Numbers 6:1-27; Numbers 10:1-36We all want to be blessed. The opposite of blessing is curses and no one wants that. Yet often we tie blessing solely to material prosperity and, if that is our definition, then we will often feel like blessing is far from us. Numbers 6:22-27 reminds us that what God determines as blessing is often different than our perception of blessing. The priests were to pronou...  Read More

Numbers 4:1-5:31I'm sorry. This short statement is one of the important phrases for us to learn; the ability to apologize. We constantly wrong people in word and deed, so it is essential that we learn to ask for forgiveness. This involves admitting a wrong and asking that our wrong be covered. In Numbers 5:5, we are reminded that ultimately all our sin is against God. When we wrong another, we hav...  Read More

Numbers 2:1-3:51It is quickly clear why the book of Numbers is titled as such. It is called Numbers because it deals with lots of numbers. It is easy to get overwhelmed by numbers. When we hear that the population of the world is nearly eight billion or the population of the United States is over three hundred million, those are staggering numbers in which we can get lost. Yet behind the numbers a...  Read More

Leviticus 27:1-34; Numbers 1:1-54 . "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!"(Abraham Kuyper) We so often divide up the world into secular and sacred─things to which God is concerned/attentive, and areas of life irrelevant to God. God’s heart is far different than this perspective; God cares about every...  Read More

Leviticus 25:24-26:46 God places a high value on redemption and restoration as evidenced in His provision of the Year of Jubilee (every 50th year) for the Israelites. The Year of Jubliee presented a fresh opportunity to win freedom from slavery and regain property hard times had caused them to lose. In non- Jubliee years, God made provision for redemption through the kinsman-redeemer, a close rela...  Read More

Leviticus 23:1-25:23 Sleep is a wonderful gift from God. It is potentially the only time when our body, mind, and emotions can rest. If you struggle with sleep, you understand just what a gift it is. God's desire is that we would experience rest not only when we sleep but throughout our day. Leviticus reminds us about the times of rest that were commanded by God under the Old Covenant law. Every S...  Read More

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