December 22 - Hebrews 7-10: Jesus Made Our Intimate Presence with God Possible

Today’s Reading: Hebrews 7-10

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Jesus provided the religious sacrifice which ended all religious sacrifices, thus ending the rule of religion and starting His Rule.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Melchizadek, the priest of unknown lineage, who gave Abraham a blessing in return for 10% of his spoil, models Jesus' Priesthood. Jesus' Sacrifice set things right for everyone. He now resides alongside God.
Jesus' new Plan is written on everyone's hearts. We know God firsthand. With Jesus there is no longer ritual separation. Everyone dies once but only Jesus' Death set everything right.
Therefore, confidently approach God. Push each other to set things right during times of worship. God's Judgment is no walk in the park if we give up on Him.
Keep trusting God as you did at first.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Jesus is our High Priest based on merit, not lineage.

There is no nepotism with God. Jesus is our High Priest because He lived a blameless life. Jesus is our High Priest because He was willing to become the sacrifice offered to set things right. No animal sacrifice is needed with Jesus. He is the sacrifice. Because of Jesus' willingness to sacrifice His perfect Life He has become our High Priest.

God's Plan is written on our hearts.

The Law of Moses required passing from generation to generation because it was a works-based religion: sacrifices, festivals, "clean" vs. "unclean" items, etc. Jesus' Law is not based on actions; it's based on the heart. Everyone knows they should set things right. The problem is that we decide to suppress that Truth to the point that it no longer guides us. So we need people to help guide us back to God, to remove the barriers between us and God. We do not need people to tell us God's Plan.

We can come right into the Presence of God!

The Tabernacle and Temple were erected so Israel would know there was something between them and God—as they requested. Now we need no barriers between us and God. Jesus serves as the translator between us. It should lead us to realize God cares so much that He invites us into an intimate relationship with Him.

Jesus became the one Sacrifice for our mistakes so we would stop focusing on them.

The problem with sacrifices was that they constantly reminded Israel that they did not keep the Law of Moses. Because they were reminded so often it caused them to continue to break the Law. This was the major weakness with the Law of Moses. Jesus' Sacrifice became the sacrifice for our mistakes. We no longer need to focus on what we have done in the past. They are gone. We are free!
Some may question that idea and suggest that we should be reminded of what we did wrong so we will not forget and repeat our errors. I think the writer of Hebrews would suggest that we will never fully mature until we are willing to stop shaming ourselves for what we did in the past. The author wants us to move past dead works and into Life with Jesus. We can only do that once we realize Jesus has fulfilled them all and sets us free to live in Him.

Our meetings are meant to be opportunities for us to push each other to love and good works, not prevent each other from dead works.

As a member of a church—especially as a member of the churches of Christ—I had Hebrews 10:25 pounded into my skull. We should not, under any circumstance (except sickness) miss worship services. If we did we were sliding towards unfaithfulness and could sin. I read a book (I don't remember the title) where the author boasted that the only time he had ever missed Sunday worship was the day he graduated from basic training and was physically prevented from going. Even then he felt bad because he knew he should have been worshiping somewhere. It wasn't until university that I started reading this passage in its context and read Hebrews 10:24. Through that verse I realized the purpose of meeting together is not to go through our rituals (dead works). The purpose of meeting together is to help each other love and do living works. When I realized we were meant to challenge each other I changed my entire view on worship. I no longer felt like missing meant I was backsliding into turning my back on God. I realized that missing meant I was turning my back on the other people who needed me to bring my ideas and experiences of loving and doing good works to help them find new ways to love and do good works. What I have realized, however, is that we almost never do this. We are so focused on dead works—stopping what leads to death, convincing people to be baptized, and warning sinners of the coming Resurrection and Judgment—that we almost never talk about how we set things right in the past week. Push everyone you know to love and to do good things for others. Stop splicing Greek words to figure out if something is a sin or not. Invent new ways to set things right through innovation teams at your church.

Do you boldly come into God's Presence?

