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FEBRUARY 20
Leviticus 9:7-10:20
Just a note before we begin
today. I've made a big deal about the Urim
and the Thummim. Today I was reading my German Luther translation, and
Luther did something none of our English translations do (or the other German
ones for that matter). He actually used the meaning of the words rather than
simply pronouncing them. So when you read his translation, what it says is
"light and truth." Now, going to the Greek translation in the
Septuagint, the words are as follows. Urim
means "bringing to light, manifesting" and Thummim means "Truth." These two things were sort of
like dice and were used to find answers, to manifest things, bringing them to
light in order to find the truth. I don't know what that does for you, but I
think it's pretty cool. And once again, I'm thankful for my Lutherbibel.
Leviticus 9:7-24
V. 7 Now that Aaron and his sons
are consecrated to serve, Aaron is doing the actions, actually serving as a
priest. His first step is to offer sin offerings for himself and the people.
Laura brought to my attention
how all of this is prefaced by words like, as
the Lord commanded. Find those words and underline them. Unfortunately,
these words are very important, as we're about to see.
Vs. 8-11 This is the sin offering for Aaron. Aaron was also supposed
to take the blood into the Holy Place and smear it on the horns of the altar of
incense (Exodus 30:10). Here, it appears that he only does this outside on the
altar of burnt offering. Notice that in this case Aaron is the worshiper and
his sons are acting as priests, catching the blood. Apparently it was a little
more complicated when the high priest had to atone for his own sin. Jesus, our
high priest, never had to do that.
It is also interesting to note
that Aaron's first sacrifice in serving Israel involved a calf. There was also
a calf involved in his first sin in serving Israel. Somewhat ironic.
Vs. 12-14 This is Aaron's burnt offering.
Vs. 15-17 This is the sin offering that was for the people. I
suppose once you got this down, you could do it in your sleep. Or not. We'll
see what happens in the next chapter.
Vs. 18-21 This was the peace (fellowship) offering. Aaron and his sons would have a part of this to eat in
celebration before the Lord.
Vs. 22-24 Aaron blessed the
people, but it wasn't until Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle and
returned that God showed all of the people His glory. Whatever happened, it was
visible to everyone. Unfortunately we'll see this fire again, twice, and it
will have a different meaning.
I'm going to make a bridge here
into the next section by just saying that what God commanded here was not as
tricky and unstable as making nitroglycerine. The commands were only dangerous
if you didn't take God seriously. Sometimes, at the beginning of a new
movement, God judges harshly in order to emphasize His holiness and to
underscore obedience. (In Acts, you have the story of Ananias & Sapphira.)
Later, you see all kinds of deviations, and God doesn't judge immediately, but
instead, lets sin build up until His judgment comes.
Leviticus 10
Vs. 1-7 The censers were to be
filled with coal or fire from the altar. That would have been holy fire. Nadab
and Abihu must have filled their censers from their own personal fires. It was
March and it was probably cold in the wilderness, and one fire is as good as
the next, right? This probably happened to them when they came into the
entrance of the compound, passed the altar of burnt offering and were headed
toward the tabernacle. The coals were to have come from the altar. Notice that
the fire came out from the tabernacle without burning anything but these guys.
V. 3 This is Moses' explanation.
Poor Aaron.
Vs. 4-5 The priests couldn't
touch them because they would become unclean and unable to serve. Notice that
they were carried outside the camp like the bad parts of the sin offering.
Vs. 6-7 This must have been
hard. They couldn't mourn or leave the compound. They had to keep serving the
people.
As disciples, it is good to
remember that God doesn't play favorites, and He is not some fuzzy, forgetful
grey-bearded relative. He is God. I've done electrical work, and I always fear
the open breaker panel, knowing that if I stick my hand in there or even get
careless, it's all over. God's power and presence would be lethal to us if not
for His grace. To play fast and loose with God is wrong. He's like a zillion
volts and a million amps.
Nadab and Abihu ate on the
mountain with God. They saw stuff few people have ever seen. They were
consecrated for seven days in the tabernacle and they saw holy fire come out of
the Holy Place and consume the sacrifice. Being "cool with the old boy"
didn't help them. That same fire came out now to punish their sin.
