Daily Bread Pastor Mike Anderson

Today we are completing our 2nd month reading through the Bible together! We're at the point in our journey where some people get discouraged and have fallen behind. If that's you please don't worry about reading to 'catch up', but do consider jumping back in with the current readings and know that the most important thing is to be in God's Word! Friends please SHARE THIS POST with your friends to encourage them in their reading.  Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read Leviticus 22:17-23:44 1. Worthy and Unworthy Offerings. You may wonder we there was so much focus on the healthiness of the animal which was offered to God. I.e. Animals without birth defects. There were two reasons for this. First, the animals with defects or diseases were not marketable and less a lot less valuable. Giving the unblemished and healthy animals would be a sacrificial offering to the Lord. And the idea is of giving God our very best. Also, the animals with defects w...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read Leviticus 20:22-22:16 1. In chapter 21, we turn to the ceremonial regulations for the priests. A priest is a "go between" God and man. As we have seen over the last several chapters, most high priest could go into the most holy place. only one time a year to make atonement for the people's sins.  " The priests came from a particular family of the tribe of Levi – the family of Aaron, the brother of Moses. The priests had a special responsibility to represent God before the people and the people before God. Therefore, they had a special call to holiness and ritualistic purity ." (Guzik) 2. The other major role for the priests was to make sure the sacrifices offered by the people were handled properly. This reminds us of how the quality of an offering we make to God is as important as the quantity. In the New Testament, Paul teaches the Corinthians not to give out of compulsion or obligation. God doesn't n...

Click Hear to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read Leviticus 19:1-20:21 1. The Lord's first words to Moses are important. " You must be holy, because I am holy ". The word means to be. " set apart for a special purpose ". God is not like man, and therefore is wholly separate in His very essence. We are made in God's image, and as we follow his laws, we are set apart. God's law was to separate the Israelites from their neighbors to show them what the real God looked like.  It is the same today. As believers in Christ, we are sanctified, or made holy by Jesus' work on the cross. We are declared as holy, because of Jesus' sacrificial death for us. But we are also called to live a holy life. We call the process of being made Holy, "santification".  What makes us different from the Israelites though is that we have been given the Holy Spirit, who lives in us and makes us holy. As we live by the Spirit, we can lead a holy life. We will n...

Click Here to Listen to All 4 Readings   Click Here to Read Leviticus 16:29-18:30 1. As we close out chapter 16, we see the final details of the Day of Atonement, which is still celebrated today and called "Yom Kippur". We see the regulations for the Israelites to observe this day as a Sabbath and to abstain from work and sexual relations. It is also the only time the Law calls for a fast.  "For us there is no waiting for an annual day of atonement. We need not wait, with sin undealt with for an hour. Our Priest abides in the holiest, and we have access there through Him at all times .” (Morgan) 2. In chapter 17, God commands Moses regarding blood of the sacrificed animals and also warnings against eating the blood of animals that are killed in the field. Why is blood such an important part of these Levitical laws? Because the blood is the lifeforce of both humans and animals.  " God agreed that there was spiritual significance in the blood of an animal or person. T...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Click Here to Read Leviticus 15:1-16:28 God continues to give Moses and Aaron instructions on how to remove that which was unclean from the people. Today the instructions pertain to bodily discharges from men, and the flow of blood from women during menstruation. Again one might ask why the bible is addressing such issues.  " None of these discharges made a man or a woman sinful, only ceremonially unclean. Normal discharges of semen and menstruation made one ceremonially unclean, not because there was anything inherently wrong with them, but because the two are connected with symbols of redemption and life, blood and semen ." (Guzik) " It is important for us to regard these laws of cleanliness from a New Testament perspective. In Mark 7:1-9 Jesus criticized the Pharisees for their over-emphasis on ceremonial cleanliness and their lack of regard for internal cleanliness. These laws were meant to have both hygienic benefits and spiritua...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Leviticus 14:1-57 " The priest shall go out of the camp: When it was believed that someone was healed of leprosy, arrangements were made for the priest to examine the afflicted person. The leper did not come to the tabernacle; the priest went out of the camp to the community of lepers to make the examination. " (Guzik) We need to remember three things, as we read about all of these things that would cause someone to be called "unclean". To be unclean was ... 1. A danger to the person. 2. A danger to the community.  3. A metaphor for the power of sin if it is not dealt with. It causes damage to the person and also to the community. That is why today sacrifices are offered just as sacrifices were made for sin. Once again animals, in this case birds, are used as a the sacrifice.  Also, we see today that whether it was the leper, or the mold and mildew in the home, the disease needed to be completely eradicated in every way possible....

