God talks about sex and all it’s perverted variations in these chapters of Leviticus.  He tells His people that they are not to have sexual relations like the nation of Egypt where they were enslaved.  God’s people are to live differently from the world.  God’s laws about sexual conduct are designed to bring about a holy people who have children who will be blessed by God with His presence and power through a relationship with Him.

Honor is important in sexual relations.  Incest dishonors your father or mother and you if you initiate it.  God also states that it is wickedness.  (Leviticus 18:17)  Sex with another man’s wife (adultery) defiles you! (Leviticus 18:20) Sex with the same sex, homosexuality or lesbianism, is “detestable” to God.  (Leviticus 18:22) Sex with an animal (bestiality) is perverted! (Leviticus 18:23)

When you commit any of these sins, God says that you defile the land where you live.  God states that this defilement causes that land to “vomit” out people who do these sins!  (Leviticus 18:24-28)  In fact, this is why God has destroyed all of the great civilizations up to this point in history!  This makes me afraid for the land we live in today.  When will our land begin to “puke” out those who are committing sins of incest, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, and bestiality?   We may appear to get by but the consequences of sin always find us out. (Numbers 32:23)

God’s people are to be markedly different!  They are to be holy because God is holy. (Leviticus 19:2)  This holiness is to be walked out in love and respect for God’s laws and in our conduct towards others. Jesus said that if we love him, we will keep his commandments!  (John 15:10) The other laws of Leviticus 19-20 give details about our conduct that could be summarized as “love your neighbor as yourself”. (Leviticus 19:34)  The two great commandments taught by Jesus are: “Love God with all your heart, soul, mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself!” (Matthew 22:37-39)   We find their basis here in the book of Leviticus among the laws for sexual purity for the nation of Israel!

Please pray for our nation!  If God judged Sodom and Gomorrah, He will surely judge us!  The earth may be ready to vomit! “And if you defile the land,(with these sexual sins) it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you.” Leviticus 18:28

Man is always looking for someone to blame for sin. It was the “woman you gave me” for Adam.  Eve became his “scapegoat”!  It was the “serpent” for Eve that became her “scapegoat”.  God Himself was blamed by both of them as the ultimate problem.  Amazingly, God had already planned to provide a “scapegoat”!

God loves man and worked out a picture of salvation from sin which is recorded in these chapters of Leviticus.  God set apart one day a year when the High Priest could go behind the curtain of the Holy of Holies in the Tent of Meeting.  That day was called the Day of Atonement.  The term “atonement” simply means a “covering”. On this day, the Israelites could have a yearly “covering” for their sins as the blood was sprinkled on the atonement cover of the Ark of the Covenant.

First, a bull was killed and the blood sprinkled for the High Priest as a sacrifice for his sins.  Then two goats were brought before the Tent and lots were cast.  One of the goats was sacrificed and the blood sprinkled by the High Priest behind the curtain for the sins of the people.  Everyone waited outside to see if God would accept the sacrifice for sins committed.  They were thankful when the High Priest came out alive, his work on their behalf accomplished for another year. (Leviticus 16:6-19)

The second goat was then brought forward.  The High priest laid his hands on it and confessed the sins and rebellion of the Israelites.  This goat was then led out away from the camp into the wilderness to a solitary place and left there.  As the Israelites watched the goat bearing their sins disappear in the distance, they were reminded of the sacrifice necessary to bring a covering for their sins.  God provided a “scapegoat” who would take the blame for them! (Leviticus 16:20-28)

Jesus Christ came as God’s designated “scapegoat”!  He offered Himself on the cross to make “atonement” for our sins.  He shed His own blood to pay the penalty for our sins, once for all time!  (Hebrews 9:11-14) He bore our sins and carried them away into a place of God’s forgetfulness, never to be remembered again!  (Hebrews 10:17)   All we can do is say “amen” to God’s work on our behalf! What a loving and giving Lord!

