Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! Psalm 100:4
This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter fourteen - God Forgives and Removes Sin - covering Leviticus 16:1-34, looking specifically at the second theme for the chapter - We Come into God's Presence with Care. Here, the commentary theme for today highlights God's instructions for Aaron to follow on the Day of Atonement as described in great detail in Leviticus 16. God warns Aaron to follow these instructions to the letter "so that he may (does) not die" (v2, 13). The commentary writes how Aaron, after the death of his two sons as described in Leviticus 10, was surely more motivated to be careful to follow God's instructions. During my study of Leviticus, I've previously posted on the topic of how we are to approach worship carefully and with a right heart - certainly not flippantly or carelessly as we might if we are simply going through the motions. The commentary urges us to see this same application today: "we are not to approach God in a haphazard way or in the way that suits us in the moment. We submit to what God says in His Word about how to approach Him. He is God, not man. He is our sovereign Lord, not our buddy, and we come into His presence with a keen awareness of that fact....We don't come into His presence naming our demands or imposing our opinions; we come into His presence giving Him praise as God and bowing our hearts in reverence out of fear of His holiness and awesome power." The commentary provides both Matthew 6:9 and Psalm 100:4 as scriptural examples of how we are to approach God.
Comment and discuss this post here.
My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is always available for me - in worship, for prayer and quiet time studying the Word, etc. Thank You! Yet I am undeserving of how You bless me and protect me as I have often gone through the motions. Please forgive me Jesus! Help me overcome and turn from such sin and turn towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo. Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior. Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.
