You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Leviticus 12

 You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. Leviticus 11:45

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 States the Stipulations of His Covenant.  Here, the commentary focuses on the relationship believers have with God - we should honor and obey God's commands out of love for Him.  The commentary uses the analogy of a friend or loved one who tells us something either they don't want us to do when around them, and out of respect and love for our friend and family member, we avoid the thing, even when the thing we are to avoid is not sinful.  That is what we do because of the relationship we have. Similarly, in Leviticus 12, while childbirth is not sinful, God did command mothers to be cleansed and purified before resuming worship in the tabernacle. Other ceremonial laws in the Old Testament, such as the foods God commanded the Israelites to eat and not eat, work similarly.  The commentary summarizes how this works by stating: "[w]e obey God's law because we have a relationship with Him and we love Him. His laws are stipulations of His covenant." While the ceremonial laws from the Old Testament no longer apply with Jesus and the New Covenant He makes with us, the moral laws do and when God commands us to do something or to not do something, we are to honor and obey God because we love Him and because He is God.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me, forgives my sin, brings about obedience, and gives me life to the full now and for eternity - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love me or for any of the blessings You pour out for me.  I worry and I have other sins.  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.  

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Leviticus 11

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

This afternoon, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter eleven - Eating for God's Glory - covering Leviticus 11:1-47, looking specifically at the third theme - We Celebrate the Fulfillment of the Law by Jesus.  Here, in reviewing the entirety of this chapter of the commentary, we are encouraged to see several takeaways.  Broadly, the sacrifices described in Leviticus 11 for believers are no longer necessary as "Jesus is the final, once-for-all sacrifice.  Jesus fulfills the laws in Leviticus by providing (1) redemption - He purchases our freedom by going to the cross in our place; (2) purification - instead of the purification described in Leviticus that is required from how we become unclean, believers know that Jesus washes away our sin; (3) direction on how food is to be used for God's glory (vs dietary commands in Leviticus 11): (a) as a mission to reach others and share the gospel by meeting basic needs and by sharing meals with sinners as Jesus did with Zacchaeus (see Luke 19); (b) to promote fellowship among brothers and sisters in Christ (see Acts 2); (c) by avoiding consumption that causes stumbling (i.e. bad eating habits that cause poor health); (d) by subjecting eating to higher priorities as we should not worry about food as Jesus should be our highest priority (see Matthew 6). 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is the once and for all sacrifice - thank You Jesus - thank You for setting me free!  I am not deserving of how You set me free and for all the blessings You pour out for me.  I 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 Your 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.  

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Leviticus 11

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23

This evening, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter eleven - Eating for God's Glory - covering Leviticus 11:1-47, looking specifically at the third theme - We Seek to Reflect God's Holiness.  Here, similar to my post yesterday where the focus in the commentary was to be set apart, the focus tonight is the why God wants us to be set apart. Although, my post from a couple of days ago was clear that we don't need an explanation from God to be obedient, here the commentary offers one with regards to why God wants us to be holy.  The commentary encourages us to look at v45 where the sequence is important: first, God brought the Israelites out of Egypt to be their God; second, therefore the Israelites, and believers in Christ by extension, are to be holy because God is holy. For believers in Christ, we are, like the Israelites, redeemed first, then God sanctifies us over the period of our earthly life - making us into more of His image until the day when we meet Jesus face to face in Heaven when we are glorified.  The commentary says it well - when God comes into our lives and hearts the expectation is that now that He has made us new (reborn) and given us a new identity, we are act accordingly. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer:  Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has redeemed me and I know You have sanctified me - and I have seen the miraculous work You have done in my life and I know You are not done.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of what You have done for me.  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.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you[.]

Leviticus 11

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you[.] 2 Corinthians 6:14-15, 17

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing chapter eleven - Eating for God's Glory - covering Leviticus 11:1-47, looking specifically at the second theme - We Separate from the Ways of the World.  Here, the commentary offers a second explanation behind God's dietary laws - God wanted the Israelites to be different and to be set apart from the other cultures of the day. The commentary looks at how archaeologists of today identify ancient people groups by looking their refuse and can identify sites of the Jewish people because of the lack of pig bones. Such distinctions across the world continue as people groups often have a diet and food specialty associated with them. The commentary goes further by encouraging us to see how God wanted the Israelites to "be holy because [God] is holy" (see post yesterday).  The application for believers today is just the same - we must "not conform to the patterns of this world" (Romans 12:2) but instead become more like God so that others see God in us such God is glorified.  The commentary urges us to look at both 1 John 2:15-16 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-15, 17.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing God You are that love me and You sanctify me, helping me become more like You.  Thank You...yet I am not deserving of how You work in me - as my sin continues - worry, etc.  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.

For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy....For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

Leviticus 11

For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy....For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. Leviticus 11:44-45

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - starting chapter eleven - Eating for God's Glory - covering Leviticus 11:1-47, looking specifically at the first theme - We Submit to God and His Word.  Here, the commentary unpacks the dietary laws specified by God here in Leviticus 11, and it starts to explore for believers the application we can takeaway from these instructions from God.  Although Biblical scholars have various theories about why God gave the Israelites dietary laws, the commentary briefly looks at a few of such theories, including one theory that posits such laws were motivated by encouraging better health.  The commentary is not definitive, but largely dismisses the theory that looks at health reasons, and instead encourages us to see a "two-fold explanation" that covers this chapter of the commentary.  The first commentary theme - We Submit to God and His Word - is our starting point.  Point blank - the Israelites were given these dietary laws and they were to follow these laws because God said so.  God does not need to give an explanation for His commands - He reigns and we must obey.  Although these dietary laws don't apply for believers (see John Piper post on this), the application remains the same - believers in Jesus that fall under the New/Second Covenant with Christ must obey every thing God says - because God says so.  The commentary uses the first unexplained command in the Bible (Genesis 2:16-17) and points out that although God did not explain the command, the serpent did in Genesis 3:5 and then of course Eve (and Adam) fell for the lie and trusted Satan more than trusting God.  Satan tempts us with lies all the time, every single day - and we must not fall for the trap like Adam and Eve did - we must trust God and fully submit to Him, even though we may not know why He asks us to do something, we are to obey.  This obedience to God is brought about by an ever increasing sanctification process as we mature in our relationship with Him.  The more we know about Him, the more we seek to please and glorify Him.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me and who I can trust as You provide for all of my needs, physical, emotional, and spiritual.  You guide me, protect me and You sealed me for eternity!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings...not by a long shot.  I sin...harshness towards others, worry, gossip, 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 understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.