Through these last 7 chapters, there is not much devotional material. But there is this line that repeats itself over and over. "I am the LORD who sanctifies you."
Now this is a very significant thing especially when you consider the whole book. Through the book we learn of various ceremonies that a person goes through to become sanctified. Sacrifices and washings, and feasts oh my. These people were to live lives striving towards holiness. And if one were to look at it with an overly "Lutheran" view of the text, they would be earning their sanctification. Yet, God thunders repeatedly "I am the LORD who sanctifies you."
The participation of these Israelites in their sanctification does not imply that they are sanctifying themselves, by their own power and ability. God is the one who sanctifies.
So this is the tension that Arminians and Calvinists live in.
I would make clear, that God was the one who delivered them from Egypt. And these rules and stipulations and laws are given after they were delivered, but nevertheless, these are God's house rules for their time period.
Are there still house rules today? Are there still punishments for the violation of those house rules?
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Jesus and Leviticus 19
Jesus interprets Leviticus 19 very well, I believe in Matthew 5:43-48. This is my own translation of this text.
You have heard it said, “Love your countrymen”,and detest the one who hates
you. But, I say to you, love the one who hates you, speak well of those who
speak ill of you, do good to those who detest you and pray for those who falsely
accuse you and slander you. so that you may be sons of your father in heaven,
for he causes the sun to rise on the evil ones and the good ones, and rain on the
just ones and the unjust ones. for if you love the lover of you, what reward do
you have? Even the tax collecters do the same, don’t they?and if you greet your
brother alone, what more are you doing? Don’t even the the other nations do
that? So be Perfect, just as your father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5: 43-48
You have heard it said, “Love your countrymen”,and detest the one who hates
you.
A few things right out. First, you’ll notice that I have opted for the word
countrymen instead of the word neighbor. Now this does have significance. For
Jesus is doing two things. One, presenting the teachings of the Pharisees, and
two, presenting his own teaching on the matter. Now, I chose the word
countrymen for a purpose. To the Jews, the commandment “Love your
neighbor” referred not to the Gentiles and especially not to the Sammaratins.
To the Jews, the word neighbor referred to ones own nation. I.E. Other Jews.
Now, this is important. Because they are quoting a scripture here. “Love your
countrymen.” This is found in Leviticus 19:18. Now I find it very interesting,
that just a few verses earlier, Jesus teaches about retaliation. And in the context
of Leviticus 19, verses 17 and 18 speak directly to the issue of retaliation. A while ago My Pastor, Dave Bucy spoke about how the commandment found in Leviticus 24:20
“eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” was not a commandment to get even, but
rather, if you do decide to “get even” make sure that the punishment fits the
crime. If a person hits you, do not be like Lamech, and kill them. Rather, if they
gouge out your eye, gouge out theirs, and ONLY that one eye, and nothing else.
It was a law of limitation. But here, we see in Leviticus 19:17-18 the proper
response to a disagreement. The one that the Torah actually encourages, and not
just allows. “You shall not hate your brother… You shall not take vengeance or
bear a grudge” so Jesus begins to teach the better way.
But what does it mean to be a neighbor? And this is where the rub comes. What does
it mean to be a brother? A Scribe in Luke’s gospel asked that question, and Jesus,
through a parable, says that everybody is your neighbor. Everybody is your brother.
But, I say to you, love the one who hates you, speak well of those who speak ill
of you, do good to those who detest you and pray for those who falsely accuse
you and slander you.
According to the Pharisaic interpretation of Leviticus 19:18, your neighbor was
limited to those who treated you good. So, they felt that if God commanded us
to love our neighbor, then God, implicitly declared the opposite to be true. That
is, Hate your enemy. However, when they did this, they completely ignored the
surrounding context where it says not to hold a grudge.
Jesus gives a better way. Love people, whether or not they love you. Speak
good of people, whether or not they speak good of you. Now this is a hard thing
to do. If somebody gets under my collar, I have a hard time saying two good
words about them, much less love them. Yet, this is what God tells us to do.
Love our neighbors, as yourselves. So that you may be sons of your father in heaven,
Jesus says that acting in this way is actually a reflection of God’s character.
When we act this way, people will look at us and say “wow, they truly are sons
of God.” When does God act this way though? Jesus gives an example from
nature.
For he causes the sun to rise on the evil ones and the good ones, and rain on the
just and the unjust.