October 29 - John 11: Jesus Shows a Sample of the Resurrection

Today’s Reading: John 11

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Jesus is not some distant, aloof god. He joins in the weeping over the death of a friend.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Jesus' friend Lazarus was sick, to show God's Glory given to God's Son. Two days later, Jesus informed His Disciples, "Lazarus is dead and I will wake him."
Lazarus' sisters were distraught. Jesus told Martha, "I am the Resurrection. Anyone believing in Me will live."
As Mary ran to greed Him, Jesus wept.
Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb. Many believed.
Jesus kept performing miracles—the Pharisees' worst nightmare. One man suggested Jesus become a martyr. Unbeknownst to them, they were preparing a world-wide sacrifice for sin.
Jesus and His Disciples went into seclusion.
The Passover came once again.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Lazarus' death was meant to show Jesus' Glory given by the Father.

Jesus' miracles were meant to help others believe in Him. In this instance, He gave a clear sign that He was from the Father—He did something no other person could do.

Lazarus' resurrection provided an object lesson into how God will make all things right in the end.

Jesus wanted everyone to know He is the Resurrection and the Life. He had the power to take away death and return life. His Resurrection was meant to give hope that one day we, too, would be given life again. It is this Resurrection that makes Christianity worthy of its sacrifice.

The Pharisees set up the ultimate irony—their political move to martyr one to save their power was used to set relationships around the world right with God.

John is not a great storyteller if you love suspense. He adds commentary which gives the end of the story. In this case, the cat is out of the bag—Jesus is going to be murdered for the salvation of the world. The Pharisees, on the other hand, do not know this and think their prudent action to sacrifice one to save their power will work. It shows a great truth about God we saw way back in Joseph's day—God can use acts meant for harm to set things right. The greatest act to set things right was meant to hold power in one group's hands.

How has God used harmful situations to set things right in your life?

October 27 - Luke 14-15: God's Chosen People Cannot Be Bothered to Eat with the God Who Sets Things Right

Today’s Reading: Luke 14-15

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Following Jesus has a high cost. It also has a high reward.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

Jesus argued that if Pharisees could rescue someone on the Sabbath, then He could heal, too.
Jesus added, "Sitting in a seat of honor before being asked brings embarrassment," and "Inviting misfits who can't pay back brings blessings."
Jesus told a parable of a man whose friends were too busy to attend his dinner party. Instead, he called misfits, the homeless, and strangers to join him.
Personal sacrifice is essential to following Jesus.
God celebrates over one relationship set right. A man's son returned home after squandering his inheritance and received a banquet. His (faithful) brother resented the banquet.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

Jesus presented another paradox: those who want to be in the seat of honor should take the lowest seat available.

Jesus previously mentioned that children were the greatest in the Kingdom of God and if the Apostles wanted to be the greatest they should become the servant of everyone. Today's reading continued that paradox of becoming the greatest by being the lowest. This time the setting is a banquet. If you want to be considered great and honored, become humble as a servant and take low positions. Then you can be called to a higher place.

We are to give without expectations of receiving.

At the same dinner Jesus told the host that he should not limit his guest list to those who were rich enough or friendly enough to invite him back. If we gave without expectations we would be blessed greater than if we only gave to our "friends". Christianity is among the few religions that give in thanksgiving to what God has done in the past. God challenged Israel to test His Faithfulness by giving the entire tithe. Jesus challenges us to give even when the person can't or doesn't want to give back. Giving is based on what God has done for us in the past, not what we want from God in the future.

God's Chosen People cannot be bothered to eat with Him.

The saddest part of Jesus' parable of the man who gave a feast is that the man's friends could not be bothered to join him in his celebration. Jesus is showing the Pharisee how his statement about those sitting at God's Table may be true but the ones at the Table are not who he thinks they are. The Pharisee thinks the people in the "Pharisee Hall of Fame" are there. Jesus tells him they couldn't be bothered to join God at His Table. In their place were the misfits, the homeless, the ones the Pharisees would least expect to be there. This is a glimpse into what will soon happen when Israel cannot be bothered to set things right even though God sent His Son to earth. God calls others to join Him at His Table because His Chosen People are unwilling to obey Him.
We as Christians should read this parable and realize we are in both groups. We were once the strangers on the highway God called to join Him. After a generation or two we became the ones to whom God sent an invitation. Now we cannot be bothered. We have taken a new job and need to make sure they are impressed by us. We have bought a new thing and need to spend time paying it off or playing with it while we can. Or we have married and want to enjoy our togetherness. You can fill in your own excuse but the truth remains—God is calling others to set things right because His Chosen People are too "busy" to do it. That may sound harsh, but it sounded equally as harsh to the Pharisees who heard it.

Becoming Jesus' Disciple requires greater commitment to Him than to any other person—even yourself.

God has twice told His Chosen People the great benefits of obeying Him and the great punishments for cheating on Him. Jesus gives another version of this when He says we need to count the cost before choosing to follow Him. We could lose our parents, our spouses, our children, our siblings, our friends, our freedom, or our lives if we decide to become God's Chosen Person. Jesus has wrecked many people's careers. He has taken away dreams. Many who obey Him would testify that He replaces them with much better relationships, careers, or dreams, but it still hurts to have them taken away. Being Jesus' Disciple is for anyone but not for everyone. If a person is not willing to pay the price, they are only setting themselves up for greater punishment in the future by trying.

God rejoices over one person who needs to repent.

Yesterday I mentioned how Jesus did not want to solve systematic problems because He wants to solve individual problems and through solving these individual problems the systematic problems would work themselves out. Today Jesus' saying is that God rejoices over that individual who sets their lives right. Just like a shepherd rejoices over the return of one sheep, God rejoices over the return of one person. The issue isn't that Jesus loves that person more than the 99 who are safe in His Care. It's because when something you own (or someone you love) returns, it is greater than replacing it (or them) with something (or someone) else. You have a relationship with that thing or person. It feels great to have that relationship set right. No person is too insignificant to God that He does not rejoice when they return.

The Prodigal Son's brother became bitter because the he never received a fanfare similar to his brother's.

The brother's issue sounds very familiar,

Look how many years I’ve stayed here serving you, never giving you one moment of grief, but have you ever thrown a party for me and my friends? Then this son of yours who has thrown away your money on whores shows up and you go all out with a feast! (15:29-30, The Message)

The brother thinks that his father's rejoicing over his brother's return means the father loves his prodigal son more than his faithful son. The brother is wrong—everything the father owned now belonged to him. The fanfare was because a severed relationship was set whole. The brother did not realize he was inside the safe barn with God's other sheep the entire time the lost sheep, his brother, was in danger of death. God's Chosen People must deal with their bitterness and rejoice when someone sets their relationship right with God. If not, we start down the road Jonah and his contemporaries travelled and may become so bitter we kick someone out for trying to set things right with the "wrong" people.

Have you counted the cost to becoming Jesus' Disciple?

September 30 - Malachi: God's Chosen People's Shoddy Worship

Today’s Reading: Malachi

The Message

English Standard Version

CONGRATULATIONS! You have made it through the entire Old Testament! Pat yourself on the back, give yourself a hug, whatever you do when you accomplish something awesome. Tomorrow we will begin the New Testament, so enjoy reading Malachi, the 39^th and FINAL book in the Old Testament.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God, through Malachi, wants Israel to give Him more respect than they would their government officials.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God's Message through Malachi:
"You sacrifice crippled, blind animals as sacrifices to Me. People from all over the world would love to worship Me. But My Chosen People? Bored.
"Priests, Levi stood in reverence. Teach the truth."
Why can't we live in peace? Religiously-foreign women who change Israel's allegiances. Holy marriage creates holy children. "I hate divorce. Do not cheat."
"Don't think I'm too nice to punish sinners.
"A messenger is on his way to scrub you clean and fit for service.
"I haven't changed. Test My Faithfulness by bringing the full tithe.
"Those who set things right are mine."