I remember a missionary from Africa once bringing chocolate coated grasshoppers to a service and offering them to whoever was brave enough to eat them.  I tried one!  It was nice and crunchy and the chocolate took away most of the taste!  Without the chocolate, I am sure it was low in fat and sugar!   In our reading today,  grasshoppers are on the list of “clean” animals that were allowed as food.  (Leviticus 11:21-22)

Why all the rules about “clean” and “unclean” animals?  In fact, the word “unclean” is used over 1oo times in today’s reading.  God is holy and wants His people to be holy too. (Leviticus 11:44-45)  What we eat affects our health and our ability to glorify God with our body.  God knows which animals could carry disease and cause sickness.  If you look at the list, some are obvious.  Eating vultures, owls, osprey’s, bats, or hawks would be dangerous because they feed on carrion–dead animals. (Leviticus 11:13-19) God’s people were also not to eat any animal with the blood in it.

In this same passage, we are not to eat the pig, either.  (Leviticus 11:7-8)  This prohibition is because the pig was also a scavenger, eating anything available.  God did not want His people to be defiled or made sick by the meat.  It might have worms or bring infection.

However, Jesus declared all foods clean.  (Acts 10:10-16) In a vision, Peter saw a sheet with all kinds of “unclean” animals on it.  God told Peter to eat!   When he protested, God told him a second time not to call anything impure that He had made clean.  The Apostle Paul also taught this truth in 1 Timothy 4:4-5, declaring all food was to be eaten with thanksgiving and prayer.

We need to use wisdom in this matter, though.  We must do all that we do out of faith.  If the Lord shows you that for you a certain food is not to be eaten, don’t eat it!  Anything not done out of faith is sin. (Romans 14:23)  We must also be mindful not to cause anyone else to stumble.

In conclusion, when you set down to a meal of grasshoppers, be sure to pray!  God’s blessing and sanctification are a life and death matter!  And be sure to eat with thanksgiving and in faith!  If you can’t do that, grasshoppers might not be a healthy choice for you!  Amen!

Come prepared today for missions emphasis and Holy Communion as we begin a new month of following Jesus!

In His Love, Pastor John

Preacher’s kids are sometimes a mess! (Not mine of course!)  In today’s reading the sons of Aaron and nephews of Moses committed a “deadly” sin!  They had experienced the miraculous deliverance of the plagues and seen God act in power at the Red Sea when the Egyptian army was drowned.  They had witnessed the miraculous events of the journey, eaten the “manna” and heard God’s voice on the mountain.  They were dressed, instructed, and anointed for ministry along with their father and other brothers.  They were sprinkled with the blood of sacrifice.  (Leviticus 8)  But sometimes, those in ministry or close to it, become complacent.  Worse yet, they behaved disrespectfully towards God in front of others who were looking to them for spiritual leadership!

Nadab and Abihu had witnessed Moses and Aaron going into the Tent of Meeting and the visible Glory of the Lord appearing to the people. (Leviticus 9:23-24.)  Fire came from the Lord and consumed the sacrifice.  All the people shouted for joy and fell face down.  Evidently, Nadab and Abihu were fascinated with the Tent of Meeting.  They decided to go in there themselves and experience God.  They took “strange” fire with them and God took their lives right on the spot.

It appears that these boys might have been drunk.  In Leviticus 10:8-11, Aaron warns his other sons not to drink wine or any other fermented drink when they went into the Tent of Meeting!  Paul the Apostle also gives the same warning to believers: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, instead be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18) God is not mocked and holds those with more responsibility accountable for their conduct!  We must be wise and respectful in our handling of the “holy things” or when approaching God in worship!  We can bring judgment on ourselves! (1st Corinthians 11:27-34) In Corinth, some were sick and others died because of improper conduct during the Lord’s supper!

Alcohol is not for those in the church!   Alcohol has caused many to stumble and has destroyed many families and believer’s testimonies.  We have the Holy Spirit and He lives in us!  Please meditate on these Scriptures today and allow the Lord to lead you in your conduct and worship!  Confess and repent quickly!  God doesn’t want you to die! (2nd Peter 3:9)

God hates sin and cannot tolerate sin in His presence.  Satan, one of his closest angels, was cast from heaven because of the sin of pride.  God wanted His people to understand and know His holiness as He lived in their midst after their deliverance from Egypt.

