The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.”

Numbers 4:16-20

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, “Let not the tribe of the clans of the Kohathites be destroyed from among the Levites, but deal thus with them, that they may live and not die when they come near to the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in and appoint them each to his task and to his burden, but they shall not go in to look on the holy things even for a moment, lest they die.” Numbers 4:17-20

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today 4:16-20, where the Lord gives Moses and Aaron instructions for Eleazar to be in charge of the tabernacle and all that is in it, and guidance for treatment of the Kohathites in their role.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Yes God is holy.  There should be no doubt about this.  The text today implies that there should be reverence for God - He is the Name Above Every Name and we should not take His name in vain (see also Exodus 20:7 from the 10 Commandments and this sermon) and we should certainly follow His instructions.  But once again, specifically and explicitly in the text today we are referring to ceremonial law and roles in this context.  The New Covenant based on Jesus' shed blood does away with the ceremonial law and while we should have reverent fear of God (see this post about fear as preservative), we should not fear approaching God is He is our personal Lord and Savior.  God loves us, wants to spend time with us, reveal Himself to us, etc.  He wants us to bring our cares and concerns to Him.  Hebrews 4:14-16 is key. 
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Each of us have a role to play in the mission He lays before us as individuals, the local church, and the global church.  Obedience to His mission is not burdensome as described in v19 - see also 1 John 5:3.
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid carelessly approaching God or misusing His name.  Claim the promise that we can approach God in confidence.  Follow the example of Jesus who did not see obedience to the Father as burdensome.  Fear God (as a preservative) because He is holy.  

Comment and discuss this post

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome Holy God that is approachable and accessible - You save!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love and save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin 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 continue to 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. 

Which one of you convicts me of sin?

John 8:46

Which one of you convicts me of sin? John 8:46

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 25 (second to last chapter): The Holiness of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• "There is but one name in human history with which we can link that glorious name. What do we mean by holiness? We mean wholeness, full-orbed perfection. A holy man is a man without a fleck or flaw, a character without a blemish or a stain."
•  "[S]o far as we can discover there is nothing in Jesus' consciousness which indicates that he was guilty of any sin. There is no trace anywhere of regret, no indication anywhere of remorse. From first to last he is serene, jubilant, confident, free, so far as we can see, from that shadow which the consciousness of sin always casts."
• "There is no [sinless] exception in the whole list from Abraham down to the latest of the apostles. Every heart cries out in the language of the Psalmist: 'Have mercy upon me, O God, and blot out my transgressions,' 'Wash me from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin, for my sin is ever before me.'"
• "Other men, even the strongest, have asked others to pray for them — he never asked prayers of any man."
• "Not only did he hold himself immeasurably above the heads of all other men, but he forgave sins, he spoke as one having authority. No other man had ever exercised such a prerogative. Even the worst sinners when penitent at his feet received from him authoritative assurance of forgiveness. Moreover he was a man without a human ideal."
• "All good men have looked up to some man better than themselves; Jesus looked up to no man. He placed himself above Moses. He said, 'A greater than Solomon is here.' He said to men, 'Follow me, I am the ideal.' And at the same time he said, 'Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect.'"
• "There was a reason why the baptism should be performed,—there was another element in baptism besides confession of sin. John was the beloved disciple, coming the nearest to the Master's heart. In the third chapter of his first letter he says this, 'He was manifested to take away our sin, and in him is no sin.' That was the impression which the Lord made upon him."
• "In the second chapter of [Peter's] first letter he says, 'He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Now [the Apostles] were with Jesus. They ate with him, drank with him, slept with him, they saw him in all conditions and in all moods, and under varying circumstances. They saw him hungry, angry, stem, surprised, disappointed, amazed, yet they believed that in him there was no sin. The writer to the Hebrews in the fourth chapter reminds his readers that while Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet he was without sin."
• "Here, then, we have reached the crowning characteristic of Jesus. It is this which differentiates him from all other men who have ever lived. Every other man has known the pang of remorse, every other man has cried for pardon."
• "It is this sinlessness which gives Jesus his power. You cannot understand the New Testament unless you acknowledge that he was holy. His life was one of suffering, persecution, ending in a horrible death, but yet the New Testament is a joyous book. There is no gloom in it because there was no gloom in him. His soul was radiant. Nothing creates gloom in this world but sin."
• "All the things which we count terrible are insignificant and have no power to cast a shadow. There is only one thing which makes the spirit droop, and that is sin. His sinlessness explains his joyfulness."
• "The reason we are drawn to him is not because of his courage, his sympathy, his patience, or his brotherliness; it is because we feel instinctively that he is far above us, a man without a sin. It is this which gives the Christian church its power. The Christian church has but one perfect possession, that is Jesus."
• "Some of you are not interested in him; it is because he is so far above you. Some of you have no sympathy with him; it is because you are not at all like him. Some of you do not understand his words; that is because you are disobedient. Some of you have no disposition to do his will; it is because you are the prisoners of sin. But the sinless Christ does not turn away from us, no matter how sinful we are. He says: 'Come unto me. He that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out.'"

Believers see Jesus as holy - the perfect spotless Lamb of God.  We are also called to be like Him - to be holy (see also 1 Peter 1:15-16).  How is this possible?  Jesus is the King of Kings.  First, we are all made in His image - see Genesis 9:6.  Since the Fall (Genesis 3), sin separates us from God. In the Old Testament, the ceremonial rituals of sacrifice were required to atone for sin.  Yet, over time, Israel largely performed this ritual as rote, devoid of a truly repentant heart - they could claim obedience to following God's commands for atonement but God wants our heart (to love Him first, then others - the two greatest commandments - see Matthew 22:34-40), not rote sacrifice.  With Jesus, we see the end of the OT sacrificial system and those who believe in Jesus are reconciled to God, and become a new creation with the Holy Spirit in their hearts.  As we read and study the Word and see Jesus in the Word, we know more about Him and love Him more with each passing day.  It is not us, but God working in us to bring about obedience and sanctification - we become more like Him through Him.  As I approach the last chapter of this book by Charles Jefferson, I return to the beginning with a reminder of why I read this book - quoting from the Introduction: "to be a Christian is to admire Jesus so sincerely and so fervently that the whole life goes out to him in an aspiration to be like him."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is Holy, and the sinless, perfect Lamb of God who calls me to be holy and equips me with the Holy Spirit and Your Word to help me become more like You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save nor how You bless in these ways and so much more.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin 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 continue to 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.    

