Day 8 – Leviticus 1 – 14:13
Overview:
Leviticus is the 3rd book of the bible. It carries on the account from the end of Exodus at Mount Sinai where the Tabernacle has just been constructed. The name Leviticus comes from the word “Levi”. We know that the Levites were called by God to be the priests and this book pertains mostly to the law of the priests. God instructs the Isrealites how to present offerings and worship Him. Todays reading begins with offerings & sacrifices including:
- Burnt Offerings for the forgiveness of sin and restoring the relationship between God and the individual making the offering.
- Grain Offerings as a gift to God acknowledging Him as sovereign
- Fellowship/Peace Offerings as thanksgiving to God or a vow made to God.
- Sin Offering for the forgiveness of unknown sins of individuals or groups of people. (shedding of blood is required)
- Guild Offering for the forgiveness of unknown sins involving payment because of damages. (shedding of blood is required)
After this, God ordains Arron and his sons as the priests with very specific requirements. As they begin to worship & make sacrifices, two of Arron’s sons were struck down and killed by God because they did not follow God’s requirements for worship. Aaron and his two remaining sons were not permitted to mourn the loss of the two sons. the reading concludes with some interesting instructions for living dealing with disease and cleanliness.
Scripture – Leviticus 11:44-45
44 I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. 45 I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
Observation
God takes the time to organize his people and instruct them how He is to be worshiped. The type of offering or restitution would be determined by the sin committed. Many times the offerings involved unintentional or unknown sins. God also identifies physical diseases, hygiene guidelines and moral topics and creates rules for dealing with each of these circumstances. He does this because He is a Holy God who cannot be in the presence of sin. While God commands us to be Holy, we have this problem of sin that creates a barrier between us and Him. The old Testament laws God created help temporarily deal with the problem of sin. In order for us to have fellowship with God, we must first be cleansed of our sin.
Application
God cares about all aspects of our lives. Worshiping Him is not just something we do on Sundays. God cares about our rashes, how we treat others and how we respond to Him and his guidelines for life. He wants us to be Holy and pure just as He is. Because of our sinful nature, this isn’t possible without God. His ultimate solution for dealing with sin was the ultimate sacrifice of His only Son Jesus for our sins. He was the perfect lamb and can now sit as our High Priest (representative between God & man). See Hebrews 7:26-27
Prayer
Holy is your name heavenly Father. Thank you for your Son Jesus who paid the ultimate price to be the once and for all sacrifice. Thank you that because of your great love, we can have a relationship with you for eternity.
