Old Rules...Hidden Meanings

Leviticus 12:6-8-When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. He shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement on her behalf; then she shall be clean from her flow of blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, male or female.  If she cannot afford a sheep, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement on her behalf, and she shall be clean.

 

Moses was told once again to speak to the people.  This time it was to give them some very specific rules concerning the blood that was present in a woman’s childbirth.  The passing of the bodily fluid made their bodies ‘unclean’…it defiles them. It kept them from entering the tabernacle. They had to be separated from the others in the camp…and wait many days…then offer a sacrifice to seal the ritual purification form all that blood.

 

I admit…it’s another one of those chapters I have few notes on…and I have to wonder just what lesson I am supposed to get out of this…and the unexplained reasons for why a female child required more time don’t help me make any sense out of this chapter for today. And none of the commentaries really helped me understand it at all. So I sit …just waiting for God to give me something….surely this chapter has some relevance for me today.

 

As I sit here and think…maybe these rules were just another obedience thing…or a message from God that when your body bled it was serious business. Since God asked them to shed so much blood from animals in sacrifices…he wanted them to make a distinction in this way he had ordained to multiply the people on his Earth…help them understand that the blood their body produced as they pushed the life God created inside them…was part of the punishment of Eve…not the holy blood of a perfect animal…chosen…and given to God.

 

Maybe it was just to give some of the stories in the New testament more credibility. I am thinking now of the faith packed story of the women who was impure from her blood issue for 12 years. It must have been a special story for we find it in three of the gospels….Matthew 9:20-22… Mark 5:25-34…and Luke 8:43-47.  What faith it took to break Jewish law…and reach out to Jesus that day. What greater glory he was able to show the people because of her long wait…and impure state.

 

I also think of sweet Simon and Anna …who stood day after day waiting on God to show them the Messiah.  Mary came that day to dedicate him…to offer her sacrifice after his birth…and because of the faithfulness of Mary and Joseph to this scripture…God was able to keep his promise to both Anna and Simon (Luke 2:21-28). What joy must have filled them as they beheld the promised child after all that waiting.

 

I guess that goes to show me that sometimes the meaning of a scripture is not always what we read literally.  The laws and rules God established in those old testament days still have meaning for us today. We just have to keep waiting and praying for his guidance…keep searching our hearts for what he wants us to.  We have to cling to the promises of his law…and have faith that he has a plan for us…to prosper us…and bless us…and give us hope…no matter what we have defiled ourselves with.

 

Father…once again I sit in tears…realizing that you have shown up this morning to teach me a powerful lesson in waiting.  You know my heart...and how it longs to have concrete answers…signs that I am on the right path.  But in my human weakness…I falter so many times…because I have trouble waiting on you.  Forgive me…and help me to find that perfect path once again…the one you want me on…not the one I think I should be. I thank you that you have made a way for me to purify myself from my sins….help me to offer my offering to you…so you can be pleased…and we can be connected in an even closer way than I have known before. Amen.

The Deeper Meaning of a Rule

Leviticus 11:44-47  - For I am the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming creature that moves on the earth.  For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt, to be your God; you shall be holy, for I am holy.  This is the law pertaining to land animal and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms upon the earth,  to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.

 

God laid out a pretty lengthy list of rules concerning what was considered acceptable food.  He also gave them a list of what not to eat…even said not to touch them. Then he wraps up his lengthy list with the reason …we are to sanctify ourselves…set ourselves apart…make legitimate our relationship with a binding covenant.

 

I have to be really honest this morning…I took few notes on this chapter…less that 6 lines of thoughts from my reading last night stare back at me. I really have no clue what part of this is still viable for today. Matthew Henry’s commentary said that God gave them these rules for 4 reasons.  It was partly a test of obedience for them…just as Adam had been forbidden to eat the tree of knowledge in the garden. God also wanted them to realize that they were different…distinct from other nations. Then God tweaked that thought in their brains just a bit as he showed them the difference in holy to God….and the holiness of God. Then he wrapped up his orders with a charge not to even touch the forbidden things.

 

So as I process this strange chapter…which many religions still cling to today….I think maybe the idea God is planting in our brains is not totally about food…but that he wants us to have this mind set when it comes to sin.  Instead of considering the rule as still viable for us today….maybe we should consider the deeper reasons God gave them the rules. Jesus even said as much in Luke 11 when he was speaking to the Pharisees!

 

God still calls us all to obedience…to read his word and build a relationship with him in prayer.  This foundation gives us the wisdom and the knowledge that we need to discern what is right for us in this season of our lives. We all need a lesson in self-denial …and I know a lesson in portion control will do nothing but assist me in getting this temple of his in better shape.

 

God still calls us to be a distinct people.  He calls each one of us by name…and expects us to put away the objects in our lives that interrupt our time with him…that allow us to justify what we know deep in our hearts to be wrong. That includes anything that will defile our relationship with him…keep us from building a stronger bond to his true will for us. Think of what God can do with all that money you save on the items of luxury you deny yourself.

 

God still wants to realize that we could never be holy in ourselves…that only he can cleanse our sinful lives with the blood of that cross his son Jesus gave his life on.  We are to constantly keep our thoughts on him…and pray for him to help us work toward a true understanding of just how holy the pure presence of God is! We need to worship ad praise him for all that we have…and remember who gave it to us.

 

God still calls for us to separate ourselves from temptations…to avoid the things we know will cause us to fall. Only when he calls us to do a specific task will he equip us to withstand Satan’s whisper in our ear.  Those whispers sound pretty’ un’ sinful when we first hear them….especially when we are in a room loud with people that have already succumbed to his sweeter  lies.  Just say no…doesn’t have to be a catch phrase just for drugs.

