Psalm 7-8

You might have felt like you were slogging through parts of Leviticus.  Maybe it is time for some beautiful songs of worship.

Psalm 7 sings of the God who is supremely just.  The wicked (the one who is "pregnant with evil") will get what he/she deserves.  The righteous seek their refuge in Yahweh!

Psalm 8 is fantastic.  I had my kids memorize it when they were little squirts.  I can still hear them reciting these words - complete with little hand gestures.  How MAGNIFICENT is the Lord's name throughout the earth!

Enjoy it here.

Leviticus 27

Everybody was involved in contributing to the sanctuary.  The poorest among the people gave accordingly - but they gave.  The wealthier gave proportionately more.  EVERYTHING comes from God's hand, thus it was expected that all His people should freely give back.

Tomorrow, back to the Psalms!

Read it here.

Leviticus 25-26

The Israelites were farmers - they lived off the land.  It was nearly a daily dependence.  Taking one day of the week off (Sabbath) was a bit scary for them.  So it must have been shocking to them when God told them to celebrate a Jubilee every 50th year during which (for a whole year) they would simply "eat what grows by itself."  No sowing and no tending the vines.  Just eat whatever happens to grow.

Why?  You'll read about it today.  Fascinating!

Read it here.

Leviticus 23-24

One of the things you might miss as you read the summary of the feasts is that these were opportunities for families and communities to celebrate the grace of God together.  God called His people to these feasts to honor and worship Him ... in community.  There were meals and reunions and celebrations.  The feasts were rallying points, reminding people of what they held in common - they were the people of Yahweh!

The following chapter shows the darker side of being in community together.  When one person sins boldly, it impacts the whole group, and the whole group must respond.

This "corporate" side of being God's people can often be missed in our hyper-individualistic culture that puts far too little value on community.  How is the church to retain the value of community and connectedness?  Its something to ponder.

Read it here.

Leviticus 21-22

First off, thanks to Alex and Charlie for guest-writing the blog that last couple of weeks.  I was in Greece on a study tour.  They wrote some great pieces ... bummer for you, the reader, that I'm back at the keyboard!


The last part of today's reading sums it up well ... “You are to keep My commands and do them; I am Yahweh. You must not profane My holy name; I must be treated as holy among the Israelites. I am Yahweh who sets you apart, the One who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am Yahweh.”


In Christ we have bold access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:15-16).  This can cause us to take for granted the ease by which we approach God.  These chapters remind us of how "other than" God is.  His holiness is pronounced by the difficulty of the approach to Him.  


It is good to read these words and thank Jesus again and again that He made the way free and accessible to us. 


Read it here.

Levitucs 19-20

Chapter 19 deals with a wide array of laws concerning people's holiness. Notice how the chapter begins with the overarching statement, "Be holy because I, Yahweh your God, am holy." Note also the refrain repeated after each set of commands, "I am Yahweh, your God."

The commands in this chapter deal with everything from relationships between neighbors and family members, how to treat foreigners, sexual relationships, fairness in business dealings, and avoiding the religious practices of nations around them.

In chapter 20, the seriousness of adopting pagan worship practices is underscored by the penalty of death. These practices included consulting spiritists and mediums visiting temple prostitutes. Especially detestable to God was the worship of Molech, in which live infants were place into the white-hot arms of an idol and burned to death as a sacrifice. Even those who tolerated such practices were also to be put to death. Various types of immoral sexual relationships were also punishable by death.

Note how this chapter ends the same way chapter 19 started: a reminder that God was setting them apart as His special people, and so they were to be holy as He is holy. If they did not set themselves apart, the same judgement that came on the pagan peoples around them would be visited on them.

In the age of grace, all these strict requirements and death penalties may seem harsh to us. But we have to remember that our God is a jealous God, and he will simply not share the worship of his people with anyone or anything. He also expected His people to represent Him. Those who failed to recognize this were removed from among His people, which was necessary to preserve the rest of His people as holy and set apart for Him. While we are now under a new and better covenant, the principle of holiness remains. Peter said it this way:

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pet 2.9).

If we forget our purpose of proclaiming Him and representing Him to a lost world, God will do whatever it takes to keep for himself a people that will. Remember the stern warnings Jesus delivered to the churches of Revelation 2-3? If they did not heed His call, he would "remove their lampstand" or otherwise deal with those who were destroying the purity and purpose of his people.

You can read Leviticus 19-20 here.