God’s people were given the law of God in the Ten Commandments.  These chapters of Leviticus included specific sacrifices to be offered by individuals or the whole community who had broken these laws through a lack of understanding or neglect.  God’s people were held to a higher standard because of the presence of God in their midst.  To whom much was given, much would be required.  When a person defiantly broke a law of God, no sacrifice was left for him.  This will be dealt with later in another post.

God has made his basic laws known to all men through the conscience.  Every person has a conscience that alerts them when they are about to break a law of God.  (Romans 2:12-16)   The conscience can be seared by repeated sin so that it does not let you know that you are doing wrong any more.   (1st Timothy 4:2)  We are to keep a “clear” conscience by walking in love towards others. (1st Peter 3:16)

God was instructing His children, the Israelites, by these prescribed sacrifices in these chapters of Leviticus.   Each time they offered an innocent animal for a sin of ignorance, they had a visual aid helping them to change their behavior and their consciences were strengthened!  (Leviticus 4:29)  Their godly sorrow brought them to confess their sin and offer the sacrifice of blood.  (Leviticus 5:5,6)  These prescribed sacrifices could only be offered for sins that were not intentional.

The Holy Spirit convicts us when we sin to prompt us to willingly confess and repent. (John 16:8)   “If we confess our sins, , he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1st John 1:9)  Our priest, Jesus Christ, has already made the blood sacrifice for us.  He offered his own blood as atonement (covering) for our sins and bore them on the Cross!  We can “intentionally” be made clean from our “unintentional sins”!  Praise the Lord!   God in His grace has provided everything we need for salvation and cleansing of guilt from sins done in ignorance.

Yuk!  Leviticus!  What can we possibly learn from all this sacrificing of animals?  Why all the blood and death?  Why the burning of offerings?  Why all the rules for priests and people about what and how they are to bring these sacrifices?  Isn’t all of this a bit bizarre?  How can we worship a God who would demand this from His people?

This might be your reaction to this book of Scripture.  But after careful reflection, it starts to add up:  sin causes death.  (Genesis 2:16-17)  Death spread to all men by Adam’s sin. (Romans 5:12-14)  God provided the first blood sacrifice for Adam and Eve after they sinned.  Their own idea was fig leaves, but God clothed them with bloody skins of animals.  (Genesis 3:21)  He was showing them the effects of sin each time they put their new “clothes” on.

Now in these laws in Leviticus, God was again visually helping His people to see how sin affected their lives.  The Law makes us aware of sin and the death that results. (Romans 3:19-20)  Sacrifices offered according to God’s instructions in Leviticus, allowed those coming to worship God to live and have their sins covered.  (Leviticus 1:9,17; 2:9)  God was pleased because those who obeyed were using their faith in His Word!

Today, thankfully, we enjoy the final sacrifice for sin that was made for us 2000 years ago.  Jesus Christ shed his precious blood on the cross of Calvary and declared: “It is finished!” (John 19:30)  When we approach this same Holy God, we can come boldly before His throne any time day or night for prayer, fellowship, or forgiveness. (Hebrews 4:14-16)  What a blessing to be free from the laws and sacrifices of Leviticus!  We now have a much better way made by God Himself!  Take time today to thank Him for providing the sacrifice and the High Priest we needed!

“But now He (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.  Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” Hebrews 9:26-28

I love to have fun!  When I am visiting someone in the hospital and find a room full of people, I sometimes say, ” When I see this many people, the first thing I think of is taking an offering!”  I’m sure this helps clear out the room–I’m usually left alone before long!  In our reading in Exodus today, Moses was responding to the Lord’s earlier instructions (Exodus 25:1-2).  The Lord told Moses to have the Israelites bring Him an offering.