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God blessed Jacob's descendents more than Esau's. In return, Israel ignored God.

As we close the Old Testament, it is fitting that God reminds Israel that He chose Jacob and not Esau—the main theme throughout the entire Old Testament. God cannot understand why Israel will not obey Him. He gave them everything they wanted and in return they grew tired of serving Him. The same sacrifices over and over again grew stale. Instead of giving God the best of their herd, they gave what they could not sell. It's a fitting summation of the entire Old Testament: God calls a people to bring His Light to the nations who instead enjoy His blessings and ignore His calling. God has people willing and waiting to be His Chosen People but instead is stuck (for now) with a group of people who couldn't care less.
As God's Chosen People, we are blessed more than those who are not. But instead of worshiping God fully and becoming His Lighthouses to the world, we follow our spiritual ancestors and enjoy the blessings of being Chosen without the responsibilities of being Chosen. We find worship boring. We only give God the scraps of time—when we cannot find a better thing to do. We give the leftovers of our income. God never changes. Unfortunately, neither do His Chosen People.

God would rather His Chosen People not serve Him than to play "religious" games.

God pulls no punches:

Why doesn’t one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don’t want any more of this so-called worship! (1:10, The Message)

God wants worship coming from obedience, not ritual.
This section is tough—especially for a person told from birth that how we worship is the most important part of who we are. God would rather we lock and board up all church buildings and stop holding meetings than keep "Sunday services". Worship that does not come as a result of setting things right is no better than sacrifices to a dead idol expecting a magical result. There is no magic in rituals. There is no magical style of worship, prayer, or teaching that obligates God to continue blessing us. Our songs, prayers, and praises must come from the heart or God does not want them.

God's Chosen Proclaimers must speak the Truth.

God tells His Chosen Priests that they must speak the Truth. They must put new life into the stale Covenant. They guide His Chosen People. They can either guide in God's Way or in the convenient way. One way leads to God cursing them. The other leads to people cursing them. Which do you fear?

God hates divorce but hates cheating spouses more.

Israel was God's (spiritual) wife. Every time they worshiped another god, they committed spiritual adultery. God hates divorce and does not want to separate from Israel, but He will not stand for their cheating. This is why Ezra wanted Israelite men to put away their foreign wives. Foreign wives turned Solomon's heart away from God and caused him to commit spiritual adultery. Spiritual fidelity is essential to obeying God.
The product of marriage is children. If you are in a spiritually-monogamous marriage, your children will be wholly for God. If not, your children will be torn between parents, between religions and may eventually give up on God completely. Don't risk your children's spiritual allegiance. Marry someone who is wholly for God setting all things right on the earth.

God is not a fluffy-pillow god.

God is love; however, love does not mean He accepts those who do not set things right. He does not punish using fluffy pillows.

God will be obeyed. The cliché "God loves the sinner but hates the sin" may be trite, but it is not far from the truth. God will punish people who do not set things right—Chosen or not.
Boy do we do not want to hear this today. Part of it (rightly) comes as a result of the "fire and brimstone", judgmental style of preaching we endured for generations. Yet, we must not go so far that we say God will not punish anyone regardless of how they lived because He loves everyone. God will not save everyone just because He's too "nice" to punish anyone. I would suggest you read through Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah, and the other prophets again to see if God is a pushover. People must set things right or they will eventually be cut off from God.

God wants Israel to test Him—by obeying.

In Deuteronomy God told Israel not to put Him to the test. But now He tells them to put Him to the test. The difference is in how it was done. Israel tested God's Patience by not listening and obeying. They wanted to see if God would punish them or not. God punished them. Now, God wants Israel to test whether He will bless them or not. Giving a tenth—especially when it is off the top, not after everything is paid and balanced—is a step of faith. God wanted to give Israel great blessings. He could not do that as long as they wanted to be in control. Instead, they skimped on their sacrifices and complained that God didn't bless them as they want Him to.
I wish we read this section more often when we ask for contributions. The impetus for our giving is neither from an outside force nor an expectation of blessings in the future. Our contributions are thanksgivings for our blessings and acts of faith that God will continue to bless us. If members of every church gave the full 10%—and then more as they wanted—we could receive a full blessing from God. Until then, stop complaining that your church isn't as blessed as it should.

