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FEBRUARY 18
Leviticus 6:1-7:27
As you read through this section, look for the Lord spoke to Moses. Every place you find this phrase, God is
introducing a new subject. Look also for and
this is the law.
Leviticus 6
Vs. 1-7 These verses build on the previous section. In the last section
the sin had to do with some breach that directly had to do with God or the
worship of God in the tabernacle. There a person had withheld some tithe or
obligation that hurt those who served at the tabernacle. Here, there is some
breach of contract or service withheld from a neighbor. Note the recurring
words, realizes/realized his guilt,
etc.
Notice that this is not “unintentional.” It involves theft or
oppression. When the person’s conscience gets the better of him, he voluntarily
seeks to make restitution. Notice also, it is restitution to the neighbor, plus
the cleansing for his own sin.
In David’s sin against Uriah, I don’t see restitution to his neighbor.
I wonder if that is why Ahithophel hated David.
Vs. 8-13 These are notes specifically for Aaron and his sons regarding
the burnt offering described in Leviticus
1:3. Again, the meaning of the burnt offering seems to be in showing God total
commitment to wanting to be reconciled to Him. The offering was to pay all
personal sin, to satisfy God and to make the person pleasing to Him. This
offering was totally consumed on the altar. Leviticus 1:4 says that the burnt
offering is for atonement. This was different than the sin and guilt offerings,
both of which had to do with specific sins, and both of which could be eaten.
Here in the burnt offering the thought seems to be the sacrifice, devotion and
resolve of the person to be totally reconciled to God by offering the animal to
take his place. There is an aspect of this offering that suggests the need for
personal cleansing and atonement for sin. The burnt offering, whether required
or given as a free-will offering, was a ransom or substitute for the nation or
person.
This burnt offering was required by God twice a day, every day. It
represented the ransoming of the nation every day, symbolizing their need for
daily cleansing and acceptance by God.
It is interesting that only the priests could touch or remove the
ashes, and they had to wear other clothes when they took the ashes out of the
tabernacle compound. Here it is mentioned that the fire on the altar had to be
going all the time. Apparently, every time they camped, they had to designate a
special place away from the camp of Israel where they would carry out the ashes
and where they would burn parts of certain sacrifices. I would think that for
this place to stay "clean," they had to guard it and keep people from
digging through the ashes for meat or for salvageable parts of the animals.
Vs. 14-18 Again, these are special instructions about the grain offering from Leviticus 2,
specifically for Aaron and his sons. Notice that when they ate this offering,
it had to be in a holy area within the tabernacle compound before the Lord.
Interestingly, whoever ate of this offering, or whatever touched it, became
holy.
Vs. 19-23 Here is an exception to the priest eating the grain offering.
If that offering was for the priest himself, the priest could not eat it.
Vs. 24-30 This is the sin
offering for unintentional sin for a leader or person as seen in 4:22-35.
These could be eaten by the priests. Notice in v. 30 it mentions that if the
blood of the sin offering was brought into the tent of meeting (the Holy Place), as it was for the sins of a
priest or for the nation, they could not eat it.
Leviticus 7
Vs. 1-10 These instructions are for Aaron and his sons regarding the guilt offering from Leviticus 5. What is
interesting here is that the officiating priest got to keep the animal's hide.
Vs. 11-21 This is the peace or fellowship offering from Leviticus 3. It
is interesting that this offering is the third presented by God in the list of
offerings in chapters 1-3, but it is the last one presented here. I think it is
because this offering was done totally out of gratitude to God and the desire
to sit with Him and celebrate before Him. All of the other sacrifices are
required. This one came out of gratefulness and the desire to share God's
blessings.
Vs. 16-18 These verses give a special condition to the rule that the sacrifice
had to be eaten on the same day.
Vs. 20-21 These verses state that anyone who participated in the peace
or fellowship offering, while he was unclean before God, would be punished.
If you think about how we live today, in a figurative
sense, we violate this too. We know that Jesus accepts sinners. We know we
don't have to be perfect to live with Him. But we slowly begin to think that we
can have all manner of sin and "uncleanness" in our lives and still
have peace and fellowship with Him. We are so wrong when we think that. This
morning I was reading where Paul told the Ephesians in Ephesians 4:17, Now
this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the
Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
If you look at what Paul warned Christians to reject and stop doing,
especially in 1 Corinthians, you realize that Christians think they can live
unclean and unholy lives and still partake of God. Not so.
Vs. 22-27 Here is some clarification regarding the eating of fat, that
is, those internal fatty parts that were not connected to the meat.
Vs. 24-25 They couldn't eat the fat of any of these animals, because
these animals were used for sacrifice. If they found one of these animals dead
from natural causes or wild animals, they couldn't eat them; but they could use
the fat and other parts.
This did mean that they could eat the "fat" of wild game,
like a deer.
Under no circumstances could they eat the raw, un-drained flesh or
drink blood.