God may use us for big things,
and He may reveal Himself to us in ways that are breathtaking. But we need to
remember, He will not be mocked, even by those He has chosen to use and bless.
Vs. 8-11 Notice who talks to
whom. This hasn't happened since God told Aaron to go out to meet Moses at the
beginning of Exodus.
The fact that this topic is
mentioned here could suggest that Aaron's sons had been drinking. It is
unlikely that they had been drinking wine if this happened in the morning. And,
where would they have gotten wine? I know some people and groups will want to
make rules regarding what God says about drinking. This only means that the
priests couldn't drink just before, or on, duty. I like that rule for airplane
pilots too.
Vs. 10-11 are very important
verses that indicate the purpose of this book and the purpose of God in
teaching the people. Most of what God says in Leviticus after this will focus
on this purpose. Many of these laws were only for Israel and, for this said
purpose, "object" lessons. The people were to have inner radar for
"clean and unclean" and for "common and holy." In a way, it
was like sending your class brat or your unruly child to a fine English
finishing school. You don't just learn how to use a spoon; you learn the proper
way a spoon should be held and the proper way a spoon should be moved to your
mouth. You don't just get good; you get "proper."
I say this only to help us, as
disciples, to understand what God is doing here. Israel couldn't eat pork. A
priest could only marry certain women. And the list goes on - things that only
applied to them as a nation. Care obviously needs to be taken in understanding
and applying these rules, in a couple of areas.
First, we should be careful as
to how we apply, if at all, some of these things to ourselves or others. Some
of these rules are still for our time and some, like eating pork, are not. We
need to know the difference. Remember, the focus is to make these people set
apart for God, knowing His holiness.
Second, since we are under
grace, we need to be careful about throwing out the thought that God even commanded these. These object lessons tell us
something about Him. The people weren't strange, because they wanted to be. They
were strange, because God wanted them
to be. He wanted them to stand out.
He has a sense of propriety and holiness. Even in our culture, where tolerance
and freedom of custom and morals seem to be the rule, there might be things
that, individually, are not for us. There may be something in our lives, where
God makes the point that it is not for us individually, and it doesn't matter
if it's ok for everyone else and if everyone is doing it. God still desires
holiness and He desires a people who have a spiritual sense about them for what
is proper conduct on this dying planet. Disciples live to serve Christ in the
harvest, and if God points out something that is getting in our way, we need to
get rid of it, even if it's sold at Wal-Mart or Best Buy. And if we find a
discipline or routine that serves to keep us on target in following Christ, we
need to hold to it.
Vs. 12-20 After Aaron and his
"remaining sons" finish their first act of service for the people,
Moses checks on them to see that they fulfilled the rite in detail. They
didn't. They were supposed to eat the sin offering. Interestingly, they didn't
obey because of mourning for Nadab and Abihu, and God allowed this. I wonder,
too, if there had been "one thousand percent extenuating circumstances"
forbidding Nadab and Abihu from getting coals from the altar, like a flood or a
tornado, if God would have allowed them to use coals from their own fires. I
think so. In any case, they had "Light and Truth" as a way to find
out.
Mark 4:26-5:20
Here is another lesson in Bible
study and disciple-making. You have two parables and two stories. What points
would you draw from each of these and pass on to those three other people who
are arriving at your house for your discipleship cell meeting? Could you take
them to the texts, discuss what Jesus is saying, and then conclude, "As
disciples it is really important for us to understand that…."?
Mark 4:26-41
Vs. 26-29 Notice that the
primary application is to the kingdom of God. The kingdom will grow in the
world practically under the radar and without total understanding. There will
be lots of time and patience involved in God growing His kingdom; but when it
is time, the harvest (the coming of Christ) will happen quickly.
There are lots of secondary
principles here that could even apply to outreach and making disciples. The
principle I understand is that the real work is done by God. The farmer acts at
the beginning and at the end. The disciple is faithful to work and patient in
waiting.
Vs. 30-32 I guess what I'd say
here is that the kingdom (and our work in it) seems very small and invisible,
but is growing larger than we know. That gives a disciple hope.
Vs. 33-34 Just a tidy little
summary. Again, the amount of time we spend (or don't spend) trying to
understand the parables shows us why He spoke in parables. Funny, huh?