You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

Leviticus 19-20

You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:26, and 1 Peter 1:16

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter seventeen - Holiness and Love - covering Leviticus 19-20, looking specifically at the first theme for the chapter - An Exhortation from God.  In the introduction to the chapter, the commentary briefly examines how we as humans can easily move from peace with God in one moment to sin (of course of many flavors).  The commentary then states how Leviticus 19 is often regarded "as the thematic center of the book[,]" and how "the largest themes of Leviticus are the holiness of God and the holiness of God's people; those are the themes for Leviticus 19-20.  For today - An Exhortation from God - focuses on v19:2, "[y]ou shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" and how these words also appear in the Old Testament in Leviticus 11:44-45 and 20:26, and in the New Testament in 1 Peter 1:16. Believers should know that we exist to glorify God; therefore, we can better understand the importance of being holy as God seeks for us to represent Him to the world.  The commentary describes God's holiness as "He is different, other than, and He is unique in that He is perfectly righteous....Holiness is an intrinsic attribute of God's nature, and God expresses His holiness through what He does." The question of course believers are left with is: what does holiness mean?  The commentary indicates it will address this in the next sub-heading, which I will tackle tomorrow.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You are holy, righteous, and perfect in all that You are and all that You do.  You have blessed me in so many ways I cannot simply describe all these ways. I am not deserving of how You bless me.  My sin of harshness and anger towards others continues, as do other sins such as worry.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin 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. 

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"

Leviticus 10

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" Isaiah 6:3

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting with chapter ten - Our Response to God's Holiness - covering Leviticus 10:1-20, looking specifically at the theme - God's People Approach God as Holy.  Here, as the commentary begins a new chapter looking at Leviticus 10, the introduction to the chapter focuses on the contrast between Moses and the priests in Leviticus 8-9 vs that of Aaron and sons Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10.  The commentary points out how, in Leviticus 8-9 scripture states that Moses and priests did exactly as the Lord commanded twelve times. Yet in Leviticus 10:1-2, Nadab and Abihu offer "unauthorized fire" to the Lord "[a]nd fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord."  The commentary points us back to Leviticus 8, where in v8:35, Moses warns "Aaron and his sons to obey the Lord, 'so that you will not die.'"  The commentary also points us to v10:3, where Moses further explains to Aaron that "[t]his is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified."  We are urged to see God as sanctified, holy - as "set apart" - implying that we are to avoid treating God as like us, or as a better version of us - both of which are not only not true, but sinful to believe as such!  The commentary refers to theologian A.W. Tozer and his book The Knowledge of the Holy, where he writes: "[w]e cannot grasp the true meaning of the divine holiness by thinking of someone or something very pure and then raising the concept to the highest degree we are capable of.  God’s holiness is not simply the best we know infinitely bettered. We know nothing like the divine holiness. It stands apart, unique, unapproachable, incomprehensible and unattainable."  The commentary then provides a number of scriptural examples that refer to God as Holy (Isaiah 6:3), His Word as Holy (Romans 7:12), and all of His attributes as Holy (Psalm 98:1) - of course this is not an exhaustive list.  The commentary then closes the first subheading or theme - God's People Approach God as Holy - by exhorting all believers to treat worship with the reverence God is due; God is Holy so we must approach God carefully and with awe and reverence.  We must avoid worship that is "unauthorized" as  Nadab and Abihu did.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are Holy, Your Word is Holy and everything about You is Holy!  You are perfect in all Your ways, and You love me.  You are worthy of my awe and white hot worship!  Yet sometimes I fail to treat my worship with the awe and reverence You desire.  Please forgive me Jesus!  Help me overcome and turn from my sin 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.

“If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity."

 Leviticus 5-6

“If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity." Leviticus 5:17

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing with chapter six - When We Are Guilty - covering Leviticus 5:14-6:7, looking specifically at the theme - We Are Guilty When We Disobey a Command of God.  Here, the commentary stresses unintentional sin, which is explicitly discussed in v5:14, 17-18.  It states that we sin unintentionally all the time - we often refer to these as mistakes, but these are sins nonetheless. We are urged to step back to see the extent of the details in Leviticus as laid out by God as commands that we are to follow.  Yet, the commentary then states regarding the Israelites' ability to keep all of these commandments: "[i]t was easy to make a mistake by forgetting or not knowing about a particular law."  V15 is called out with its reference to "holy things" and the commentary describes these as "all the things set apart for use in the sanctuary--shovels, utensils, and pans used in offering sacrifices and preparing incense. Those things were holy in that they were reserved only for use in the sanctuary." The commentary writes about how easy it must have been to miss a detail - unintentionally - about these commands.  We are urged to see how we - just as those living during the time when the Old Testament sacrificial system was in place were - are human and prone to mistakes and imperfection.  Only God is perfect and Holy. We are also urged to not question God's laws as He is the authority and He gets to make the rules, just as a parent does with a child.  There are no imperfect laws from God as He is perfect and Holy. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and whose laws are perfect and good for me.  All that You do is good and good for me.  I am undeserving of how You bless me.  I have sin such as worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin 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.