s sacrifice for the people of Israel’s sins acted as a substitutionary atonement for the people’s sins.

Expiation is the removal of sins. When the High Priest placed his hand on the scape goat and then allowed the goat to go free outside of the city, this represented the taking away of the people’s sins.

One important fact to note was that this happened once every year. These sacrifices were not sufficient to satisfy God’s wrath and take away sins from the people for all time. In fact, the High Priest, as stated earlier, had to offer sacrifices for himself as he was a sinner as well.

In Jesus Christ, at the Cross, we have the ultimate propitiation and expiation of our sins. When Christ died for us on the Cross, He satisfied the wrath of God and He also took away our sins once and for all. Not only was this sacrifice for us, but it was for the Old Testament saints who came before us.

Hebrews 9:11-15 says,

“When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. “

So we see here that Christ’s death covers the sins of the first covenant.

Hebrews 9:24-28 says,

“ For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

We see in these verses, in contrast to the Day of the Atonement, that Christ sacrificed Himself once to take away the sins of His people. It is one a onetime offering. As Christ said on the Cross, “It is finished.” Praise be to God for Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

Paul writes eloquently of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. I would note these verses in your Bible. Ponder them and reflect on them as we near Easter.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Romans 3:23-26

The NASB, ESV, and KJV use the word propitiation instead of sacrifice of atonement as used in the NIV. I much prefer the former, but the NIV does convey what Christ did for us.

There is so much more that could be discussed about the Day of the Atonement. The wearing of the garments, the Cloud, the other offerings I did not discuss. Study chapter 16. As you understand more of what the Day of Atonement is and represented, you will gain a better understanding, thankfulness, and gratitude for what Christ did on the ultimate Day of Atonement.

Below is a link to a study on this at Bible.org if you are interested further in studying the Day of Atonement:

http://bible.org/seriespage/day-atonement-leviticus-16

Soli Deo Gloria

Today’s post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer

Day 47 – Leviticus 14-15

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2014-15&version=NIV


Chapters 14 and 15 of Leviticus focus on cleansing from infectious skin diseases, cleansing from mildew, and bodily discharges causing uncleanness. In today’s study, we will focus on Leviticus chapter 15.

In Leviticus chapter 15, we read how bodily discharges – from normal sexual relations and abnormal bodily discharges, in both men and women cause uncleanness.

Per the ESV Study Bible, “It is clear that “unclean” is not the same as “sinful,” but rather has to do with what is permitted.”

So why is it that a person is declared unclean and caused to suffer for something for which he or she is not responsible? And to the unbelieving world, here is the Bible once again condemning sex. They must be saying, “Those Christians never have any fun.”

We all know that sex, when practiced under the governing laws of God, should be intimate, wonderful, and holy. Christians often get accused of not talking about sex, or being prudes. I would suggest that many Christians do not talk about sex, because the world has such a perverted view of it, and that even speaking about it in certain situations might unduly further their worldly view. There is nothing wrong of speaking about sex, provided that we speak of it in the way God speaks of it. He speaks of sex as being holy, and being reserved for the marriage bed. Does the world view sex like this? By and large, I would say no. The world looks at sex as a means of fleshly pleasure. So to the Christian, think about how you talk about sex with your friends and co-workers. Think about the jokes you may read that have sexual innuendo in them. God does not speak of sex in such crude and perverse ways as the world does, and neither should we.

But what about the instance in our specific text? A husband and wife could have sex lawfully under God but if one was touched by a bodily discharge, he or she would be declared unclean.

Bob Deffinbaugh from Bible.org, addresses this point accurately when he writes,

“The fall of man, as recorded in Genesis 3, has brought chaos and suffering to all creation, including mankind. The fall has rendered man inherently sinful from birth. Thus, man sins because he is a sinner. So, too, he will suffer in life because he lives in a fallen world where the consequences of sin cause chaos and suffering.”

Through Adam’s sin, we all inherited a sinful nature from birth. This is known as the doctrine of Original Sin. Sin has corrupted us so utterly that even acts that were an inconsequential offshoot from a God ordained act, in this instance a bodily discharge from lawful sex between a husband and wife, caused uncleanness.

Deffinbaugh again writes,

“It is at this point that the Israelite of Moses’ day came to a very sobering realization. While the Law could pronounce a person unclean, it made no provision to make him clean. The priest could declare an unclean person unclean, and he could pronounce a clean person clean, but there was no means to cure the condition which produced the uncleanness. It was only with the coming of Christ, who inaugurated the New Covenant, that the condition of uncleanness, and the curse of Adam, would be remedied.”

Deffinbaugh here is not talking about being ceremonial clean, but rather spiritually clean, i.e. having a clean and cleansed heart.

Praise be to God that Christ has remedied the situation of our condition of uncleanness.

