And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”

Leviticus 12

And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord  (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:22-24

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - wrapping up chapter twelve - God Rules from Our Birth - covering Leviticus 12:1-8, looking specifically at the final theme - God Offers Salvation to All.  The commentary this morning provides an explicit and direct connection to Jesus from the text in Leviticus 12. V8 describes the offering commanded by God following a new mother's purification (where even the poor have a path to God): "if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering."  The commentary then emphasizes how Jesus offers salvation to all, including the poor - "[f]inancial condition never excludes someone from atonement God provides.  God offers it to every person free of charge."  Key this morning is how the commentary highlights Luke's (Luke 2:22-24) description of how Mary, after the birth of Jesus, offers this same offering as commanded by God in Leviticus 12:8. The commentary also encourages us to know that Jesus Himself became poor so that we can become rich - rich from the grace and inheritance of Jesus!

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God worthy of my white-hot worship and You offer salvation to everyone, and You gave it to me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a blessing - the greatest gift of all time.  I 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.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Leviticus 12

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter twelve - God Rules from Our Birth - covering Leviticus 12:1-8, looking specifically at the first theme - God Provides the Propitiation for Our Sin.  Here, the commentary focuses on atonement and propitiation where the latter "is the "New Testament word for atonement", quoting the commentary.  The commentary states that atonement and propitiation are appropriate topics in the context of childbirth in Leviticus 12 because of the blood and the resulting uncleanness (see post few days ago), and because children are born sinners, as our sinful nature is part of all of us since The Fall (Genesis 3). The commentary also reminds us that in Genesis 3:16, God specifically states that with childbirth, He "will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children." The commentary then states that "the pain of childbirth reminds us of the presence of sin in the human race because of the original sins of Adam and Eve....When a child is born, we know that child is a sinner, and because sin leads to death that child is born to die.  Ironically, birth is a reminder of our death and our death is because of sin.  Sin leads to death.  Thank God He provides propitiation for our sin."  We are encourage to refer to 1 John 2:1-2 and 4:10. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God - You sent Your Son Jesus for me!  Thank You!  I am not deserving such a gift - the greatest gift of all time!  I worry...I know this is sin.  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.   

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Leviticus 12

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:15-16

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter twelve - God Rules from Our Birth - covering Leviticus 12:1-8, looking specifically at the first theme - God Requires Separation from Unbelievers.  Here, the commentary focuses on how at this point in the Old Testament, the Israelites were preparing to enter Canaan, the land God promised to Abraham (Genesis 12:7), and the land God led the Israelites to out of the wilderness after leaving Egypt. The commentary explores the pagan worship of the cultures in Canaan and its neighbor Moab - the pagan worship of both of these lands included use of human blood and/or human pain/sacrifice.  God of courses detests false gods and worship of these false gods, and the commentary states that childbirth as depicted in Leviticus 12 involves both human pain and blood; so by implication, childbirth, although not sinful, is loosely linked with the pagan worship of Canaan and Moab. Hence, God calls for the mothers to be purified as a prerequisite of the worship experience.  As a key takeaway for today and the theme for today - God Requires Separation from Unbelievers - the commentary urges us to see how our worship separates us from unbelievers.  The commentary also offers two additional takeaways - how believers separate ourselves from unbelievers:

• truth separates us: since (and because of) the Fall, childbirth was painful and often dangerous, sometimes leading to death; death was associated with sin (since the Fall); the concept of original sin and how the wages of sin are death (Romans 6:23) is unique to Christianity as is the role Jesus plays in redemption, forgiveness of sin, justification, sanctification, glorification, and eternal life.
  
• obedience separates us: Leviticus is just one book of the Bible but what we see just in this one book is how God governs every aspect of our lives - including all the details; God does bring about obedience as the fruit of our faith and believers obedience is designed to allow us to not only be separate, but different in the sense that unbelievers see and experience something that draws them to Him.
  

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who created me and those around me and I am grateful for the life You gave me and for those in my community - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me.  I worry.  Please forgive me 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.   

Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Leviticus 12

Know that the Lord, he is God!  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter twelve - God Rules from Our Birth - covering Leviticus 12:1-8, looking specifically at the first theme - God Commands Celebration of Childbirth.  Here, the commentary focuses on the purification laws for mothers following childbirth as described in Leviticus 12.  The commentary makes it clear that these laws of course do not imply that childbirth is a sin, or that the mother did anything sinful; the commentary also emphasizes that these laws should not detract from God's view that childbirth is cause for celebration.  We are encouraged to refer to Genesis 1:28, Psalm 100:3, and 127:4-5, as three examples of many where childbirth is celebrated, and where we can stand Biblically against the sin of abortion. The commentary also contrasts blood during childbirth vs blood during sacrifices made for atonement; "[p]eople became unclean by sin and their association with anything that resembled or represented the realm of death.  In the case of childbirth, childbirth involves blood, blood was associated with death, so childbirth rendered women [ritually] unclean because of the blood.  The only blood God allowed in the tabernacle was sacrificial blood, the blood of animals shed for the purpose of atonement. Everything else that had to do with death was kept separate from the tabernacle.  Thus, childbirth rendered a woman ritually unclean but not morally unclean." 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God, worthy of my praise and worship - You made me and everyone else and Your design and Your works are incredible and You make no mistakes.  We are all fearfully and wonderfully made....and You knit all of us together.  Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of how You made me, my family, and all those I know - all blessings.  My sin of worry continues.  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.