Leviticus 17-18

The first part of chapter 17 is focused on the proper place of worship. The people were to only offer sacrifices at the tabernacle. It appears the people were allowed to sacrifice their animal in the field, but they were always to bring it to tabernacle in order to offer it to God. This was intended to serve as a safeguard against worshipping other gods, as the reference to their "prostitution" with "goat-demons" in verse 7 indicates. Again, we see that God's purpose was for them to be set-apart for Him, not chasing after all the other gods that were worshiped by the people around them.

Under the New Covenant, we are no longer bound worship in a certain place or at a certain time, but the principle of worshipping God alone remains. Most of us won't be tripped up by making sacrifices to goat demons, but what about the other things that clamor for control of our hearts?

The instructions the last part of chapter 17 provide insight into why animal sacrifice was such an important part of how the people were to worship God. Blood, which represented the life of an animal, was offered to God to make atonement for the people's sins. As such, the blood was holy, or set apart for God in order to purify the people. The author of Hebrews states it this way, "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." But, he goes on to explain that while blood was used in this way to purify "the copies of the heavenly things", it was only a picture of that which provides real and lasting cleansing from sin, the blood of Jesus. (Heb 9:22-28).

Chapter 18 provides instructions for sexual purity, focusing on inappropriate sexual relationships between near relatives. It's clear from the text that the pagan nations around God's people practiced such things, and this was part of the reason that God was driving them out of the land. Note especially the graphic terms God uses in verses 24-29 of this chapter. Because of the pagan's gross immorality, the land was going to "vomit" them out. Likewise, the same would happen to the Israelites if they also succumbed to these sins. In fact, later they did, and God held true to his promise and removed them from the land.

The principle that emerges from this passage is clear: God's people must be holy in their sexual relationships. If they are not, there will be consequences. We live in a time and place that is enamored with and even celebrates immorality. In Christ, all of our sin has been dealt with, but instead of using this as license to indulge whatever sexual desires we have, this reality should motivate us to live a life of uncompromising sexual purity.

You can read Leviticus 17-18 here.

Leviticus 14-15

OK, so if you're a little squeamish, the last two chapters were probably a bit rough for you. The bad news is that in chapter 15 it gets worse; but the good news is that if you can make it through this chapter, the worst is over!

Chapter 15 provides instructions to the Israelites for their personal cleanliness. These regulations covered various bodily discharges, emissions of semen, and menstrual flows – natural and otherwise. Not exactly pleasant stuff to think about, but remember that these also were part of God's design of the human body and sexuality. In each case, God provides instructions to minimize the spread of disease and for cleansing their impurities. By following these laws, God’s people were to be set apart, or made holy, from the pagan nations around them.

In chapter 16, we reach what is perhaps the pinnacle of God's instructions concerning the holiness of his people - the Day of Atonement. This was perhaps the most important of all the holy days prescribed by the Law. On this day, and only this day, the high priest, and only the high priest, could go into the most holy place of the tabernacle, and only in the exact manner which God prescribed. To deviate from these instructions in the slightest would mean certain death. Remember what happened to Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, when they offered "unauthorized fire" before the Lord in Leviticus 10? The message here, both then and now, is that we can approach God only on his terms, not ours.

Everything about this day was holy. On this day, the high priest would make offerings, first for himself and his household, and then for the whole nation. To appreciate the significance of everything described in this chapter, you should read Hebrews 7-10. The author of Hebrews tells us that the tabernacle itself, the day of atonement, the high priest, the sacrifices – they all served as “a copy and shadow of the heavenly things” (Heb 8:5). Ultimately, they pointed toward Jesus, who is the guarantor of a better covenant – the New Covenant – that we now enjoy (Heb 7:22). How should we respond to all this? The author of Hebrews sums it up as follows:

“19 Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), 21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, 25not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Heb 10:19-25)

You can read Leviticus 15-16 here.

Leviticus 13-14

The first part of chapter 13 provides instructions for diagnosing infectious skin diseases from non-infections skin diseases, rashes, and other minor blemishes. Since there were no medical treatments for these diseases, the most effective approach was isolation. Quarantine provided an opportunity for the person to get better (or not), but either way it was effective in preventing the spread of the infection to others. Those that remained unclean had to live separately from the rest of the community. A terrible fate to be sure, but one that was necessary to provide for the greater good of the people.

The last part of chapter 13 addresses what to do with fabrics, the warp and woof (that is, the threads or yarn used for weaving), and other items contaminated with mildew or a fungus. Like people so infected, such articles were to be washed and reexamined periodically. If the mildew or fungus subsided, they were acceptable for use again. If not, they were to be burned. Like the dietary laws and the laws concerning skin diseases, these commands served to protect the people from sickness, while at the same time minimizing the loss of useful goods.