1 John 1:7 says,

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

Some of you may be asking, what if I get married and if this occurs to me, will I and my future spouse be unclean? Jesus Christ came and fulfilled the law. We are no longer under the law. Now, a large part of the New Testament ethical principles are based on the Old Testament revelation to us. Additionally, 9 out of the Ten Commandments are affirmed in the New Testament.

Yet Scripture over and over says that Christ fulfilled the law for us. How great this is, because I know and I know that you know that we would never be able to fulfill the requirements of the law by our own power.

So, I would like to leave you with two great verses that illustrate this from the book of Romans:

“Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

Romans 10:4

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.”

Romans 8:1-4

Soli Deo Gloria

Today’s post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer

Day 46 – Leviticus 11-13

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2011-13&version=NIV


Clean and Unclean. The Bible talks a lot about this and particularly in Leviticus chapter 11.

Bob Deffinbaugh from Bible.org writes,

“Author G. J. Wenham, in a footnote in one of his commentaries, says that unclean and its cognates occurs 132 times in the Old Testament; over 50 percent of these are Leviticus. So the sense of uncleanness is a predominate theme, and the word clean, along with its related terms, occurs 74 times in Leviticus, which is over one-third of the uses found in the Old Testament. All of that says to us that if we are going to begin to get some kind of grasp of Leviticus, we must have some kind of grasp over what clean and unclean means and how these words apply to the Israelite.”

Cleanness and Uncleanness in Leviticus has to do primarily with the following: cleanness and uncleanness in chapter 11 has to do principally with food, cleanness and uncleanness is a matter of category rather than condition (for example: your heart may be physically clean but unclean in a spiritual sense), cleanness is that which is defined by God and declared by the priests, and cleanness is the state of access to God ( a priest could not fulfill his duties if he was unclean, it restricts one’s fellowship with God and it restricts one’s fellowship from men).

Cleanness is important because it is related to being holy. Deffinbaugh states, “When we get down to the basic reason why an Israelite is to make these distinctions between clean and unclean, it is because God says, “You are to be holy, for I am holy.” For the first time in history—for the first time in the Old Testament—men and women are to observe these distinctions because God has made them. Therefore cleanliness is related to God’s holiness, and Israel is to observe it because of the holiness of God. Twice it is repeated in this chapter. Therefore there is a direct relationship between what is clean and what is holy in Scripture. What is unclean can never be holy. Some things that are clean may be consecrated and set apart as holy, but nothing which is holy is unclean; only that which is clean can become holy.”

We as Christians should try to live lives that are clean. Clean, not in the sense of following these Levitical laws, as we are no longer under the law. But clean in the sense of being holy before God, in living a life that is pleasing to Him.

I would like to make one last comment on these dietary laws. A lot of people say that the Jews were not sick or less sick because the diet God gave them was for health reasons. Undoubtedly, God did spare the people of Israel from eating some foods that were not healthy. But, we must realize that in the New Testament Jesus told Peter that He made these things clean. (See Acts 10:15)

Some of these people who have made diets based on Old Testament laws have good intentions, based on bad theology. Deffinbaugh hits this right on the head as to why the Israelites and why we must obey the things of the Lord:

“If God’s distinctions between clean and unclean are arbitrary, then there are no good reasons for obeying Him other than that He is God. We have a choice to make. The decision is based not on whether something makes sense, but on who God is. It is as though a young man is dating a beautiful young lady, and he finds out that she hates liver and onions. Now, not only will that young man not order liver and onions for his date, but he won’t order it for himself. Why? Because it is detestable to her. If Israel is to have that same sense of abhorrence toward unclean things, they must begin to feel about things the way God feels about them. It is ultimately Israel’s love for God that is at issue. If God thinks something is unclean, if He abhors it, then I abhor it! I don’t care if there is no reason for it! I don’t care if it isn’t healthy to do it. I only care that God says that is what He hates, and this is what He loves, and I’m going to do what He loves and avoid what He hates.

Loving God! That is the motive for doing something—whether God’s commands are arbitrary or not. Whether we can find out a reason for them or not, if God hates it, I hate it; if God loves it, I love it! Loving God is the key.”

God said things were clean or unclean. The Jews probably did not understand why some things were unclean. Yet, they obeyed God because the categorization of clean and unclean came from Him.

In the same way, today as New Testament believers we should follow all of the teachings of the Word of God (specifically, those that relate to the New Covenant, yet we should still study the Old Covenant for a better understanding of the blessings we have in the New), and not be selective in what we folllow. We may not understand everything, but because the teachings are from God, that is enough.

10 Let those who love the LORD hate evil,
for he guards the lives of his faithful ones
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is shed upon the righteous
and joy on the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name.