My Father growing up taught me that this meant that God rains on the just and
the unjust. And the rain meant trials and tribulations. He thought that this was
like Job’s situation. That God pours out troubles on everybody. Now, that is
true, God is just to pour out his wrath on everybody, but that is not what Jesus
is getting at. In ancient times, rain was seen as a blessing, and not a curse. And
Jesus says about God, the sun comes up, and the rain falls, on both the
righteous and the unrighteous. God does not discriminate on who he shows love
to. He provides for the elect, and for the damned. He, in his sovereignty,
upholds the universe by the very word of his power, and yet he condescends to
the needs of fallen men who do not deserve the rain to fall, or the sun to shine.
Those whom are worthy of nothing but his wrath, God provides for every day.
Every time the sun shines, it shines on a world that is in enmity with God. It
shines on a world that has rebelled against the true source of light. When it
rains, it rains on a world that hoards its food instead of shares it. When it raints
it rains on a world that wastes the resources that God is providing. Yet God
does not stop pouring our lavish blessings on this pathetic little rock. And when
we receive the Holy Spirit, and God begins to change us from the inside out, he
begins to shape us into his image again. That fallen lump of clay begins to show
the light of the Almighty God who provides unselfishly. And we give of
ourselves the way that God gave. We give of ourselves a sacrificial offering.
We give money to the homeless man, even though we know that he may just
buy more booze. We trust people even though they have betrayed us countless
times. We love those who have abused us. We pity those who would seek to see
us harmed. And how do we give? Where do these resources come from? They
come from the Spirit who is alive in us, the very infinite Spirit that John
identifies as Love.
For if you love the lover of you, what reward do you have? Even the tax
collecters do the same, don’t they? And if you greet your brother alone, what
more are you doing? Don’t even the the other nations do that?
Jesus is speaking to Jews, and by extension, everybody who is of the seed of
faith. He is providing an ethic for the Kingdom. In Jesus Christ, God has started
a New Nation. A nation whose citizens are not unified by language, or race,
they are not unified by a flag or a constitution. They are not unified by a socio-
economical status. Rather, they are unified by God’s saving work through the
Messiah, Jesus.
So be Perfect, just as your father in heaven is perfect.
What a charge. What a hard thing to hear from Jesus. He tells us to be Perfect. Will
Jesus really give us a command that is impossible to live up to? Dave Norris gives a
good example in his book Big Ideas. A Farmer tills a field. He is going to grow a field
of corn. He has worked a long time pulling the weeds out, aerating, and fertilizing.
He hears the truck from around the corner, and he goes outside to pick up the seed
that is being delivered to him. The truck’s tailgate comes down, and he sees the seed.
“Perfect!” the man exclaims. The man plants the seeds, and comes out in about 8
days, and he sees little shoots pushing up out of the ground. “Perfect!” the man says.
And goes back into his home. After a few more weeks, the corn grows higher, and it’s
up to the farmers waist now. There is not corn on it, but the farmer looks at it. It is
not yet time for harvest, and no money could possibly be made from this little crop,
but it is appropriately grown, and appropriately mature so the man clasps his hands
together and declares “Perfect!”After a few more weeks, the corn is now taller than
this man, and there is actually a few ears of corn coming out of the plant, but it’s not
quite harvest time. The man rubs his hands together after looking at the stock and
announces “Perfect.” The Corn is now ready to harvest. There is so much corn that
the stalks are starting to bend from the weight of it, and it has truly reached it’s
perfection. It is fully grown, and fully mature.
Living the kingdom ethic is not something that happens over night. But we do have an
upward call in Christ Jesus. We are constantly growing. Constantly being conformed
into the image of Christ. Constantly being perfected, but at each stage of
development, God looks at his children, and examines their fruit, and hopefully he
exclaims “Perfect!”
Leviticus 18
Leviticus 18 deals with all forms of sexual misconduct. This is something that is very important specifically because this is something that speaks very much to our world today.
There are serious ethical issues involved in this hairy mess of homosexual marriage and civil unions. We know that the current system does not work. For example: Oftentimes hospitals have rules about visitation: "Family members only." Also, adding their lover to their health insurance is something that is important as well for homosexual couples. Well, they live together, eat the same food, pay bills together, share a roof, love each other. That sounds like family.
But the issue comes with what does it mean to be married? Is it simply an issue of love and commitment? Or is it an issue of human nature and societal structures? Or is it an issue of religion?
Now, Dan Savage recently attacked the Bible and the church concerning sexual conduct and Leviticus, and he said "Why should we follow this one law only?" And he was referring specifically to where it says "A man shall not lay with another man as he would with a woman. (Leviticus 18: 22)" But there are some important factors to understand both biblically, and universally.