 

Father….thank you once again for helping me to understand the deeper meaning of the dietary laws you gave you people so many years ago.  I thank you for showing up once again to explain to me the wisdom embedded in your Bible…and making sure I have a relevant way to apply it to my life ‘today.’  Help me father to be more obedient…to separate myself from the world with my attitude and faith…make me more holy in thy sight….and put some serious red flags in my brain the next time I get too close to those dangerous whispers of Satan.   Amen.

The Silence of Understanding

Leviticus 10:1-4 - Now Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not commanded them.  And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.  Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord meant when he said, "Through those who are near me I will show myself holy, and before all the people I will be glorified.' " And Aaron was silent.

 

The directions of God were not followed exactly…and these two sons of Aaron got the fire for their censer from another source than the one God had ordered. So God made their disobedience an example for the others in the camp.  Just as he has come out of the fire of presence to consume the offerings they offered….he now came out of the fire to judge and punish those that did not follow his orders …exactly to the very details ….given to them by Moses.

 

God means business…when we disobey….when we try to take short cuts…when we think that we know a better way than the one we know he has given us in our heart…it always ends bad for us. The story doesn’t say where they got this ‘unholy’ fire…and it really doesn’t matter.  It was not fire from the holy altar…dedicated to God…sanctified for his use. And God did not like it…and immediately let them know he meant exactly what he said.

 

I felt such empathy and respect for Aaron as I read this sad story. His silence must have held in that initial scream of loss…the tears of grief…the fear of the holy Lord…and the guilt that he may not have taught them with enough vigor and seriousness.  But Aaron…showed in his outward stature…the acceptance of the will of God.  In his silence…he showed reverence and understanding…of a God that was in control...who had the power to punish those who did not follow the directions he had given them.

 

I was reminded in my spirit immediately of the powerful words of Ecclesiastes 3….penned by the wise son of King David…Solomon.  It was pre-planted there by my pastor this weekend….for he had preached on it Sunday night. It tells us that there is a season…a time in our life for everything.  It says that we are placed in seasons of life.  Some of those seasons are for laughter and some are to mourn…sometimes we are to speak boldly for Christ and sometimes we are to accept the will of God with reverent silence.

 

Father…I thank you for Aaron’s model of acceptance…of how he understood that you had a reason for taking the life of his sons…and he accepted it as a part of a bigger plan for the people of Israel.  Forgive me for the times I have screamed at you…cried and flailed myself against the bed and cried out why? Help me to soak in the humbleness and respect of Aaron…and stand before you with reverent silence…and accept your will as what you have planned to teach me…to train me for your service. Amen.

The Power of Corporate Worship

Leviticus 9: 22-24 - Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings.  And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

 

The priests stayed at the temple for seven days straight….just like God had told them.  They needed to be cleansed on the inside…so God kept them at the entrance where they could see his presence…and he could prepare their spirit for the job he had given them to do. And on the eighth day…they offered three other sacrifices…to seal the deal. And fire came out of the presence of the Lord…in front of the whole assembly…and consumed the sacrifices.

 

What a sight that must have been…the people shouted….and fell to the ground ….out of a holy fear of God…completely awestruck from his power and glory!  I bet that was one great church service…a memory seared into their hearts and souls to help them know that Jehovah was not messing around with their life.  It was one of those …what I call ‘Moses moments’…for all the  people to see and hear….to help them know for sure that God had ordained these priests to serve them…to connect them  to the one true God.

 

Those 7 days…and the sacrifice they made after…they pumped Aaron and his sons up for the job God had given them to do.  It prepared their spirit…gave God the time he needed to equip them for the hard job of killing hundreds of animals….day after day.  To speak to them and help them understand how important is was to always follow his orders exactly.  Like the physical washing had cleansed their body…before they donned the Holy robes of the tabernacle….this 7 days of tabernacle living prepared them for the work God had called them to do. They gave these priests a taste of God’s presence….so that they could not resist loving him and serving him.

 

The power they received those seven days are the reason I still seek God out at a place of worship….as often as I can.  It is the reason I go on longer retreats…where bible study is offered.  It is the reason I love to go to revivals…and drink in an extra dose of Jesus. It empowers me…strengthens me…helps me to let go of my own desires and take on the tasks he gives me to do for him.  God’s house is lovely…it contains his presence….and we should all long for corporate worship so we can experience this same kind of renewal and empowerment.  It is like the palmist David said in Psalms 84:1-2 How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

 

Father…I thank you…that is Sunday…and the anticipation of a great time of worship is building in my heart.  I am overwhelmed by how close I feel to you when I worship with others that love you too.  Help me this day to be strengthened and renewed by your presence…to drink in all I can of you …and allow you to cleanse me of all my sin and weaknesses.  Take this shell of imperfection and build it up with you supernatural strength …wash me clean as I worship you and are fed by the words you have given my pastor to feed me today. Anoint the words…and the music to speak to all that enter your house…and lead the lost to the knowledge of you saving grace. Amen.

Santified and Consecrated to His Service

Leviticus 8:1-5 - The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,  "Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread.  And assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting."  And Moses did as the LORD commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting.  And Moses said to the congregation, "This is the thing that the LORD has commanded to be done."

 

And so God gave them the directions they needed….the people gathered together…and they watched as Moses consecrated the new high priest and his sons according to the rules set by Jehovah.  They were washed … dressed …equipped with a urim and thummim (the tokens with which the priests sought answers from God for the people)…and anointed with the holy anointing oil. They sanctified the altar with the blood of a perfect animal…and offered a burnt sacrifice to God. And God was pleased with how they carried out his orders so perfectly.