Click Here To Listen to the Readings Leviticus 13 You might ask the question why is a whole chapter in the bible devoted to skin diseases? Fair Question.  Here are a couple of reasons: 1. An infection in Moses' day could be deadly to the person and to the community. After all they didn't have modern day antibiotics, or even topical solutions like neosporin. An infection untreated could lead to death. Some of these skin diseases led to leprosy, which was very debilitating and also could be deadly.  Lepers faced extreme social stigmas as well. They had to call out "unclean" and were isolated from the community.   "It is apparent in this chapter that the Biblical term leprosy covered a broader range of skin diseases than the modern technical diagnosis of leprosy.  If the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean: This is counter-intuitive but apparently dealing with these ancient skin diseases, this stage of the disease gave hope for recovery. ...

Click Here to Listen to The Readings Leviticus 11:1-12:8 A big part of the Levitical law was separating the clean from the unclean. In the New Testament under the new covenant all things are made clean by the blood of Jesus.  1. Chapter 11 deals with the animal, fish, and insects which were unclean and they could not eat.  After 10 chapters of laws dealing with priests and sacrifices, “Here we come to the laws which touch the ordinary and everyday life of the people…. [God] is interested in every detail of their lives. He issues His commands as to what they may eat, and what they may not eat.” (Morgan) The main reasons may be summarized as follows: 1. The clean animals were better for overall health. People today who eat kosher foods are shown to be healthier people. 2. It set the Jews apart from the Gentiles. As a nation they were set apart or, “holy unto the Lord”. 3. It gave them another chance to be obedient to the Lord under Moses and Aaron’s leadership   Chapter 12...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Leviticus 9:7-10:20 1. Moses was commanded to finish the offerings, first for himself and then for the people. And as we have said every time it says, "just as the Lord commanded". Moses obeyed the Lord, and Aaron obeyed all the Lord commanded Moses to do for the people. Key to all of this was their obedience to the Lord. When they were finished Moses went out to bless the people. Then Moses and Aaron went back into the tabernacle. When they came out it says this, "Then Moses and Aaron went into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. 24 Fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground." 9:23-24 God's presence through Moses and Aaron brought the community great joy and also radical worship, as they fel...

Click Here to Listen to the Readnigs Leviticus 7:28-9:6 1. Chapter 7 concludes by saying that the breast and the thigh meat left after the fat was burned up was to be given to the priests. The Lord considered it a sacred offering to the priests. The passage says this is their "rightful share", which was reserved for them when God set them apart as priests.  How does this relate to paying a pastor or other church leader.   " In a similar way, God says in the New Testament that those who serve God and His people in spiritual ways have the right to be supported in material ways (1 Corinthians 9:12). This is a right that can and should be set aside when it is to greater advantage to the cause of the gospel to set it aside, yet the right remains. As Paul wrote, so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14)." (Guzik) 2. Chapter 8 is all about the ordination of the priests. There  were several articles of clothi...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Leviticus 6:1-7:27 1. If someone steals someone's property, or deceives or cheats their neighbor out of property or money, they are to make full restitution for the cost of such property, and add 20% to the value as well. They also need to present a ram as a guilt offering to the priest.  "The guilt offering were sacrifices for unintentional sin or sins against man. The sin offering were sacrifices of sins against God." (Guzik) 2. The burnt offering stayed on the altar all night long. To keep holy the priest had to take off his linen clothes, burn them, and take the ashes outside the camp.  “ We may therefore reasonably conclude that the priests sat up by turns the whole night, and fed the fire with portions of this offering till the whole was consumed. ” (Clarke) 3. The grain offering was an offering of thanksgiving. It was made of flour and oil and no leavened. The priest could eat whatever was not burned up. Importantly it was the ...

Click Here to Listen to Audio Readings Leviticus 4:1-5:13 1. Even though someone sinned unintentionally it was still sin. It offended God's holiness, therefore it needed to be atoned/paid for. This applied to both the individual, the community, or a leader/priest. The requirements were very similar to the burnt offering. An unblemished lamb, goat, or sometimes a bull had to be sacrificed. The priest would lay his hand on the innocent animal, slaughter it, and take the blood and apply it with his finger to the horns of the altar. The rest of the blood was to be poured out at the base of the altar.  " The idea of laying the hand on the head of the sacrifice is repeated five times in the chapter – at 4:4, 4:15, 4:24, 4:29, and 4:33. It is an important part of the idea of the sacrifice of a substitute ." (Guzik) One might wonder what the writer means by "sinned unintentionally".  " The idea is not so much of an accidental sin, but of a sin committed by a person...

Click Here to Listen to the Readings Leviticus 1:1-3:17 The term " Leviticus " means, " the Law of the Levites ". Remember the Levites were the workers who oversaw and ministered in the temple.  "Most served in peripheral roles, playing music, opening and closing the gates, and standing guard. In the case of the portable Tabernacle (which preceded the Holy Temple in Jerusalem), they were responsible for packing up, transporting, and reconstructing the Tabernacle whenever the Israelites traveled to a new camp. The most sacred tasks, including bringing the sacrifices, were reserved for the kohanim (priests), descendants of Aaron, brother of Moses ." (chabad.org) The book starts out by describing the importance of the burnt offerings . An unblemished lamb or goat was brought to the altar and sacrificed as an atonement for the people's sins. The sacrifice was brought into the tabernacle where God was residing. The high priest placed his hands on the animal...

Click Here to Listen to Readings Exodus 39:1-40:38 Once again we see the garments and other elements of how Aaron was set apart as holy to the Lord. As you read through all and see the beautiful colors and other adornments one can only imagine how striking it was. It shows the importance of beauty to the Lord. One phrase used over and over is, "And all this was done just as the Lord had instructed." I counted this phrase 11 times.  Next, we see the Lord's glory filling up the tabernacle. As a result of their obedience God showed up in great and promised glory. The glory was too much for any man to behold, so Moses could not enter into the tabernacle. Whenever the cloud would move it was a signal for the Israelites to move along with the Lord's presence. They moved by the pillar of cloud by day, and the fire in the cloud by night. And so God guided Israel all throughout its journey to the Promised Land. We see the relationship between obedience and experiencing God...

Click Here to Listen to the Audio Readings Read Exodus 37:1-38:31 Next we read of the building of several key elements in the tabernacle, starting with the Ark of the Covenant. This contained the Ten Commandments and the Covenant God made to the Abraham, Issac and Jacob to bless the Israelites and make their name great (Exodus 25:10-16) The mercy seat was also called the place of atonement.  This was connected with the rituals of the Day of Atonement. The Ark and the mercy seat were kept in the holy of holies and only the high priest could enter it, because God's very presence dwelt there.  The Holy of Holies could be entered only by the  high priest  on the  Day of Atonement . The high priest sprinkled the blood of a  sacrificial bull  onto the mercy seat as an  atonement  for the sins of the people of  Israel . The table for the showbread, the lampstand and incense burner were all part of the rituals used in worship.  The lam...

  Click Here to Listen to the Readings Exodus 35:10 - 36:38 1. We continue to see all the details of the tabernacele and how at Moses instruction the Israelites continued to obey God's commands. Importantly the people gave offerings for the supplies to build the temple. And even more importantly was their motive for giving,  " All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the Lord. " Verse 21 2. Again we see how God gifted each person to help.  God specifically chose Bezalel, son of Uri.   "The Lord has filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts." verse 31 This is one of the few times the "Holy Spirit" was given to a person in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit came upon specifice people for specific tasks. In the New Testament the same Holy Spirit will be given to all believers at Pentecost.  3. As each person...