Marriage is an institution that has existed before Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is held in every culture, and in every part of the world. It is not a religious institution only.
Now, from a Judeo-Christian perspective, not everybody can or should get married. Marriage and sex is not for everyone. I can't marry and have sex with my sister. I can affirm that my sister is beautiful, and lovely, and wonderful person, and the only reason I would not consider marrying my sister is the fact that we are related. If I were to say something about incest like "That's sick, that's unnatural, and morally outrageous" I would be using the same exact words that people use against homosexual marriages. Leviticus also forbids these unions as well.
Can I not say the same thing of another man? He is handsome, responsible, a lovable person, and the only reason that I would not consider marrying him is that he is a man?
What about the issue of Polygamy. (This one is a little more slippery because many religions even to this day practice polygamy, so the analogy is imperfect.) Can I affirm that my friend is lovely, wonderful, and beautiful, and the only reason I would not take her is because I or she is already married to another person. This union is also generally forbidden in society as well as in Leviticus.
We can say the same things of other morally outrageous unions, such as marrying my mother, my step-mother, cousin or niece etc. (each forbidden in Leviticus and society in general. Also bestiality.)
Jesus takes it another step further. He says that people who have gotten divorced have surrendered their right to marry. So, now if I get a divorce (outside of specific circumstances), all marriages are forbidden to me. Yet society allows this union to this day.
So the question needs to come out. Where is the line drawn? A line WILL be drawn, and once that line is drawn, it will be pushed, even if it takes 8,000 years to push the line, it will be pushed. Either way, people should know that the Christian perspective (and overall religious perspective) is not "Only men and women can marry." It's actually "Only one human male and one human female who are not related, and have not engaged in the act of divorce from a previous marriage, are permitted to marry, though it is understood that some should never marry even if these criteria are met." This position doesn't leave just homosexuals out in the cold. It leaves a lot of straight people out in the cold as well.
There are serious ethical issues involved in this hairy mess of homosexual marriage and civil unions. We know that the current system does not work. For example: Oftentimes hospitals have rules about visitation: "Family members only." Also, adding their lover to their health insurance is something that is important as well for homosexual couples. Well, they live together, eat the same food, pay bills together, share a roof, love each other. That sounds like family.
But the issue comes with what does it mean to be married? Is it simply an issue of love and commitment? Or is it an issue of human nature and societal structures? Or is it an issue of religion?
Now, Dan Savage recently attacked the Bible and the church concerning sexual conduct and Leviticus, and he said "Why should we follow this one law only?" And he was referring specifically to where it says "A man shall not lay with another man as he would with a woman. (Leviticus 18: 22)" But there are some important factors to understand both biblically, and universally.
Marriage is an institution that has existed before Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is held in every culture, and in every part of the world. It is not a religious institution only.
Now, from a Judeo-Christian perspective, not everybody can or should get married. Marriage and sex is not for everyone. I can't marry and have sex with my sister. I can affirm that my sister is beautiful, and lovely, and wonderful person, and the only reason I would not consider marrying my sister is the fact that we are related. If I were to say something about incest like "That's sick, that's unnatural, and morally outrageous" I would be using the same exact words that people use against homosexual marriages. Leviticus also forbids these unions as well.
Can I not say the same thing of another man? He is handsome, responsible, a lovable person, and the only reason that I would not consider marrying him is that he is a man?
What about the issue of Polygamy. (This one is a little more slippery because many religions even to this day practice polygamy, so the analogy is imperfect.) Can I affirm that my friend is lovely, wonderful, and beautiful, and the only reason I would not take her is because I or she is already married to another person. This union is also generally forbidden in society as well as in Leviticus.
We can say the same things of other morally outrageous unions, such as marrying my mother, my step-mother, cousin or niece etc. (each forbidden in Leviticus and society in general. Also bestiality.)
Jesus takes it another step further. He says that people who have gotten divorced have surrendered their right to marry. So, now if I get a divorce (outside of specific circumstances), all marriages are forbidden to me. Yet society allows this union to this day.
So the question needs to come out. Where is the line drawn? A line WILL be drawn, and once that line is drawn, it will be pushed, even if it takes 8,000 years to push the line, it will be pushed. Either way, people should know that the Christian perspective (and overall religious perspective) is not "Only men and women can marry." It's actually "Only one human male and one human female who are not related, and have not engaged in the act of divorce from a previous marriage, are permitted to marry, though it is understood that some should never marry even if these criteria are met." This position doesn't leave just homosexuals out in the cold. It leaves a lot of straight people out in the cold as well.
