We put God on trial every time we evaluate if He is good---what He has done that works for us or against us. God is not on trial; we are. God is the Judge. "Humble your soul." Lev 23:27. Offer the first-fruits of your life. Turn to God first thing when you have a problem. Come to Him first thing when you awake. Pray to Him first thing when you sit down to eat. C.S. Lewis wrote: "You can’t get second things by putting them first. You get second things only by putting first things first." Are we living by the first things? Look at the Sabbath of these people. They treat it as holy, do we? Look at our day, do we profane the moments by not living in them. Being present before a God Who Sees, and before what is really happening while my soul stirs. Humble your soul. Lev 23:27. Offer the first fruits of your life. Turn to God first thing when you have a problem. Come to Him first thing when you awake.
All these sacrifices shadow our privilege of having a relationship with God.
All these laws, these words spoken protect and provide and prepare the family of God.
The Israelites are stuck at the base of Mt. Sinai. What offering do they bring to God? Obedience. Sacrifice. What offering do we bring to God? Our very selves. I struggle through the words of the sin offerings but there is no struggle through the truth—-we need a Savior. We can sin with our Bibles wide open.
Lev 9:36 Offerings are no small things. If we love Him, the offerings of our life will pour out.
Perfect in Beauty is the Godf who pours out of the Israelites when they follow in their wilderness and are not distant from God. Gratitude and offerings to God are not boxes to be checked off. There’s something wrong inside of us if life doesn’t flow out.
This theme of offerings is all about Jesus being the only Way.
The core message of Leviticus is to make us holy to enter His Presence.
May we long for holiness more than longing to improve, change, reverse circumstances. Make us a holy people.
We are no longer under the Law. The Israelites were looking forward. We have equal standing with Peter. 2 Peter 1:3. Given all things that pertain to life and godliness. It is incomprehensible that we can partake of His Divine Nature.
Remembering a quote from John Wesley: “ Insead of giving thanks, one is tempted
Father, it is incomprehensible that we can partake of your Divine Nature. The Israelites looked forward and thought they'd give anything to be at that place. You are Here. Invade my day, this moment, with your Holy Presence.
God spoke to Moses & Aaron. He talked to them!
And He did to me today in the midst.
When you enter the land
I am giving you to possess, put this in your house . . .Leviticus 14:34
First Thought: get rid of it! God is the one engineering ordaining all things.
"Instead of Giving Thanks, one is tempted toward and nurtured in
accomplishments, achievements, and possessions.
It is a world in which no wonders are enacted, no transformations noticed."
John Wesley
Lev 16:34 and all the preparations were done out of love for God. Am I taking care of my business?
God is the One who makes us holy. Lev 19:1 21:8 When did it become OK to work harder to be holy?
We are not under this law like the Chief Priests in Jesus’ day believed. The ones who crucified him.
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