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.
This might seem barbaric, but the point of the exercise is obedience and practising fear of the LORD. Offering sacrifices is an act of worship, and involves obedience to the word of God. It's also a sacrifice in that it involves passing up a faultless animal. Many of the Israelites would have preferred (had they been forced to choose) to give up a blemished creature; one with spots so it won't sell, or one with a broken leg. All of this makes God's sacrifice of his own faultless son all the more incredible.
The grain offerings are easier in many ways, but giving up grain that could otherwise be made into food or sold is a sacrifice.
But this is all about acknowledging that it all belongs to God anyway - nothing is ours, and if he wants us to give something up, it's his right to ask us to do so.
Mark 9:33-10:17
(9:33-50 | 10:1-17)
Jesus tells the disciples that if any of them wants to be the greatest, they must first humble themselves and serve others. Anyone who welcomes a child, one of the lowest members of contemporary society, welcomes Jesus and, in turn, God. Anyone causing a child to sin is in deep trouble.
If any part of you causes you to sin, Jesus says, it is a good to remove it. I'm not sure Jesus is necessarily encouraging self-mutilation here, rather I think it's about cutting what causes you to sin out of your life. An example could be masturbation; rather than cutting your hand off, I think Jesus is asking you to cut porn out of your life.
Jesus tells his disciples not to stop people from driving out demons in his name; anyone who is not against Jesus is for him.
Jesus takes a pretty hard-line stance on divorce; basically, yes, it is permissible, but remarriage is tantamount to adultery.
Psalm 27:1-6
(17:1-6)
Verse 6 says "I will sing and make music to the LORD." This psalm is all about praising the LORD. David praises God as, because of him, all David's enemies will eventually fail. David has just one request - to be able to hang out with God for the rest of his days.
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.
This might seem barbaric, but the point of the exercise is obedience and practising fear of the LORD. Offering sacrifices is an act of worship, and involves obedience to the word of God. It's also a sacrifice in that it involves passing up a faultless animal. Many of the Israelites would have preferred (had they been forced to choose) to give up a blemished creature; one with spots so it won't sell, or one with a broken leg. All of this makes God's sacrifice of his own faultless son all the more incredible.
The grain offerings are easier in many ways, but giving up grain that could otherwise be made into food or sold is a sacrifice.
But this is all about acknowledging that it all belongs to God anyway - nothing is ours, and if he wants us to give something up, it's his right to ask us to do so.
Mark 9:33-10:17
(9:33-50 | 10:1-17)
Jesus tells the disciples that if any of them wants to be the greatest, they must first humble themselves and serve others. Anyone who welcomes a child, one of the lowest members of contemporary society, welcomes Jesus and, in turn, God. Anyone causing a child to sin is in deep trouble.
If any part of you causes you to sin, Jesus says, it is a good to remove it. I'm not sure Jesus is necessarily encouraging self-mutilation here, rather I think it's about cutting what causes you to sin out of your life. An example could be masturbation; rather than cutting your hand off, I think Jesus is asking you to cut porn out of your life.
Jesus tells his disciples not to stop people from driving out demons in his name; anyone who is not against Jesus is for him.
Jesus takes a pretty hard-line stance on divorce; basically, yes, it is permissible, but remarriage is tantamount to adultery.
Psalm 27:1-6
(17:1-6)
Verse 6 says "I will sing and make music to the LORD." This psalm is all about praising the LORD. David praises God as, because of him, all David's enemies will eventually fail. David has just one request - to be able to hang out with God for the rest of his days.
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