Leviticus 11-17
Laws regarding Legal Purity, the Day of Atonement, and Sacrifices. 11-17
Chapter 11 deals with Clean and unclean animals. The epistle of Barnabas gives an allegorical interpretation for these laws. Because they are unbinding on Christians in accordance with the Acts 15 council and Jesus' words, early Christians who believed that this was scripture needed a way to interpret these texts so that they could understand their overall moral or purpose.
According to the Epistle of Barnabas (which is not scripture), these animals represented negative attributes that the people of God were not to exhibit. The Pig was unclean because it would literally eat anything, healthy or unhealthy, and God wanted his people to live healthy lives by only participating in activities that could be considered morally healthy. The Vulture was unclean because it was a scavenger. This represented that God did not want his people to disrespect those who were weaker than them, etc.
Others have suggested that because certain foods, if not cooked right, could be deadly, and because the knowledge was not available to them, God simply forbade those foods, until people knew how to cook those foods properly. I am less convinced of this interpretation. I would prefer Barnabas' allegorical interpretation and application.
Chapter 12 deals with the purification of women after they give birth to a child. The character of God is shown in this passage because there is a provision for women who are poor, and cannot afford to give the prescribed lamb for the offering. Poor families were permitted to give either two turtle-doves (which would be the more expensive option) or two pigeons (which would be the least expensive offering, available for the poorest of people.Luke chapter 2 records that Mary and Joseph offered two turtle doves or two pigeons indicating that they were very poor people.
Chapters 13-14 deals with leprosy and how a person or a house may be made ritually clean after a period of being leprous.
Chapter 15 deals with bodily fluids, such as nocturnal emissions and blood from a period.
Chapter 16 is the day of atonement. It is the center of the book. This is an intentional thing.The day of Atonement was the day that all of Israel's sins were forgiven.
Chapter 17 deals specifically with the slaugtering of animals for the purposes of sacrifice, along with a prohibition against eating blood.
Chapter 11 deals with Clean and unclean animals. The epistle of Barnabas gives an allegorical interpretation for these laws. Because they are unbinding on Christians in accordance with the Acts 15 council and Jesus' words, early Christians who believed that this was scripture needed a way to interpret these texts so that they could understand their overall moral or purpose.
According to the Epistle of Barnabas (which is not scripture), these animals represented negative attributes that the people of God were not to exhibit. The Pig was unclean because it would literally eat anything, healthy or unhealthy, and God wanted his people to live healthy lives by only participating in activities that could be considered morally healthy. The Vulture was unclean because it was a scavenger. This represented that God did not want his people to disrespect those who were weaker than them, etc.
Others have suggested that because certain foods, if not cooked right, could be deadly, and because the knowledge was not available to them, God simply forbade those foods, until people knew how to cook those foods properly. I am less convinced of this interpretation. I would prefer Barnabas' allegorical interpretation and application.
Chapter 12 deals with the purification of women after they give birth to a child. The character of God is shown in this passage because there is a provision for women who are poor, and cannot afford to give the prescribed lamb for the offering. Poor families were permitted to give either two turtle-doves (which would be the more expensive option) or two pigeons (which would be the least expensive offering, available for the poorest of people.Luke chapter 2 records that Mary and Joseph offered two turtle doves or two pigeons indicating that they were very poor people.
Chapters 13-14 deals with leprosy and how a person or a house may be made ritually clean after a period of being leprous.
Chapter 15 deals with bodily fluids, such as nocturnal emissions and blood from a period.
Chapter 16 is the day of atonement. It is the center of the book. This is an intentional thing.The day of Atonement was the day that all of Israel's sins were forgiven.
Chapter 17 deals specifically with the slaugtering of animals for the purposes of sacrifice, along with a prohibition against eating blood.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Leviticus 8-10
In Leviticus 8-10, we see more ceremony, and get a glimpse into the ordination of priests. The priests don the linen Ephod, the turban, the Urim and Thummim. But most important is the blood. The blood is placed on their right earlobe, their right thumb, and their right big toe. The priest has a ministry of blood. My last blog deals more on the duties of a priest, but the bloodiness of the job cannot be overstated.
The blood of the animals is a consistant and daily reminder of the sinfulness of Israel, and the consequences of sin, namely death. These animals took the place of the Israelite's lives, at least temporarily.
