(Today's reading - Leviticus 1-3; Matthew 24: 23-51)
And so it begins... Leviticus. The one book of the Bible that most people never actually read. Sure we start it, but we just are not able to stay with it. So, that said, I will try to stay engaged this time through. So, as we start, the first thing that grabs me (lol) is the detail that God gives His people in the offering of sacrifices. What can we learn from this? About Him? About us? Why is He so particular about how an animal is to be treated when it is offered to Him? Why is He so particular about the animal that is to be offered to Him? Why the detail on the grain offering?
The first thing for us to notice is His requirement that they were "to offer a male without defect" from the herd or flock. Not a female. Not a crippled critter. Not a sick animal. The best that the person had was what God required. Why? Why would God ask for the best of the flock or herd? I think this is one of the best arguments for the authenticity of scripture, if man had been the author, he would not want to give up his best. Obviously, the simple answer is that God demands to be first in our lives. The first Command deals with His requirement to be first. After all, He did create us and everything in the universe.
Secondly, it is clearly foreshadowing of His giving His perfect Son as a sacrifice for us. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that
you were redeemed
from the empty way of life
handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious
blood
of Christ, a lamb
without blemish or defect.
(1 Peter 1:18-19) In the Old Testament, the head of the household would place his hand on the head of the animal to be sacrificed and transfer his guilt on the animal and then offer it as a sacrifice for his and his family's sins before God, pointing to us placing our guilt on the Son.
Lastly, I want us to consider that God has always been and continues to be very specific. He doesn't leave us wondering about the details. Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of
God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given
to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have
been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you
may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that
is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4) He has given us what we need. He doesn't leave out anything! If He is specific with His command, then our obedience can be judged.
So, what can we learn about Him? About us? He is very specific in His word. He requires the best that have to offer. He gave His best, His perfect Son for us. That is a lot to learn about His nature. What can we learn about us? We need Him to be very specific. Without specifics, we would never know if we were doing His will. Without His requirement of our best, we would offer something less. Our own self-interest would kick in and we would rationalize that giving less was acceptable. And, we need a way to have our guilt removed, our sins forgiven. Under the Law of Moses, people transferred their guilt to an animal that was about to be offered in their place. Now, Christians have the perfect sacrifice of Jesus to remove their guilt.
I encourage you, you encourage me and together let's get through Leviticus and learn what we can about our Creator and about ourselves. Also, maybe we can gain some major appreciation for what we have under the Law of Christ when we examine what His people were required to do under the Old Law. At the very least, Leviticus will open our eyes to the blessings we have through our Wonderful Savior! Dig in.
I am doing a youtube version of my blog. Check it out and let me know if you think it is worth the effort. :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em5PVn-mHNc
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