Tag Archives: Leviticus

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread  – A Matter Of Love

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You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. —Deuteronomy 6:5

 

Read: Mark 12:28-34
Bible in a Year: Leviticus 15-16; Matthew 27:1-26

“Where intellect and emotion clash, the heart often has the greater wisdom” wrote the authors of A General Theory of Love. In the past, they say, people believed that the mind should rule the heart, but science has now discovered the opposite to be true. “Who we are and who we become depends, in part, on whom we love.”

Those familiar with Scripture recognize this as an ancient truth, not a new discovery. The most important commandment God gave to His people gives the heart the prominent place. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5). Not until the gospels of Mark and Luke do we learn that Jesus added the word mind (Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27). So, what scientists are just now discovering, the Bible taught all along.

Those of us who follow Christ also know the importance of whom we love. When we obey the greatest commandment and make God the object of our love, we can be assured of having a purpose that transcends anything we could imagine or our strength could achieve. When our desire for God dominates our hearts, our minds will stay focused on ways to serve Him, and our actions will further His kingdom on earth and in heaven.—Julie Ackerman Link

Lord, we long to make You the supreme desire of our heart. As You taught Your disciples to pray, so too we ask You to teach us how to love. Guide us today.

Count as lost each day you have not used in loving God. —Brother Lawrence

INSIGHT: According to rabbinic tradition, there are 613 commandments in the Torah (the Pentateuch) which every pious Jew must keep. When asked which of these commandments is the most important, Jesus (quoting Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18) said to “love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor” (Mark 12:30-31). All the commandments are summarized in the duty to love (Matt. 22:40). This priority of love is echoed by John, the apostle of love, in 1 John 4:7-21.
Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Understanding God’s Holiness

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Charles Stanley

Leviticus 22:29-33

If you’ve ever read through Leviticus, you may have wondered why God gave the Israelites so many rules and details about sacrifices and worship procedures. When I was a boy, I remember thinking all those cows could have fed a lot of people. To me, the sacrifices seemed like a big waste, but that’s because I didn’t understand what the Lord was teaching His people.

Today we have the finished Scriptures to help us understand who God is and what He desires of us. But in the days of the Old Testament, He taught His people by example. He wanted them to grasp three things: His holiness; their sinfulness and the consequences of disobedience; and His care for them—that He was the source of every good thing. The rules and regulations He instituted were visible object lessons.

In every detail, He revealed His holiness—and in every sacrifice, the cost of sin. The rules of the tabernacle taught the people not to take worship lightly. It was a serious and awesome privilege to approach a holy, righteous God.

Today, it’s rather easy to lose sight of the Lord’s holiness. To prevent that, try re-examining the Old Testament sacrificial system for a fresh perspective on the seriousness of worship.

God is our heavenly Father, and we have instant access to His throne room. Yet we should think about whether we’re treating Him with the reverence He deserves. At church, instead of being preoccupied and distracted, we should understand what a privilege it is to come into His presence.

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — Unintentional

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Our Daily Bread

Leviticus 4:1-3; Romans 3:21-26

If a person sins unintentionally . . . let him offer to the LORD . . . a young bull without blemish. —Leviticus 4:2-3

When I was returning our grandson Alex to his family after a visit, the traffic seemed especially challenging. Fast-maneuvering cars blocked me from the correct toll lane, forcing me to go through a lane where only cars with a prepaid pass are permitted, which I didn’t have. Alex told me that my license plate would be photographed and a ticket might be mailed to me. I was frustrated because a penalty would have to be paid even though my infraction was unintentional.

For the ancient Jews, a violation of God’s laws committed even in ignorance was taken very seriously. The Old Testament recognized and provided for unintentional sins through appropriate sacrifices: “If a person sins unintentionally against any of the commandments . . . let him offer to the LORD . . . a young bull without blemish as a sin offering” (Lev. 4:2-3).

Old Testament sacrifices were more than a reminder that accidental wrongs have consequences. They were given in anticipation that God in His grace would provide atonement even for wrongs we didn’t realize we were doing. He did this through the death of Jesus in our place. God’s grace is far greater than we could ever imagine! —Dennis Fisher

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin. —Johnston

Grace is getting what we do not deserve. Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve.

Bible in a year: Leviticus 4-5; Matthew 24:29-51

 

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread — On Helping Others

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Our Daily Bread

Leviticus 19:9-15

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. —Leviticus 19:9

When snowstorms bury the grazing lands, ranchers must feed their herds by hand. As hay is tossed from wagons and trucks, the strongest animals bull their way to the front. Timid or sickly animals get little or no feed unless the rancher intervenes.

Workers in refugee camps and food pantries report a similar pattern. When they open their stores to those in need, the weak and timid may not make it to the front of the line. Like the ranchers, these human lifelines must take steps to ensure that their services reach the feeble, weary, and sick at the edge of society’s attention.

They are carrying out a principle set forth by God long ago. In Leviticus 19, Moses instructed Israel’s farmers and vintners to leave portions of their crops so the poor and the stranger could have something to eat (vv.9-10).

We too can serve as caretakers to the weak and weary. Whether we’re teachers coaxing quiet students to open up, workers coming alongside a struggling co-worker, prisoners looking out for new arrivals, or parents showing attention to their children, we have ways to honor God by helping others.

As we seek to serve those in need, may the grace of God that reached us in our need move us to reach out to others in theirs. —Randy Kilgore

Father, open my eyes to those struggling to have

enough food, enough love, enough hope; then open my

heart to find ways to help them receive love, using my

hands in service to them—and through them, to You.

By serving others, we serve God.

Bible in a year: Lamentations 3-5; Hebrews 10:19-39