Vs. 35-41 After all of that
heavy thinking, there's nothing to clear the mind and add vigor to the blood
than a bracing voyage on the sea! Ahoy! O Weh!
Jesus was exhausted from
teaching. His suggestion seems to be given in weariness, and they took Him just as He was. I guess that means He
was kaput. So Jesus passes out into a deep sleep while these vintage seamen
despair of life. When the text says, that we are perishing, in v. 38, the word translated that
has a different function in Greek. In English you shouldn't even pronounce
the that. It is more like a textual marker to
prepare to yell the words that follow as “loudly” as possible. Do that and see
if it makes a difference. These guys are crazy with fear.
After all of that teaching and
all of that conflict, it was good for them to refocus on who Jesus was and what
He could do. Anything good here for the disciple? Amen! And are they going to
need it!
V. 41 Notice now they are filled
with great fear for another reason. And there was more fear to come.
Mark 5:1-20
This story speaks for itself,
and we covered this recently in Matthew. Jesus shows His disciples that He is
not only the Lord of nature, but also Lord of the spiritual world.
Vs. 1-5 I always think this is
funny. After what they just experienced, afraid for their lives, now afraid of
Jesus (they were filled with fear realizing they were in the boat with a
zillion volts and a million amps), they finally set foot on the safe, solid,
secure ground. Then, they hear a cry like a wild animal and look to see a
frothing-at-the-mouth, crazy guy, nakedly running in their direction. If I'm
there, I'm standing behind Jesus.
Vs. 6-13 Notice that the demons
begged Jesus not to send them out of the country. In the other Gospels, it has
the idea of going to a place of punishment, the abyss. This apparently is where
the angels from Genesis 6 were sent and are presently held. (Jude 1:6)
Notice too that this happened on
the eastern, Gentile side of the Sea of Galilee. That's why there are swine
there. Note, too, that in the story of the prodigal son, he goes to a far
country where they also had swine; i.e., among the Gentiles.
Vs. 14-17 Now the people are
begging Jesus to leave. People don't always want God around.
Vs. 18-20 Notice that the freed
man is begging to be a disciple. He wanted to be with Jesus. One of the
possible reasons Jesus sent him away is that he needed to be reunited with
family after his long enslavement.
Another reason was most likely
that this guy was a Gentile. The offer of the Messiah was still being made to
Israel, and to have had a Gentile in the ranks would have been too much for the
Jews, who were already frothing at the mouth.
But I think Jesus knew this guy
was ready to give testimony. After His rejection after feeding the 5000, Jesus
will tour the other side, the Gentile side, of the Sea of Galilee, where He'll
feed the 4000, many of whom were Gentiles and some of whom heard the testimony
of this disciple. Someday we'll get to meet him.
Notice that Jesus tells him to
go and tell them how much the Lord has
done for you. That is the simplest thing to do in giving testimony. This is
probably what the Lord would like us to do, too.
Psalm 37:30-40
Vs. 30-31 Notice how the
"heart bone" is connected to the mouth and foot bone. This is very
true and kind of funny.
Vs. 32-33 Again, this truth is
best seen in the perspective of our ultimate vindication as expressed in Romans
8.
V. 34 I love this verse. Apparently
so did Jesus. Notice again the mention of inheriting the land.
Vs. 35-38 While this is
generally true on earth, when we look around in the Millennial Kingdom and in
the time thereafter, the wicked will be elsewhere.
Vs. 39-40 Amen! A lot is said in
this psalm and in all the Bible about the righteous. Righteousness means living
in accord to a standard or measurement. In the case of these righteous, the
measure is the heart of God, not the law. Righteousness isn't a comparison of
person to person, but the attempt of those who love the Lord to be like Him.
Proverbs 10:6-7
Notice how parallel this is to
the reading in Psalm 37. It must be the same Spirit writing this.
V. 6 This is very much like
Psalm 37:30-33. Notice how Psalm 37:30 begins with the mouth of the righteous, but here it mentions the mouth of the wicked seeking violence
against the righteous.
V. 7 Compare this to Psalm
37:36.
As disciples we need to remember
why we have been left here. Our focus is on following the Lord in His harvest
and sharing His message and making disciples, who make disciples. That's our
job. God will take care of the wicked. That's His job.
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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