But what if the mediator is corrupt? What if the one who is supposed to bring the people to God and God to the people is a sinner? What happens if the purifier is impure? We learn of God's wrath against them in this short narrative.
The blood of the animals is a consistant and daily reminder of the sinfulness of Israel, and the consequences of sin, namely death. These animals took the place of the Israelite's lives, at least temporarily.
But what if the mediator is corrupt? What if the one who is supposed to bring the people to God and God to the people is a sinner? What happens if the purifier is impure? We learn of God's wrath against them in this short narrative.
10:1-3 Now Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not commanded them.2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said,‘Through those who are near me I will show myself holy,and before all the people I will be glorified.’"
God said that he would show himself holy, and that he would be glorified. Now, there are some who believe that God only gets glory when he redeems people. But he also gets glory when he exercises his wrath.
Now, this portion of scripture is hard for us to bear. I mean, they were killed for burning the wrong kind of incense. And if that were all it was, it would seem so very wrong. But, it is in those seemingly non-consequential sins that man is so easily ensnared by. Humanity fell under a curse because Adam bit into a fruit. These were killed for offering unapproved incense. Uzzah died for touching the Ark.
But Adam didn't just eat the fruit. Adam disobeyed God, and brought a schism between heaven and earth. God told him what was going to happen, and Adam deliberately disobeyed God. Nadab and Abihu did the same exact thing. God told them how to do their job. And they did exactly what God told them not to do. Now, because the priests are a type of Christ, and are administering the sacrifices that are also foreshadowing Christ, this sort of insubordination cannot be tolerated. Beware of testing God, saying "will God really do what he said he would?"
God said that he would show himself holy, and that he would be glorified. Now, there are some who believe that God only gets glory when he redeems people. But he also gets glory when he exercises his wrath.
Now, this portion of scripture is hard for us to bear. I mean, they were killed for burning the wrong kind of incense. And if that were all it was, it would seem so very wrong. But, it is in those seemingly non-consequential sins that man is so easily ensnared by. Humanity fell under a curse because Adam bit into a fruit. These were killed for offering unapproved incense. Uzzah died for touching the Ark.
But Adam didn't just eat the fruit. Adam disobeyed God, and brought a schism between heaven and earth. God told him what was going to happen, and Adam deliberately disobeyed God. Nadab and Abihu did the same exact thing. God told them how to do their job. And they did exactly what God told them not to do. Now, because the priests are a type of Christ, and are administering the sacrifices that are also foreshadowing Christ, this sort of insubordination cannot be tolerated. Beware of testing God, saying "will God really do what he said he would?"
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Leviticus 1-7
We are now entering the third book of the Torah, Leviticus. Now, Leviticus is something of a mystery for Christians, and American Christians in particular. Leviticus deals with priestly duties, what to sacrifice and how to sacrifice it, who should offer the sacrifice, and what a person should sacrifice depending on their own individual needs. Which is perplexing to us. Unless you're a Catholic or an Eastern Orthodox, you may not understand the role of a priest. Most of our meat comes from the store, and we have never killed an animal, much less slaughter and dissect one. We are often concerned of animal rights, and the thought of killing an animal because we screwed up, may sound revolting to us. So, naturally, we are inclined to misunderstand Leviticus, and to not consider it because it may make us feel unsettled. Some, for a less noble reason, don't read it because it can be repetitive and repetitive. But I assure you, there is good, Gospel in this book.
There are 5 main divisions of the book of Leviticus.
I. Ritual Sacrifices (1-7)
II. Ceremony of Ordination of priests (8-10)
III. Laws regarding Legal Purity (11-16)
IV. Code of Legal Holiness (17-26)
V. Redemption of Offerings (27)
The Role of a priest.
A priest represents God to the people, and the people to God. The Priest acts as a mediator. He brings the sins of the people to God, and asks for His forgiveness, and delivers God's forgiveness to the people. Note that it is not the priest who is forgiving sins. Only God can forgive sins, but that message of forgiveness is delivered through the priest. Now there are two kinds of Priests. Regular priests, and the High Priest. This correlates to the New Testament very well. In the New Testament, the High Priest is Jesus, and the other Priests are the ministers in the church.
Did I just say that your Pastor can forgive sins? In the Catholic Church, yes, the Priest has the ability to deliver God's forgiveness to the people. But not everybody is a Catholic. One way in which a minister delivers God's forgiveness to the people is through Baptism. Also, Pastors often intercede to God for their saints. Praying that God would have mercy on them, and that God would draw closer to them, and God hears the prayers of His ministers.
