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Holy Father; Your word calls out to us "He who has ears, let Him hear!" Open our ears to hear your word speak to us today. Open our mouths that we may edify one another with the inspirations you have in store for us. May our conversations be acceptable in your sight and bring glory to your Kingdom.
Response to Leviticus 7:28-9:6
We began reading of the fellowship offering and the priestly portions in Leviticus 7:11 yesterday and our passage today from Leviticus 7:28-36 continues that conversation. Today's passage designates the meat of the sacrifice that will be set out for the Priests. I noted that in the Revised Standard Version that this fellowship offering is referred to as a peace offering. The individual making the offering must slaughter the animal and make the presentation to the priest. Again, there is honor and bonding between the Priest and the one offering the sacrifice. Even today, most priests or ministers depend on the offerings of their congregation just as our Heavenly Priest requests our confession, service, offering, and fellowship.
Leviticus 7:37-38 offers a summary of sacrificial laws which began in Leviticus 6:8. As this states that this law was presented to Moses upon the mountain, I believe it is a contiuation of the discussion of law which began in Exodus 20. We have discussed the sin offering, the guilt offering, the burnt offering, the cereal (grain) offering, the offering of consecration, and the fellowship or peace offering. The Levitical sacrifices gave order to the worship practices carried forward from surrounding cultures. Perhaps they limited the amount of animal sacrifice that was being done at the time as the people were required to bring their sacrifices to the temple grounds to participate in worship as a community.
Obviously today our customs of worship have changed. Through Jesus Christ, our worship has become much more personal in nature. Based on Matthew 23:8-12, I believe all of scripture should be internalized and reflect the personal relationship we can have with God the Father through His sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ, who became our prophet, priest, and king to the glory of God the Father. Now, the burnt offering (ascension) becomes an act of humility before God through prayer. The Sin and guilt offering is replaced again by the sacrificial lamb which God has provided. I John 1:9 says it this way; "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." Our fellowship with the body of Christ and partaking of the sacriment of communion together reminds us of the fellowship or peace offerings. King David reflected his penitent heart referring to these sacrifices through a good example of prayer in Psalm 51. He stated in Psalm 51:15-17 "O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased. The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
As we saw the plans for the tabernacle repeated as the tabernacle was built and presented, so we find a repeat of much of Exodus 29 as we read Leviticus 8. However, as Exodus set out the plan for the ordination of Aaron and his sons, we see the application in Leviticus. We begin with Leviticus 8:1-13 and the ceremonial washing, the putting on of the garments, and concecration of the tabernacle and Holy things.
I have been struck by Leviticus 8:1-13 as I prepared for this blog. It reminded me of the importance of consecration as a minister of God's word. I reflected on what instruction or training I might have to share the word of God with you. I was reminded of my devotions of the last 3 years as I have studied God's word and attempted to be in tune with His will in my life and my understanding of the world as a son, a parent, a brother, a businessman, and a child of God. I reflected on the call I percieved from God to share His Love with the world. I remembered His commissioning in Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:49, John 14:15-17, and Acts 1:8. This does not change the fact that I am in need of consecration from you. This is reflected in the prayer which is given at the beginning of each of these blogs. I ask that you pray for me as I do my best to glorify God through my thoughts and words. At the same time, I consecrate you as you glorify God in your thoughts and words as you share the Love of God with the world. If you do not remember, our prayer is based on Psalm 19:14. If you have not said a prayer for me yet today, would you do so now? It is only through our fellowship with one another as we spread this peace throughout the world that we build the Kingdom of God and that He resides in our midst.
As we have been studying the ceremonial rituals and worship of the Israelites, we have been noting the repetition. We see this again as Leviticus 8 reflects much of Exodus 29. Through the ordination and consecration of the priests, we see all of the offerings made on their behalf as they are but human beings being set apart and called of God. This is not a postion to be taken lightly, and as we minister the good news to one another, we should not take it lightly either. However, as you prepare to share the Love of God with those you know, remember that you are a sinner just as they are. If you wait for full knowledge, or perfection in yourself, or all the answers, know that day will not come. Do, however devote yourself to prayer and live within the joy of the Lord. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15-20 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit." This is done through spending time with God, by prayer and meditation in His word. You may ask how do we know if we have the Spirit of God? We are told the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, meekness, self control, compassion, forbearance, forgiveness, thankfulness, hope, and endurance (Galatians 5:22-23, Colossians 3:12-17, I Corinthians 13:7)
Did you notice the use of the number 7 in the ordination and consecration of the priests? I checked the use of "seven" in Bible Gateway and found that in the first 3 books of the Bible, "seven" is found 144 times. Through a bit of further study, I found this generally represents completeness. As a desciple of my everlasting priest, the sacrificial lamb of God, completeness for me means loving Him and serving before Him for the rest of my life. I guess that is what the Aaron and his sons did also. If that means I have to deal with those fruits His Spirit I mentioned for the rest of my life, I think I can handle that.
Our Levitical reading for today ends on the eighth day as Moses gathers the entire congration together to witness the appearing of the Lord as His house and priesthood has now been established. In preparation for meeting our Lord and Heavenly Father, let's do our best to consecrate ourselves daily for service enjoying the fruits of His Kingdom. Won't you join me in preparation for that eighth day when this week on earth has been completed and we shall meet the Lord face to face on that first day of life forevermore!