 

They did not stop there…for this compelled them to offer a ram of consecration to God….to set them apart for service to God…to insure that God knew they were ready to be the vessel of the people of Israel…to ordain them...to accept God’s assignment… and declare their service to God while the .whole nation watched.  They were promising God that they would stand in the gap for the people…that they would be their link to the holy God from Heaven.

 

We all need to be sanctified you know.  For since God sent his only son…the last perfect sacrifice ever needed…we have no need for a separate high priest.  When that veil was torn between the holy of holies and the inner tabernacle (Mark 15:48)…God opened a way for you and I to be our own high priest. We can live in his presence every day if we but accept the wonderful life he gave us when he paid for all our sins…pray for God to forgive us…believe in him with all our soul and mind….and ask him to live in our heart.

 

It should compel us all to seek his divine will for our lives…to ask God to ordain us to stand in the gap for all those who are lost...and just don’t accept his love for them….to use the present day urim of the bible…and seek God’s direction in prayer…his replacement for the thummim. We need to wrap our whole bodies in God’s supernatural power…and make our lives evidence that he sealed us with one of those gold plates the priests wore on their turbans…that said, “holy to the Lord!”

 

It should compel us to stand in the gap for our Christian brothers and sisters…and do his work…whether that means singing in a choir…teaching a Bible study class…driving a church van or bus…signing up to pray for a 24 hour prayer vigil at midnight…visiting a shut in…taking food to a sick church member….or clean the toilet.  It means that we are no longer our own…we belong to God…and he will provide everything we need to do the work he wants us to do.  We must become his hands and feet….we must proclaim his love to others…and help God spread the pure…holy love that will begin to melt the cold …evil grip Satan has on our world.

 

Father…sanctify me…with your holy presence and love….consecrate me anew this morning for your service…anoint me with your love and power and send me the wisdom I need to complete the work you have planned for me to do.  Protect me from Satan…and reveal to me the perfect phrase from your Bible that will have him retreating from me as I speak your words of truth.  Reveal to me this morning any sin I have not recognized….sin that holds me back from being your perfect vessel…then lead me to the lost…and give me the perfect words of truth that will seep into their dying…cold heart…and compel them to ask you to be their savior too. Amen.

God's Warning...NO Fat or Blood

Leviticus 7:22-27 -  The LORD said to Moses,  "Say to the Israelites: 'Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it.  Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an offering by fire may be made to the LORD must be cut off from his people.  And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal.  If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.' "

 

Moses is told once again the particular instructions for the guilt and fellowship offerings. It seemed just a repeat of God’s earlier instructions at first glance…then my eyes and heart caught on verse 22.  This is no ordinary repeat…just to make sure they are listening…just to make sure they really understand….this repeat is special….for he tells them to never eat fat or blood…he tells them that violating these instructions could lead to being cut off from the people.

 

They had been told before in Genesis 9:4…not to eat blood.  The blood of the animal represented its very life…it had to be drained…so that it could be offered on the altar.  The blood had to be spilled into a basin…part of it sprinkled onto the altar….and in different instances the rest was sprinkled on the person sacrificing the animal…like in Exodus 24:6…or poured out at the base like in Leviticus 4:7. The blood could not be eaten…the life had to be drained…so that it could be completely sacrificed and offered to God.

 

But as far as I can research…this is the first warning from God not to eat fat. And this is just one of those directions that comes without the details that explain why.  It’s like when I was a child…and my mom would tell me to do something…and I would ask why…and she would say, “because I said so.” It was as simple as that…you did it…without asking why again…or there was a consequence for not being obedient.

 

We can conjecture any number of reasons….maybe it was a pure obedience thing….maybe fat was God’s favorite and he wanted it all to himself because he loved the smell…and sound of all that fat sizzling on the altar.... maybe God knew how unhealthy fat was for our bodies and wanted to help us prevent the diseases that are associated with high Cholesterol…or maybe it was a mixture of all of these.

 

Funny thing again….I know that most of these Mosaic laws were negated after Jesus died on that cross… because the veil that separated us from the holy presence of God was torn in two. But I do not think it is an accident that I read this chapter right after I got my first blood work back …ever…that indicated I had any problems with fat…aka high cholesterol.  And I don’t think I am alone when I say that over the last few years I have adopted an ‘I don’t care attitude’ about my health.  I was the first to defend my few pounds over the healthy limits by saying, “God loves me just the way I am….why should I lose weight…or think about what I eat if it is not a health issue for me. Guess God has a reason for reminding me today that my body has always been his temple…and I should have taken better care of it.

 

Father…thank you for the reminder that I need to maintain the health of this temple you live in.  Help me to embrace this lifestyle change simply because you said you loved me…and wanted the best for me.  Help me to learn to eat healthier foods…to not miss or complain about the foods I need to cut from my diet.  Help me to make your temple a place where you can live and empower me with all the things I need to carry out your will. Amen.

A Debt Must be Paid

Leviticus 6:1-4 -  The LORD said to Moses:  "If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving his neighbor about something entrusted to him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him,  or if he finds lost property and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that people may do--  when he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,  or whatever it was he swore falsely about. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt offering.

 

Moses is in the middle of listening to God tell him about all the different sacrifices and offerings…when it seems he takes a small sidebar.  It seems that God needed to deal with a sin that man hadn’t quite considered a sin….or justified so deeply in their heart as fair...that it had become a problem. So God just took a moment as he was explaining the sacrifice rituals…to make sure that Moses had some instructions that covered how to make restitution if caught not returning what you borrowed …. deception of any kind…or stealing. God made sure to let him know that finders keepers was not a practice ordained by Jehovah.

