Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

HEART, MIND, BODY, AND SOUL

Posted on January 2, 2025 by randscallawayffm

God provides and cares for us in so many thoughtful, detailed ways that sometimes we miss it. If we don’t look for God at work; we are blind to his miracles provided each day we live on this earth! God is always at work on our behalf with a power that brought Jesus, His Son back to life after being slain by the Enemy.

God knows what we need when we need it before we know! So many times I look back on what just happened and realize I was protected from harm from what could have been disastrous. Our family would be provided with a bonus that would be needed to cover an expense that we didn’t know was coming. God guided us by the power of His Holy Spirit in us to discern impending trouble if we followed a certain route. God provided rest when we needed it most, sometimes forcing the rest!

God led us with wisdom, when we asked for it, to avoid the temptations the Enemy uses to distract and deceive us with attempts to destroy our relationship with God. When something doesn’t seem right to pursue, seek God’s will for clarification and God will always provide! But even with all these experiences, we humans will still miss God at work in the details. God is in all the details! Pause to give Him praise even now!

God created all so He knows how His creation works. God created leaves with veins to carry life from root to stem. God created all plant life with the ability to give life to us! God created animals, fish in the seas and birds of the air to eat; providing protein for our bodies if prepared properly. Some animals were created simply for our enjoyment. God created strong trees to give us shade as well as to be used to build shelters for our protection. God created the ground we walk on with a rock solid foundation. God created oceans that renew themselves. God also created rivers, streams and natural lakes to provide water for our thirst. God created our bodies meticulously detailed, in such beautifully intricate ways that those in the medical field are still trying to learn when one part of our body fails us.

So, why share these thoughts as we work our way through God’s regulations in Leviticus to His People? Look at all the details! Could God’s regulations for handling raw meat be not only a way to ceremoniously rid the people of their guilt of sin but to also be protected from eating meat not prepared properly? There are no ways to store meat as they journey through the wilderness.

And God took care of His servants! God’s appointed and anointed priests who keep the fires going, grill the sacrificed meat and burn the fat as God commanded have no time for anything else! So, God provided a share for them to eat and feed their famliy from all the offerings.

Where God guides. God provides. Always. God is always available to teach us what is good for us and what is not. God knows how His Creation works best.

Leviticus 7

The Guilt Offering

“‘These are the regulations for the guilt offering, which is most holy: ²The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and its blood is to be splashed against the sides of the altar. ³All its fat shall be offered: the fat tail and the fat that covers the internal organs, ⁴both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. ⁵The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. It is a guilt offering. ⁶Any male in a priest’s family may eat it, but it must be eaten in the sanctuary area; it is most holy.

⁷“‘The same law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering: They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them. ⁸The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide for himself. ⁹Every grain offering baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who offers it, ¹⁰and every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.

The Fellowship Offering

¹¹“‘These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord:

¹²“‘If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering they are to offer thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with oil, and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. ¹³Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast. ¹⁴They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. ¹⁵The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.

¹⁶“‘If, however, their offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day. ¹⁷Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up. ¹⁸If any meat of the fellowship offering is eaten on the third day, the one who offered it will not be accepted. It will not be reckoned to their credit, for it has become impure; the person who eats any of it will be held responsible.

¹⁹“‘Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up. As for other meat, anyone ceremonially clean may eat it. ²⁰But if anyone who is unclean eats any meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord, they must be cut off from their people. ²¹Anyone who touches something unclean—whether human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature that moves along the ground—and then eats any of the meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord must be cut off from their people.’”

Eating Fat and Blood Forbidden

²²The Lord said to Moses, ²³“Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. ²⁴The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. ²⁵Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be presented to the Lord must be cut off from their people. ²⁶And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. ²⁷Anyone who eats blood must be cut off from their people.’”

The Priests’ Share

²⁸The Lord said to Moses, ²⁹“Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who brings a fellowship offering to the Lord is to bring part of it as their sacrifice to the Lord. ³⁰With their own hands they are to present the food offering to the Lord; they are to bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast before the Lord as a wave offering. ³¹The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. ³²You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offerings to the priest as a contribution. ³³The son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering shall have the right thigh as his share. ³⁴From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that is waved and the thigh that is presented and have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as their perpetual share from the Israelites.’”

³⁵This is the portion of the food offerings presented to the Lord that were allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the Lord as priests. ³⁶On the day they were anointed, the Lord commanded that the Israelites give this to them as their perpetual share for the generations to come.

