Moses has died and it is time for the Israelites to move to take possession of the promised land. Reading Joshua makes me excited because I am back to reading a narrative story about the people of Israel instead of the law which was detailed thoroughly in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. How will the people honor and follow God’s command to obey Him? Will Joshua be an effective leader and instill dependance upon God? I am looking forward to seeing how these questions and others are answered in Joshua. Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Leviticus
Strength and courage of a promiscuous woman: Joshua 1 and 2
Remember to love God and love people: Deuteronomy Summary
If my life is motivated by an ambition to leave a legacy, what I would probably leave is a legacy of ambition. But, if my life is motivated by the power of God’s spirit in me and the awareness of the indwelling Christ, if I allow His presence to guide my motives, that’s the only time I think we really leave a great legacy.
-Rich Mullins
This is my favorite quote of mine is a unique way to sum up Deuteronomy. What will your legacy be built upon? What is your motivation in life? Why do you do what you do? These and many more questions are answered within Deuteronomy. Continue Reading…
Overtaken by curses or blessings, your choice will be evident in your actions: Deuteronomy 27 and 28
What would overtake you? I remember the feeling of speeding along in my car loving life as the wind blew through my hair when suddenly I felt despair and regret as I saw red and blue lights flashing behind me. I was quickly overtaken and pulled overtaken because I was breaking the law. Being pulled over for speeding is one poignant example of being overtaken but there are many things that we can be overtaken by some of which we would welcome and others we would dread. In Deuteronomy chapters 27 and 28 God makes a promise to the Israelites that they will be overtaken by either blessings or curses and this outcome will be directly related to their obedience or disobedience. The choice was theirs. What was their reaction to this promise from God? What would be your reaction to hearing that? Continue Reading…
Dedication of the Tabernacle and foreshadowing of the Messiah: Numbers 7 and 8
I wonder what the energy level of the Israelites was like on the day that Moses had finished setting up the Tabernacle? Was there an awe and reverence of God? Were the millions of men, women, and children pressing in to see just a glimpse of the Tabernacle? In Numbers chapters 7 we get a little of the feeling of what took place when the Tabernacle was completed. What blessing God bestowed upon Moses. Moses was within the Tabernacle anointing and consecrating the walls, furnishings, and utensils. Moses was declaring that the Tabernacle and all with in it was Holy and God’s. Continue Reading…
Love, worship, and follow: Leviticus Summary
Leviticus is a continuation of a love story. In this chapter of the story God instructs Israel with an in depth view of the 10 Commandments that He gave to Moses in Exodus 20. My view on the book of Leviticus was challenged and changed through my slow reading of it. My initial perspective was that Leviticus was a book of bloody sacrifice and my only route to get through it was using a ‘blitzkrieg’ method for reading it quickly. There are a lot of laws and sacrifices presented in the book but it is just the opening paragraph to God’s redemption of man. The Israelites were worshiping and following God by obeying Him.
The restoration of man through Christ: Leviticus 27
>What must go through a person who decides to sell themselves as a bondservant? Wouldn’t this choice be agonizing just as stated in Leviticus 27:2: “when a man makes a difficult vow, he shall be valued according to your valuation of persons belonging to the Lord.” What circumstances brought a person to become a bondservant? Was it to support a family? Was it because they lacked an income?
God’s faithfulness in Jubilee and hardship: Leviticus 25 and 26
The times seem so different now compared to the culture of the Israelites described in Leviticus 25 and 26. I am thankful for living in a modern society with all the amenities that I have grown accustom to but what is the cost to our relationship with God and our relationship with each other? In the agricultural of Leviticus did they feel the business of life I feel today? Can we live in dependance upon God in a truer way?
God’s celebration and justice contained in Leviticus 23 and 24
In Leviticus 24 and 25 we get a glimpse of the celebrations and justice that God commands for the Israelites. These celebrations were times of remembrance upon what God has done and is doing for the Israelites. The justice comes in the form of the famous line “An Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth”
A holy calling by grace through faith in Christ: Leviticus 21 and 22
In Leviticus 21 and 22 rules and laws are given by God for Aaron and his descendants for all generations. The priests were not allowed to approach a dead person unless it was a relative and the high priest was forbidden to approach a dead body even of his own relatives. The priest’s needed to live above reproach. They needed to follow God’s commands in regard to mourning death. When customs in that time were to shave your head, cut your beard, and cut your body in mourning the priests could not because they were set apart by God as Holy. Continue Reading…
The painful reality of sin and God’s provision: Leviticus 19 and 20
>I think every other time I have read Leviticus it was my version of the blitzkrieg: fast and swift with little accuracy. It’s the kind of thinking that says if I blitz through this ‘boring’ book of the Bible enough I will eventually glean something useful from it. I was really wrong because I have been reading through Leviticus since May 19th and even though it has been a long slow walk through this difficult book full of sacrifices and laws but I am finding great enjoyment and passion because I am seeing a picture of Jesus Christ .
