250 Week, Leviticus Chapters 15-19 (Click on Title for Video Introduction)

 Click on title for Video Intro

Monday, Leviticus Chapter 15

Leviticus 15

Jane Jones

THOUGHT

This chapter dealt with the subject of sex. Even though it was hard for me to decipher, we are to have a clear picture that this chapter was not implying that sex was dirty or disgusting. God created sex for the enjoyment of married couples as well as for continuing the race and continuing the covenant.

Everything must be seen with a view toward God’s love and control. God is concerned about health, the dignity of the person, the dignity of the body, and the dignity of the sexual experience. His commands call the people to avoid unhealthy practices and promote healthy ones. To wash was the physical health response. This shows God’s high regard for sex and sexuality.

In our day, sex has been degraded by publicity; it has become public domain, not private celebration. We are called to have a high regard for sex, both in good health and purity.

PRAYER

We praise God for the gift of sexuality. When shared with love there is no better team. There is no closer feeling between two humans than the making of love, and we celebrate this present from the Lord. AMEN

Tuesday, Leviticus Chapter 16

Leviticus 16

Jane Jones

THOUGHT

This event with the two goats occurred on the Day of Atonement. The two goats represented the two ways God was dealing with the Israelites’ sin: (1) He was forgiving their sin through the first goat, which was sacrificed, and (2) He was removing their guilt through the second goat, the scapegoat that was sent into the desert. The same ritual had to be repeated every year. Jesus Christ’s death replaced this system once and for all. We can have our sins forgiven and guilt removed by placing our trust in Christ.

After reading this chapter, I was made even more aware of how all we have to do now because of the sacrifice of Jesus, is bow down at the feet of Jesus. Let us accept this gift of repentance.

PRAYER

Lord, we love You.  And because of that we choose to obey You. Teach us Your ways as You make Your home in our hearts.  Clean out our cupboards of selfishness, and wash away the negative thoughts from our closets. Change our wrong ways of thinking, about ourselves and others, so we can be a vessel of hope and light. Help us to know You better, to be a doer of the Word, not just a hearer, to live what we believe. AMEN

Wednesday, Leviticus Chapter 17

Leviticus 17

Jane Jones

THOUGHT

TJ and I went to Ash Wednesday Services this evening and received the ash cross on our forehead. Matt’s family was there, and Micah passed the peace to me. He said, “Peace, peace”.  I thought of this chapter tonight while I was in church. The chapter this evening speaks of how the eating of blood was forbidden.

So since this is Ash Wednesday, and the blood of Jesus was shed for our sins, we will learn why eating or drinking blood was prohibited. The prohibition against eating blood can be traced all the way back to Noah. God prohibited eating or drinking blood for several reasons. Here are the three reasons:

1) To discourage pagan practices. Israel was to be separate and distinct from the foreign nations around them. Eating blood was a common pagan practice. It was often done in hopes of gaining the characteristics of the slain animal (strength, speed, etc.) God’s people were to rely on him, not on ingested blood, for their strength.

2) To preserve the symbolism of the sacrifice.  Blood symbolized the life of the animal that was sacrificed in the sinner’s place. To drink it would change the symbolism of the sacrificial penalty and destroy the evidence of the sacrifice.

3) To protect the people from infection because many deadly diseases are transmitted through the blood. The Jews took this prohibition seriously, and that is why Jesus’ hearers were so upset when Jesus told them to drink His blood. However, Jesus, as God Himself and the last sacrifice ever needed for sins, was asking believers to identify with Him completely. He wants us to take His life into us, and He wants to participate in our lives as well.

PRAYER

This evening, Father, we thank You for the blood You shed on the cross for our sins. We acknowledge this huge sacrifice. As a symbol of this, we have communion and take the cup as a symbol of the blood that was spilled for our sin. May we never take for granted what You did for us on the cross. 

AMEN

Thursday, Leviticus Chapter 18

Leviticus 18 

Jane Jones

THOUGHT

The next 10 chapters in Leviticus are instructions on living a holy life. First came the sacrificial system teaching, and now we will be instructed on how to live as forgiven people.

Chapter 18 sets apart standards for the people. It instructs us on unlawful sexual relations and tells us with whom you are not to have sex with.  The Israelites moved from one idol-infested country to another. As God helped them form a new culture, he warned them to leave all aspects of their pagan background behind. He also warned them how easy it would be to slip into the pagan culture of Canaan, where they were going. Canaan’s society and religions appealed to worldly desires, especially sexual immorality and drunkenness. The Israelites were to keep themselves pure and set apart for God. God did not want His people absorbed into the surrounding culture and environment.

And there you have it folks. Nothing has changed for thousands of years. Incest is still happening and on the rise, and we are still being directed and instructed NOT to do it. Society may pressure us to conform to its way of life and thought, but yielding to that pressure will (1) create confusion as to which side we should be on and (2) eliminate our effectiveness in serving God. Follow God, and don’t let the culture around you mold your thoughts and actions.

PRAYER

Father, do You ever tire of continual instruction? Disobedience continues to happen after years and years of instruction. Forgive us when we let You down.  To Him be the glory today and forever.  AMEN

Friday, Leviticus Chapter 19

Leviticus 19

Verse 3 & 11

Bart Strayer

Verse 11: “Do not steal, do not lie, do not deceive one another.”

Verse 3: “Respect your Mother and Father ...“

THOUGHT

Well, I guess this puts an end to those that say there is nothing in the Bible about lying.

There are some fellow Christians that may have not been brought up in the ideal parenting conditions that many of us were privileged to experience. Some may have been abused or have been persecuted by their parents.  Yet, the Bible asks us to respect our parents just as a slave respects his master.  It may seem impossible to keep what appears to be a simple command. Yet, God has a way of working through the most impossible situations. 

If you are that abused child or persecuted slave, combining your prayers with the respect that God demands can bring about situations of marvelous testimony that we can’t imagine. The problem is that we can’t see how God can work through impossible situations. And yet, we seem to want to rid ourselves of those situations that God can be made bigger and known, because we think it is too much for ourselves to handle.

PRAYER

Lord, give us the strength to see us through the hard times of life. We know that You can do the impossible in those situations that we can’t seem to grasp. Make Yourself known to us through the situations that only You can deliver. We are grateful that we serve a big God. AMEN