Set Free

Leviticus 14

Have you ever had Chicken Pox? I had it when I was little, my mom in way wanted me to catch it and get it out of my system before I got any older. I know that it can be highly contagious, unless you have had it. My mom had Chicken Pox when she was a little girl. She was able to be around me and not become sick because she already had it.

Yesterday we looked at how hard it was for someone with leprosy. They were considered an outcast for society and it was hard for them. Today we will see about the requirements that they needed to do in order for them to be considered clean. If you had leprosy and it left you, you would then need to present yourself to the priest. If the priest found that it has left you then you would have to spend some time with a ceremonial cleansing. You would need to first need to find two live birds, some cederwood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop. The person with leprosy would need to sprinkled 7 times with the blood of one of the birds that was killed. Then he would release the alive bird to be free in the wilderness. After this symbolic act of being clean, the ex-leper would need to bathe, shave all his hair, and wash his clothes. He would wait 7 days and on the 8th day do it again. He would then wait another 7 days and on the 8th day, he would be considered clean and would need to offer a guilt offering. There were even specific instruction on how to clean the house of a leper or if leprosy or disease was in the house. This was not just a ceremonial act but also sanitary because the disease was so contagious.

The Life of the bird

It is interesting that a bird would have to die to show that one was clean of leprosy and another bird would be released. It shows that even though we may not have physical leprosy, sin in a sense is like it. Sin makes it so we cannot have fellowship with God. Leprosy deadens the nerves, sin deadens our hearts. Jesus laid down his life so that we may be set free. The bird that was released was released back into the wild. The bird was able to go back and do bird stuff. It would fly, build a nest, and whatever else birds do. The leper would be considered clean and be able to go back to his/her family, they would be able to get a job, they would be able to be part of society, most importantly they would be able to offer sacrifices again. Jesus restores us to a right place with God. Jesus saves us. Jesus heals us.

Jesus was confronted by a leper in Matthew 8:24. The leper said, “Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand and said, “I am willing.” Jesus is willing to save us as he died on the cross with his hands stretched out being nailed to the wood. We need to ask, Jesus is willing.

Heal Me

Leviticus 13

Have you ever been around someone that was sick with a cold? They may be sneezing and coughing all over the place. You try to be nice but you really do not want them around or to touch you because you do not want to become sick. You kind of give them the cold shoulder (no pun intended). My wife and I went on a cruise and my wife and I had the opportunity to meet the captain. The captain went to shake our hands but before he did he sneezed in it and offered the same hand for us to shake. We just smiled and waved, trying to be nice while ignoring the hand, while of course being kind of grossed out.

This chapter is the longest chapter in Leviticus. It deals with leprosy which was a serious disease in biblical days. Leprosy is a disease that ruins your nervous system. It would make your nerves dead. Some countries today still have cases of leprosy. This chapter deals with the importance of how one must be kept clean because this disease was so contagious. The priests were the ones that gave the ok if someone was clean or not clean. The person who had leprosy would have to were torn clothes, let their hair grow out, and yell out “Unclean, unclean.” They were considered outcasts of society and were not allowed to partake in daily activities with everyone else because the disease is so contagious.

Jesus is the Healer

In Luke 17:11-18 we get to read about Jesus healing 10 lepers. The lepers knew about Jesus and his healing abilities and asked if he would have mercy upon them. Jesus healed all of them. Jesus told them to present themselves to the priests which they were following what Leviticus 13 says.  Leprosy was a serious thing because if a person had it, their life was pretty much over. To be healed from an outbreak would be a miracle. Jesus is the one who heals, physically and spiritually. Jesus meets our needs, just like he did for the lepers. Just like he did for the woman who had the bleeding problem. Just like the blind, the deaf, and those who were miserable. Jesus healed them physically but he also healed them spiritually. He came to give life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). 

Where is your need? Are you in need of a healing touch? It would have been the biggest relief to be free and clean from leprosy. You would be able to join your family again, you would be able to be an active member of society again. This would be the greatest news you ever heard, “You are clean.” Now think how amazing it is to say, I was dead and on a path to hell for eternity. I was considered unclean. I was blind. I could not have fellowship with God. But, because of Jesus Christ you can be saved. You can go to heave. You can be considered clean in the eyes of God. You now can see. You have a relationship with God. That is what Jesus did for us. He died so we can be set from. He died so we can be considered clean from sin. He died so we can have life and life more abundantly. This news is far greater than any cure because this is for eternity. I am so thankful that Jesus healed me for eternity, are you? 

