SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 27
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
To be fully devoted to the Lord. This chapter describes people who want to show their love for the Lord by dedicating something (land, children, livestock, possessions) to the Lord and His service. Such acts of devotion are not to be taken lightly, and once made, they cannot be taken back. They belong to the Lord. The only possibility of getting it back is buying it back (redeeming it), with the added 20% penalty.

What is in mind here is sincere and honest worship. Don’t make heartless, boastful vows to impress others, and not follow through. Don’t try to impress the Lord with great promises (‘if You do this, then I will do that’). If you are making such a vow, do it sincerely, and with every intention of doing it! Continue reading devotion

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 26
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
The path that we choose will determine the destination that we reach. Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. [Matthew 7:13-14] The Lord is reminding His people that choosing to follow and obey Him will result in blessing, while choosing to reject Him and His way will result in misery and death.

The description here is a fairly accurate picture of what happens to Israel. They reject the Lord, and then things go from bad to worse until they are exiled – scattered among the nations. And the land enjoys its sabbath rest [compare Leviticus 26:34 with 2 Chronicles 36:21]. It also promises that the judgment will not be final, that the Lord will remember His covenant and will restore His people when they finally repent. Continue reading choosing the right path

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 25
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
The Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee both symbolically point to the Lord’s ultimate plan to restore liberation and celebration, once and for all. Everything is moving towards liberation and celebration.

No matter what happens in this life, even when things go wrong and we lose our way or our place, the day is coming when everything will be restored. God’s people may lose their land, their wealth, their freedom, but there is a better day coming! This promise is for God’s children but also for God’s creation. The land looks forward to this day of liberation [Romans 8:19-21]. Continue reading make my life a jubilee

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 24
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
After reminding Aaron to keep the symbols of Lord’s presence (the candle) and provision (the bread), the people discover the importance of RESPECT. The Lord uses this occasion where someone intentionally, brazenly curses Him before all the people, to teach them about respect. Not only for Him, for but for all people, for life, for everything.

Respect for the Lord ought to be obvious. If we really knew God, what God was like, and our place before God, we would quickly humble ourselves before Him. But sinful pride blinds us to God, and we foolishly deny or diminish Him. The repeated message of the Bible is: honour God, fear God, worship God, reverence God, respect God! Implied in this message is its counterpart – or else! Continue reading respect

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 23
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:

1. In this chapter the Lord mentions the many festivals the people were to commemorate. Weekly, monthly, and yearly the people were to enjoy rest, to be reminded of God’s mercy, and to celebrate His goodness. The Sabbath Day, Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement and the Feast of Tabernacles were occasions to assemble for worship and celebration. Please note, the Lord wants to party with us, in the best sense of the term!
 
2. Jesus shows that we will spend eternity celebrating with Him, at least, those who want to: I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [Matthew 8:11-12] Apparently not everyone will want to join in that eternal feast. Continue reading the kingdom of God is a party!

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 22
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
1. Doing the right thing is not enough, doing it for the right reason matters too. The Lord challenges the people to do the right thing – that is, offer the sacrifices in a proper, honourable way – and to do it for the right reason – that is, to honour the Lord and respect Him as holy. Some people think that good deeds are enough, others think that good motivation is enough. The Lord wants us to aim for both.

2. Jesus affirms this when He challenges the Jewish leaders about their technical rightness, but their inward hypocrisy and greed. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” [Matthew 23:25-26] Continue reading serious, sincere worship

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 21
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
The Lord assigns a special role to the priests. They represent God among the people. In this role, they must be seen as “set apart”, different, holy. As God is perfect and holy, they must represent as much as possible that perfection and holiness. This was not because they were better than the others, but because their role demanded that they represent the better way. The reason for this was so that they could be holy, set apart, different.

In this way, the priest represents Jesus. Jesus prayed, ‘For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.’ [John 17:19] To sanctify is to set apart, to make holy. He was perfect, He was sinless, we was fully devoted to God and His will… to the point of death. His death was more than symbolic, it was the real thing. His perfect life, His perfect sacrifice, led to the perfect victory over sin, death and hell. Because He set Himself apart perfectly for the Lord, those who trust in Him are also set apart for the Lord. Continue reading set apart to serve

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 20
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
As I read this chapter, I think about the time when Jesus was asked about whether the adulterous woman should be stoned [John 8:2-11]. He said to them, ‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ [John 8:7] According to this chapter, this woman and the man with her were to be put to death [Leviticus 20:10]. The fact that the man was not also presented (they were caught, afterall), shows the hypocrisy and double standard the Jewish leaders were working with.

But aside from this, we also see that Jesus introduces a new reality. The Law of Moses was put in effect UNTIL the messiah should come [Galatians 3:23-25]. It was a strict, disciplinary code put in place to restrain sin and protect people from themselves. But it could not save them. Continue reading I do not condemn you

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 19
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
1. “I am the Lord”. This refrain seems to be saying: first, that the Lord is the powerful God that rescued them, so take His commands seriously; second, that this is how things work with the Lord, as opposed to the religious practices of neighbouring nations.

2. This mixed list of laws contains many that are very good, some that seem odd, and at least one that seems wrong. Most of the laws relate to respect and justice in relation to one’s neighbour. These commands still make sense today: respect for the elderly, not using dishonest scales, treating foreigners as family, not holding grudges, not lying, stealing, cheating workers or abusing the handicapped etc.

3. Some of the commands relate to their relationship with God: observing the Sabbath, handling fellowship offerings, honouring God’s Name and the Tent, not consulting with mediums or spiritists. Some commands relate to pagan religious practices: not making idols, not cutting hair or beards, not cutting bodies or getting tattoos (likely specific practices of pagan religions). Continue reading they’re good for you!

SCRIPTURE: Leviticus 18
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
1. Sex, like fire, is a beautiful gift. In the fireplace, it provides warmth and comfort. But outside of healthy boundaries, that is, when it jumps from the fireplace to the curtains, we have disaster. Sex, like fire, causes a lot of damage when it is taken out of its safe, intended environment.

2. Sex does not stand alone. It belongs in the broader context of covenant relationship, with love, trust and fidelity. To be truly appreciated, it requires a love and respect for one another, one that does not USE the other person as an object but respects and values the person as a person. The dehumanizing of sex, taking it out of the secure and beautiful context of covenant union, is the destruction of sex, as well as of the persons involved.

3. Leviticus 18 is not a complete list but gives many examples of destructive, dehumanizing sex. Having lost our connection to God and each other, we desperately seek joy and love, but we seek it in unhealthy ways. We turn sex into an idol, an experience from which we hope to derive meaning, joy, fulfillment… but that leaves us unsatisfied. Continue reading sexual inferno