Some congratulations are in order. If you’ve been keeping up, you’ve now read 3 books of the Bible and you’ve probably read more Psalms than you did last year, and you’re making good headway into Proverbs. The point of all of this is connection with God. Like in any relationship, you learn over time and through constant contact and time together in different situations. As we seek to follow Christ in the harvest and in all the changing circumstances of our lives, we need the Word to be constantly flowing through us, to give the Spirit the ability to apply God’s thoughts and wisdom to our hearts. Reading the Bible is not a onetime deal, and it is not about learning content and remembering stories. We are seeking God and wanting to know His heart and hear His Word.
Leviticus 1-3
Before I came to Christ, my uncle suggested one time that I should read the Bible. I told him I had tried but I died in the third book. He told me to start in the Gospels. That helped. I relate that story only to say that Leviticus is where a lot of well meaning people “bite the dust” in their effort to read the Bible through.
Hang in there. We’ll get through it together. If you want to make it more fun, try finding repeated words or phrases to look for and underline, for example, “pleasing aroma to the Lord.”
Lev. 1:1-17
So read this and try to note things that seem interesting. Here are some of mine.
First, these offerings could only be males (picking on males?)
Second, they could only be at the Tabernacle. This meant if you lived far away, you had to travel, which meant devotion and commitment.
Third, it was a pleasing aroma….if done in sincerity for heartfelt forgiveness.
Fourth, the very poorest of people could offer turtledoves or pigeons. You know what famous couple offered this offering right? (Lk. 2:24) Also, Jesus was kind to the pigeons. (Jn 2:14-16)
Fifth, the entire animal was consumed in fire, meaning that nothing went to the priest for supper.
Burnt offerings had to do with the atoning for sin and for personal cleansing.
Lev. 2:1-15
Grain offerings seem to have to do with cleansing and thankfulness.
The priests seem to have been able to have some of this sacrifice for supper.
These couldn’t have yeast, but they all had to have salt. A covenant of salt meant “perpetual obligation.” I don’t get all of what this means, but it is interesting to have Jesus say we are the salt of the earth. As disciples, our thankfulness for our salvation needs to be offered with salt.
Lev. 3:1-17
So, a peace offering was given in thankfulness, asking for God’s continued blessing. It was also a sort of tithe in that the priest could have some of this for supper.
This could be a male or female.
I don’t get all of the detail here. Maybe some parts of the animal were delicacies. It’s interesting that the people couldn’t eat the fat. I get not eating raw blood, but apparently they couldn’t eat fat that was not on the cooked meat. Apparently God wanted them to stay healthy.
Mark 1:29-2:12
Mark 1:29-31
I always smile when I read this. I’m sure the image I have in my mind isn’t how it happened; but I can see Jesus entering into the house, a little bit worn out and hungry, and He says, “Peter, do you have anything to eat?” Peter says, “Sure, but my mother-in-law is sick, so I’ll have to cook, but don’t worry.” Jesus looks at Peter rolling up his sleeves and says, “Right. Where’s your mother-in-law?”
Mark 1:32-39
This first flurry of activity in Capernaum ends with Jesus, basically, escaping. Note that as exhausted as He was the night before, He got up early to pray and to avoid the crowds looking for Him.
Mark 1:40-45
Interestingly, in Leviticus, we are about to read the requirements for the cleansing of a leper. In all the history of Israel since Leviticus, this is the first Israelite who we know of who was ever cleansed. And he disobeyed Jesus. This publicity, humanly speaking, hurt Jesus’ ministry of preaching in the towns and cities He was sent to, mentioned in v. 39.
Mark 2:1-12
This is the first of the public conflicts that Jesus had with the Jewish leaders.
As already noted, Jesus' use of the title "Son of Man," gave this conflict great intensity, because Jesus was calling Himself the Messiah and eternal king from Daniel 7.
Psalm 35:17-28
When you think of what David went through, that drove him to write this, you realize how deeply and desperately he needed the Lord. And, the Lord led him to write this.
Proverbs 9:13-18
Well, we managed to go a few days without this warning, but here it is again. As the Lord describes the real event here, it doesn't sound too inviting if you mix the hell scenario into it. But digitally, it's just as deadly. I guess the Lord knew we'd need these warnings in the digital age.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those at New Song who are following a One Year Bible and involved in a discipleship cell. We're meeting weekly and discussing the texts, not necessarily my comments. We're growing together, learning to become and make disciples who make disciples. We will all be leading others in this process and training them to do likewise.
The comments I'm writing are in no way exhaustive, but meant to give some leading thoughts on how the text applies to us as disciples and to encourage and stimulate our growth in reading the Bible, with the effect that we will grow as disciples and encourage the growth of others as disciples growing in the word. If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible, in fact, no one in our church reads the version I do, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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