Childbirth has its price

Leviticus 12

 One thing as being a married couple is that we are never short of people asking us the question, “When will you have children?” This question gets old but my wife and I always say, “One day.” Children are a blessing to their parents, I know, because I am child and I am a blessing to my parents.

Leviticus 12 is a short chapter that deals with a mom after childbirth and the steps that she needs to come back into fellowship with God.The woman who gave birth must stay away from the temple and not touch anything for 7 to 14 days depending on the gender of the child. The woman was considered impure because of the blood that was lost while having the child. The next step that the woman would have to go through would be a time of waiting. If she had a son she would need to wait 33 days and if she had a daughter she would wait 66 days. There are different theories to why this was but still the woman who gave birth had to be obedient to the waiting. The last step that she would need to go through would be one of offering a sacrifice, a burnt offering, and a sin offering. The priest would accept the offering in which atonement was made for her and she will be clean.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, would even have to go through this as we see in Luke 2:21-24. She would have to go through the ritualistic cleanings. SHe would need to wait not only the 7 days, but also the 33 on top of that and Mary would then offer up the two sacrifices. It would be interesting though that she would have the greatest sacrifice, Jesus right with her. He came and died so women who give birth would not need to go through the ceremonial cleansing. What he did is far greater than a temporary cleaning, it is everlasting. He died so his blood could make us pure. 

It seems like this was a lot of work just to have a child but obviously babies came into the world. It is worth all the trouble to bring a child into the world.  The Israelite women knew it and did the work to have the blessing. I am glad though that this is something that does not have to come into practice today as Christians. 

Get Your Grub On-

Leviticus 11

Do you ever look at a certain animals and think of it as disgusting. Maybe it is like a snake or even a rat and it just makes your stomach turn. Most people can look at a dog and think how cute, while others can look at a pig and call it a pig. The priests were given instructions on what animals were considered clean and unclean. The difference were which ones they were able to touch and which ones they were able to eat.

What is Kosher?

Israel was able to eat the certain animals that chew the cud and have cloven footed hoofs that is “Grade A” ok to eat. But you can not eat certain animals that chew the cud but do not have cloven footed hoofs. Cud is the food that returns from the stomach a 2nd time around. The animal will chew on the digested food and re-digest it again, sounds very exciting. They needed to have a hoof that was cloven footed   The example of the animals that you could not eat would be a camel, rock badger, the hare (rabbit), and the pig.

You can even eat certain things that are in the water that have fins and scales (fish). You can not eat those that are in the water that do not have fins and do not have scales. 

God then gives what birds you should not eat. The birds that are described are ones that eat flesh. God wanted them to stay away from that and even bats. They are detestable and should not be eaten or touched.

The insects that are winged and walk on all fours except for grasshoppers, locust, or the cricket. You can get your grub on with those, yummy yummy.  I went to Cambodia for about a month and a family wanted to serve cricket soup to us. I am thankful that we had other plans that evening and I did not have to go on the fear factor challenge of cricket soup. 

Now you need to stay away from the swarming things, which would be mole rat, mouse, lizard, gecko, and chameleon. Don’t forget the snakes which crawl on its belly. These are the animals that are clean and can be touched and could be eaten and the ones that can not be touched or not eaten. God set the rules up for a reason. Some of them my be customs, some may be even sanitary, and others for the purpose of what other animals or just scary. God placed these for a purpose for Israel to follow.

We need to follow certain cleanliness rules as well. The Bible tells us that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1st Corinthians 6:19). We were bought at a high price in which we could never pay our debt. We are called to keep our minds pure as well as what we do with our bodies. It is easy to become legalistic but what matters is that we know that we are called to be pure and flee from sexual immorality. What is considered clean and unclean to you?

Leviticus 10

Have you ever been placed in a position that had a lot of responsibility? You feel the pressure if you make a mistake and the pressure of not completing your tasks. Have you ever been given a job that required a lot responsibility that you did not take seriously. I remember I was given the responsibility of taking care of someone’s pet while they were gone on vacation. I was pretty good in feeding the pet and giving the pet water, I just forgot to lock everything up. The day they returned home, they were welcomed by their pet not being securely put away. All I can say is that they were not too happy about the surprise. It was not that I did not take the job seriously but I just was really busy and forgot about it.In this chapter we are going to read about something that was not taken seriously and death was the consequence. 