³⁷These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering, ³⁸which the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai in the Desert of Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Jesus was the sacrifice, once and for all, for the sins of the world. We no longer must bring animals to a priest to atone for our sins. Jesus provides all we need. He is our burnt offering, and we must yield ourselves wholly to Him. He is our grain offering, the seed crushed and put through the fire, that we might have the bread of life, and we must feed upon Him. He is our drink offering who poured Himself out in sacrifice and service, and we must pour ourselves out for Him and for others. He is our peace offering, making life a joyful feast instead of a painful famine. He is our sin offering and our trespass offering, for He bore our sins on His body (1 Peter 2:24) and paid the full price for our sins (1 Peter 1:18, 19). The nation of Israel had to offer six different sacrifices to have a right relationship with God, but Jesus Christ “offered one sacrifice for sins forever” (Hebrews 10:12) and took care of our sin problem completely.

God teaches healthy hygiene for good reasons! God clearly lays down the conditions for the feast following the peace offering, what the people ate, what the priests ate, and what must be done with the leftovers. The blood and the fat were given to God and were never to be used as common food which is why all it was to be burned in the fire and the ashes removed to a place designate outside the camp. This seems reasonable and common to us today as the healthiest way of making sure no uncooked meat or fat was left on the grill to spoil. This would bring disease into the camp! God provides good hygienic reasons for His regulations! Anybody who was ceremonially unclean was forbidden to come to the feast and was “cut off” from his people until they decided to obey God’s directions.

God provided for His People and for His priests who carried out God’s regulations for the good of the people and for the glory of God. That’s how God works on our behalf—our good and His glory!

Lord,

Thank you for all you have done over the years of my life and in the life of my family that I could see. Thank you for all the times I needed rescue, even when I didn’t realize it! Thank you for all you are doing now as you lead and guide us in a new season of life on earth. Thank you for what you will do. But most of all, thank you for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for opening my eyes to see you at work more clearly and more often. Thank you for providing opportunities to tell others of your salvation work within us. Thank you for loving and caring for us in ways that always amaze us! And when we don’t feel worth all Your care and attention; you remind us that we are Yours. This truth settles my soul with your peace. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, God, Holiness, Jesus, leviticus | Leave a comment

ATONEMENT AND RESTITUTION

Posted on January 1, 2025 by randscallawayffm

As a parent and public-school teacher of first grade; I formed a habit of explaining in simple, detailed terms the wrongful behaviors with the consequences of my young children at home as well as my first graders at school. Some of my peers told me I took too much time explaining. My response was; “But, how will they learn?”

We are prone to be bogged down by the repetitive, laborious, detailed instructions outlined in Leviticus from God to Moses to Aaron and the priests. But remember, God has lessons to teach His newly rescued people who lived in Egypt and were forced to live the culture of their captors.

God must teach His People who formally believed in many gods, to now believe in One God, the One who saved them and miraculously brought them out of Egypt in power and might. God’s Chosen People are now living in the wilderness, away from Egypt’s enslavement and culture. “You are My People and I am Your God.” God is teaching them what sin is with how sin must be dealt with so that sin can be avoided in the future.

Leviticus 6

The Lord said to Moses: ²“If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor, ³or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit— ⁴when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, ⁵or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering. ⁶And as a penalty they must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, their guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. ⁷In this way the priest will make atonement for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.”

The Burnt Offering

⁸The Lord said to Moses: ⁹“Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. ¹⁰The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. ¹¹Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. ¹²The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. ¹³The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.

The Grain Offering

¹⁴“‘These are the regulations for the grain offering: Aaron’s sons are to bring it before the Lord, in front of the altar. ¹⁵The priest is to take a handful of the finest flour and some olive oil, together with all the incense on the grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁶Aaron and his sons shall eat the rest of it, but it is to be eaten without yeast in the sanctuary area; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. ¹⁷It must not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share of the food offerings presented to me. Like the sin offering and the guilt offering, it is most holy. ¹⁸Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it. For all generations to come it is his perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord. Whatever touches them will become holy.’”

¹⁹The Lord also said to Moses, ²⁰“This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the Lord on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. ²¹It must be prepared with oil on a griddle; bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ²²The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest shall prepare it. It is the Lord’s perpetual share and is to be burned completely. ²³Every grain offering of a priest shall be burned completely; it must not be eaten.”

The Sin Offering

²⁴The Lord said to Moses, ²⁵“Say to Aaron and his sons: ‘These are the regulations for the sin offering: The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the Lord in the place the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. ²⁶The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in the sanctuary area, in the courtyard of the tent of meeting. ²⁷Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in the sanctuary area. ²⁸The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water. ²⁹Any male in a priest’s family may eat it; it is most holy. ³⁰But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place must not be eaten; it must be burned up.

WHAT WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND TO GOD?

The priests were the official communicators between God and man. God ordained priests as full-time spiritual leaders. When God calls and ordains spiritual leaders, they have a special responsibility to live obediently as they walk close to him. These detailed instructions are given not only for health reasons (“keep the fire burning, put the ashes outside the camp”) but specifically for spiritual reasons. God wants a relationship with His People that is pure and holy.

