.png)
Articles
Daily Bible Reading
We are journeying with Israel from Egyptian bondage and currently they have taken up residence at Mount Sinai. The tabernacle has been erected and the glory of the Lord has filled the holiest of holy (Exodus 40:34-38). The Lord’s presence in the camp of Israel would require the Israelites to think more seriously about congregational and individual holiness. The book of Leviticus was revealed precisely to fulfill Israel’s current need. The book presented to Israel the manner by which they would become holy (through sacrifices and offerings) and how they would maintain their holiness (obedience to the Lord’s sundry laws and commands). The course of our reading this past week began at the second half of Leviticus. Israel is being taught all of the commands dealing with clean/unclean in the camp.
- Day Forty One - Leviticus 13-15; Psalm 111
- “Unclean, unclean!” - The cry of the leper to all who may be passing by him would have been a frightening sound/experience. The individual would have stopped walking toward the leper and more than likely would have turned around and left the area immediately. The life of a leper would have been depressing and solitary. The leper was not allowed to enjoy the festivities of daily life in the city or nation, but rather he lived on the outskirts of town. It was there he cried and begged for meager means to purchase his daily sustenance. This livelihood would have been demeaning, but it was the only clear way of life to the one who had been declared “unclean” by the priest. The Lord who dwelt in the midst of His people could not cohabitate with the unclean. The leper would have faced long and difficult days, but by the Lord’s will he may have recovered from the leprosy. The reality is that the scars of leprosy would not have been so easily forgotten – physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. There is not a lot of hope contained in these few chapters regarding the uncleanliness of leprosy or a discharge from the body. The hope for a remedy would not come until much later, when the Lord sent His Son, Jesus, to be our Savior and Healer. Jesus did not withhold Himself from the lepers, but rather He reached out and touched the one who called for healing (Mark 1:40-42). The woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured must at the hands of many physicians, was not forgotten in the eyes of the Lord. When she courageously reached out and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, she was was healed immediately (Mark 5:25-29). Jesus did not scold the woman for touching Him, but rather commended her faith and ensured her that she was healed. Where Israel found little hope in our reading, Israel and the whole world finds tremendous hope in the life and ministry of Jesus!
- Day Forty Two - Leviticus 16-18; Psalm 31
- “For the life of the flesh is in the blood…” - The Lord revealed the commandments regarding to the Day of Atonement to Aaron and his sons. The sins of Israel were never to be forgotten or ignored, but rather on the 10th day of the 7th month every year, Israel was reminded of the great cost/price of their sin. The sacrifices of that day were first to be made on behalf of the high priest and his sons, and then secondly on behalf of the entire nation. The forgiveness of sins is impossible without the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). This concept is further emphasized in the 17th chapter of Leviticus. The Lord required that all sacrifices were to be made at the doorway of the tent of meeting. Blood was never to be consumed by an Israelite or strangers who sojourned among the nation. Those who consumed blood were commanded to be “cut off” from the people. This prohibition is not only contained in the Law of Moses, but rather it is found in each of the dispensations of the Bible. In the days of Noah, the consumption of blood was prohibited in the allowance of eating meats (Genesis 9:4). This same prohibition is given to the nation of Israel in Leviticus 17. Finally, when the congregations of Antioch and Jerusalem are assembled to discuss circumcision - the apostles and elders wrote a letter to all Gentile Christians to abstain from things sacrifice to idols, from blood, from things strangled and from fornication (Acts 15:29). The final chapter of today’s reading dealt with sexual immorality. The sins of the nations residing in Canaan and Egypt were not going to be tolerated by God, but rather the Lord used Israel to judge these nations according to their debauchery and sexual perversions. We must be vigilant in our own lives not to repeat the sinful acts of the surrounding nations, but rather maintain the faithfulness to God. When we reject the design of marriage and its boundaries regarding sexual fulfillment - we do not only hurt ourselves and sin against our God, but we also hurt our either current or future husband/wife. May God bless us with pure and clean hearts that are obedient to His will, desire, and design of marriage.
Share Online