Aaron’s sons

We have been reading that all the commands for the duties of the priests, which included Aaron and his sons. The priests had some very important duties and they needed to be clean before the Lord because if they were not then the sacrifice would not count. We read in this chapter that Nadab and Abihu were told to put fire on the incense, the only thing is that they did not grab the fire from the right source. The result was that fire came out before the Lord and consumed both of them and they died right there. We can look at this and think how cruel was this was that God did such a thing. We need to look at it as this is what God had to do because He is Holy. He could not have anything that was not clean or unholy in his presence because that would go against his nature. That would make it so that he was not a holy God.

Aaron’s response

You could easily feel for Aaron because he lost two of his sons right then and there. In verse 3 Moses talks to Aaron about the event and said, “This 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.’ ” Aaron held his peace after hearing these words. He could have been upset, angry, or even confused about the matter. God is a holy God and the boys introduced an unholy fire to a holy place. They did not take seriously the sanctification of God.  Once Aaron realized the fault of his sons, he knew that God is an awesome God who is Holy. Could you imagine if this were the case today? If we did not have the proper attitude during church and we started to fall asleep and all of sudden fire consumed us. There would not be that many people in church after a while. We still need to take it seriously. We need to have our hearts prepared. But am so thankful that God looks at how I am considered righteous and that is because of Jesus Christ. 

Aaron’s other sons

There was almost another incident that Aaron’s other sons did as priests. Eleazar and Ithamar were the next sons in line. They became priests and were told to eat the sin offering but did not. Moses rebuked them but it was all good because they were offering their own sin offering which was ok. This could have been another incident for Aaron but it was ok because they were actually being obedient.

Warning-

Moses warned Aaron and his sons that if any of them disobeys these commands then he will not only suffer punishment but will bring God’s wrath upon the people of the covenant. Our sin does effect others. It not only hinders our relationship with God but also with the people around us. There are those that look up to us and we can cause them to stumble, we can cause them to sin by our sin. May we become conscious of our sin and realize that it effects more than just one.

Seriously?

Leviticus 7

I love to BBQ. Ask my wife, it is something that I do not mind doing one bit. One of the things I like doing more than being the one behind the barbecue, I love eating it even more. If anyone has any suggestions on a good BBQ place to eat, please let me know. I love making ribs or chicken. I even like putting corn on the old barbecue. It would be an insult if I made it for my wife and she did not eat it. It would be even weirder if I did not eat the food that I made.

The priests had a big responsibility in being the one to offer the sacrifices to God and they needed to have the right attitudes. They needed to make sure and keep what is clean from that which is unclean. If someone was unclean (he did not do the proper ceremonial washing) then he ate of that which was offered to the Lord, then he is to be cast out from Israel. Another of the commands that was given to the priests is that they needed to eat part of the sin offering. That was given to them as a provision by the Lord. God loved the fact that they were offering up the sacrifices to them and he was allowing them to be able to eat some of the sacrifice. It was a holy BBQ. If we skip ahead to Leviticus 10:16-20 we see Moses getting angry with Aaron’s sons Eleazar and Ithamar because they did not eat from the sacrifice like they were supposed to. It could be looked at as a small thing and overlooked as not important. God was not instituting these rules to be overbearing but for a purpose. If they disregarded one word of the commands of the Lord they disregarded all of it. 

We can have the same attitude as Christians. We can feel  like we can disregard certain aspects of the Bible. When we come to church we can have a certain disregard to the worship, to the message, and to the time of giving. We can start to complain and say, “not this song again;” or “this guy is teaching again, boring;” or “all they do is want my money.” It is easy to come tired and not wanting to be involved. It is easy to be the one that comes and goes and does not have any connection or involvement. It is easy to think that I went to church so I must get my gold star for that day. Church is not about that. Church is a place for fellowship, for the teaching of God’s word, for the opportunity to give unto the Lord, and for growth, and service. It is a chance for us to corporately worship the Lord together. I would like to encourage everyone to have their hearts prepared before the next time you go to church. This would mean that you even go to bed at a decent time so you can have plenty of rest. Be prepared so that you arrive early enough that you will not be late or rushed. Be prepared so you come ready to meet the Lord.