Day 60 (Leviticus 5:14-7:10 | Mark 10:32-52 | Proverbs 6:12-19)

Day 60
Leviticus 5:14-7:10
(5:14-17 | 6 | 7:1-10)

God reveals to Moses the guilt offering. I'm sure there is a distinction between the guilt and sin offerings, and the nature of the transgressions that necessitate the offerings, but I'm not sure what that distinction is. God then tells Moses how the priests are to go about performing these offerings.

Day 59 (Leviticus 4:1-5:13 | Mark 10:13-31 | Psalm 27:9-14)

Day 59
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
(4 | 5:1-13)

God gives Moses a bunch of instructions regarding offerings for sin atonement. God acknowledges that his commandments are difficult to follow. People will eventually mess up. These sacrifices were how to make it up to God when that happens. As I said yesterday, sacrificing animals might seem barbaric, but it's an act of obedience. The existence of sin atonement did not, however, mean that the Israelites needn't heed the laws.

Another important thing to come out of this is an understanding of what Jesus did and why he did it. God demands unblemished animals as sacrifices. If the Jews are his people, how much more would the sacrifice of an unblemished and blameless Jew mean than the sacrifice of an animal? God knows that his laws are difficult to follow, and downright impossible without him in your life. Even with God we all mess up.

The Law was designed as an instrument to help us get closer to God. He knew it wouldn't work, so he established a way for people to be forgiven for messing up. In Jesus, God satisfies his own demands for atonement.

Mark 10:13-31
(10:13-31)

Jesus tells us we need to be like children - child-like, not childish! By that I think Jesus means we need to continue to be awe-struck by the size and majesty of God in the same way as a child is overwhelmed by the size of its parents relative to it. The desire to please one's parents, and fear of displeasing them also plays a role here.

But I feel the main characteristic Jesus wants us to adopt here is the one of lowliness; children were, and still are to a certain extent, fairly low in society - they did as they were told, or else. Jesus wants us to serve one another - to act in the interest of God and of others before our own.

Again we hear the story of Jesus telling a rich man to sell all his stuff and give to the poor, and of the rich man's crestfallen response. The most important aspect of the story is his saying that all this is possible only with God in your life.

Psalm 27:9-14
(27:9-14)

Verse 14: Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. I'm not sure if this was meant to edify the psalmist, or if the psalm was intended to encourage others, but it's sound advice. When all around you is going to pot, it's difficult to see God, and you can grow impatient at his perceived lack of movement. Just take David's advice; wait on the LORD.

Day 58 (Leviticus 1-3 | Mark 9:33-10:12 | Psalm 27:1-6)

Day 58
Leviticus 1-3
(1 | 2 | 3)

The start of Leviticus here deals with offerings and the protocol behind them.

Burnt offerings and fellowship offerings involve the slaughter of a young animal from your flock. The burnt offering must be a male without defect. It can be from your herd of cows, flock of sheep or goats, a dove or a pigeon. The fellowship offering can be either male or female, but it has to be without defect.