Baptists Committed to World Evangelism

Leviticus 22:1-2 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 22 and 23 contain detailed instructions that were to protect the priests from impurity and to set a high, holy standard for their lives.  As the spiritual leaders of the nation of Israel, they were to set an example of purity, devotion, and holiness.  Much of the focus of their purity was on external holiness, but our focus is to be primarily on internal holiness and purity. Holiness, character, and inward purity are vital for all of us, especially those in leadership.  This means: We have accepted the work of Christ on the cross for our sins to make us righteous in the sight of God

Leviticus 19:17-18 “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.” I always thought that the Old Testament Mosaic Law was only about the externals, but I was wrong.  Jesus told the Jews in Matthew 5 that the Mosaic Law is not just about the externals but about the internals, such as, it is not enough to just not murder but also to not hate.  In Leviticus, we find that the law was about the heart as well.  They were told not to hate their brother in their heart.  They were to love their neighbour.

Leviticus 11:45 “For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” God gave Israel some very strict rules about their worship, their food, their relationships, and their dress.  These rules affected each aspect of their life.  They were designed to show them how to live holy.  They would separate them from the heathen nations around them and separate them unto God.  The motivation for this holiness was to be holy as God is holy.

In the first post , we covered the fact that who you worship is ultimately the most important thing about you. The second post dealt with the fact that all false worship is ultimately self-worship. Now I’d like to zoom in a little and get down to some of the nitty-gritty details of what self-worship looks like in the life of the Christian. (spoiler: it looks pretty much the same as self-worship in a non-Christian, just without the excuse) The Bible has a lot to say about worship and idolatry, because the purpose of the whole Bible is to reveal and glorify God to us, so that we will worship Him as He deserves. And no, Mr O’Steen, it’s not about you, me, OR your mullet.

Leviticus 1:3 “If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.” Leviticus 1:10 “And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep, or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice; he shall bring it a male without blemish .” Leviticus 3:1 “And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offer it of the herd; whether it be a male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the LORD.” Leviticus 3:6 “And if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offering unto the LORD be of the flock; male or female, he shall offer it without blemish.” When the Israelites brought their offerings, they had to be without blemish.  That phrase “without blemish” appears 93 times in the Old Testament and 2 times in the New Testament.  A blemish was a defect or a flaw.  The sacrifical animal was to be perfect and complete, without any defects, to be accepted by God. This was a picture that pointed to the spotless, perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

When it came time to build the tabernacle, it was amazing how all the people pitched in and worked together to build a beautiful place to worship and sacrifice to God.  In Exodus 35, we find that… They were to take an offering from among them (35:5).  The supplies for the work of God would come from God’s people. They were to give willingly

Exodus 32:1 “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.” While Moses was up in the mountain communing with God and receiving God’s laws, the people got impatient and demanded other gods.  They got in a hurry and could not wait for what God had for them.  When the rushed, they got involved in idolatry and faced severe consequences for their sin. Often we make the same mistake.

Exodus 31:2-6 “See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3  And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4  To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, 5  And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. 6  And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;” When God wanted a work done, He raised up a man to lead that work, He filled that man with the ability to do the work, and He led others to help him.  God had commanded Moses to build a tabernacle, but Moses would only oversee the work.  He did not have the time or the ability to actually carry out the construction of the tabernacle, but Bezaleel did.  Bezaleel had the been gifted by God’s Spirit with the wisdom, understanding, and knowledge to make everything that needed made

Exodus 29:7 “Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him.” God chose Aaron and his family to be the priest, to represent the people of Israel before God.  When God chose them, God wanted them to be anointed with a special anointing oil and to be set apart unto the Lord. This anointing is a picture of how Christ was the chosen and anointed Saviour of the world and of how the believer in Christ is anointed with the Holy Spirit.  We are anointed with the Spirit to minister and to serve the Lord.  This is a wonderful privilege and a huge responsibility.  We have the Holy Spirit.  How are we using the power and help that He gives us to serve the Lord? Read more devotionals at bcwe.org.

Exodus 23:20-23 “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.  21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.  22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.  23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off.” God promised His people that He would His Angel before them, to keep them (protect them) and to bring them into the place that was prepared for them.  If they obeyed Him, He would help them.  If they provoked him, He would not forgive them. This Angel here is no doubt a reference to God