God would send a messenger to prepare the way for His Judgment.

Remember this for the rest of the week. It's coming very soon.

What a grand adventure. See you tomorrow as we open the New Testament.

May 12 - Psalms 65-67, 69-70: Praise God for Rescuing Us Despite our Sin

Today’s Reading: Psalms 65-67, 69-70

The Message

English Standard Version

I've received many complaints about the comments section. I can't change Google's Blogger commenting system, so funnel all comments to the Sonoma Mountain Parkway Church of Christ Facebook page instead. Thanks to Sharla for posting each day's reading for me.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God knows David's sins but loves and protects him anyway.

Psalm (P)Synopsis

Psalm 65

God hears our prayers in all times. We expect all good things from our God. David calls down blessings for the land.

Psalm 66

Praise God for protecting us from our enemies! God brought us through a refining fire and gave us a peaceful place. So we bring gifts to Him. Come, let me tell you how God listened to my prayer and stayed loyal to me.

Psalm 67

Everyone sees God's blessings and thanks Him. They enjoy God's blessings and give Him honor.

Psalm 69

David cries out to God for protection. Every time he serves God he is met with more and more problems. He cries out for salvation because he knows nowhere else to go. God will give the land to the righteous, so David cries out for rescue.

Psalm 70

David knows that everyone who obeys God will sing and celebrate. He calls out for God to rescue him quickly because he is about to fall.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

God takes away our burdens of sins.

This year I have intentionally stayed away from the "sin" angle taken by most Bible studies. I find it overdone, somewhat shallow, and often limits the Gospel to what Dallas Willard calls "the gospel of sin management." However, today's reading drips with this theme. David writes,

We all arrive at your doorstep sooner
   or later, loaded with guilt,
Our sins too much for us—
   but you get rid of them once and for all. (65:2-3, The Message)

Notice that the problem they have is the guilt of their sin. Their problem is not their inability to stop sinning but their inability to stop the self-punishment of their sin. This is why God's removal of our sins provides such a release—we no longer need to punish ourselves for our past sins! Lay the burden of your mistakes at God's doorstep and He will take them away once and for all!

Sacrifices come in response to what God has done for us.

As opposed to many other religions where sacrifices are meant to appease the gods to ask for blessings or prevent the gods from getting angry and punishing the people, sacrifices to God come after God blesses His Chosen People. David brings the choicest cuts of lamb, goat, and beef because God blessed His Chosen People with a "well-watered place." Give sacrifices to God in response to His blessings, not in expectation of greater blessings.

David's enemies blamed him for everything they disliked about God.

Tucked away in this psalm of complaint and a cry of rescue is the short thought,

My brothers shun me like a bum off the street;
   My family treats me like an unwanted guest.
…
They blame me for everything they dislike about you. (69:8-9, The Message)

Obedience to God brings this type of response. When God's Chosen People obey God, others take their frustrations against God out on them. I write this not to encourage the oft-trumped "Christian martyr" mindset—when Christians think that condemning anyone and everyone is the same as obeying God and see any form of disagreement as persecution—but to encourage those who truly feel unwanted because of their obedience. God will rescue this person—even if it is not when the person expected.

Shouting God's name in praise and in prayer is better than sacrifice.

What is better than a sacrifice of thanksgiving to God? Telling others how wonderful God is to you. Praise God in shouts and prayers—He loves this more than any religious observance!

Are you hunting for God?

March 7 - Numbers 28-30: Sacrifices and Vows

Today’s Reading: Numbers 28-30

The Message

English Standard Version

This is my 100th post! I can't believe I've made it that far. Over two-thirds are Bible readings, but I made it! 