In chapter 14 we find instructions for the ceremonial cleansing of people from their skin diseases and of their houses from mildew. In both cases, when the person or house was determined by the priest to be clean, sacrifices and offerings were prepared and presented to the Lord. Sickness is often symbolic of sin in the Scriptures, so it is no surprise that the offerings associated with a person being made physically clean were similar to those being made spiritually clean.

Understanding these regulations gives us a greater appreciation for Jesus’ healing of those with serious skin diseases, such as in Mark 1:40. In this episode, a man falls at Jesus’ feet and begs, “If you are willing, you can make me clean”. Instead of turning away in fear or disgust, Jesus does the unthinkable, he reaches out and touches the man and says, “I am willing. Be made clean.” He then tells the man to go and show himself to the priest and make the offerings prescribed by Moses, the same ones we see in these chapters of Leviticus. Here we see a picture of Jesus as our great high priest and the healer of our souls. We need to come to him regularly, saying, “If you are willing, you can make me clean”. We already know what his answer will be.

You can read Leviticus 13-14 here.

Leviticus 11-12

Charlie Purcell here, guest blogger no. 2 for Jeff Dodge while he is away.

It's never easy to follow Alex Tuckness in anything, and the subject matter of the following chapters in Leviticus won't make it any easier. I should have read those first before agreeing to this gig! Can you say, look before you leap? But, if you have stuck it out this long in your Bible reading plan, I'm hopeful my blogs posts on won't deter you either. Now that expectations have been properly set, here we go:

Chapter 11 provides instructions for the Israelites to distinguish between the clean and unclean animals, and what to do if they have contact with an unclean animal. The instructions may seem long and tedious, but remember that God's purpose is for his people to be holy, or set apart. They were not to eat just anything like the other peoples around them. Besides being distinct from the nations around them, these regulations were also designed to keep them healthy. For example, fish with fins and scales are free swimmers and tend not to have as many parasites, unlike crustaceans and bottom dwelling fish.

Chapter 12 provides instructions for how long women were to be considered unclean after childbirth and the offerings that were to be used in their purification. At first glance, these regulations may appear to be negative towards women. But, when you consider that while a woman was unclean, she could not prepare any food, touch any household items, and was limited in where she could go, we see that this period of purification was actually a great blessing. During these months, others would have to cook and take care of the household while the new mother recovered physically and enjoyed some uninterrupted time with their newborn son or daughter. This provides for good emotional and physical health for both mother and child.

Read Leviticus 11-12 here.

Levitucus 9-10

The offerings offered have taught us many things: that even unintentional sin is serious, that there can be fellowship even among sinners, that wrongdoing requires restitution, and that we also require a priest. Now we see people putting this into practice. They set for the offerings and offer the sacrifices for the priests. Then two surprising things happen. The first is amazing. At the end of chapter 9, the Glory of God appears and God sends down fire to consume the burn offering. This is what it has all been about: God with them. But then two of Aaron's sons decide to present their own fire in a way other than what God had commanded and are immediately struck down. God is determined for the priests to realize how serious a thing it is to step into the presence of a Holy God and ultimately for us to rejoice in the one person, Jesus, who could stand before God as priest in perfect righteousness. When we come to God, we come in his righteousness, not our own. To read, click here.

Leviticus 7-8

Amidst all the details of how the different sacrifices are to be done, we need to remember the larger purpose. God has entered into a covenant relationship with them: He will be with them as their God and they will be His people. Sin puts separation between us and God and the sacrifices are to provide a way (ultimately through Jesus) for God to be with His people. So to in Chapter 8 with the discussion of the ordination of the priests. The priest serves as intermediary between the people and God. As you see the priest with blood on his ear, toes, and thumb it points forward to Jesus who will enter the heavenly tabernacle by his own blood to serve as our great high priest. Compare these chapters with Hebrews 9-10. For Leviticus 7-8, click here.

Leviticus 5-6

There seems to be some overlap between the sin offering and the restitution offering (sometimes called a guilt offering). Cases where someone fails to follow the rules regarding the "holy things," things set apart such as food for the priests or the articles of the tabernacle, are particularly serious offenses and call for a restitution offering, but the offering also includes cases where a person wrongs his neighbor. Notice that when this happen he doesn't just confess sin, he is supposed to make restitution (6:4-5), hence the name restitution offering. Sin demands repayment, and in this offering we see a foreshadowing of Jesus' making restitution, making a payment for, when we were bankrupt and unable to do so. To read click here.

