Daily Bible Devotionals

“For I am Yahweh your God, so you must consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any swarming creature that crawls on the ground. For I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God, so you must be holy because I am holy.”  Leviticus 11:44-45 (HCSB)

The first ten chapters of Leviticus contain “The Law of the Sanctuary” in the stricter sense of the term. Except for some paragraphs here and there, the remainder of the book deals with what might be described as “The Law of Daily Life.”

For the past couple of decades, the Church has had an ongoing debate over Sacred vs. Secular. As a recording artist, I am weary of discussions over whether an artist should pursue the “Christian” market or the general market with their music.

The Torah (first five books of the Old Testament) views the whole of human life as its province; in the eyes of the Torah, nothing human is secular. It penetrates the home of the Israelite and aims at controlling even the most intimate relations of his domestic existence.

As the Bible directs us, what does it mean to be “in but not of” the world? How do these concepts of “clean and unclean” agree with the belief in Jesus? How can modern-day believers be separate from the world and yet go into it with the gospel?

Jesus prayed to the Father, “I have given them Your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world. I am not praying that You take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is the truth.”  John 17:14-17 (HCSB)

As God called Noah, Abraham, and Israel out from the nations…to be “consecrated” (set apart), so He calls us to come forth and be separate from the world. We are to present ourselves as “living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” (Romans 12:1-5)  

The whole “in-but-not-of” directive is impossible for us apart from the Holy Spirit, Who guides us through God’s Word. The Bible divides soul and spirit and washes our minds clean with the truth. It directs us on how to be set apart from the world, not to be affected by its philosophy, and yet completely saturated in the culture, to impact it with the gospel.

“Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them to do. Then flames leaped from the Lord’s presence and burned them to death before the Lord. So Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord meant when He said: “I will show My holiness to those who are near me, and I will reveal My glory before all the people.’ But Aaron remained silent.” Leviticus 10:1- 3 (HCSB)

“Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.” Proverbs 27:1 (HCSB)

Several summers ago, my son Wyatt and I went surfing in Newport Beach, CA. I had tagged along on his Christian school’s 6th-grade beach trip. There was a bunch of us! I recall over 60 kids and several adult/parent chaperones.   An African family was next to us, camped out on the beach. They were missionaries to the US from Kenya, and because they were also believers in Jesus, we hung out with them all day. Our kids played on the beach with their kids—one in Messiah.

Toward the end of the day, there was a commotion. Everyone was cleared from the water. Someone was in trouble. I ran towards the water’s edge and arrived at the shoreline just as two lifeguards dragged the African father onto the beach. After a frantic fight for the man’s life, it became apparent that he could not be revived. One moment, he was playing on the beach with his family and our students. The next moment, he was lying on that same beach, lifeless. Life can change abruptly for us all.

This was Aaron’s experience. As he, the High Priest, was moving about in his magnificent robes and performing the solemn duties of his exalted office, how elated he must have been! But what began as Aaron’s greatest day ended tragically. On the very day of the Tabernacle’s consecration, Aaron’s sons traded God’s calling for a momentary whim. Scripture does not indicate whether Nadab and Abihu consulted Moses or Aaron, so some scholars believe the boys disregarded their elders out of jealousy. They didn’t trust that God was speaking to Israel directly through Moses. Perhaps they asked themselves, “When will these men die? How long must we wait before we get to lead the congregation on our terms?” Who knows? The end came so quickly that they could not testify their motives.

One thing is sure: impious ambition led them to depart from God’s Word and commit an unhallowed action. This departure called down terrible retribution in a lightning flash!

It is incumbent upon us to seek God’s Word and not turn from it to the right or the left. We should take Scripture as it is and not live our lives more conservatively or liberally than the Lord requires.

Grab your Bible & experience the Groundworks Ministries Podcast as Steve Wiggins leads us through the full chapter of Leviticus 9. Click the links below to watch or listen now!

(Moses speaking to Aaron) “‘You must remain at the entrance to the tent of meeting day and night for seven days and keep the Lord’s charge so that you will not die, for this is what I have commanded.’ So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.” Leviticus 8:35-36 (HCSB)

After all the pomp and pageantry, the blood and sacrifice, what did the Lord tell Aaron and his sons? “Wait for seven days.” Obviously, there was something big coming on the 8th. We have the benefit of reading ahead and knowing God’s presence would fill the Tabernacle, but Aaron knew only to obey and to wait.

This is precisely the directive that Jesus gave His disciples before His ascension: “Wait for seven days.” You won’t find it written directly, but the seven-day wait is abundantly clear if you understand the Jewish calendar.

Jesus was placed in the tomb in the final hours of Passover. He rose three days later.

“After He had suffered, He also presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:3 (HCSB)

After 3 days in the tomb, Jesus spent 40 days appearing to many of His followers. 3 days in the tomb, plus 40 days with His disciples = 43 days.