 

Maybe this was a new problem to the newly freed slaves…or maybe it had been a problem the whole 400 years they were held captive…but Moses was given these words to make sure people understood that God was very displeased with attitudes that let selfishness and pride rule the heart. God needed to let them know that taking anything that was not yours…and not returning it…was sin. God repeated the command not to steal outright.  God made sure the nation he had just made a covenant with understood that honesty was the best policy and that any need to twist the truth when it came to owning property was not in his rule book.

 

Funny thing…today was another one of those days. Computer problems…2 computers dead in one week…and the new one I finally broke down and bought yesterday…yes…yesterday….was locked with some password from the store. So here I am …at 10:00….writing what I wanted to write this morning.  All of my delays…were just a part of a bigger plan for God to help me understand just how prevalent this command is for me.  For I got a phone call from one of my sons…and the conversation we had… started to remind me of some possible debt I may never have paid off.  Then I remembered the desk I write on was borrowed by my sister….and on and on my mind went…thinking of things I have borrowed…things I may have picked up and found no owner for…and a few times I may have stretched the truth…so I could keep something I wanted. Guilty…I am…and convicted of a least making a list…and seeing if God can help me make amends…or try to find some way to repay them.

 

Problem is…God will need to keep these good thoughts in my heart…so I can act on them. For my human nature wants to tell my heart not to worry…I can take care of that later.  But God won’t take the guilt away…until I do my part and allow honesty to transform me like it did that tax collector Zacchaeus so long ago in Luke 19. I will fall so deeply in love with Jesus that I will pay back 4 times the amount that I somehow acquired in my sinful attitude…and then God will honor and bless me…with something even greater that I thought I had.

 

Father…this evening I thank you for delays…for the issues of life that keep us from always doing things exactly the way we did them before.  I thank you for the things I thought were a nuisance to me …and I thank you for using them to teach me yet another life lesson.  Help me father to make a list…and check it off as I contact others and seek ways to make right all the times selfishness….and greed…and even hypocrisy …have caused me to grow too thick a skin over my heart...and take things that were not rightly mine.  Peel back the layers of my calloused heart…and tenderize it with your love…and giving grace….so that I can have a hearts that wants to make restitution for all my wrongs. Amen.

Remorse leads to True Repentance

Leviticus 5: 14-17 - The LORD said to Moses:  "When a person commits a violation and sins unintentionally in regard to any of the LORD's holy things, he is to bring to the LORD as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering. He must make restitution for what he has failed to do in regard to the holy things, add a fifth of the value to that and give it all to the priest, who will make atonement for him with the ram as a guilt offering, and he will be forgiven. "If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible. 

God wasn’t through giving Moses directions for us….he used this chapter to give Moses another type of sacrifice…the guilt offering. It called for the person who had sinned…intentionally or accidently…to bring a sacrifice…to make restitution for their sin…to replace and renew the relationship that had been damaged.  God makes sure that he included everyone when he used the word….unintentionally.  Everyone was to bring a sacrifice…just in case…and offer it to God….to show their humility…to show they understood that human nature will begin to boast in how good it is if not kept in check.

Most of us have a hard time recalling the last time we intentionally sinned against God…but this chapter clearly says that we have sinned…and will sin again. We find this concept many places in the bible…but perhaps most clearly is that great verse in Romans ...that says ,” For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)  God opened up a whole can of new worms for us with this chapter…he gives us the knowledge that we are all sinners…whether we realize it or not. Only one person walked this earth perfect…and that was Jesus himself.

It is a mixture of recognition and remorse that God is looking for here. Sacrifice without remorse is a moot point anyway! If in our daily walk in this tainted world…we sin…it just makes sense to ask God to reveal it and get it off our record….who wants unresolved sin in their life to hold back the potential blessings waiting for us as we humble ourselves before God and bring our offering to him…because we know he is the only one who can wash us clean again.  My life application Bible said it was a sort of vaccination against a very dangerous disease!

I know I am guilty of sin….and even though I try to confess every morning the new one that God reveals to me…there are probably thousands of others that I block from my memory. I get ahead of God and try to use my own judgment to figure out what he wants…or I make foolish promises….that couldn’t be kept if I had tried.  I know that Peter really did not realize his sin in denying the Christ until that rooster crowed ..(Matthew 26:75)…his promise to God was heartfelt at the time he uttered it.  He had no clue what was about to happen. And Judas even thought he was doing the right thing…forcing Jesus into some kind of Military King here on Earth…(Matthew 27:3)…look what his remorse drove him to do.

It really is simple…we just need to let go of our human pride…that tries to convince us we are better than we are…and we allow God’s sweet love to turn us into creatures of pure humility…never questioning or trying to argue that we in ourselves know what we are doing is right…and pure.  Which means that we accept that we know we have sinned…and will sin again…so we just need to take that vaccine…and inoculate ourselves with the word of God….and pray like crazy… and study…and surround ourselves with other Christians that are thirsty to spread his love to others….so that God can keep us strong….and maybe help us recognize this sin ….so we can ask his forgiveness….and be restored to his glory….and be in his presence again.  Sorry…I know that is one whopper of a run on sentence…but isn’t that where we end up if we stay on the self-righteous side of this issue…a huge mess of life that runs on and on with absolutely no real meaning or purpose to anyone but ourselves?

Father…you are so amazing…to make provisions for me to be forgiven of sin I don’t even know I have committed yet. Allow me this day to ask you to forgive me of all I have done in the past…and all you know I will do in the future.  Give me a passion to seek you…and study your word….and pray for your guidance and wisdom to know what to do …what to say..and where to go to be your vessel.  Remove completely from my brain the selfish thoughts and confidence I have built up in my own mind…and replace it with a peace that I know I am walking in your great…perfect will for me. Let my actions show the love of you…as I replace my humanness with your presence alone. Amen

Indifference....a Very Dangerous Sin!

Leviticus 4:1-2 and 27-28 - The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands……… " 'If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD's commands, he is guilty.  When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect. 

The Lord had so much to tell Moses…he just kept speaking his words to him. Sin is sin…whether premeditated…or by accident…God knew that any sin would hold us back in our relationship to him.  When we are made aware of it…when God finally gets through to our stubborn human flesh…that tries to justify what we have done as good….or worse yet even deny that we have done anything at all…the horrible disease of indifference creeps in and takes a stronger hold than we think.

Satan feeds off this blinding human emotion…he loves that he can convince us that something we did unintentional ….or even out of our human weakness…was okay….not our fault. Satan tries to convince us that since we did not do it intentionally…we should have no remorse…no guilt.  But God is saying here…that once he has shown us that what we did is sin…we have to openly confess it…and ask God to remove it from our lives…so we can renew our relationship with him.

It might have been something we said to someone….it might be something we did not do for God because we were not listening…it might be something we did out of the weakness of our human flesh…but when God finally gets through…and we have that ‘ah ha moment’…and our heart feels that pang of guilt and remorse…we should stop right then and beg God’s forgiveness and ask him what we need to do to make amends. For even in this world…that Christ gave the last blood sacrifice…God still calls us to evaluate our lives daily for sin that is seeping into our soul…trying to separate us from the only love that can save us….and Satan jumps in quickly…and tries to sow that seed of indifference in our heart…which by the by…is harder to kill out that kudzu.

My mind is thinking of the 12 steps in the Celebrate Recovery program I attend every Thursday night at my church. Step 9 is based on Matthew 5:23-24. This step calls me to make amends to anyone I might have hurt …as I begin to examine my life for the sins I committed…and need to ask god’s forgiveness for. Clearly this New Testament writer was trying to help us understand how to continue the commands of God spoken through Moses when he wrote, “ Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and thee remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

God…help me to really understand this message from one of your oldest writings.  Help me to identify all the sin that has gone unnoticed in my life…because I have allowed my human flesh to hide it form my soul. Uncover this day all the ugliness I still need to deal with…and help me to confront it….admit it to you…and listen carefully to how you wish for me to seek reconciliation for all that I uncover. Amen.

Praise...Fellowship...and Peace

Leviticus 3:1-4 -  " 'If someone's offering is a fellowship offering, and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present before the LORD an animal without defect.  He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood against the altar on all sides.  From the fellowship offering he is to bring a sacrifice made to the LORD by fire: all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them,

And the instructions continue from the Lord for another possible offering to the Lord.  This chapter suggests that the Israelites might want to bring a fellowship offering to the Lord. They still had to lay their hands on the head…but the directions had them kill the sacrifice themselves. Then the priests scattered the blood as before… right before they selected the right parts of the animal…including the fat…and offered it on the altar.

Funny thing about the title of this offering…different versions of the bible gave it different names. The Living bible and the King James… used the term ‘peace offering” …the NIV I love most used ‘fellowship’…and still other versions used ‘thank.’  This must have been a relatively new idea for them…to praise and thank God for the blessing of his saving grace….but it must have been important…for the Lord spent a whole chapter of Leviticus explaining how to do this. So instead of getting caught up in picking the most appropriate word for this ritual…I choose to combine all these terms …and just see it as God telling them that sometimes…we just need to thank him…praise him for the grace and mercy he provides…and offer it in fellowship with others…so we can be slathered with that abundant peace he gives us…the kind that surpasses all our human understanding.

The commentary in my Life application Bible….said that even the one who sacrificed the animal… shared some of the meat.  It was cooked on top of the burnt sacrifice offered to God for their sins…it was ‘in addition’ to the required sacrifice offered for their sins….and the priest ate some…and the one who sacrificed it ate some.  In this way…God…the priest..and the one who brought it…all shared the meal.  Cool way to see it…a thank offering…to ask God to favor them and bring peace into their life…that they shared in fellowship with God and the priest.

Father…I thank you this morning….and pray that you bring peace into my life that causes a wave of fellowship with you that Satan can never defeat. I give you all I have…to do with what you wish.  Reveal to me your plans for me….help me to see them clearly.  Give me the courage and faith to act on what you tell me to do…and give me a peace that surpasses any I have ever known from human love. Amen.

Offerings of Praise

Leviticus 2:4-10  -  "When you bring a cereal offering baked in the oven as an offering, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers spread with oil. And if your offering is a cereal offering baked on a griddle, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil;  you shall break it in pieces, and pour oil on it; it is a cereal offering. And if your offering is a cereal offering cooked in a pan, it shall be made of fine flour with oil. And you shall bring the cereal offering that is made of these things to the LORD; and when it is presented to the priest, he shall bring it to the altar.  And the priest shall take from the cereal offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar, an offering by fire, a pleasing odor to the LORD.  And what is left of the cereal offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings by fire to the LORD. 

God loved his chosen priests so much that he provided for them from his own private stash!  God knew his anointed men…the ones that would complete duties at the tabernacle 24/7…would be unable to provide the basic needs of their families on their own.  Their job could not have been an easy one…they had to keep incense burning…switch out bread…kill sacrifices and keep the altar fires burning. Ashes had to be carried out of the camp…and somewhere in between these duties…they needed rest…sleep….nutrition. These were not unmarried men…the tribe of Levi was chosen to keep the priestly order sustained.  This tribe was given the holy job of supplying all the priests for the tabernacle.  The  grain offerings brought to the lord…that helped sustain these families…but they had to follow 5 important instructions.