Psalm 97:10-12

Soli Deo Gloria

Today’s post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer

Day 45 - Leviticus 8-10

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%208-10&version=NIV


Chapters 8 to 10 of Leviticus focus on the Aaronic priesthood. In Exodus 29, the instructions for the ordination and consecration of Aaron and his sons are outlined. In Leviticus chapter 8, these instructions have now been fulfilled.

So what is a priest and why were they important? Jewish priests were chosen by God, were representatives of the people before God, offered sacrifices for the people before God, and interceded for the people before God.

Chapter 8 details the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests. Chapter 9 details the ministry of the priests, and chapter 10 tells us of the death of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu. Let’s look at this incident a bit more closely.

First, let’s back up to chapter 9 verse 23:

“Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people.”

You may ask, what is up with all of these offerings? According to Bob Deffingbaugh at Bible.org,

“The purpose of these offerings is to make preparations for the revelation of the glory of God to the people, and so the glorious conclusion to the chapter is the revelation of God’s glory.” (9:23)

Immediately after this in chapter 10, we see that Nadab and Abihu offered up “unauthorized fire” to God, and God refused this fire. This sounds harsh, does it not? But I would like you to see the end of verse 1, “contrary to his command.” This was a willful disobedience of the Lord’s commands. And the striking thing about it is that it probably happened very soon after their ordination as priests. They had already begun to walk in disobedience.

Second, and I do not want to stress this point too far, but it could be made by inference from the text, that Nadab and Abihu were under the influence of alcohol when they did this. See verses 8 and 9 of chapter 10. We do not know this for certain; however, right here in Leviticus chapter 10, we see the dangers of alcohol as told in the Word of God. Abstinence of alcohol was required by the priests when they entered the Tent of Meeting. We all know about the dangers of alcohol and its excesses. Many fine Christians drink. Martin Luther enjoyed a beer often, but, we as Christians must not let alcohol rule our bodies or become drunk. We should be filled with the Spirit and not be drunk with wine, as Paul states in Ephesians 5:18.

So, what lesson can we take from Nadab and Abihu? I would say first and foremost, we should take the holiness of God very seriously. How does that look like in the life of a New Testament believer? Let’s look at what Paul says about this in regards to the Lord’s Supper:

“Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.”

1 Corinthians 11:27-33

Secondly, we should not only take holiness seriously, we should pursue holiness in our lives. The author of Hebrews writes,

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

Hebrews 12:14

As New Testament believers, Jesus Christ now serves as our high priest. He intercedes for us, He sacrificed for us, He represents us, and He loves us. I wish I had more space to discuss Jesus Christ as our priest. We will discuss this in more detail as we continue our reading of the Bible this year. But let me share with you what the writer of Hebrews has to say about Jesus as our high priest:

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Hebrews 2:14-18

Praise be to God that we have a faithful high priest who does not offer sacrifices or offerings that will be refused by God. A priest who knows how we are being tempted, and who can help us through those temptations. As you go throughout today, take some time to meditate on Jesus and how great of a priest He is for you and me.

Soli Deo Gloria

Today’s post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer

Day 44 - Leviticus 5-7

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%205-7&version=NIV

The sin offering and the guilt offering. Let’s discuss the significance of these today.

The sin offering was an offering made for an unintentional sin. It was an offering for the actual sin itself. Note that it was for an unintentional sin. There were no offerings for intentional sins in the Levitical laws. So, if you intentionally sinned against the Lord or others, you would be held responsible. You were held responsible for unintentional sins as well, but the sin offering was a way to acknowledge your sinfulness and ask for God’s forgiveness. This was not available for intentional sins.

What does this say about sin in regards to us? Well, we are sinning a lot more than we think we are. I heard this definition of sin once in a sermon:

“Sin is doing what God forbids and not doing what God commands.”

That is all encompassing if you ask me! The only way to even try to sin less, is by meditating on God’s Word so that we know what He commands us to do. Ignorance of God’s Word is not an excuse for both the non-Christian or Christian. As a Christian, we should really reflect on the sin offering. Jesus was our sin offering. He bore our sins, both unintentional and intentional. He bore our past, present, and future sins on the cross when we placed our faith in Him. This is another example of how the New Covenant is superior to the Old Covenant. Thanks be to God that Christ bore our sins.

Whereas the sin offering dealt with the actual sin, the guilt offering or as some call it the trespass offering, dealt with the effects of the sin. We all feel guilty when we have sinned. In our society today, guilt is thought of as being bad. While it is true that Jesus has taken away our guilt if we have placed our faith in Him, it is also true that the emotion of guilt will arise in a Christian who has a conscience that is inclined towards the Lord. Note that it is the emotion of guilt. Christ bore our guilt on the cross and we are no longer guilty before God.

Romans 8:1 states, “ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

Yet, continual sin sears the conscience. When one does not feel guilty after sinning against another, and more importantly against the Lord, one should cry out to the Lord to restore in them a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit in them.