Now, there is a sense in which ALL of Israel is a priest, and by extension, all of the Church are priests. God says of Israel "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Exodus 19:6 Peter quotes these same words in his epistle, and applies them to the church. So there is a general priesthood of believers as well. There is a sense in which all of us are priests. The people of the world look at us, and see God. We can communicate God's teachings and love to the whole world, and they may come to God through our intercession.
Confession: Part of what the Protestant reformation lopped off from the historical church was the practice of confession. Throughout church history, confession was regularly practiced. James writes "Confess your sins one to another." And undoubtedly they confessed their sins to the priest when they offered the sacrifice, otherwise, how would the priest know what to sacrifice, and how to sacrifice it?
Concerning Confession, C.S. Lewis writs: It is not for me to decide whether you should confess your sins to a priest or not... but if you do not, you should at least make a list on a piece of paper, and make a serious act of penance about each one of them. There is something about the mere words, you know, provided you avoid two dangers, either of sensational exaggeration - trying to work things up and make melodramatic sins out of small matters - or the opposite danger of slurring things over. It is essential to use the plain simple, old-fashioned words that you would use about anyone else. I mean words like theft, or fornication, or hatred instead of "I did not mean to be dishonest," or "I was only a boy then," or "I lost my temper." I thing that this steady facing of what one does know and bringing it before God, without excuses, and seriously asking for Forgiveness and Grace, and resolving as far as in one lies to do better, is the only way in which we can ever begin to know the fatal thing which is always there, and preventing us from becoming perfectly just to our wife or husband, or being a better employer or employee. If this process is gone throiugh, I do not doubt that most of us will come to understand and to share these old words like "contrite," "miserable" and "intolerable."
Sacrifice:
And what else must be there for forgiveness? A sacrifice. At last we address the main subject of these first seven chapters. Sacrifice. Now these bloody sacrifices, serve a purpose. They show us the very real threat of death that sin causes. Imagine living in Ancient Israel, and every day you see sacrifices happen, and you know the reason for those sacrifices is sin. Sin brings death into the world, and the sacrifices were a constant reminder of that. But the blood of bulls and rams could not take away the sins of the world forever, but they merely foreshadowed what was to come, namely the perfect and spotless lamb of God, Jesus the Messiah. God the Father sent his Son into the world, with a purpose. And that purpose was to take the sin of the world upon him. Christ is unique in that He not only is the High Priest, He is the Sacrifice as well.
"Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf, and you shall be forgiven." Leviticus 4:31
Atonement. At-one. Atone. To Atone for sins is to bring back together, and to make a person "at one" with God. And this is what is accomplished in the death of Jesus Christ. Sin has marred our beautiful godlike image, and it has turned all of our desires inward, so that God is not first in our priorities, but we are. This separates us from God. But Christ's death brings atonement for our sins, and makes us One with God again. This Oneness is most displayed when one is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God
You Take Away
The Sins of the
The World. - Agnus Dei.
There are 5 main divisions of the book of Leviticus.
I. Ritual Sacrifices (1-7)
II. Ceremony of Ordination of priests (8-10)
III. Laws regarding Legal Purity (11-16)
IV. Code of Legal Holiness (17-26)
V. Redemption of Offerings (27)
The Role of a priest.
A priest represents God to the people, and the people to God. The Priest acts as a mediator. He brings the sins of the people to God, and asks for His forgiveness, and delivers God's forgiveness to the people. Note that it is not the priest who is forgiving sins. Only God can forgive sins, but that message of forgiveness is delivered through the priest. Now there are two kinds of Priests. Regular priests, and the High Priest. This correlates to the New Testament very well. In the New Testament, the High Priest is Jesus, and the other Priests are the ministers in the church.
Did I just say that your Pastor can forgive sins? In the Catholic Church, yes, the Priest has the ability to deliver God's forgiveness to the people. But not everybody is a Catholic. One way in which a minister delivers God's forgiveness to the people is through Baptism. Also, Pastors often intercede to God for their saints. Praying that God would have mercy on them, and that God would draw closer to them, and God hears the prayers of His ministers.
Now, there is a sense in which ALL of Israel is a priest, and by extension, all of the Church are priests. God says of Israel "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Exodus 19:6 Peter quotes these same words in his epistle, and applies them to the church. So there is a general priesthood of believers as well. There is a sense in which all of us are priests. The people of the world look at us, and see God. We can communicate God's teachings and love to the whole world, and they may come to God through our intercession. Confession: Part of what the Protestant reformation lopped off from the historical church was the practice of confession. Throughout church history, confession was regularly practiced. James writes "Confess your sins one to another." And undoubtedly they confessed their sins to the priest when they offered the sacrifice, otherwise, how would the priest know what to sacrifice, and how to sacrifice it?