Jesus taught that our giving was a prerequisite for determining God’s measure back to us.  “Give and it shall be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)  When we are stingy with our giving, we set limits on how much God can give back to us.  We open God’s hand when we open our hand and pocketbook.  These people in Exodus willingly gave a huge amount of gold, silver, bronze, oil and cloth.  They also freely gave of their time and talents to make what was needed for God’s house!  They gave so willingly and freely that Moses had to tell them to stop! (Exodus 36:6-7)

I would love to stand up on Sunday morning and beg the people to put away their offerings and not give that day!  However, when we understand that God our Father is a great giver and that He is blessed when we give Him an offering, why would I as your pastor want to hinder God’s blessing and measure back to you by telling you to hold back?  Giving is the one place in Scripture that God says you can test Him!  Malachi 3:8-12 instructs us to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, and God will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing you cannot contain.  May the Lord open the windows of heaven on you as you “bring him an offering”!

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound to every good work.” 2nd Corinthians 9:7-8

The nation of Israel quickly turned away from their commitment to obey God.  Moses was on the mountain in the cloud and fire for 40 days.  He was receiving the tablets with the 10 Words from the Lord.  The people came to Aaron and asked for gods who would lead them.  Aaron gave in and asked for gold earrings and ornaments.  The people gave and soon Aaron had fashioned an idol of a golden calf.   They bowed down to the calf-god  made by Aaron and had a lewd party around the idol.  God’s jealousy was aroused!

God spoke to Moses about the idolatry and told him to leave Him alone so He could destroy them.  (Exodus 32:8-10)  God’s verdict–“They are a stiff-necked people.” God is jealous!  (Exodus 34:14)  God had just written two commands that demanded that His people have no gods and make no idols.  (Exodus 20:3-6)

Moses smashed the tablets in holy anger indicating the breaking of God’s Word by the very people who had sworn to obey!  (Exodus 32:19; Exodus 24:3)   Moses, however, did pray and intercede, asking God to spare the people.  God listened but judgment still fell on those who sinned.

Moses called for those on the Lord’s side and the Levites stepped up.  They had to strap on swords and execute those who participated in the idolatry, even if it was their brother, friend or neighbor!   (Exodus 33:27-2)  Three thousand were executed that day.

The lessons for us today are plain.  This loving and compassionate God (Exodus 34:6-7) will not tolerate idolatry or sexual immorality. Lying goes with them, too. Note Aaron’s response about just throwing the gold into the fire and an idol coming out!  We are all born into idolatry and it is a work of the flesh.  (Galatians 6:19-20)  The sword of the Spirit brings conviction which can lead us to repent and forsake idolatry!  We must walk by the Spirit and allow His fruit to grow in our lives.

Let’s not be ’stiff-necked!’  Bow your neck today in reverence and prayer to the merciful and compassionate Lord who paid to free us from the sin of idolatry.   Jesus is interceding for us like Moses of old.  Instead of smashing the tablets, He kept them fully for us!  Through faith in His life and death, we have hope!

A priest’s job is to mediate between men and God.  Men who are dealing with God must be holy and proper.  If those assigned and prepared for this job were not obedient, death would result and did on occasion!  (Leviticus 10:1-6)  God gave great detail about the dress of men who would serve in His house!

The High priest was to wear a breastpiece with two stones, the urim and thummin, over his heart.  (Exodus 28:30) These stones were to enable Aaron to make godly decisions.  These stones’ names mean “lights” and “perfections”.  They have to do with the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden only in God.

The turban for Aaron’s head was made of fine linen.  It had a special gold plate with “Holy to the Lord” engraved on it.  Aaron was to wear that plate on the front of his turban whenever he ministered. (Exodus 28:36-39)

So it is that Jesus Christ is our High Priest forever living to make intercession for us!  (Hebrews 7:23-25)  He carries our names on his breastpiece like precious stones and we are over His heart!  In Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge! (Colossians 2:2-3) He stands as the only mediator between God and man, a mixture of earthly (He is a man) and heavenly (He is God). (1st Timothy 2:5-6) Jesus is dressed to meet with God on our behalf and He is better than Aaron or his line because he lives forever.  He is now seated because his work is finished for our redemption.  What a Savior!

Are you dressed to meet with God?  It is not so much a matter of clothes as it is of our heart.  Do we go in faith in His sacrifice?  Are we going humbly?  Are we seeking the proper attire of holiness?  Examine yourself today and get dressed to meet with God!

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16