Response to Mark 3:31-4:25
Our highlighted verse for today is Mark 3:34; "Then he (Jesus) looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." If you choose to Love your fellowman, that's you and me brother!
The parable of the sower as shared in Mark 4:1-9 is also found in Matthew 13:1-9 and Luke 8:4-8. Some theological circles have claimed this has to do with the saved and unsaved. However, I ask that you listen to your conscience as you read. Do you believe that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life? Did you understand the parable of the wineskins a few days ago? This brings us back to the consecration we discussed regarding Leviticus today. Listen to Isaiah 6:5-10.
"'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.'
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.' Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'
He said, 'Go and tell this people: 'Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.'"
If you read the passage from Mark 4:12, you may have noticed this is the passage Jesus quoted in his reason for teaching parables. Yesterday, we heard that Jesus commissioned the 12 disciples from all of His followers and sent them out to preach. (see Mark 3:14). It strikes me that Jesus is very aware of the problems people will have in accepting the word of God. It is the task of the Children of God as we present the Kingdom to do so in such a way as to present the virtues of His personality which must include Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness... - all inviting and affective in a fallen world. Unfortunately, I don't think we always do such a good job. So, let's look at the explanation of the parable of the sower. If the disciples did not understand, how could the world, who's hearts have been calloused? This explanation is now available for all to see, yet it still may not be understood. Remember, as we read of the farmer who always searches for the lost helpless sheep. The shepherd never gives up on his sheep, just as the soldier never leaves a comrade in the field.
Whether the sower is Jesus, the disciple, the word of God, or the child of God today, the parable remains the same. The response of the listener can be; 1. "Yeah, right!" as he goes and immediately forgets what he has heard. 2. "Yes, I believe! Hallelujah!", yet as their comfort zone relies on wayward friendships or the seeming pleasures of life which become awkward with this newfound faith, it becomes a painful fading memory. 3. "Yes, I believe! Hallelujah!", yet as responsibilities and ambitions and other priorities pressure life, the priority of serving the Kingdom fall by the wayside and the years pass. 4. "Yes, I believe! Hallelujah!" and this one finds the time to invest into Kingdom service and the joys that come through serving and investing in the Kingdom. Their social expertise is such that they are able to spread the word and bring others into the Kingdom. They are indeed leaders of men. They are called to help those who have fallen, not able to rise.
If indeed, we wish to watch as the world destroys itself yet again as our passage Isaiah 6 continues in verses 11-13, we can give up on spreading the word of the Kingdom of God upon first refusal. Yet, perhaps we can find new ways to spread the word of God that are not so judgmental and more in tune with John 3:16-17 in a way which is more inviting and acceptable. Perhaps we can spread the good news of God's love through the compassionalte framework of I Corinthians 13 and welcome brethren into the family. Realizing that initially their eyes and ears are closed in pain and confusion. Perhaps we can prepare the soil by attempting to understand their heart and help them to improve their soil. Perhaps we need to do the work of landscaper before we spread the seed.
As a landscaper, allow me to apply my understanding to this parable of the Kingdom of God. What farmer or landscaper sows the seed before he prepares the soil? Fool, first remove the rocks and till the soil, adding the fertilizer so that the seed will grow! Then cultivate the new seedlings until they mature and produce seed of their own. As this is true of parenthood, Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. The same is true in the nurture of a disciple. Understand the heart so that you can open the eyes of understanding and unstop the ears so that they can hear of the Love of God.
There is hope given in Mark 4:22: "For there is nothing hid, except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light." The world WILL come to understand the Love of the Creator.
Response to Psalm 37:12-29
I have seen the wicked, they have been my children. As their Father, I have loved them. I have seen the oppression that sucks the life out of them and have experienced anger and compassion. As King, David could not understand this. So many of our children today are broken and struggle with the motivations that seem to come so easy for many of those more fortunate. Too often, the faithful believe their good fortune is because of their faith. Yet, so often their faith has come because of their good fortune. Too often, it is the faithful who draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, justifying such actions through their own pride of life.
I have often seen Christian virtue exemplified more by those who understand poverty because they have lived it, than by the affluent who struggle to comprehend the culture. Yet, I know the Lord looks at the heart and will reward all of our efforts. I truly believe it is in our best interest to invest in the work of Christians within foreign cultures than by spending our dollars on short term bandaids. Spending dollars on our own adventure enlightens our souls, but could reap the same benefits within our own communities. Applying ourselves to our own communities and offering our excesses to the building of ministries around the world will build the body of Christ in foreign communities exponentially.
This is a lesson in sociology. There is more to understanding humanity than this Psalm allows us to gleam. How easy it would be to claim Exodus 20:5 "punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.", Yet, as we leave countless children fatherless in our world and then become forced to deal with their cycles of poverty and anger and rebellion that are left through these orphans and widows. we must become aware of our true calling as children of God. To whom much has been given, much will be required. The world needs our help. Wickedness is a disease and there is a cure. He's called the Prince of Peace and we're not only his hands and feet, but the enablers of those hands and feet worldwide. Invest in longterm missions that are impacting cultures from within and spend more time cultivating your surrounding communities. Stop investing in widow and orphan makers.
Response to Proverbs 10:5
The fields are ripe for harvest. If you, child of God, are sleeping, wake up and help.
Surprised? If I came off as offensive, perhaps I needed to.
I hope you'll tune in again tomorrow.
I truly believe it is all about Love and common sense.
I know He understands.
Rick.
Friday, February 19, 2010
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