Bob Deffingbaugh from Bible.org is right on with this:

“For the believer, our guilt offering is Jesus Christ. Restitution is our responsibility, and confession and cleansing are offered to us. Even if it is a recurring sin, we need to confess it and leave the guilt behind us.”

When you find you are feeling guilty after you have sinned, pray to the Lord, 1 John 1:9:

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Christ bore our sins and also dealt with the effects of our sins as well. He was and is both our sin and guilt offering. The prophet Isaiah and the author of Hebrews both write of this. I would like to end my post with their words.

Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53:10-11

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.”

Hebrews 10:15-18

Soli Deo Gloria

Today’s post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer

Day 43 – Leviticus 1-4

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%201-4&version=NIV

Leviticus. Many a person’s Bible reading plans have ended here. Why is that so? Most of us would have to say that Leviticus is dry and dull compared to what has happened in Genesis and Exodus. Also, the New Testament states that we are no longer under the law, and since these sacrifices and offerings are under the Old Covenant and we are under the New Covenant, why study them?

Let me address these two common questions before delving into Leviticus 1-4. To the concern of the material being dry, or not exciting, I would have to agree that it is not exciting reading. However, I think Bob Deffingbaugh from Bible.org is right on with the following comment:

“Our culture has concluded that anything which is not entertaining is not worth listening to. The media has the task of grabbing a person’s attention, of taking them from whatever they are doing and setting their eyes and their minds on the printed page or the television screen. They do this in competition with other media, trying to do the same thing. And so we have come to the conclusion that we deserve to have all communication be entertaining and exciting.

I would like to suggest that in most (not all) cases the level of drama and hype is directly related to the irrelevance of what we are watching. You have to spice up the kinds of things we see in the media because they have little value, other than entertainment. On the other hand, the greatest and most significant communications of history have not been particularly entertaining. The Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, or the Constitution of the United States are not written to entertain us. If we want to be entertained we turn to writings which begin, “once upon a time,” and end “happily after.” If we want to be informed about things vital to the present and to eternity, we most often must set aside our desire for entertainment.”

And to the concern of us not being under the Law and thus we do not need to study these sacrifices or this book, J. Sidlow Baxter answers that as well:

“Now, any fair study of Leviticus will quickly dispel these misgivings; for, as we shall see, it simply abounds in spiritual values; it has a living voice to our own day; its revelation of the Divine character is unique; and it is built together according to a clear plan. Its Mosaic authorship and Divine inspiration are attested by the Lord Jesus. It is referred to over forty times in the New Testament. All that follows it in the Scriptures is coloured by it; and, therefore, a clear knowledge of it contributes greatly towards comprehending the message of the Bible as a whole.”

In Leviticus chapters one through four, we learn of the burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, and sin offering. Chapter 5 will discuss the guilt offering. What is the significance of these offerings?

These offerings illustrate different aspects of the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us on the Cross. These offerings, even though they were written roughly 1,400 years before the birth of Christ, are foreshadowings of the ultimate sacrifice that was to come through Jesus Christ.

Theologians often call the first three offerings Sweet Savor Offerings because they deal with the sweet fellowship of communion with the Lord. The latter two offerings are known as Non-Sweet Savor Offerings because they deal with the punishment of sin. Reformed theologians often relate the first three offerings to Christ’s active obedience, or Christ perfect fulfillment of the law for us. The latter two offerings are related to Christ’s passive obedience, or the obedience Christ had in suffering for us on the Cross when he bore our sins on himself so that we might be the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I could say so much more, but I will save that for your own personal study. I encourage you to study these offerings, and look at the cross references in the Bible. Look at how the New Testament writers refer to these offerings or allude to them. In doing so, you will get a better understanding of the sacrifice Christ offered to the Father for us on Calvary.

One last note. These offerings and sacrifices were repeated over and over, because the sin was never fully atoned for. These sacrifices were not sufficient for all time, just for a period of time, and probably a very short time at that! Praise be to God that they are fully atoned for in Jesus Christ. As the author of the book of Hebrews writes,

“Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”

Hebrews 10:11-12

Soli Deo Gloria

Day 42: Exodus 39-40

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2039-40&version=NIV

The oppression of the Jews, the plagues sent on the Egyptians, the deliverance of the Jewish people, the wanderings in the wilderness, the giving of the Ten Commandments and instructions for the tabernacle.

All of this has been revealed and told to us in the book of Exodus. But, why? I would say there are many reasons but I would like to focus on three of them.

First, the Exodus of the Jewish people is a very significant event. It is a foreshadowing of how Christ delivered us from our sinful selves and transferred us into His Kingdom. The Jewish people never forgot how God delivered them. Now, they did not always act like they never forgot, as we saw how the people murmured in the wilderness, but they never forgot. In the same way, we must never forget how the Lord Jesus Christ saved us from our sins. We should live lives of gratitude and thankfulness for this great gift.