The designated priests must obey every detail for their good, the good of the people and for God’s glory. God will have it no other way. When we come into His Presence, we must yield to Him, seeking to become holy as He is holy. God, who sees our hearts, is the One and Only who makes us holy. We cannot do that for ourselves.

Only God makes all things holy. We can never overemphasize the holiness of the God we serve. God provided His best to make us holy. It was for holiness’ sake that Jesus lovingly laid down His life so that we could approach freely a God who cannot co-exist with sin. Sin must be dealt with by God’s Plan.

To be holy means to be set apart and to be perfect in every way free from blemish, spot or wrinkle in every sense. Truth be told, no one has and will ever achieve this holiness except Jesus Christ Himself. But the good news is that Jesus, God’s Son, exchanged our filthiness for His righteousness as He took the punishment for our sin as the ultimate once and for all sacrifice!

Throughout God’s Word, we learn how God makes us holy. Being made holy by God begins with a repentant, humbled, contrite heart. These are the traits God looks for in seekers of His holiness.

2 Chronicles 7:14. “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Psalm 51:10. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Jeremiah 31:34. “And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord, ‘ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Malachi 3:3. “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord.”
Romans 5:1. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 15:15-16. “But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Hebrews 13:12. “So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.”

God’s work of holiness begins with our response of humbled repentance.

“Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:8-10

Lord,

Make me holy. Create in me a clean heart by removing all that does not belong. Renew my mind in ways that transform by behaviors. Refresh my soul by the filling of your Holy Spirit. Restore the joy of your salvation within me. May your peace rule my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

By Your spirit I will rise
From the ashes of defeat
The resurrected King, is resurrecting me
In Your name I come alive
To declare Your victory
The resurrected King, is resurrecting me…

(Resurrecting by Elevation Worship)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Exodus, Faith, God, Jesus | Leave a comment

GUILT RESOLUTION

Posted on December 31, 2024 by randscallawayffm

One of our pre-adult children was moping around the house one day. When asked what was wrong, she announced, “Now, I feel guilty for not feeling guilty!” Wait, what now?

She had gone through a difficult situation at work. Being young, on her first after school job; she blamed herself for the difficulty at work others were experiencing although there was nothing she did that caused the situation. It just happened. Her guilt was prompted by her compassion in watching others be guilty and held responsible for their actions. We needed to pause and talk about the situation.

She was only guilty of overthinking the circumstance, (which we all do at times), she decided that she was now guilty of not feeling guilty. Yes, this discussion took more time in conversation so she could understand what real guilt is, how it manifests itself within, explaining the difference in empathy and guilt, along with how to rid herself of guilt when warranted by forgiving herself like God forgives her—completely!

God is now teaching the Israelites how to deal with guilt that manifests itself within a person who does not realize why guilt seeps into their being. Unaware sins of not getting involved when someone needs help or wrongly accused, causes guilt and must be dealt with in God’s view. His people will learn that they will be held responsible for not speaking up.

Leviticus 5

“‘If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.

²“‘If anyone becomes aware that they are guilty—if they unwittingly touch anything ceremonially unclean (whether the carcass of an unclean animal, wild or domestic, or of any unclean creature that moves along the ground) and they are unaware that they have become unclean, but then they come to realize their guilt; ³or if they touch human uncleanness (anything that would make them unclean) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt; ⁴or if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— ⁵when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned. ⁶As a penalty for the sin they have committed, they must bring to the Lord a female lamb or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for them for their sin.

⁷“‘Anyone who cannot afford a lamb is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as a penalty for their sin—one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. ⁸They are to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to wring its head from its neck, not dividing it completely, ⁹and is to splash some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar; the rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering. ¹⁰The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

¹¹“‘If, however, they cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, they are to bring as an offering for their sin a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour for a sin offering. They must not put olive oil or incense on it, because it is a sin offering. ¹²They are to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. It is a sin offering. ¹³In this way the priest will make atonement for them for any of these sins they have committed, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in the case of the grain offering.’”

The Guilt Offering

¹⁴The Lord said to Moses: ¹⁵“When anyone is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord’s holy things, they are to bring to the Lord as a penalty a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value in silver, according to the sanctuary shekel. It is a guilt offering. ¹⁶They must make restitution for what they have failed to do in regard to the holy things, pay an additional penalty of a fifth of its value and give it all to the priest. The priest will make atonement for them with the ram as a guilt offering, and they will be forgiven.

