Fri.’s Devo - Holiness to Personal Conduct

Read: Leviticus 19:1-20:21; Mark 8:11-38; Psalm 42:1-11; Proverbs 10:17 God called the people to holiness because He was holy. It wasn’t that it was impossible to obey these laws because Joshua and Moses and many of the people did obey the law. It was that the law could only cover their sins. It could not take away the guilt feelings. It was a perpetual sacrifice that they had to do year after year. They were always reminded of their sin. The law could not change their hearts. It was an act of their will. It is an act of our will also to accept Jesus and turn from our sins but only the blood of Jesus takes away sin and cleanses our hearts. Jesus’ sacrifice was a total finish to all the sacrificing we will ever need to do. It was a finished work and has power to save, deliver, heal, set free and empower us to live holy lives. We also have the Holy Spirit that seals us and empowers us to be witnesses. Some of the things that stood out to me was God’s compassion for the poor, his insistence on judging fairly and his love for family and right relationships. God also hated mixture because that meant defilement whether it was in material things or living things. Even the land they were going to was defiled so they couldn’t eat fruit from trees they planted for five years. The fourth year the fruit was to be consecrated to the Lord and in the fifth year it could be eaten. The fifth year speaks of redemption. God also hates unfair business deals. He hates sacrificing children to Molech. This was spiritual prostitution which would cause the families to be cut off from the community. Putting trust in anything but the Lord would bring the same punishment. It was a capital offense to not honor your parents, to commit adultery or to have sex with anyone except your spouse. One of them was punishable by fire and that was to have sex with both mother and daughter. All of these had to be put to death before a life could be formed from their union. Some of the sexual offenses reaped death, others were punished by being cut off from the community and others by becoming sterile and unable to produce life. I see these as three penalties for sin. The highest level of sin brings eternal death, the next brings separation from God and others and the lowest level means we will not produce life. None of them are good. Righteousness through Jesus brings us the opposite: eternal life, an invitation to God’s throne and right relationship with him, and the ability to spread the life Jesus has given us to others. In Mark, Jesus was exasperated that the teachers of the law, the Pharisees kept asking him for a sign from heaven that he was the Messiah. Jesus told them that no sign would be given them and yet everything Jesus did was a sign, it just wasn’t the one they wanted to see. Having eyes, they could not see. In the boat, Jesus talked to his disciples about the wrong teaching (the yeast) of the Pharisees. Then Jesus reminded them of the bread that he gave them. It had yeast and yet it multiplied into an abundance for good. The Pharisee’s bread brought death and lack. The number of Jesus’ leftovers were 12 and 7. Twelve speaks of government and seven speaks of complete. God’s government and his kingdom that Jesus was bringing was perfect and complete, lacking nothing. Jesus healed a man who saw in part until Jesus touched him again and then he saw clearly. This is the process of the kingdom. It comes to us in part but one day we will see face to face. Jesus asked his disciples who people thought that he was. Then he asked them who they thought he was. The people saw in part but they saw clearly. Peter proclaimed, “You are the Messiah.” Jesus mission was complete. He came to open the eyes of a remnant who would share it to the world once he was gone. He then told them that he would die and rise from the grave three days later. Peter had a hard time with this but Jesus rebuked him and the Satanic spirit that was speaking through him. He told Peter that he was not using his spiritual eyes to see. Jesus called to anyone who would listen and told them that they would have to take up their cross also if they wanted to save their soul. He was giving his mantle and commission to whoever would take it. Lord, may we take your mantle and wear it without any fear of our earthly lives. We are living for eternity.