The grain offering had to be a ‘gift’ of thanks to the Lord…accompanying all the burnt offerings they brought. It was an act of worship…as opposed to an act of atonement. It had to be mixed with olive oil…be completely without yeast….and full of salt. This seemed so curious to me…for no reasons are given in this chapter as to why….so I did a little research and found some theories for these simple rules.  It wasn’t enough to just fill your obligation to God with a burnt sacrifice…to pay for your sin.  Your heart should be so full of thanks that you want to bring him a gift…just because you loved him…and wanted him to know you appreciated his love. The oil they put in their gift mimicked the anointing oil that consecrated the priests themselves. Maybe God wanted all his gifts sanctified as holy.  The yeast…it spread through the bread…and corrupted it. It is a bacteria…that spreads quickly…like sin does in our lives.  God wanted his grain pure…holy…without sin. The salt…it was the preservative…the purifier of the grain. It could heal and cleanse the grain of any impurities.  The frankincense…it was simply a sweet smelling scent…to give God pleasure.

So…just how do I follow this wish of the Lord in the present day. That is easy…if I throw down all the selfish thoughts I harbor…to save and store my money for a rainy day….instead of spend it on the things God brings to my attention each day to help others.  It is hard if I continue to lock myself in that bubble of confusion that Satan tries to convince me I belong....and think that what I have been given still belongs to me.

Thank you God for reminding me that I need to give you an offering of praise…a gift that is not compulsory…but a gift …just because I want to praise and worship you. Thank you for reminding me that all I have is yours…and that I should stop trying to control it myself.  Help me to bring you an offering worthy of your love and mercy…mixed with the oil that will consecrate me to your service…. void of any yeast that will cause me to sin..full of salt to heal and make me strong for what you have planned to prosper me and use me to build your kingdom…and mixed with just a touch of sweet perfume…so the aroma of my offering will make you smile with pleasure. Amen.

Personal Visits with God

Exodus 40:1-3; 9 and 16

Then the Lord said to Moses: “Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month.  Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain…..

Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy……

And Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him…..

The tabernacle was ready…it was just in separate pieces. Moses had told them it was all just as the Lord had commanded….and God must have agreed…because he is telling Moses that it is time to assemble his great house. So Moses did just as God had told him. On the first day…of the first month…the anniversary of their flight from Egypt… Moses assembled the house of God….anointed everything with the anointing oil….and watched God descend from the sky in a cloud…and fill it with his glory.

The first day of the first month would have been March 1…the day in the spring that God used Moses to lead them out of Egypt. The spring…not just a simple time of the Earth renewing its life that had slept all winter….but now a moment in their history when God himself came and lived among them…in a cloud that settled over the holy of holies….as he watched over his people…as he made the covenant a visible image in their hearts and souls.

The tabernacle might be finished….but their journey with God is just beginning. Maybe God picked this anniversary date to remind them of the slavery they were freed from only a year ago….how he brought them out of Egypt with mighty miracles and signs…how he had traveled with them for a year now…teaching them…and showing them how best to live their lives. Maybe he wants to remind them that this freedom does not come without a cost….without the sacrifice of innocent blood…without confession of sins…without a choice to come and visit with him…to give him praise and worship in his house.

Father…I am overwhelmed at how much you love me.  You wake me each morning…and sit with me…and speak to me from your word. I thank you that you have made a way for me to visit with you that is even more personal than these Israelites…that had to bring a sacrifice and confess to the priests their sin. I thank you that you became my sacrifice…and offered to pay for my sins with your son. And I thank you that Jesus willingly accepted his task …and died on that cross. Make my anniversary of thanks an every day date.  Help me to praise you every moment…and continue to search for the things you have placed me on this Earth to accomplish for you.  Give me a willing heart…that listens for your voice to tell me what to do…and than does it…no questions asked….just the way you tell me to do it. Amen.

Ultimate Atonement

Leviticus 1:1-5 -  The LORD called Moses, and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, When any man of you brings an offering to the LORD, you shall bring your offering of cattle from the herd or from the flock.  "If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish; he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD;  he shall lay his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him.  Then he shall kill the bull before the LORD; and Aaron's sons the priests shall present the blood, and throw the blood round about against the altar that is at the door of the tent of meeting. 

The lord called Moses…he needed to share the important details of how they needed to offer their sacrifice…so that God would be pleased with it. The sacrifice had to be a male …ox… ram…or young birds.  They had to be from the herds of the Israelites.  They had to be without blemish.   They had to lay their hands on it…to show that it was a sacrifice for just them….then they had to kill it ..so the priests could sprinkle the blood that paid the price of their sins all around the altar.

Such a gory…ugly thing for me to think about…I just can’t fathom having to do this….can’t really justify in my heart the killing of these innocent animals. It makes me all the more thankful that God saw that this method needed some tweaking. So God sent his son…to be my ox…my ram…my young birds.

It is still gory…and ugly…and very humbling to think that Jesus was willing to be my sacrifice….to pay for everyone’s sin. It is still so very hard for me to actually imagine the pain and suffering he endured to complete his father’s plan. I did not deserve his love….but I can have it anyway…because he is merciful and loving…and simply asks for me to ask him to live in my heart.