All of these practices highlighted the differences between those who
followed God and those who did not. These sacrifices and ceremonies also made
Israel different from its neighbors. Even in the details and prohibitions God
gave the people, they knew that to enjoy the closeness of God, they had to come
to Him His way, in repentance, in thankfulness and in gratitude. To those who
had a heart of faith, these sacrifices would be offered willingly. For those
without faith, they would follow out of duty and practicality. And when it got
tough, they probably stopped giving and obeying.
Mark 3:7-30
Up to this point, Mark has blazed through 12-16 months of Jesus’
ministry.
There are three major things in this section.
Vs. 7-12 At this point Jesus’ popularity has skyrocketed. Vast
multitudes are following Him. Also, the religious leaders were already plotting
His death.
Vs. 13-19 It was at this point that Jesus chose the Twelve. Luke
mentions that Jesus was in prayer all night. I love the description of
discipleship in v. 14. The part that really hits me is where it says, that they might be with Him. I think
this is why a lot of discipleship doesn’t work. You can’t become a disciple via
a large class. Jesus brought them to Him. He spent time with them. He involved
them in all His ministry and they learned on the job. This slower, more
personal investment doesn’t fit our model of ministry by overburdened,
multi-tasking leaders. But you also have to have the mission, to send them out
and to have authority. Link this together with the Great Commission and you
have disciples going out with authority to make disciples, who make disciples.
It is also interesting that Jesus gave some of them nicknames.
Since Mark reported more of what Jesus did than what He taught, the
entire Sermon on the Mount is missing. This is where it would have been
included.
Vs. 20-21 Yet all was not well. Jesus' own family thought He was losing
His mind as they listened to the way their friends and neighbors talked about
Him.
Vs. 22-30 This section is important, because it shows how the scribes
and Pharisees began to explain away Jesus' power. They couldn't deny what He
did, but they could fabricate a lie to explain His power.
V. 23 I am always impressed by this. Jesus heard what they were saying
and called them to Him, saying, "Guys, come on. That makes no sense."
The fact that Jesus could cast out demons with such ease showed that He Himself
was the strong man and that the kingdom of God was near them.
Vs. 28-30 In order to have committed this sin, you had to have seen
Jesus, seen His miracles and really believed that He was possessed by Satan and
that His power was of the devil. What Jesus says here is a warning. I don't
believe this sin can happen today, because we do not see Jesus doing miracles.
But still, unbelief, powered by sin, is strong enough to get people to ignore
Jesus and deny His ability to help them. To die in our sins, without trusting
Christ as Savior, is the only unforgiveable sin.
Psalm 37:1-11
This psalm looks like the companion to Psalm 36. Notice the
relationship between the evildoers and fretting. It is interesting to think
that because this is inspired Scripture, these commands here are meant for us
to obey. The imperatives are not suggestions, but it is only a disciple who is
walking closely to the Lord who will be able to wait on the Lord and to follow
these directives.
Vs. 1-2 This is the general message of the psalm. It is a summary of
David’s long experience of suffering and waiting on the Lord.
Vs. 3-9 Notice all the commands in this section. We would tend to say
they are advice and that they seem worded in a gentle way; yet all the same,
they are the Lord's commands. Notice too that waiting on the Lord stands in
opposition to taking action against the one who wrongs us.
V. 8 This seems to give the sense of taking things into our own hands
and not waiting on the Lord. David was tempted like this.
There are some great, great memory verses in this psalm that speak to
humbly waiting on the Lord and trusting Him. What verses would you encourage
others to memorize?
If I said that Jesus apparently knew this psalm well and quoted it,
what verse would it be?
Vs. 10-11 Notice how these two verses fit together. The meek are not
weak; they are strong because they wait on the Lord and keep their hearts and
attitudes pure before Him. The meek inherit the earth because they trust in the
Lord and are still there after God's judgment.
The solution in all our waiting and fretting is to delight ourselves in
the Lord and wait on Him. Amen.
I think that for a disciple, working in the harvest, meditating on some
of these verses is like having a quiet cup of coffee with the Lord, just
soaking in His love.
Proverbs 10:3-4
Ok, let's try understanding this again by putting the verses together.
The Lord gives the righteous a diligent
hand, and so, does not let him go hungry,
but He thwarts the craving of the wicked by giving him a slack hand that causes poverty.
but He thwarts the craving of the wicked by giving him a slack hand that causes poverty.
This is just a suggestion for looking for a connection between the
thoughts.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are interested in growing deeper
as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of
a discipleship culture in the church, that is, groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting
weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make
disciples, who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal and
important discipleship manual we have and it is the key to our growth and
service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here, or what we
are to be doing, or whom we are to be following. My comments are only meant to
provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of
redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us,
as disciples, focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that
the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to
find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, making
disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
Anyone reading along with us is
welcome to do so and is 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. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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