Day 1
Read Leviticus 2 and Leviticus 4:27-31
Leviticus is one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible, infamously known as the book that begins to throw people off of their Bible in a year plan when they read it. When we read Leviticus in it’s proper context, it is one of the most overtly gospel centered Old Testament books of the Bible. To put Leviticus in it’s proper context, I want to start this devotion with the first verse of Leviticus and the first book of Numbers (the next book of the Bible).
Leviticus 1:1
“The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting...”
Numbers 1:1
“The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting…”
Did you catch it? These two verses summarize everything that is recorded in between them. The setting of Leviticus is that God is now WITH His people in the tabernacle, there’s just one issue. The Israelites are corrupt to the core with their sinful nature and rebellious hearts…and they serve a God that because of His perfection, cannot be in the presence of sin. In Leviticus 1:1, God speaks to Moses from inside the tent, after the book of Leviticus in Numbers 1:1, Moses is in the tent with God. The book of Leviticus is all about how an unclean people can cleanse themselves to be in the presence of a clean and Holy God.
The first few chapters of Leviticus detail some of the sacrifices God commanded the Israelites to make, the two we read today were the Grain Offering in Leviticus 2 and the Sin Offering in Leviticus 4. In the simplest terms, the Grain Offering was a sacrifice to say “thank you” to God for how he had blessed the Israelites. The Sin Offering was a sacrifice to say “I’m sorry” to God after the Israelites sinned against Him.
These two offerings framed two major themes for how the Israelites could remain pure before God. First, they had to constantly sacrifice some of their finest flour, oil and spices to God as a remembrance that He is the source of everything. He is the God that provides and whether it be through harvesting wheat, making oil or grinding spices, ultimately everything comes from Him. This is one of the reasons Christians tithe, or give 10% of their income, to the Lord. He is the ultimate provider and the source of all income, whether through it comes from a job or your parents giving you an allowance. God cares that we recognize Him as the ultimate provider and that we don’t allow our possessions to control our heart, as can easily happen to us.
Secondly, God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a female goat without defect any time they sinned against Him. When the Israelites took an oath before the Lord that they would obey the 10 Commandments back in Exodus 24:1-8, they agreed that if they didn’t obey, it would cost them their life. The message is clear, sin is deserving of death. God, in His grace, creates a way for the Israelites to made right before Him by putting their sin onto the goat and sacrificing the goat. Sin is still deserving of death, but God is showing the Israelites a way to put their sin onto another being so that they can be clean. This sacrifice overtly points to the fact that God would eventually put our sin onto the person of Jesus Christ to reconcile us to God. But this offering shows the Israelites God’s heart, it is important for His people to recognize when they sin and have a way to say “I’m sorry” for breaking God’s law. Today, this is why we preach repentance. Even though God has dealt with the sins of all Christians by putting them on Jesus, He cares that we take time to repent, or to apologize for our sin and turn back to Him.
Questions to consider.
How do you honor God by sacrificing your possessions? Have you ever tithed before? What steps can you take to make sure that possessions don’t become an idol in your life?
Is your first response to repent after you commit a sin? Why or why not? How can you begin to make a habit out of repenting and turning to God after you sin?
Take a few moments and imagine Jesus death. The beatings, whippings, hanging on the cross, and thank God that he endured all of that for you. He is the innocent, spotless Lamb of God that took away your sin.
Leviticus is one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible, infamously known as the book that begins to throw people off of their Bible in a year plan when they read it. When we read Leviticus in it’s proper context, it is one of the most overtly gospel centered Old Testament books of the Bible. To put Leviticus in it’s proper context, I want to start this devotion with the first verse of Leviticus and the first book of Numbers (the next book of the Bible).
Leviticus 1:1
“The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting...”
Numbers 1:1
“The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting…”
Did you catch it? These two verses summarize everything that is recorded in between them. The setting of Leviticus is that God is now WITH His people in the tabernacle, there’s just one issue. The Israelites are corrupt to the core with their sinful nature and rebellious hearts…and they serve a God that because of His perfection, cannot be in the presence of sin. In Leviticus 1:1, God speaks to Moses from inside the tent, after the book of Leviticus in Numbers 1:1, Moses is in the tent with God. The book of Leviticus is all about how an unclean people can cleanse themselves to be in the presence of a clean and Holy God.
The first few chapters of Leviticus detail some of the sacrifices God commanded the Israelites to make, the two we read today were the Grain Offering in Leviticus 2 and the Sin Offering in Leviticus 4. In the simplest terms, the Grain Offering was a sacrifice to say “thank you” to God for how he had blessed the Israelites. The Sin Offering was a sacrifice to say “I’m sorry” to God after the Israelites sinned against Him.
These two offerings framed two major themes for how the Israelites could remain pure before God. First, they had to constantly sacrifice some of their finest flour, oil and spices to God as a remembrance that He is the source of everything. He is the God that provides and whether it be through harvesting wheat, making oil or grinding spices, ultimately everything comes from Him. This is one of the reasons Christians tithe, or give 10% of their income, to the Lord. He is the ultimate provider and the source of all income, whether through it comes from a job or your parents giving you an allowance. God cares that we recognize Him as the ultimate provider and that we don’t allow our possessions to control our heart, as can easily happen to us.
Secondly, God commanded the Israelites to sacrifice a female goat without defect any time they sinned against Him. When the Israelites took an oath before the Lord that they would obey the 10 Commandments back in Exodus 24:1-8, they agreed that if they didn’t obey, it would cost them their life. The message is clear, sin is deserving of death. God, in His grace, creates a way for the Israelites to made right before Him by putting their sin onto the goat and sacrificing the goat. Sin is still deserving of death, but God is showing the Israelites a way to put their sin onto another being so that they can be clean. This sacrifice overtly points to the fact that God would eventually put our sin onto the person of Jesus Christ to reconcile us to God. But this offering shows the Israelites God’s heart, it is important for His people to recognize when they sin and have a way to say “I’m sorry” for breaking God’s law. Today, this is why we preach repentance. Even though God has dealt with the sins of all Christians by putting them on Jesus, He cares that we take time to repent, or to apologize for our sin and turn back to Him.
Questions to consider.
How do you honor God by sacrificing your possessions? Have you ever tithed before? What steps can you take to make sure that possessions don’t become an idol in your life?
Is your first response to repent after you commit a sin? Why or why not? How can you begin to make a habit out of repenting and turning to God after you sin?
Take a few moments and imagine Jesus death. The beatings, whippings, hanging on the cross, and thank God that he endured all of that for you. He is the innocent, spotless Lamb of God that took away your sin.