The festival of Shavuot (Pentecost) is 50 days after Passover. Because Jesus was entombed in the final Passover hours, the tomb’s first day does not count towards the 50-day lead-up to Pentecost.

Now, take 3 days in the tomb, add 40 days with His disciples, subtract 1 day because Jesus was entombed on Passover (Pentecost was 50 days AFTER Passover), and you end up with 8 DAYS between Jesus’ ascension and the day of Pentecost…whew!!

Jesus told His disciples to wait 7 days. On the 8th day, He filled them with His Holy Spirit, just as on the 8th day, God’s presence filled the Tabernacle.  

The account of Moses’ ordaining of Aaron and his sons as priests foreshadows Jesus’ ordaining of the Apostles as “priests” to be sent to the nations. Furthermore, Messiah has ordained ALL believers as “priests” of His gospel, per se. (1 Peter 2: 4-9, Revelation 1: 4-6, 5: 6-10) That includes you & me as well!

“This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be offered to the Lord: If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer, with the sacrifice of thanksgiving, unleavened cakes mixed with oil or cakes of blended flour mixed with oil.” Leviticus 7:11-12 (NKJV)

Peace offerings, or “thank offerings” (Heb: zebach shelmim/zebachim), are sacrifices made when a person seeks to obtain peace with the Lord. The occasion for making a peace offering is any time one’s heart is filled with joyfulness unto the Lord, either celebrating a happy occasion in life or some important event in connection with one’s family or individual. It is the sacrifice that will endure forever (Revelation 21:24-26), now that we are in the Messianic era because Jesus has atoned for ALL sin and guilt. All we have left to offer is ourselves, to live our lives in thanksgiving to Him!

Here are some examples from the Psalms:

THANKSGIVING for deliverance from sickness and danger: “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 107:8-9 (NKJV)

THANKSGIVING from the fulfillment of a vow made in times of distress: “I will pay my vows to the Lord, now in the presence of the people, in the courts of the Lord’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!”  Psalm 116:18-19 (NKJV)

FREEWILL offering, whenever a heart is moved at the remembrance of God’s mercies: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”  Psalm 103:1-5 (NKJV)

Unlike the burnt offering, a peace offering could be either a male or female animal, and only a small part of the peace offering was burnt on the altar. The rest (except for the portions received for the priests) was to be eaten by the person (who offered the sacrifice) and his family guests. It promoted the feeling of solidarity in the nation and strengthened families. It also pointed to dependence upon God for protection and for all the blessings of life.

Samuel’s mother, Hannah, was barren for many years. It was after such a “freewill” offering, while the rest of the family was eating & drinking before the Lord (as God commanded should be done), Hannah, “in the bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish” (1 Samuel 1:9). Eli, the priest, accused her of being drunk, but she replied, “I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord” (1 Samuel 1:15b). God answered her prayer and gave her Samuel. After Hannah had weaned the boy, she dedicated him to God and His service! No doubt she ate & drank in thanksgiving at that time…and every year after for the rest of her life!

“The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Tell Aaron and his sons: This is the law of the sin offering. The sin offering is most holy and must be slaughtered before the Lord at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. The priest who offers it as a sin offering is to eat it. It must be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting.” Leviticus 6:24-26 (HCSB)

“Substitutionary atonement” is when God allows His wrath to be displayed on some equitable third party…as our substitute.

While God is loving, patient, and longsuffering, He is also just. He will by no means clear the guilty.

“Now go lead these people to the place I told you about; see, my angel will go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin.” Exodus 32:34 (HCSB)

But God loves His children, and He remembers they are only human, so He allowed for Israel’s sin to be atoned for a season by slaughtering specific animals. The whole process was intended to communicate the gravity of sin and solicit the response of repentance.

After slaughtering the animal, its flesh underwent the flames of the altar. This signified the judgment of God. It is intriguing how the flesh that once personified sin became useful, even to the point of consuming it as food. It showed how God’s intent has always been to redeem the flesh as something valuable.

The blood of animals was unable to provide long-term atonement because it could never be equitable or valuable enough for such a great atonement. After all, animals have no imputable righteousness.  

Today, our atoning substitute is Jesus. He made permanent atonement for the World by the shedding of His blood; the virtue/value of His sacrifice, in that it pleased God, was made known by the power of His resurrection. Salvation is available for all who would accept it: exclusively through Jesus, yet offered liberally to anyone who would receive it.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. He presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be righteous and declare righteous the one who has faith in Messiah Jesus.”  Romans 3:23-26 (HCSB)

“When someone sins in any of these ways: If he has seen, heard, or known about something he has witnessed, and did not respond to a public call to testify, he is responsible for his sins.” Leviticus 5:1 (HCSB)

A Sunday school teacher asked her class, “Does anyone here know what we mean by sins of ‘omission’?”

A young girl replied, “Aren’t those the sins we should have committed but didn’t?”