Concerning Confession, C.S. Lewis writs: It is not for me to decide whether you should confess your sins to a priest or not... but if you do not, you should at least make a list on a piece of paper, and make a serious act of penance about each one of them. There is something about the mere words, you know, provided you avoid two dangers, either of sensational exaggeration - trying to work things up and make melodramatic sins out of small matters - or the opposite danger of slurring things over. It is essential to use the plain simple, old-fashioned words that you would use about anyone else. I mean words like theft, or fornication, or hatred instead of "I did not mean to be dishonest," or "I was only a boy then," or "I lost my temper." I thing that this steady facing of what one does know and bringing it before God, without excuses, and seriously asking for Forgiveness and Grace, and resolving as far as in one lies to do better, is the only way in which we can ever begin to know the fatal thing which is always there, and preventing us from becoming perfectly just to our wife or husband, or being a better employer or employee. If this process is gone throiugh, I do not doubt that most of us will come to understand and to share these old words like "contrite," "miserable" and "intolerable."
Sacrifice:
And what else must be there for forgiveness? A sacrifice. At last we address the main subject of these first seven chapters. Sacrifice. Now these bloody sacrifices, serve a purpose. They show us the very real threat of death that sin causes. Imagine living in Ancient Israel, and every day you see sacrifices happen, and you know the reason for those sacrifices is sin. Sin brings death into the world, and the sacrifices were a constant reminder of that. But the blood of bulls and rams could not take away the sins of the world forever, but they merely foreshadowed what was to come, namely the perfect and spotless lamb of God, Jesus the Messiah. God the Father sent his Son into the world, with a purpose. And that purpose was to take the sin of the world upon him. Christ is unique in that He not only is the High Priest, He is the Sacrifice as well.
"Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf, and you shall be forgiven." Leviticus 4:31
Atonement. At-one. Atone. To Atone for sins is to bring back together, and to make a person "at one" with God. And this is what is accomplished in the death of Jesus Christ. Sin has marred our beautiful godlike image, and it has turned all of our desires inward, so that God is not first in our priorities, but we are. This separates us from God. But Christ's death brings atonement for our sins, and makes us One with God again. This Oneness is most displayed when one is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God
You Take Away
The Sins of the
The World. - Agnus Dei.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Exodus 18-40.
This blog is a very very quick run though of the last 22 chapters of Exodus. Hold on to your seat belts.
The first thing that is noticeable in Chapter 18, is the origin of the Judges of Israel. Jethro sees Moses judging the people's cases all day, every day, and says that he is being exhausted. He offers him wisdom. Ready for it? YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL!
He advises Moses to make judges for the people of Israel, and they will judge each person, and the very difficult cases, will be brought to Moses. Which gives Moses another role. Moses is now officially, a Prophet and a Judge.
Jesus is also a Prophet and a Judge. Now, a person recently asked me why it is that I keep drawing these parallels between Moses and Jesus. And the reason for that is this. Moses prophesied that the Messiah would be like him. (He hasn't said that yet in the story yet though.)
The Rabbis claim that the Judges are their ancestors, and that each Judge appointed a successor, and that continues even to today. I'm not entirely sure how valid that is, but they look to this chapter and see their ancestral authority.
In chapter 19, God tells Israel their chosen purpose. God says "You have seen how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, if you obey me completely and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession among all peoples, though all the earth is mine. You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation."
God delivered Israel by his power, and now Israel belongs to God. People who have been delivered owe a debt to God. An unimaginable debt. We are not freed from slavery. We are still slaves. We are delivered from Egypt. We are now love slaves to the Almighty God. So put your ear to the door.
Exodus 20. The Ten Commandments / The Two Commandments.
In essence, you can break down the ten commandments into two commandments. The Pursuit of Godliness, and the Pursuit of Righteousness. Now many do not understand the difference. Godliness is to pursue a right relationship with God, and putting God before yourself. Righteousness is to pursue a right relationship with other people, and putting them before yourself. In fact, they are even in that order. The first four commandments relate to how we should honor God, and the last 6 commandments relate to how we should honor men and women.
