Leviticus 20:1-22:33 Imagine being a parent who never disciplined their kids. They punch someone in the face and there are no consequences. They speak unkindly to others and still no response. We would think the parents are foolish to operate this way. Yet when we read passages like Leviticus 20, we may struggle with how God can demand such severe judgment for certain behaviors. In this chapter th...  Read More

Leviticus 17:1-19:37 We are all prone to walling off areas of our life and not allowing God to speak into them. The same was true for the Israelites. In many areas they sought to live according to their own desires rather than conforming to God's commands. This led to the necessity for God to instruct his people regarding sex. We have already seen the destruction that can occur through not heeding...  Read More

Leviticus 14:33-16:34 Entering the presence of God is not to be done lightly. In fact, only one person, one time a year was able to enter God's presence as represented by the Most Holy Place. For this individual (the high priest) to do so, they had to offer a bull, then a goat, wear the proper clothing, light a censer, prepare incense, and sprinkle blood on various parts of the tabernacle. What an...  Read More

Leviticus 12:1-14 Leviticus 10:10 defines two types of conditions, holy and common. Holy was God and everything set apart for him. Common was the normal everyday state of affairs. However, common was divided into clean and unclean; not clean and sinful. In today’s passage, unclean was a ceremonial or religious quarantine due to an issue of blood, multiple skin diseases, and mildew. The unclean wer...  Read More

Leviticus 9:1-11:47 Ready, set, go. These instructions are given at the beginning of a race, but occasionally, you see a runner who barely gets off the starting blocks. It may be due to a pulled muscle, a lack of concentration, or broken blocks, but though they were in the race, they never got going. The ministry of the priesthood begins in this way. In Leviticus 9 the priests begin their work and...  Read More

Leviticus 7:1-8:36 As we read through a series of offerings, which thankfully we do not have to continue to make, one of the most interesting offerings is the fellowship offering. All the other offerings were commanded while the fellowship offering was given freely. When the people sinned, they had to make an offering, they did not have a choice. On specific days (Passover, etc.) the people were c...  Read More

Leviticus 4:1-6:30 Whoops. When we make a mistake, we often try to excuse it, rationalize it, or deal with it in a way that keeps us from feeling guilty. There is no actual guilt when it is a spilled glass of milk or a careless accident, but when it comes to areas of morality, the consequence is guilt. The only way of forgiveness is confession. When Israel unintentionally sinned, then became aware...  Read More

Numbers 8:1-9:14; Leviticus 1:1-3:17 Valentine's Day was a couple days ago. Some of you may have received some extravagant gifts, while others may feel disappointed in what you were given. One way, but not the only way, we show the degree of love we have for someone is in the quality of the gifts that we give. Today's reading begins with a description of the offerings which Israel was to bring to ...  Read More

Numbers 7:1-89 The last time you attended a graduation ceremony you were probably sitting there waiting for one name to be called. The event may have seemed to drag on until that moment. At that second, the hours of wait and tedium all drifted away upon the name being announced. Our reading today may seem like the monotony of a graduation ceremony. The same description of gifts is repeated twelve ...  Read More

Exodus 39:32-40:38; Numbers 9:15-23 Upon the completion of the tabernacle, God manifested his presence among Israel in a visible, tangible way. God's glory dwelt among the people and the proof of this was a cloud. God has lived with his people throughout salvation history, but he revealed his presence in different ways, at different times. We see him in a burning bush, a pillar of fire, and here i...  Read More

Exodus 37:1-39:31 All the pieces necessary for worship in the tabernacle are completed: the ark of the covenant, altars, the lamp stand, table, washbasin, and courtyard. This work was done under the leadership of Bezalel and Oholiab. They were given skill (the same word translated wisdom elsewhere) to both build the tabernacle items and to teach others to help them. They had a two-part role of doi...  Read More

Exodus 35:1-36:38 Have you ever seen a display of radical generosity? An act of giving that astounded your mind? After the command of the Israelites to build the tabernacle came the necessary collection of supplies. The call went out to the Israelites to give. We are told those who were willing gave such an amount of money, Moses had to ask the people to stop bringing their offerings. They were so...  Read More