Leviticus 3-4

In chapter 3 we learn about the fellowship offering, sometimes called the peace offering. This offering is unique in that the person bringing it (generally along with his household) eats part of the meal along with the priest. It is a kind of communion meal, reaffirming the fellowship between God and his people and it points forward to the communion meals we now share in which Jesus Christ is the high priest. In chapter 4 we learn about the offerings for unintentional sins. This may strike us as strange. Why do we need to offer a sacrifice if the sin was not intentional? I think the reason is that God had presented them with his law and expected them to know what it said and to follow it and sinning without meaning too is often a result of carelessness on our part. It may also be a way of indicating that God does not lower his standards. It should make us identify with Psalm 19 which says "forgive my hidden faults" as well as my intentional sins. Praise God that in Christ all these things are forgiven! Read it here.

Leviticus 1-2

So this is Alex Tuckness guest blogging for Jeff this week. Charlie Purcell will be in next week and Jeff will return after that. Is it a coincidence that Jeff handed this off just as we start the book of Leviticus? This is the book where many a bible reading plan has come to a halt. There is a lot in here describing the details of sacrifices that we don't do any more which can make it seem repetitive and not very applicable to our lives. But all of God's word is profitable for us, and if we will dig a little deeper we will find in Leviticus some of the biggest arrows in the Old Testament pointing forward to Jesus Christ.

In chapters 1-2 we learn about the burnt offering and the grain offering. One thing that will help in Leviticus is if you try to actually visualize it instead of just reading it. You will imagine people bringing something that was costly to them- for someone wealthy it might be a bull, for someone poor a bird. But instead of keeping it for themselves they give it to God. God is to be given things that are unblemished, the best that we have, for this is what is pleasing to him. It points forward to the day when Jesus will give himself, the very best, to God for us. Read here.

Micah 5-7

Wow...don't miss the epic verses (6:6-8).  God is not unclear about what He's looking for from His people.  Just three things.  And if followed these three, it would radically change our lives!  And when we neglect them, it is to our own peril.

Make sure you get to the end.  The HOPE found in the last three verses is fantastic!

Read it here.

Micah 3-4

In Micah's day there were lots of preachers telling people, "Isn't the Lord among us?  No disaster will overtake us!" (3:11).  It's sick.  Telling people lies.  Feeding them only what they want to hear - not what is true.

Good thing we don't have any preachers like that around any more.  Oh, wait...

But God loves them still and promises deliverance.  Does He ever give up on His people?

Read it here.

Micah 1-2

Let's jump into a book we might rarely turn to: the prophet Micah (way toward the back of your OT).  The people in Micah's day were in a bad way.  They were sinning and rebellious and very lethargic in their faith toward God.  Yet when God tried to awaken them from their sin, they sniffed, "Quit your preaching!"  Yet God still loved them and promised them a Shepherd and King that would come for them (end of ch. 2).  Yep, another arrow pointing us to Jesus!

Read it here.

Exodus 38-40

The work the Israelites had in chapter one was rigorous slavery.  Now they give themselves to work - because it is for the Lord who has saved them!  And the reward of their work of preparing a place for God to meet with them was the awesome scene of God coming down in the Cloud of Glory to dwell among His people (Ex. 40:34-38).

He would guide and protect them every step of their journey.  GOD WITH US ... sound familiar?

Read it here.

Exodus 35-37

The people began to bring a freewill offering to the Lord in order to prepare the Tabernacle.  In fact, His people were so eager to give that they had to be ordered to stop giving (36:4-7).  Huh?!?  What a cool story of grateful generosity!

Read it here.

Exodus 33-34

"The Lord spoke with Moses face to face, just as a man speaks with his friend" (33:11).  What would that be like?  We will find out - John 15:13!  


Moses was able to see God - and we will, too (Rev. 22:4).  Because of Jesus we have the same privileged status as MOSES.  Wow - what grace!


And when you read about Moses' face glowing and the veil he put over it ... think about 2 Cor. 3:18

We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same imagefrom glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Read it here.

Exodus 31-32

The infamous Golden Calf.  God hands them stone tablets with the 10 Commandments written on them, written by the finger of God (31:18)!!!  But what does Moses find when he brings the Law to the people? They are bowing to a god of their own making and saying that this calf brought them out of Egypt.

People like making religions for themselves.  They prefer gods who let them do whatever they want.  This "god" let them get drunk and commit sexual sin ... and call it "worship."

Ever commit sin and justify it in the name of God or religion?  Don't ever fall into the trap of fashioning God after your image ... its a dangerous game and one we won't win!

Read it here.