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by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Leviticus 23, 24
The 23rd chapter has the best description of the Feasts that we have encountered. It lists the times and the procedures which should be implemented. There are three major feasts and four minor ones which accompany them. As we are looking at these, it’s important to constantly think, “Jesus.”
We’ve already seen that the Passover is a type for the crucifixion of Jesus, God’s Passover Lamb. The seven days of Unleavened Bread following that feast are the consecration of the believers to be holy to the Lord.
Then the Feast of First Fruits is offering the first and best to the Lord in order to bring blessing to the rest of the harvest. By faith, the Israelites are instructed to appropriate God’s best through this offering. The second major feast is the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of Pentecost. At this time, fifty days after the harvest first produced some fruit, a larger offering is brought and waved before the Lord. (more…)
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Leviticus 21, 22
The Lord wants holiness! The priests and the sacrifices are to be perfect, pure, and holy.
Once again, all of these admonitions were to eventually bring them to understand God’s perfect Lamb, without spot or wrinkle.
Matthew 28
There is a song which starts out, “There is a line drawn through the ages.” Every time I read about the resurrection of Jesus, that’s what comes to mind. Indeed, that line has been drawn.
On one side of the line, God was teaching and training in an attempt to have men look toward a day when His perfect Lamb would be slain once for all. They couldn’t understand it, but they heard about it anyway.
They learned about a coming King, Messiah, and they thought that one day, this King would come to rule Israel and even the world. They were expecting great pomp and extravagant showmanship.
That’s not what they got. In fact, when the true Messiah came, He was hard to see. Only the spiritual could see Him. He was born to an ordinary family in a tiny town, and raised up in a simple craft – carpentry. His kin folks saw that He could understand the Hebrew writings really well, but other than that, He just seemed like a “nice boy.”
As the Master’s earthly ministry developed, there were tremendous signs and wonders, and great authority in His teaching, but something just didn’t seem quite right. Shouldn’t the King be parading around in priestly robes, with mighty display of position? Shouldn’t He be avoiding interaction with the common people – especially the sinners?
Jesus just couldn’t be the One – or could He? The spiritual ones began to have their eyes opened. The prideful seemed to get blinder and blinder. Until the day – God’s day. God’s time, when He drew the line of the ages and Jesus stepped across.
What a tremendous day that must have been to His believers. Having been shocked and dismayed over the last few days, they suddenly saw the purpose of God unfolding in such brilliance. Jesus had risen from the dead.
They didn’t understand it all, but they knew one thing. He was the Messiah! He was the One they had been looking for.
Now that He had stepped over the line, the world would never be the same. It would take a while before the new dispensation could be revealed.. In fact, it’s still being revealed, but the new era was ready to begin. One more thing had to happen. Jesus had to sprinkle the Mercy Seat in heaven with His blood, and then He could send His Holy Spirit to the earth to live in the hearts of men.
The most significant events of history were unfolding before the eyes of His people. Shock waves were being sent out across the land!
A New Day!
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Leviticus 17, 18
The life is in the blood. That’s the concept to which we are introduced in chapter 17. I don’t think anyone ever reaches the full understanding of just how significant this is. I say that because we can approach an understanding, but then we sense that there is more to it.
Our entire covenant with Jesus rests on the life that was in His blood. That life was pure, sinless, and Holy – coming from the Holy Spirit of God. His blood was pure because He was truly God’s Son.
That pure, Holy blood was poured out at the cross for us. The perfect Lamb.
When the laws were written, the people had no understanding about what would eventually come. They were just taking whatever God said at face value. Many times, they may have wondered why this or that was so necessary.
When you think about it, we get more enlightenment from these laws than these early recipients. We get to see them through the prism of our new covenant. (more…)
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
We finally come to catch up day! Hopefully, this will bring us up to speed.
Up to Leviticus 16
When we walk into Leviticus cold, it can be very confusing. All the offerings, with such specificity. What’s up?
However, when we look at it through the eyes of the New Testament, things become somewhat clearer. Hebrews says that the Law has the “shadow of the good things to come, and not the image.” These sacrifices were to lead the people to an understanding of the True Sacrifice, which would someday come. If all of this tutelage had not gone before, God’s people would never “get” the sacrifice of Jesus as God’s perfect Lamb.
There are detailed instructions for each offering and sacrifice, but certain requirements are constant. If it’s an animal sacrifice, it is to be perfect. No spot or blemish. It is to be the first born or the finest. All of this points to the perfect Lamb of God, which is to come.
If the offering is grain, there is to be no leaven. In other words, pure, pure, pure! The sacrifices to God were to be the finest, purest, and best. Like Jesus! (more…)
by Suellen | Project 2013: Read The Bible
Exodus 23-28
We are still reading about the laws which were given to the people through Moses. Chapter 23 starts out with laws I call “attitudes of justice.”
The Hebrews are not supposed to make false reports against each other, or take bribes, or oppress strangers. Neither are they to be partial to someone just because they are poor.
All of these laws are familiar to us today, as we attempt to be honorable people.
In 23:14, we are introduced to three feasts which are to be instituted. We will hear about these several times in the Old Testament. I think of them as a way of introducing the Jews to the experiences Jesus , the Savior, would lead us into.
The first feast is the Passover, preceded by the Feast Of Unleavened Bread. This feast represents the born again experience, when we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. He is the Passover Lamb sent by God for the final sacrifice. When they observe Passover, they are pointing to that fact.
The second feast is the Feast Of Pentecost. (They have other names for it: Feast of Harvest or Feast of First fruits). In the Christian life, this represents the Day of Pentecost, when Jesus waved the First Fruits before the Father.
These first fruits were the new believers who had received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts. The Holy Spirit entered the hearts of the people and they became empowered to be the witnesses of Jesus to the world. By the way, this happened on the Jewish Day of Pentecost.
The third feast is The Feast Of Ingathering (or the Feast of Booths, or Feast of Tabernacles). This feast represents the believer’s walk closely with the Lord – worshiping, praising, and living for Jesus in the new covenant.
The Lord then reminds the people that He will send an angel before them and they must obey this angel. He will lead them to the new land, the promised land.
Imagine yourself being a part of this group. Every day must have been full of surprises, as they were introduced to God’s concepts. He was obviously full of great power, but sometimes he must have seemed very strict. He had to be strict. He was leading these people into a new life – a life filled with tremendous blessing, but also tremendous responsibility.
Tomorrow there will be more on the pattern of the tabernacle. Lots of symbolism there also.
Matthew 21: 1-22
Wasn’t Jesus bold? When you think about the fact that so many Pharisees and Sadducees were following Him and harassing Him, His boldness was amazing. he never flinched; He just grew bolder.
As Jesus was to enter Jerusalem, He sent for what He needed – a donkey and a colt, so that He might ride on them.
Later as we read in the Old Testament, we will see how the Ark of the Covenant would be carried amidst praise. During that time in history, the Ark represented the glory of God. As He made His entrance into Jerusalem in this way, Jesus was showing the people that He was the glory of God. He was being praised and honored by those who cried out Hosanna.
He then proceeds to drive the money changers from the temple. They were defiling the temple by using every opportunity to make a profit. Their hearts weren’t toward the purpose of the sacrifices; they just wanted the money for the doves.
Verse 15 is interesting. When the chief priests saw what “wonderful things” He had done, and the children who were praising Him, they “became indignant.” Can you say, “jealous?”
I am skipping the Fig Tree episode here, because I like the Mark account so much.
Abundant Blessings.
Suellen Estes
Leviticus 23, 24