Today's reading has several sacrifice-oriented laws. Scan chapters 28 and 29 if you are low on time.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

The offerings were to remind the people of God's presence and to remind God of the people's presence.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God gave commandments to the priests regarding daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, and festival sacrifices. Each included an animal and flour mixed with oil. The people of Israel were to do no work on the days of the festival.
God also gave rules regarding vows. A man's vow was always intact. A woman's vow could be vetoed by her husband or father if he did it when he first heard the vow. If not, the vow would stand. If a woman was married during her vow, the husband could nullify it without the woman being guilty of breaking her vow.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

The Israelites' sacrifices were to remind them of God's presence and to remind God of their presence.

God is not bloodthirsty and needs blood to bless the people. God is a God that wanted His Chosen People to be fully and wholly His. The sacrifices were to help the people remember that God is always with them. The pleasing aromas were to remind God that His Chosen People still served Him. If they stopped sacrificing to God then they might forget and God might kindle his anger against them.

God places spiritual leadership with the father/husband.

As written yesterday, God's decision looks sexist to us in the 21st century. However, the culture and times of ancient Israel are very different than today. At that time, women were cared for but not considered equal to a man. They were not educated as males. They were not taught the Torah as well as their brothers. Because of this, God gave spiritual leadership to the males. Would God give this law differently today? Maybe not. However, we think of male spiritual leadership as a power grab. That's not the intention. God doesn't give fathers and husbands the ability to blithely reject any and every vow their daughters and wives make. If a woman is so intent on something that she makes a vow to do it (or not do it) a man would be embarrassed in the community and/or risk family strife if he went against her wishes. A godly man would not want such embarrassment/tension in the home.

Vows are serious. God expects you to obey your vow.

Vows are something that we do not have as often today. In fact, when we think of vows we think of a wedding. At that time there were vows that meant you offered certain things over to the Lord. This will be exemplified in 1 Samuel. Over time, this law would erode away at the hands of the Israelites and Jesus would correct their misunderstanding in the New Testament.

February 18 - Leviticus 16-18: God Provides a Scapegoat for His Pure People

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 16-18

The Message

English Standard Version

Thought to Guide Your Reading

God is both telling the people how to live and why he has rejected the people currently living in Canaan.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God spoke to Moses telling him how Aaron should perform the annual sacrifice for the sins of the people. There would be two goats—one to be killed and the other to be released as a scapegoat.
God gave warnings against sacrificing to other gods. If anyone ate blood they were to be cut off from the community.
God told the people not to act like the Egyptians or the people in Canaan. These included certain sexual partners and offering children to gods as sacrifices. Anyone who did these things would be cut off from their community and their land.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

The scapegoat took the sins of the people into the wilderness.

All my life I had been told the people needed to remember their past sins every year, like rolling out a carpet with all of the past stains there. However, God set the sacrifice for the sins of the people so that the people knew their sins (which were not taken away completely) were no longer with them. So each year they would bring the sins that they committed during that year. God always gives a scapegoat that will bear the sins of the people into the wilderness.

Blood = Life

God is very clear—blood represents life. No one is to eat the life of another animal. Blood gives life literally within our veins and figuratively by washing away sins. That imagery will stay throughout the entire Bible.

God wanted the people to have drastically different sexual (and sacrificial) lifestyles than the others around them—pure lives which did not pollute the land.

Chapter 18 is very thorough but also self-explanatory. God places the impetus for these instructions at the beginning and the end:

Don't live like the people of Egypt where you used to live, and don't live like the people of Canaan where I'm bringing you. Don't do what they do." (v. 3, The Message)
Don't pollute yourself in any of these ways. This is how the nations became polluted, the ones that I am going to drive out of the land before you. Even the land itself became polluted and I punished it for its iniquities - the land vomited up its inhabitants. (vv. 24-25)

The people in these nations had polluted the land by their sins and God would punish the people. God will reject a people if they do not set things right and expects his Chosen People to live lives in stark contrast to those who do not set things right.

