Read: Leviticus 16:29-18:30; Mark 7:24-8:10; Psalm 41:1-13; Proverbs 10:15-16
I love how detailed Leviticus is because God doesn’t want us to miss Jesus. In 16:32-34 is says that the one who makes atonement in the Holy of Holies on the day of atonement is the priest serving in his father’s place. He will make atonement for all the people and all the priests. This is Jesus acting in God’s place as the High Priest making atonement for the world.
Chapter 17 has to do with the sacrifices we make to the Lord. They have to be blood sacrifices and they have to be done inside the camp or inside God’s boundaries. God was trying to paint a picture of the final sacrifice on the cross. This was the only sacrifice that would atone for sins. Blood was the atonement because it stood for life.
God called his people out of the midst of the world and wanted them to be set apart and different. He told them not to engage in the activities of the world nor live by their laws; they were to live by the activities that God gave them and his laws. The religious practices of the heathens were a very sensual worship. Their god was pleasure and their practices were very evil. So God gave them detailed instructions of who they could have sex with and who they could not. They were to stay away from anyone with the same blood in them whether through birth or marriage. To sum it up: they were to exercise self control and dignity. (Ephesians 5:3-4, Colossians 3:5, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)
He told them why to abstain from unlawful sex and it was because it would defile them or polluted their soul. If they continued to do them it would defile the land and the land would eventually spit them out of it. When God chose this planet to recreate, he sanctified it and brought life to it. He gave us the responsibility of keeping it holy. The land has life in it. The whole earth is waiting in expectation for the sons of God to be manifested on the earth. (Romans 8:19-20)
In Mark, Jesus is in Gentile country and a Greek woman wanted him to cast out the demon from her daughter. When Jesus explained he was sent to the children of Israel first, she told him that even the pet dogs get crumbs that the children drop from the table. Jesus was so impressed with her answer that he sent his word and delivered the child.
Next, Jesus met a man who was deaf and dumb. Jesus took him away from the crowd, stuck his fingers in his ears, spat and touched his tongue with his spit! How unclean was that! He said, “be opened” and he was totally healed. Jesus always offended their flesh and then manifested the kingdom.
Lord, I have to admit that I don’t understand your ways but they bring forth life and healing. May we walk in this power and authority that your kingdom might be manifested on the earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment