One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Monday, February 28th
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 were a result of the fallen nature of humanity.
2. The Appointed Festivals. Festivals were appointed times, where all the Israelites were to stop working and go to Jerusalem to worship and celebrate God. They were not optional. Of course, at the heart of these festival was honoring the Sabbath Day, which happened weekly on Saturdays.
"The major theme in all these feasts is gratitude, for what God has done and what God continues to give. Special “displays of the mercy, kindness, and providential care of God should be particularly remembered. When we recollect that we deserve nothing at his hands, and that the debt of gratitude is all the debt we can pay, in it we should be cheerful, fervent, and frequent. An ungrateful heart is an unfeeling, unloving, unbelieving, and disobedient heart. Reader, pray to God that he may deliver thee from its influence and its curse.” (Clarke)
3. Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This begins the list of seven feasts. Passover was a remembrance of the Israelites being delivered from slavery to the Egyptians. The unleavened bread symbolized the haste with which they left Egypt, so they didn't have time for the yeast to rise.
4. Celebration of First Harvest. This was an offering of the first crops to the Lord and also an unblemished lamb. It was symbolic of God's provision. It was not to be observed until they went to the land of Canaan (Promised Land).
5. The Festival of Harvest - This was also called the feast of Pentecost, as it was 50 days after Passover. Once again both harvested grain and also unblemished lambs and goats.
"When these sacrifices were made at the tabernacle (or temple), it was another day for a holy gathering for Israel, and a day of rest (you shall do no customary work). This was one of the three feasts at which God commanded all the men of Israel to gather before Him yearly (Exodus 23:17)." (Guzik)
6. Festival of Trumpets. “The fall festivals of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles during the seventh month (September/October) were celebrated in conjunction with the harvest of grapes, figs, and olives.” (Rooker) This is the first time this feast is mentioned in the Law.
7. The Day of Atonement. We know from other passages that the day of Atonement was a day that the most high priest went into the holy of holies to make atonement for the sins of the people. In Hebrew it is called "Yom Kippur". The priest was take the blood of an unblemished lamb to make sacrifice for the Israelites' sins.
"On the tenth of Tishri, the people gathered again for a holy convocation. But this was not a celebration feast, but a day to afflict your souls in humble recognition of sin and the need for atonement."
8. The Festival of Shelters. Also called "Festival of Booths or Tabernacles".
The week was also an appropriate time for people to bring their personal gifts, vows, and freewill offerings to the LORD. (Guzik)
This is the only feast of the seven in which rejoicing was commanded. This was to be a happy celebration of God's goodness and provision.
"During the Feast of Tabernacles, Israelite families were to camp out in shelters made with the branches of palm trees, the boughs of leafy trees. During the years of the Exodus, they lived this way all the time because they had to. When they eventually came into the promised land, they lived this way for a week to remind them of their hardships in those years, and God’s good provision in the wilderness." Guzik
Jesus again predicts his death to the disciples that he would be killed by the chief priests and other leaders and after three days be raised again. The disciples still did not get it, but were afraid to ask him about it. It would only be later after the resurrection that the disicples would look back and be able to understand his statements.
One of the benefits of Jesus spending time with his disciples was he got to hear the discussions they were having amongst themselves. This is why being a disciple maker is primarily relational in nature. On this occasion Jesus heard them talking about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach them about what true greatness looks like. Jesus tells them that true greatness is measured by how we serve others. Instead of wanting to be first, a servant was okay taking a step down to serve others first.
Jesus further defines what it means to be his disciple. Among other things the disciples should not cause others to stumble. Jesus warned about the severity of causing others to stumble saying, "It would be better for a millstone to be tied around you and thrown into the ocean than to cause one of these "little ones to stumble".
Jesus also described how disciples needed to be radically committed to rooting out sin in their lives. He gives the famous statement, "If your eye causes you to sin gouge it out. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off." Of course, Jesus is not being literal here, but he is saying that if something is causing you to sin you need to cut it out of your life. Because we are prone to indulge in our sinful nature, we need to be intentional about getting rid of things that trigger us to sin. For example, an alcoholic should not hang out in bars. They need to cut those places out of their "stomping grounds". A compulsive spender should cut up their credit cards. A gambling addict should probably not hang out in Vegas.
Finally, the Pharisees try to trap Jesus in a discussion on divorce. They cite the exceptions Moses made for divorce. If he agrees with them they will say he is pro-divorce. If he disagrees with Moses' exceptions, they will see he is disagreeing with Moses. and the Law But Jesus as always answers them by saying that Moses had given these concessions because of their sinfulness. However, it did not change God's intention and purpose for marriage which is clearly spelled out in the book of Genesis. Jesus quotes it word for word.
"But‘God made them male and female from the beginning of creation. 7 ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, 8 and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one, 9 let no one split apart what God has joined together.”
Divorce continues to be an issue in our society today. The divorce rate for Christian couples is about the same as non-Christian couples. Because of our brokenness divorce seems to be the only option for couples who cannot seem to reconcile their differences. But to be clear God's intention has always been for a man and woman to be and stay united in marriage their whole lives long. And this is the vow we make to each other at our weddings in front of God and our family and friends. We all have many people we know who have gone through very painful divorces, who are believers. The church needs to be a safe and shame-free place for people who have gone through divorce to heal. Many churches have divorce recovery workshops that provide places of hope and healings for divorcees.
"What Now" Study Questions:
God decreed that the people must not bring maimed sacrifices... they should bring their very best. Are you giving your best talent, time and treasures to God?
Are you more concerned with your position in the Kingdom than with the advancement of the Kingdom like the disciples? God is not concerned with status; he desires humble commitment. Ask God for help in living your life for Kingdom advancement instead of personal promotion!
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