But Jesus said it this way. 28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
From Exodus 20-40 deal specifically with various laws, each holy and righteous, and good. But above all, each in line with the first two commandments. It also deals with different tabernacle furnishings. A point of which I would like to touch on later.
Exodus also tells of the people's sworn loyalty and their actual practice. They swear to serve Yahweh, and Yahweh alone, but while Moses is up on the Mountain of God, they make a golden calf, and worship it. From then on, God compares them to an Ox when they are rebellious, referring to them as "stiff-necked."
Exodus 31:3, 35:21, and 35:31 describes individuals who are filled with the Holy Spirit. And they are gifted by the Holy Spirit. Now, so far, we have heard of people filled with the Spirit, it has to do with Prophecy. Joseph was able to prophecy, and to have dreams, and interpret dreams. But here, surprisingly for Protestants, people are described of being filled with the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of making Icons. The Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant, the lamp stands, etc, were all Icons that were meant to be reminders of God's providence and were used in the worship of the Almighty.
Which leads us to a question. Protestants have been opposed to Icons used by our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox brothers on the basis of Exodus 20 warning against idolatry and God's strict commandment not to make anything "in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water's beneath the earth." But this has to be harmonized with the Ark of the Covenant and the Bronze Serpent, and other icons that Israel made. Is it possible that the various icons that our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches use in prayer were actually made by people who were filled with the Holy Spirit, and that God used them for that express purpose? I think so.
The first thing that is noticeable in Chapter 18, is the origin of the Judges of Israel. Jethro sees Moses judging the people's cases all day, every day, and says that he is being exhausted. He offers him wisdom. Ready for it? YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL!
He advises Moses to make judges for the people of Israel, and they will judge each person, and the very difficult cases, will be brought to Moses. Which gives Moses another role. Moses is now officially, a Prophet and a Judge.
Jesus is also a Prophet and a Judge. Now, a person recently asked me why it is that I keep drawing these parallels between Moses and Jesus. And the reason for that is this. Moses prophesied that the Messiah would be like him. (He hasn't said that yet in the story yet though.)
The Rabbis claim that the Judges are their ancestors, and that each Judge appointed a successor, and that continues even to today. I'm not entirely sure how valid that is, but they look to this chapter and see their ancestral authority.
In chapter 19, God tells Israel their chosen purpose. God says "You have seen how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, if you obey me completely and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession among all peoples, though all the earth is mine. You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation."
God delivered Israel by his power, and now Israel belongs to God. People who have been delivered owe a debt to God. An unimaginable debt. We are not freed from slavery. We are still slaves. We are delivered from Egypt. We are now love slaves to the Almighty God. So put your ear to the door.
Exodus 20. The Ten Commandments / The Two Commandments.
In essence, you can break down the ten commandments into two commandments. The Pursuit of Godliness, and the Pursuit of Righteousness. Now many do not understand the difference. Godliness is to pursue a right relationship with God, and putting God before yourself. Righteousness is to pursue a right relationship with other people, and putting them before yourself. In fact, they are even in that order. The first four commandments relate to how we should honor God, and the last 6 commandments relate to how we should honor men and women.
But Jesus said it this way. 28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
From Exodus 20-40 deal specifically with various laws, each holy and righteous, and good. But above all, each in line with the first two commandments. It also deals with different tabernacle furnishings. A point of which I would like to touch on later.
Exodus also tells of the people's sworn loyalty and their actual practice. They swear to serve Yahweh, and Yahweh alone, but while Moses is up on the Mountain of God, they make a golden calf, and worship it. From then on, God compares them to an Ox when they are rebellious, referring to them as "stiff-necked."
Exodus 31:3, 35:21, and 35:31 describes individuals who are filled with the Holy Spirit. And they are gifted by the Holy Spirit. Now, so far, we have heard of people filled with the Spirit, it has to do with Prophecy. Joseph was able to prophecy, and to have dreams, and interpret dreams. But here, surprisingly for Protestants, people are described of being filled with the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of making Icons. The Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant, the lamp stands, etc, were all Icons that were meant to be reminders of God's providence and were used in the worship of the Almighty.
Which leads us to a question. Protestants have been opposed to Icons used by our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox brothers on the basis of Exodus 20 warning against idolatry and God's strict commandment not to make anything "in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water's beneath the earth." But this has to be harmonized with the Ark of the Covenant and the Bronze Serpent, and other icons that Israel made. Is it possible that the various icons that our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches use in prayer were actually made by people who were filled with the Holy Spirit, and that God used them for that express purpose? I think so.
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