Secondly, the Exodus was done to show God’s Glory. In Exodus 40:34, we read that the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. God was present with all His glory in the midst of His people. This is the same as it is today. The Church, which is the Body of Christ, is here to glorify God. Praise be to God that we can be a part of His work!

Lastly, the book of Exodus, like all of the Old Testament, as Paul writes in Romans 15:4: -

“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

The Scripture says everything that was written was written to teach. The next several days we will be delving into the book of Leviticus. And many of us connote this with being dry and dull reading. But, this was written to teach us, as Paul says. I know it will be challenging, and pray for me, as blogging through Leviticus will be challenging for me as well, but stick with it. As we get a better grasp of the Old Testament, our understanding of how the New Testament uses the Old Testament will increase. And when this increases, our knowledge of the Word of God will increase. Which, with the help of the Holy Spirit, will lead to transformed lives that strive to glorify God in all we do.

I have added three pictures from the ESV Study Bible. One of the Priestly Garments and two of the tabernacle. This is what some scholars think they looked like. Just click on the picture for a bigger view.


Today's post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer

They Gave More Than Enough

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2036-38&version=NIV

Today we read about the construction of the tabernacle. As commanded by God, those whose heart prompted them (Ex. 25:1-2) brought their offerings to be used in the building. Exodus 36:3-7 tells of how the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning until there was more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded. When I read this I thought about how incredibly amazing it was that the people’s hearts were moved to give so generously that there was more than enough.

I wonder how often this happens in the church today – especially in America. How often are we, who are so rich, willing to give so much that there is more than enough to carry out the work the Lord wants to do? We certainly have more than enough to give – but are we always willing?

Friday night I went to the Mercy Me concert at Second. It was a great concert, but the thing that touches me the most is to hear the heart of their lead singer. He spoke of Haiti and how God was using this natural disaster to display his glory. He spoke of hundreds dancing and worshipping in the streets while the news broadcast the scene to the world. He spoke of the news commentator reporting that what he continued to hear the people say is “Only God can save.” And as the world watched those who had almost nothing brought to the alter clothes, shoes, and jewelry for those who had even less.

Yes, may people from the United States gave generously to the efforts in Haiti – but we give out of our wealth. The people in Haiti are giving out of their poverty – and I believe this poverty is a greater gift to them then is the wealth that we have. See, it is in their poverty that they recognize that the only way they will survive is through faith in a God who provides. As Francis Chan describes in his book ‘Crazy Love’, people like these Haitians possess little of what ‘counts’ in our society, yet they have what matters most. They came to God in their great need, and they have found true joy. And that is the joy that the world got to watch, perhaps did not understand, but heard what the people of Haiti know to be true – that only God can save.

The people of Haiti reflect the church of Macedonia that Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 8:1-6. Check out the parallel between the two:

“And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.”

The people of Israel I believe were also facing their own poverty in the face when they gave – and they knew how much God provided. They relied on him as they traveled through the dessert, and had just experienced huge doses of his grace after the worshipping of the golden calf. Indeed, I believe they gave so richly out of their spiritual poverty – they knew they were bankrupt before the Lord. And so they gave because they knew that “only God would save”.

The people of Israel, the church in Macedonia, the Haitians and so many others understand what it means to be poor – both in material wealth and in spirit. But here in the states, we are such a materially wealthy people and so dependent upon that wealth – so self sufficient, that we do not realize that where it not by God’s gift, we would have nothing. Yes, we are rich – yet so many are in spiritual poverty.

Can you imagine the impact on the kingdom of God is only the church in America would understand that we are a spiritually bankrupt nation, in need of God’s great mercy? Can you imagine what strides could be made to reach the world if we were more willing to part with our material wealth in exchange for the privilege of ‘sharing in this service’. Can you imagine how rich we would all be if only we fully understood how poor we are?

And just so you understand, the Lord needs nothing from you. He certainly can and will carry out his work without whatever it is that you could give. The thing is, though, is it is his will and desire for your heart to be moved to give to the one who has given all. He knows that the heart that is willing to give all is a heart of one who has given all of themselves to God. Why does he desire this? Because it is the Father’s good pleasure and desire to give us his kingdom. But as long as we cling to our material wealth, we don’t even seek the kingdom.

Robert Murray M’Cheyne, a Scottish pastor for the early nineteenth century had words that are so appropriate for us today:

“I am concerned for the poor but more for you. I know not what Christ will say to you in the great day….I fear there are many hearing me who may know well that they are not Christians because they do not love to give. To give largely and liberally, not grudgingly at all, requires a new heart; an old heart would rather part with its life-blood than its money. Oh my friends! Enjoy your money; make the most of it; give non away; enjoy quickly for I can tell you, you will be beggars throughout eternity.”