Thank you God for loving me so much…that before I was ever created..you had a plan to save my life. I will never understand how you can forgive my selfishness…my lack of willpower to stay connected to you …and I will never be able to find human words to express my gratitude….so I will just settle for the knowledge that you can see my heart right now….and you can see my tears of gratitude welling up in my eyes.  I simply thank you…that you placed your hands on your sons head…and allowed the human race to be a part of the ultimate plan to sacrifice a perfect male…a young man…and let him bear my sins…and scatter his blood around that cross…that became the altar that saved a sinner like me. Amen.

The Blessings of a Job Well Done

Exodus 39:32-33 and 43  -  And so at last the Tabernacle was finished. The Israelites had done everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses.  And they brought the entire Tabernacle to Moses: the sacred tent with all its furnishings, the clasps, frames, crossbars, posts, and bases………… Moses inspected all their work and blessed them because it had been done as the LORD had commanded him.

It must have been a grand parade….as they took up the pieces of the temple and carried them to Moses. They knew they had done everything just the way Moses had relayed the information from the Lord…but the needed him to see it…to check their work.  And just like God…who created the world….looked back on each day as he finished his work and said…it is good…Moses looked at each piece of the tabernacle and declared it exactly what God had showed him.  Then he blessed the people who had spent their time…surrendered their talents to make the holy structure of God…and all the  contents…even the wardrobe of the priests.

Oh what joy must have filled them to know that they had done everything correctly. Oh what great pride must have filled them as they received the blessings of Moses on their work. I wonder if Moses expected them to finish the work so fast. It had to be less than year since he gave them the plans…some commentaries estimated that they made everything in around 6 months.  Moses must have been so proud of them…for doing such a perfect job…for following God’s plans so perfectly.

These pieces they brought to be checked…these items that God had ordered them to make…would never be just a separate ‘thing’ they had made again. Everything from the linen cloth….to the tools for sacrificing animals…to the beautiful robes of the priests….it would all become a tabernacle now. All that they had made….would become the house of God….where they could come and pray…and offer their sacrifices…and be forgiven of their sins. And those clothes they made for the priests…they would become more than just gold inlayed things to wear….they would become the clothes they wore when they appeared before God….and begin to be the vessels through which God would minister to their needs.

We may not need the pieces of this tabernacle to worship God anymore…the pieces I read about have been long destroyed by time and the elements of Earth. And even that is no problem…for the veil in the Holy of Holies was torn…the moment that Jesus gave his life for me….allowing me to worship God any time I want…if I ask him to come live in my heart.  What does remain is the person…the talent that God placed in those people to make the things he needed.  What remains is the person he wants to be a vessel for his word! These people…they got it. They listened to Moses and searched their hearts for what they had to offer God…and they went to work crafting everything God said to make.  They brought just what was needed…and followed his plans exactly…and received a blessing at the end of their work.

Oh father…help me to listen and hear your instructions.  Help me to know that I am following the blueprint for my life…so I can be the vessel you need me to be. Help me to know what piece of your great plan you have assigned to me and help me to uncover the talents and skills you placed in me to accomplish your will.  And God…thank you for the blessings on my life…in spite of the fact that I know I have not followed your blueprint for me so far.  You are so amazing …how you just keep giving me chance after chance to try it again. Thank you for loving me more that I am capable of loving myself…teach me how to love others the way you do me…so I can hear clearly the plans you have for me…to prosper me….and bless me in spite of my shortcomings and faults. Amen

God's Courtyard

Exodus 38:9-15 -  Then he constructed the courtyard. The south wall was 150 feet long. It consisted of curtains made of fine linen. There were twenty posts, each with its own bronze base, and there were silver hooks and rods to hold upthe curtains.  The north wall was also 150 feet long, with twenty bronze posts and bases and with silver hooks and rods.  The west end was 75 feet wide. The walls were made from curtains supported by ten posts and bases and with silver hooks and rods.  The east end was also 75 feet wide.  The courtyard entrance was on the east side, flanked by two curtains. The curtain on the right side was 22 1/2 feet long and was supported by three posts set into three bases. The curtain on the left side was also 22 1/2 feet long and was supported by three posts set into three bases.  All the curtains used in the courtyard walls were made of fine linen.

The courtyard of the temple…physically it was the mere space of the camp just outside the holy of holies and the holy place…surrounded by a mere fence made of linen material…probably white.  The altar of sacrifice burned continually to accept any sacrifice they might bring. The space itself was relatively small…I envision a space a little larger than a basketball court…the measurements for a NBA court being 50 feet wide by 94 feet long. Add some 17 foot bleachers on either side…..and  some 26 foot bleachers behind the goals…and you have a very small gym.  Come to think of it…about the same size as the sanctuary of my church.

But symbolically…this expanse of sand…enclosed by the beautifully embroidered curtains…it represented the place where they could all meet and bring their sacrifices and prayers of need to God…to the priests he had anointed to represent him.  The walls of the courtyard were just linen curtains…just  high enough that a man could not peer over.  They had to make a conscious decision to enter the worship space...through the one gate God had directed them to build. They would have come to pray…or offer a sacrifice..or seek advice from one of the priests.

I read one thought that stuck in my head. The tabernacle tent had many places…the most holy places … that were made with the royal colors of purple…and scarlet…and gold.  But the curtains of the courtyard were a simple white. The color of purity...of righteousness …the color we see when God has washed all the dirt out of our lives. But white is also the color we see when all the colors of the spectrum are blended together….a neutral color when our human eyes behold it. But God releases the hidden treasure that is contained within…in his love for all …in his mercy for each one who seeks him…and even gave us the beautiful rainbow to prove his promise to never separate himself from us again. The rainbow is there all the time…just like the courtyard….but we only see it when the sky holds small droplets of water…that the sun can shine through…and reveal the beauty that God blends together in the white…pure light of his love for us all the time.

