Posts with the tag “week-8”

Leviticus 25:24-26:46.  “Blessed by God” “…anyone who believes in Jesus Christ will never be disappointed” (2 Peter 2:6).In chapter 26 God promises a long list of blessings if the Israelites obey Him.  Their harvests will be plentiful, they will live securely, He will live among them, and on and on.However, He also says that they will receive a long list of punishments if they disobey Him.  Their ...  Read More

Leviticus 23-25:23.  “Refocus” Israel was instructed to remember seven specific holidays each year.  Some festivals lasted one week and others just one day.  But each holiday represented something important: Passover reminded them of God’s deliverance from Egypt, Unleavened Bread reminded them of their new way of life, Firstfruits reminded them of God’s provision, and so forth down the list.Apart ...  Read More

Leviticus 20-22.  “Calling Sin ‘Sin’” Homosexuality.  Bestiality.  Adultery.  Incest.  These are terms that when mentioned can bring a look of disgust or shock upon our face.  Are we allowed to talk of such things?  Are we allowed to say such things are wrong, violently wrong?We are being inundated from our culture with the idea that we should not stand and loudly label certain things as sin.  We ...  Read More

Leviticus 17-19.  “Be Holy Because Your Lord Is” The thought of exactly how to be holy has suffered from many false concepts.  In some circles, holiness is equated with a long list of “don’ts.”  For others, holiness means a particular style of dress or mannerisms.  And for still others, it may mean an unattainable perfection.A word study reveals that to be holy is to be morally blameless.  It is t...  Read More

Leviticus 14:33-16:34.  “Covering is Not a Cure” Once each year the Israelites would confess their sins, and the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle (and temple later) to make atonement for them as a nation.  This was called the Day of Atonement, and it was obviously, one of the most important days of the year.  The ceremony had very specific rules that the high priest wa...  Read More

Leviticus 12-14:32.  “Vitamin Be One” This section covers some things that are kind of unpleasant just to read about.  But, amazingly, it all goes back to the theme of Leviticus—holiness.  I have read historical accounts of the physical health of the Israelites compared to other nations of their time and area.  The Israelites were far healthier.  Their birthrate was higher.  The longevity and heal...  Read More

We are in the heart of Leviticus this week and holiness is the topic.  Now, I've got a confession to make, and perhaps you can relate to what I'm going to tell you.  The first few times I took on reading through the Bible, when I would get to the book of Leviticus I would accomplish some of the fastest speed reading you could ever imagine.  As you go through the book you read about rules for cleansing, rules for food, rules for priests, and so on.  Regardless of my initial reaction, there is a theme that runs through the book that is perhaps more essential and impactful to my everyday life than maybe the themes in many of the other books.          The theme is holiness.  Prayerfully, as you read this book you will see something that relates very directly to yourself, and that is that God desires that His people are holy and pursuing holiness.  “For I am the LORD your God.  You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy… For I, the LORD, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God.  Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy.” (Lev. 11:44-45).  Read More

We are in the heart of Leviticus this week and holiness is the topic.  Now, I've got a confession to make, and perhaps you can relate to what I'm going to tell you.  The first few times I took on reading through the Bible, when I would get to the book of Leviticus I would accomplish some of the fastest speed reading you could ever imagine.  As you go through the book you read about rules for clean...  Read More