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”. – Matthew 5:3

Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels

Revelation

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2033-35&version=NIV

What do you ask God to reveal to you when you ask him for revelation? I can tell you right now that too many times I want him to reveal his plan for me – as in exactly what he will do and when he will do it. However, God rarely answers that prayer with a yes. The prayer that he always answers with a resounding ‘yes’ is any prayer that is about me wanting a deeper knowledge of him. I’ve prayed about understanding the power of praying the word of God and he answered. I prayed for a deeper knowledge of the power of the Holy Spirit and he answered. I prayed about learning more about fasting and how to fast and he answered.

God very rarely (unless it has to do with something he wants us to do for him) will answer the questions of what, how, or why he does things. Instead he will reveal to us the ‘Who’. What I’ve learned in my faith walk, is that God wants us to know Him, to know His character, promises, mercy, and love, and then to live our lives walking in faith because we know who he is. Isn’t that, after all, what faith is? And isn’t our faith the very thing that reflects His glory to others?

Moses is a great example of what we God would have us seek to know Him, and how he always answers that prayer. In Exodus 33:13 he asks God, “If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you”. What does he want God to reveal to him? Not how he will get to the promised land, or when, or why the people are wondering in the dessert. Instead he asks God to reveal himself to him.

And God is please to answer his request. In 33:17 he says, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am please with you and know you by name.”

Then Moses makes another very bold request. He says (vs. 18), “Now show me your glory.” God answers this request as well, replying, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence” (vs. 19).

There are two things I want to note in what God reveals and how he reveals it. First, he tells Moses, “But’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live’. Then the Lord said, ‘there is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen” (vs. 20-21).

The reason I point out how he revealed his glory is because in the revelation of his glory, we also see his grace. Matthew Henry’s commentary on the Bible explains it this way (you may want to read it through several times to fully grasp the meaning because of the Old English writing style – but it is a truth that is worth grasping):

“A full discovery of the glory of God, would overwhelm even Moses himself. Man is mean, and unworthy of it; weak, and could not bear it; guilty, and could not but dread it. The merciful display which is made in Christ Jesus, alone can be borne by us. The Lord granted that which would abundantly satisfy. God's goodness is his glory; and he will have us to know him by the glory of his mercy, more than by the glory of his majesty. Upon the rock there was a fit place for Moses to view the goodness and glory of God. The rock in Horeb was typical of Christ the Rock; the Rock of refuge, salvation, and strength. Happy are they who stand upon this Rock. The cleft may be an emblem of Christ, as smitten, crucified, wounded, and slain. What follows, denotes the imperfect knowledge of God in the present state, even as revealed in Christ; for this, when compared with the heavenly sight of him, is but like seeing a man that is gone by, whose back only is to be seen. God in Christ, as he is, even the fullest and brightest displays of his glory, grace, and goodness, are reserved to another state.”

There are several truths that I love in this. The first is that God’s goodness IS his glory, and that he would have us know the glory of his mercy rather than the glory of his majesty. The second is that only through Christ and because of Christ– God’s glory revealed in mercy – will we one day be able to glimpse the majesty of God’s glory. This is why I believe that Paul refers to Christ as being the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). To full grasp this, you really must read 2 Cor. 3:7-18. I’m including the link because it’s a must-read for full understanding. And as you read, compare/cross reference vs. 12-18 with Exodus 34:29-25 for a glimpse of the glory of God revealed to you but also through you.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians%203:7-18&version=NIV

Here’s the second thing I wanted to note - In the process of revealing His glory, He reveals his character. “Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Ex. 34:6-7).

God holds out to you an amazing picture of his character and his glory – and this is but a glimpse of the fullness of who he is. And just like Moses, if you want to see and understand God, you only need to ask. Why does God so willingly answer these requests? I believe it is because they both are absolutely his will – notice God tells Moses that he will do the thing he asked because he is pleased with him. We please God when we seek to know and to do his will.

God’s will and desire for his chosen people are that they would seek to know him, and that through this knowledge, his glory might be revealed to and through them. Through Christ, my friends, you are God’s chosen people, and his desire for you is the same as it was for Moses and the people of Israel. His promises are the same, his mercy is the same. You need to know that if you desire to grow in your faith, if you desire to know God more, if you desire to see his glory, all you need to do is ask and be willing to participate in the process!

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8

Are you seeing as you read, my friends, how the Old Testament - the old covenant – and all the promises there-in is just a dim picture of what God offers in Christ - the fulfillment of the new covenant as revealed in the New Testament? This is why the entire Bible is a must-read!

Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels

Golden Calves

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2030-32&version=NIV

I wrote this to a friend of mine several years ago (to prevent speculation about who it was, it is no one that anyone on this blog knows). The back story is this individual came to me confessing a struggle with alcohol. There was some pretty heavy drinking involved, including a few trips to the emergency room for alcohol poisoning. Lots of staying out all night, and some serious regrets about decisions made in a drunken state. In a search to find some way to remind themselves of the trouble the alcohol lead to, this friend said they even considered putting the hospital identification band back on their wrist as a reminder. I committed to praying for my friend, and this came out of my prayers and is what I shared with them.

The reason I share this today is because it is so appropriate for the passage about the golden calf. But I am also certain that while your struggle today or in the past might be very different from that of my friend or of myself, the basic plot is the same. It is my prayer that these truths that God gave me for my struggling friend might be truths he wants you to know also. Here is what I wrote:

When I was praying for you in church this morning, God reminded me of something I studied a few weeks ago. We were reading about The Golden Calf in Exodus 32. I encourage you to go back and read it, but to summarize, Moses is up on Mount Sinai getting the Ten Commandments. And, despite all God had done for them, the people got a little nervous without their leader there (remember, they couldn’t got directly to God – it’s old covenant, they communicated with God through Moses). So, they ask Aaron to make them a god who will go before them. Their gold is collected, melted down, and shaped into a golden calf that they worshiped. When I read this, I thought, “Are you kidding me? They took this thing they themselves created, assigned it some sort of power – although who knows where that power would come from – and worshiped it. Boy, were they stupid.”

But, our good and gracious Father God, who disciplines us like we are his children, tapped me on the side of the head and said, “Carol, as if you’ve never done that. Should we go back and remember?” And I have done it – I’ve taken things that this world has created, or my own abilities, and worshiped them in the place of God. And unlike the children of Israel who relied on Moses to speak to God or deliver words from God, the God I serve is the God of the New Covenant – a God I have direct access to – a God who confides himself in us (Psalm 25:14). He is a God who generously promised us wisdom if we only ask and believe (James 1:5-6) - which makes me marginally more stupid than the Israelites. But we all do it – we look to food, drink, other people, money, etc. to give us what we need, to fill us, to fix us, to make a feel a little better. In essence, we assign those things – things that are created by man – some sort of power. Ridiculous, isn’t it? But it is so easily done.

I’m reminded of the verses in Romans 1:21-23;25 – “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking came futile and their foolish hearts where darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles….They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator – who is forever to be praised.

I remember when I first really took hold of the truth of that last verse. It was when I was obsessive about working out and trying to find my self worth through the way I looked. I was serving my body image and not my God. I felt so foolish when God put that truth in front of me. But like our amazingly merciful God, he also used that truth to begin a healing process.

I share all of that with you because generally, when we are hanging out with things of this world that we know aren’t good for us, it’s because we are doing one or both of the following things. First, we often are looking to that thing to provide something to us. And second, we’re buying into some type of lie. So ask yourself these two questions. First, what are you thinking the alcohol is going to do for you? Is it about stress relief, relaxation, personality enhancement? And what lies are you buying about it? Same with the late night partying – are you buying the lie that you’ll miss something if you go home? Consider those things. In other words, time to figure out what’s going on in your world or what have you lost hold of. And then ask yourself these two things: The things that I’ve allowed myself to go back to – can they really give me anything that an almighty, supernatural God cannot? And those lies you are buying – test them against Phil. 4:8 (whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy) and see if they stand up or if they are the lies of the world. And if they answers don’t come – ask God to show you. I 100% guarantee that he will.

Next, I want you to know that everyone takes backward steps in their walks. God knows that. That’s why it says in Eph. 1:8 that he forgives with wisdom and understanding in James 4:6 that he gives us more grace. And the beautiful thing about our God is that generally when we take one step back, he’ll bring us five steps forward. He is so faithful.

My challenge to you this week is this – instead of taking that hospital bracelet and putting it back on as a reminder, I challenge you to set aside 30 min. every day of just pure quiet time with no distractions and meditate on God’s word and pray. Let the firm planting of God’s truth be your reminder. Ask God for that – ask him to show you all your idols, and then show you what he wants you to know, to plant his truth firmly in your heart, and to turn your eyes on him. Again, I guarantee he will do this because it is a prayer according to his will. However, you are responsible for listening and responding to him. Here are some things to meditate on:

The book of James – esp. James 4:4-8. Take special note of these truths – Friendship with the world is hatred of God (can’t serve both masters). Second, the Spirit envies intensely – for our full devotion. Third, God gives us more grace. Fourth – if we resist the devil (and we can ask God to give us that resistance) he will flee from us. Lastly, if you come near to God, he will come near to you.