Father….I admit that I need to enter your courtyard more often…I am way too satisfied to just gaze at the white curtains that surround your glory …and think by mere osmosis that your love will seep into my life.  Give me a new passion this morning to enter through the gate of your courtyard…and really spend some time in prayer…to bring you my sacrifices and offerings …to burn them in your altar…so you will be honored and glorified. Forgive me for not allowing you to refract your white light of love through my life each day.  Place in my path more opportunities to share the goodness and blessings you have given me with others….so more people will come to know your vast love. Amen.

God's Home = My Heart

Exodus 37:25-29-  He made the altar of incense of acacia wood; its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit; it was square, and two cubits was its height; its horns were of one piece with it.  He overlaid it with pure gold, its top, and its sides round about, and its horns; and he made a molding of gold round about it,  and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it.  And he made the poles of acacia wood, and overlaid them with gold.  He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.

And God’s chosen craftsman carried out his blueprint for the objects in the Holy of Holies.  They followed the design of God to the exact detail…and overlaid everything they made with the purest gold.  They honored God with a room worthy of his presence….and placed in it the holy Ark of the Covenant…. a room where only the priests went once a year.  Just outside they crafted the table and the lampstand…and the altar of God….so the people could offer their sacrifices…and receive God’s forgiveness for the sins they would commit….even a holy anointing oil was made…to anoint the priests ..to ask God’s favor on the person he chose to minister to the people’s needs.

I read this chapter and found no help in my study bible on what this process had to do with my life today. My computer would absolutely not connect to the internet and allow me to research…so I found myself empty of wisdom…and prayed a simple prayer to God as I slept that he would somehow help me understand what all this had to do with me. And as I turned off the alarm…there was still no clarity.  So I poured that coffee… and sat down…and waited for god to speak.

Then it dawned on me…that we are still in the business of crafting what God told us to make.  But since he died on that cross…and tore the veil between that holy room that held his words…that the only thing that is different is the way we receive and house him.  His Holy Ark was replaced with his Holy Bible…the wisdom and history of everything we need to know written in its perfect pages.  The poles that carry it are our own hearts…where we should work diligently to place it every day.  The lampstand was replaced with the brilliance of God’s love.  It shown from every part of him as he spoke to his disciples after his resurrection….and we should reflect his light in everything we do. The anointing oil is his very presence among us…the Holy Spirit sent to give us our directions first hand…to live inside us…to help us day by day…moment by moment…to anoint us to do his work…to give us power and wisdom to carry out his ministries.  We should hear and see and smell the perfume of his work in our lives…if we are diligent to carry out what his will for us.

Father…once again you amaze me with how much you love me.  Just when I think you have left me to myself once again…you show up and place your words deep into my soul…and you show me how awesome and real…and present you are when I need you. Oh how unworthy I am to be in your presence…but you love me so much you wash me clean with your blood of freedom…and free me from my own self….and help me understand that you are right here with me…that you have made me your very tabernacle…because I simply ask you to live in my heart and be my God! Oh thank you God for your precious love….and help me to share it with others today…and use it to guide my every thought and action through the day. Amen.

Giving Abundantly

Exodus 36:2-7 - Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willingto come and do the work.  They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning.  So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing  and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.”Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more,  because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

The people were so willing…so passionate about God…that they brought their offerings in abundance. Each morning the people made their way to Moses…Bezalel….and Oholiab….and they gave…and gave …and gave. They just kept giving…till the integrity of the workmen was tested…and they had to tell the people to stop…they had enough…God’s house had more than enough raw materials to become the grand tabernacle tent that God designed for himself. So Moses commanded them to bring no more.

When was the last time I gave so much I was told to stop? Do I really understand the term ‘free will offering’…for generosity …. the passion to give cheerfully …willingly…is shadowed by MY need to provide for MY basic needs. I do the math…and see what I can afford to give.  I sure don’t add up what I have….and ask God what he wants me to do with it. Two days in a row he has hit me with the raw fact that I just don’t give enough of what I have been given…I really have not grasped the concept of giving what he gave to me back to him…and trust that HE will provide what I need.

There was a domino effect going on in the camp those mornings. As the first people brought their gifts…others must have watched their happy faces…seen the joy they felt as they walked away from Moses…and those who collected the materials. Maybe the giving became contagious…the buzz in women’s home all about the cool feeling they felt when they laid their gifts at Moses feet. Soon the rest of them were gathering their gifts…and making the trek to Moses too.  Or maybe they ones who gave the first time…enjoyed the pleasure of giving so much that they returned for a second time…just because they could.

As I write…my mind is thinking of our Church’s annual Free Christmas Store..that will provide clothing and toys to around 500 children…ages 5-14  this year. I feel a passion …maybe the kind that these people felt about the tabernacle.  Maybe it stems from my daily contact with middle school children…but I see so many that have so little…and I want them and their families to see the love of Christ in the abundance that Moses saw the materials come in for the tabernacle.  So I will share a bit of my dream this morning…to provide for all 500 children…a pair of new tennis shoes…a pair of jeans…a simple t-shirt…and a toy of some sort. A simple gift to compare with the gifts I received every Christmas.  And I know without a doubt that my God is big enough to provide more than enough to complete this simple wish…and more.

Father…I thank you that you have provided for me more than I need each day…and I pray you allow me to channel those resources to provide for the needs of others that you have ordained. I know that my meager bank account is not capable of providing all that these children need…but I also know that you can multiply what I have and create a domino effect throughout the county…state…even the world. Give me a heart for others …and allow me to give generously to this project…then let it be contagious…and touch others around me so much that it even creates an overabundance of gifts that can be shared with other agencies that provide needs for others. Amen.