Not exactly. We often think of “sin” as something bad that we do. Because we are committing an act of sin, that is called “sin of commission.” Today’s passage tells us that “sin” extends to a broader context. What it means to “sin” also includes the act of “not doing.” I know that sounds like an oxymoron: the ACT of NOT DOING, but the things we omit but should have done are called “sins of OMISSION.”

Sins of omission are generally more difficult for a second party to notice, for they take humility and disclosure on the sinner’s behalf. They run deep into the hidden INNER character of a person, whereas sins of commission affect the OUTER, the reputation.

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus addressed both the outer and inner man. He chose Murder, Adultery, Divorce, Oaths, Vengeance, and Loving our enemies as His topics.

Make no doubt about it: God is greatly concerned with our outward acts of sin!

“He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished!” Exodus 34:7b (NASB)

“The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty…” Numbers 14:18 (NKJV)

But we are fooling ourselves when we limit our sin to things we “do.” Our thoughts, attitudes, and acts of omission also testify to our guilt.

It helps to remember that your reputation (what you do) is based on the part of you that people can see. Your character (your inner self) is the part of you that only God sees.

“Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, saying: If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments of the Lord in anything which ought not be done, and does any of them, if the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, then let him offer to the Lord for his sin which he has sinned a young bull without blemish as a sin offering.’” Leviticus 4:1-3 (NKJV)

There is a breakdown, a significant dilemma with which mankind is faced. Here is the dilemma: Everyone sins, yet we are called to be “holy” (set apart) by a Holy God whose standard is “perfection.” Furthermore, a sinful man has the job of atoning for the sin of a sinful nation; a sinful “high priest” has the unfortunate duty of interceding on behalf of that sinful nation before the presence of perfect holiness. Long before the Mosaic law, a man named Job articulated his personal need for an intercessor:  

“For He (God) is not a man like me, that I can answer Him, that we can take each other to court. There is no one to judge between us, to lay his hand on both of us. Let Him take His rod away from me so His terror will no longer frighten me. Then I would speak and not fear Him.  But that is not the case; I am on my own.” Job 9:32-35 (HCSB)

Isaiah also spoke of a need for a go-between between man & God:

“Jacob, why do you say, and Israel, why do you assert: ‘My way is hidden from the Lord, and my claim is ignored by my God’”? Isaiah 40:27 (HCSB)

“He saw that there was no man – He was amazed that there was no one interceding; so His own arm brought salvation, and His own righteousness supported Him.” Isaiah 59:16 (HCSB)

What makes Jesus so much more superior (than any human high priest) is that, by His atoning work on the cross, He alone has satisfied God’s requirements for mankind. He has reckoned both God’s gracious mercy with His righteous judgment. Consider these verses:

“Jesus has also become the guarantee of a better covenant.” Hebrews 7:22 (HCSB)

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” 1 Timothy 2:3-6 (NASB)

“For this is the kind of high priest we need: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices every day, as high priests do – first for their own sins, then for those of the people. He did this once for all when He offered Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak, but the promise of the oath, which came after the law, appoints a Son, who has been perfected forever.” Hebrews 7:26-28 (HCSB)

“If his offering is….”  Leviticus 3:1 (HCSB)

A friend of mine tells the story of a woman trying to decide how she should confess her sins. She asked, “Shall I ’fess ’em as I does ’em, or shall I bunch ’em?”

The problem of “bunching” is very much related to our study of the offerings. The offerings of the Torah are something like the tools in a workman’s shop: There is a particular tool for each task, and you never use the wrong tool for the job.

The Torah seems to have more offerings than we can count. That can lead to a fair bit of frustration on the part of the modern-day Christian, but there is a vital lesson to be learned here, which may help to motivate us in our study of these offerings.

There is no specific Torah-commanded offering that sums up the entirety of Jesus’ atonement. Thus, we must see that the Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection accomplished many different functions, not just ONE. Basically, through His death and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled ALL the requirements of the law, which had been parsed out as several individual offerings.

That being said, we also tend to “bunch” the benefits of the work of the Messiah rather than considering them one at a time. In so doing, we risk not recognizing the enormity of the blessing of Grace offered to mankind. One significant contribution the Book of Leviticus makes is that it names each specific sin…along with the way to be restored to God. Through His suffering, we gain greater insight into the intricacy of the atonement that the death of Messiah, the Lamb of God, provides.

The pre-Messianic Jewish worshipper would sacrifice the various offerings at prescribed times, and he would grasp, to some degree, the blessings God had given. A particular blessing was attached to each offering but was not all-encompassing and comprehensive atonement. For us modern believers, ALL the blessings of God are realized by ONE offering, made once and for all by the death of Messiah at Golgotha.  

In considering the Torah offerings, we are given the privilege to pause and focus on the PARTICULAR benefits and blessings we have received in Jesus’ death & resurrection. And we can thank Him (in our hearts and prayers) for each facet of His atonement, as He reveals them to us when we read His Word.