Meditate on who you are – 1 Peter 2:9-10 (Actually, that whole chapter is good)

Ask God to do some work on renewing your mind – but participate in the process - Romans 12:1-2

What I’ve learned in my journey is there is so much more we can do for ourselves simply by being in the word, sitting down, praising, confessing, asking, and yielding to God, being still before him, and allowing himself to plant is truth in us, then anything else we could possibly do. See, God is a God who has everything handled. Sometimes its rough going, sometimes we don’t see how, and sometimes we don’t feel him, but he’s a sovereign, supernatural, holy God. He perfect in wisdom and love and has a plan and a purpose for you. He knows your strengths and your limitations better than you and so we just have to go before him and let him move in our lives to make us the people he wants us to be, to take us to the places he wants us to go, and to use us in the way he wants to. Be still.

Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels

Aaron, Jesus, and Me - A Royal Priesthood

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2028-29&version=NIV

But you are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”
– 1 Peter 2:9

In today’s passages we read of the consecration of Aaron and his descendents to serve as priests for the Israelites. Under the Old covenant, the job of the priests was to offer gifts and sacrifices to atone for sin and to intercede for the people, to deal with those who are ignorant and are going astray, and to read the law of Moses to the people and remind them of their covenant obligation.

And then God made a better way, appointing a great High Priest – Jesus Christ – to make final atonement for our sins – ushering in his New Covenant. Under that new covenant we also are consecrated – set apart – to be part of the royal priesthood. Because we have been chosen for this, I think it’s important to understand what it means to be part of the royal priesthood. Let’s look at what the role of the Old Covenant priests was, how Christ fulfilled that role, and how through him we also are able to be part of the royal priesthood.

First, it is important to know that the priests must be chosen by God. In Exodus 28:1 God tells Moses that he wants Aaron and his sons to serve as priests. We read Hebrews 5:4-6 that “Christ did not take upon Himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, ‘You are My son; today I have become your Father.’ And he says in another place, ‘You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. And in 1 Peter 2:9 we also read that we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood. Wow – how amazing is it that we are called to be part of such an exclusive people – the descendents of Aaron, Christ, and us!

The priests where also clothed in priestly garments – Exodus 27 describes these in great detail. Christ was also robed – in the midst of being our atoning sacrifice they casts lots for Christ’s clothes, put a purple robe on him and mocked him, and then he wore grave clothes. But now, he sits at the right hand of God, clothed in majesty and splendor (Psalm 93:1; 104;1). We also are clothed in priestly garments. Colossians 3:10-12 says that we have put on a new self, and are told ‘as God’s chosen people, holy and early loved, cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Romans 13:14 says we are to clothe ourselves with Christ. My favorite is Isaiah 61:10, “For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.”

Next, it is important to know that the priests where consecrated – all of the people are called in Exodus 29 to come to a seven-day ceremony of consecration. Through the making of sacrifice, Aaron and his sons are set apart and made suitable to be made presentable to worship the God of all – the great I AM. Christ himself was set apart for a specific purpose – HE, needing not atonement, was made the atoning sacrifice for us. And so, through Christ, we are also called to be set apart. We are called to consecrate our body in service to God. Romans 12:1-2 says, “In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Take note – God asks as to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Notice the parallel that when Aaron and his sons were consecrated, their ears, hands, and feet where specifically made part of that consecration (Ex. 29:19-21). This consecration symbolized a sensitivity to God and his word and a life of service to other’s on God’s behalf. When, through the sacrifice and power of Christ, we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, we too are giving a sensitivity to God’s word. Note Romans 12:2 says we are able to test and approve God’s will – I believe this is done through the renewing of our minds by the Word of God and the power of the Spirit.

One of the roles of the priests was also that they were to intercede for the people and to gently guide them. This was the purpose of both the onyx stones engraved with the names of the sons of Israel in Exodus 28:9-12 and the specific construction of the breast plate. Exodus 28:30 says, “Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decision for the Israelites over his heart before the Lord.” Christ also intercedes for us – Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Romans 8:26-27 and 34 also speak of both the Spirit and Christ making intercession for us before the throne of God). And so we, as the royal priesthood are also called to intercede for one another. James 5:16 says that we are to “confess our sins to one another and pray for each other so that we may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man (one who is part of the royal priesthood, made righteous through the great High Priest) is powerful and effective.

Lastly, Exodus 28:36-39 describes the final piece of the priestly garments. Aaron was to wear a turban – a golden crown with the words, “Holy to the Lord” inscribed on it. Wearing this, he could not forget his new identity – He was holy, set apart for God’s service. Christ also wore a crown as the great High Priest – a crown of thorns. But now he wears another crown – as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Revelations 19:11-12 is another passage I love. It says, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns."

I think I will end on this thought. As God’s chosen people, a member of the royal priesthood, you also wear a crown. Isaiah 61:3 says that we have a crown of beauty instead of ashes and 62:3 says that you will be a crown of splendor in the Lord’s hand. Are you willing to wear the crown that states your identity, “Holy to the Lord?”

Today's post was submitted by Carol Bartels