February 14 - Leviticus 5-7: On Sacrifices (part 2)

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 5-7

The Message

English Standard Version

Happy Valentine's day! May you feel the Love of our Creator above all others today.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Cleanliness is more than ritualistic cleanliness.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God continues to give instructions on how to give sacrifices. Sin sacrifices were to be given even if you did not know that what you were doing was wrong. Anything that touched the sacrifice must be holy. The meat could be eaten until the third day. If anyone ate of it on the third day they were excommunicated from the community.
These were the instructions for the different sacrifices given.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

A person could be unclean or guilty without knowing what they were doing.

God made these laws because he wanted to set all things right on the earth. Because of this, transgressions of the Law were taken seriously. Even if a person did not know that what they were doing was wrong they were guilty. However, they were only required to sacrifice an offering to God and were not greatly punished. Ignorance of how what you do sets things wrong does not absolve your guilt.

God requires holiness in rituals.

Everything used in sacrificing needed to be holy. If something was not holy then the sacrifice was not helpful to the person. Holiness means set apart for God. Our sacrifice (our lives) must be holy to God to be acceptable.

Anyone who ate meat on the third day was cut off from their community.

This doesn't sound as bad to us. We can go from town to town, city to city, congregation to congregation and no one will ask if we were cut off from our previous group. However, being excommunicated from Israel meant that person's entire social structure, their protection from people who would do them harm, and help when in need was gone. This was a disastrous situation that anyone would want to avoid. Why would God do this? Anyone who is not fully committed to God setting all things right on the earth should not be part of his Chosen People. The Elect are people dedicated to God. Those who are not dedicated to God can be bad influences and can turn others away from their dedication. This is why God cuts people off for what we would consider small sins.

February 13 - Leviticus 1-4: On Sacrifices (part 1)

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 1-4

The Message

English Standard Version

Today we start Leviticus, the book of laws given at Mount Sinai. Leviticus contains very few "stories," so prepare for many days of shorter posts.

If you are behind in your reading, parts of Leviticus are scan-able. Do not think that Leviticus is unworthy of reading! There are great truths in this book that I will try to point out here in the blog.

Onward!

Thought to Guide Your Reading

All offerings were to be without defect, meaning they had to be the best of the flock.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God spoke to Moses and gave him instructions on how different types of offerings were to be given: whole-animal burnt offerings (both mammals and birds) and grain offerings. Then God used that foundation to discuss two offerings: peace offerings and sin offerings (for the common people, priests, and leaders of the people).

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

A note on sacrifice.

Repeated from February 8
Before we look aslant at this "violent" culture that killed animals for their "bloodthirsty" God, we must remember that the ability to eat meat without killing it yourself is a dramatically new phenomenon. No matter what type of humane way it came to you, at one point the animal died and was processed, most likely by a human. Because we have removed ourselves from this process does not make it barbaric to kill an animal.

Religious rituals are important to God.

This is an entire book dedicated to being holy before God. It presents different offerings that the people were to follow detailed rules. It is chic today to get away from rituals and focus on free-form worship/service/etc. Much of this comes from the overemphasis of rituals. What we must understand is that God cares deeply for how His People worship Him. God presents specific rules for sacrifices because when His people to worship Him in His way God can set things right through His People. It may not seem logical, but by faith we trust that this is happening.

Animal sacrifices were to be "without defect."

The Israelites were not able to use sacrifices as ways to get rid of their defective stock. If an animal was born with a defective leg, it could not be sacrificed. A farmer could not forget God, take his herd to market, and bring whatever was left as his sacrifice. God will not settle for our thoughtless, last-minute sacrifices. He requires that we give up something valuable to us when giving to Him.

Sin sacrifices were for prevention of sin not punishment for sin.

God requires an entire bull to be sacrificed when a person sinned. This bull could have fed an entire family for days, used for warmth, and/or sold to buy other goods. But instead because they went against God's way they were forced to give up that meat, warmth, and money. They would have to watch as this defenseless animal was slaughtered because they did not set things right. God wanted this scene to serve as a deterrent for sin. God's punishment for sin is meant to prevent us from going against Him not give us our just desserts.