251st Week, Leviticus Chapter 20-24 (Click on Title for Video Introduction)

 Click on Title for Video Intro

Monday, Leviticus Chapter 20

Leviticus 20

Bart Strayer

THOUGHT

The commands in Chapter 20 have so much meaning behind them. It is clear that God didn’t want even the slightest of sins to penetrate His people. If it did, it had the possibility to destroy peoples and people groups. It seems so simple to understand God’s demands, yet it is so hard for His people to remain loyal to His requests. 

Mindy and I were talking about this the other night.  Christ’s death may have changed the way brothers reconcile with each other, and it definitely changed the way God deals with sin. However, sin is still sin, and if left undealt with, can spread like cancer in the body. As we see from this chapter, it appears that God wanted to give the people a structure that offered the holiest of lives.

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, we again come to an appreciation for Your work on the cross. We thank You for the completeness of Your death and resurrection. Holy Spirit, guild us through Your word and speak to our hearts the truths within. In Jesus Name, AMEN

Tuesday, Leviticus Chapter 21

Leviticus 21

Verses 6-8

Bart Strayer 

THOUGHT

It is clear in this chapter that God wants His priest to exhibit certain self-controls to set them apart as holy.

Verse 6: “They must be holy to their God ...“

Verse 6b: “ ... they are to be holy.”

Verse 7: “ ... because priests are holy.”

Verse 8: “Consider them holy ...”

God wanted his priest to be set apart ... to be different ... to be Holy. You get the picture?  The good old Webster’s Dictionary defines holiness as: “the quality or state of being sanctified or a high religious state.” I recall that old saying: “you are who you associate with.” If the priests were to be known as Godly and be in association with God, their lives should show it. God is holy; therefore, they should be too. For the same reasons Christ calls us to be holy, we are to reflect the light of Christ.  They are simple yet at times difficult Christian principles to practice.

PRAYER 

Lord, we thank You for getting us through another week. Prepare our hearts for the week to come. May we be productive for Your kingdom. Guide us in our decisions and in our motivations. We Love You! AMEN

Wednesday, Leviticus Chapter 22

Leviticus 22

Verse 33

Tanya Ruden

Verse 33:  — who brought you out of Egypt to be your God.

THOUGHT

Come on, really, the Israelites had to be reminded who brought them to where they are now? One would think this would stand out in their mind on a daily basis. They are in a totally different life than that of generations, in a totally different place, following a calling of God’s, and they have to be reminded it was God who brought them here and that God should be revered as holy? I guess I would think they would give praise for this fact at the beginning of each day.

Wait a minute; this is beginning to sound like my life! I felt strongly called by God to uproot my family and move back to frigid Iowa. I felt like prayers were answered and like God was in control of my life.  I believed I was doing as He wanted. Then what...? How quickly I forget it was He who brought me to this place and He who is still in control and planning for my future, even in a tanking economy where homes aren’t selling and jobs are being lost and things don’t feel as peaceful as one had hoped. It is good to be reminded.  “He is the God who is holy and deserves to be revered as such.” He did perform that wonderful task of bringing them out of Egypt (or back closer to home). Don’t Forget!

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, thank You for bringing us to this place in our lives.  No matter where we are, You have called us to be there, and we know Your hand is active in our lives.  May we never forget that, no matter how lost or drowning we feel at times.  May we always praise You as a wonderful God, who “brings us out of Egypt”, during certain hard times of our lives.  We ask for continued blessings from where we are and where we hope to be.  We never forget what You have already done and hope to never forget to thank and praise You for that. Thank You.  AMEN

Wednesday, Leviticus Chapter 23

Leviticus 23

Verse 3

Tanya Ruden

Verse 3:  There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest, a day of sacred assembly.

THOUGHT

You know I used to think that when they said there was a day of rest it meant you could do nothing but go to Church, worship God and do nothing but sit around. And maybe that is what it means, but personally I don’t think so. As you read this chapter, it talks about family traditions and feasts.  I think when God said ‘rest’; He really meant ‘have fun with those you love’. (Now this could be one of those things where men say something, and women have a totally different interpretation.  We will save that for another discussion) I think it is a time for us to “enjoy life” — praise God and worship Him.  The day could begin with a formal church setting and then throughout the day, spend time with your family with events and shared time.  As we have learned in this devotional time, there are many ways to praise God in all we do, and I think it is easier to do when we are removed from the “stresses” we put ourselves under in our work and our chores at home.

When we lived in Wichita, quite often we would go to a big park by our home, and almost every weekend we would see large gatherings of Mexican/Hispanic people having picnics, playing soccer, enjoying the outdoors with lots of food. I only point out the ethnicity because very rarely did I see white Americans doing this.  Maybe the white Americans were doing this in their homes.  Personally, I think the Hispanics got what God was saying — “enjoy a day of rest and commune with your Assembly”.  They took time to spend with family and “enjoy life”.  They weren’t spending every waking moment at sporting events or activities; they were spending time with family/friends. I pray we all begin to enjoy our “day of rest”.  Don’t feel guilty about it. God commanded it. Those dishes will wait until tomorrow. 

PRAYER

Dear God, You commanded us to have a day of rest.  More than 2000 years later I believe You still think this is a good commandment. If we don’t take time to remove ourselves from all of our daily stresses, we can’t worship You with our whole heart. Help us to make this day a priority in our lives and not allow what the world thinks we should be doing influence our thinking and our actions. Help us enjoy time with ourselves, our family and our friends.  May we build traditions, share stories from generations, praise You through “fun times”.  Open our hearts and minds to this idea, and enjoy it guilt free. AMEN

Friday, Leviticus Chapter 24

Leviticus 24

Verse 1 & 2

Mindy Strayer

Verses 1-2:  The Lord said to Moses, “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually.”

THOUGHT

When I first read this verse, I immediately compared the oil to the Holy Spirit and the light from the lamps to the light of Jesus Christ that lives inside us and radiates from us as Christians. The word “continually” was immediately significant to me as well. The importance of living with the Holy Spirit continually is essential to our Christian lives.  We can’t just be filled with His spirit occasionally like at church while experiencing a great worship or while we are in deep prayer with the Lord. We are commanded to keep His light continually shining in our lives, even through the tough times and when things don’t go our way, so that all may see.  And in order to be able to keep His light shining, we have to have a source that supplies energy for that light to shine. That source is His Holy Spirit. The Bible says we are to pray continually. When we pray throughout our day we can be constantly filled with God’s Holy Spirit.  If we are obedient to His voice, we will be the lamps that shine God’s light.

PRAYER

Thank You, Lord, for this day. Thank You for another opportunity to be a light shining brightly for You.   We pray in Jesus Name.  AMEN