¹⁷“If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible. ¹⁸They are to bring to the priest as a guilt offering a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the wrong they have committed unintentionally, and they will be forgiven. ¹⁹It is a guilt offering; they have been guilty of wrongdoing against the Lord.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“The trespass (or guilt) offering illustrates the solemn fact that it is a very costly thing for people to commit sin and for God to cleanse sin. Our sins hurt God and hurt others. True repentance will always bring with it a desire for restitution. We will want to make things right with God and with those we’ve sinned against. Forgiveness comes only because of the death of an innocent substitute. The passage in Isaiah 53:10 states clearly that when Jesus died on the cross, God made His Son an offering for sin. The penalty we should have paid, He paid for us!” –Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible

Jesus taught to pray, “Forgive us our sins (trespasses) as we forgive those who sin (trespass) against us. To trespass as we know it today is to go where we do not belong and do what we should not do that makes life difficult for others. To trespass on someone’s property with intent to do harm can cause the death of the trespasser in some states!

So, there is no mistake in judgement of our own guilt; God, as promised by Jesus, sent us a Counselor to help us after Jesus ascended back to Heaven. God sent a part of Himself to live within us—His Holy Spirit—as soon as we say yes to Jesus’ forgiveness of our repented sins. God knew we would need help as we transform by His help from old habits of sin to new habits of living in God’s ways for our good and His glory. As always, God provides all we need—we just need to listen to Him!

God’s Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin, corrects us with God’s Word, comforts us when we need it, and then compels us to do what God’s says. Guilt is resolved through repenting our sins to Jesus, who died in our place of punishment for them. Our offering is willingly, graciously, and gratefully placing our lives in His hands, giving His Holy Spirit full reign of our hearts, minds, and souls. THIS is what God requires of us—US!

Micah, the prophet, relayed God’s desire for us with these simple words; “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 We learn we are responsible for our behaviors. We are commanded to tell and live the Truth. We must stand in the gap for the innocent who are wrongly accused and show mercy to those who need it as this is walking humbly with God…putting the interests of others ahead of our own; if we desire to be like Jesus. (Philippians 2)

How must we respond? Pause to pray and ask God for wisdom as each life is specifically purposed for our good and His glory!

Jesus preached many messages of love while demonstrating God’s love to the world. We really have no excuse for not knowing how to live in His ways. As in this passage of Leviticus; God makes it known that how we treat each other is the same and is felt by our God!

Jesus reiterated this Truth when He walked the earth doing what God told him to do;

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:35-40

Jesus also told of the consequences of ignoring people in need of love, mercy, and grace; ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Friends, what Jesus says is a matter of life or death. What we do in Jesus Name for His glory matters. God never changes. Life will always matter. How we will respond?

Lord,

We begin a new calendar year tonight with wanting to please you in all we think, say, and do. Help us to be more like you in every way. Being with cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, transforming our behaviors, refreshing our souls with your new tender mercies each day, while restoring the joy of your salvation at work within us. We cannot do it without you. Come, Holy Spirit. Convict us with correction from your Word. Comfort us with your wisdom, strength, and power. Then compel us to go and tell, be helpers to others, while being a witness of Truth, to a dying world without you.

In Jesus Name, Amen—Yes!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Faith, Forgiveness, God, Jesus | Leave a comment

SINS CONFESSED; SINS FORGIVEN

Posted on December 30, 2024 by randscallawayffm

God was very specific to His People who were rescued from Egypt to live a new life following in His ways, leaving behind their former life of slavery. God was detailed with how to deal with sin in the camp, both realized and unintentionally committed. God is teaching His people often with how to honor and love Him along with how to love each other because this new life with God has not been fully internalized. God is the Master Teacher who speaks through His representative, Moses. God appointed and anointed Moses’ brother Aaron and his sons to be the priests to carry out all the details according to God’s instructions to deal with all sin.

To us who believe in Jesus, believe that He was the One and Only sacrifice for our sins, read with wonder, maybe even with a bit of distain, because of the slaughter of animals from their herds, the burnt offerings of these animals, with the sprinkling of the blood from them. But look closely at the repetitiveness for what is repeated often in God’s Word is what God wants us to know and realize for our relationship with Him.

We learn we must deal with all our sins. Since Adam and Eve sinned against God, all the generations succeeding have sinned. Paul reminds us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” ALL of us. All sin must be dealt with before God. Don’t let the process here distract us from the ultimate plan of God to redeem us.

Leviticus 4

The Sin Offering

The Lord said to Moses, ²“Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands—

³“‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. ⁴He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the Lord. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the Lord. ⁵Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and carry it into the tent of meeting. ⁶He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. ⁷The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁸He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs, ⁹both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys— ¹⁰just as the fat is removed from the ox sacrificed as a fellowship offering. Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. ¹¹But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines— ¹²that is, all the rest of the bull—he must take outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it there in a wood fire on the ash heap.

¹³“‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, when they realize their guilt ¹⁴and the sin they committed becomes known, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the tent of meeting. ¹⁵The elders of the community are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord, and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord. ¹⁶Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood into the tent of meeting. ¹⁷He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it before the Lord seven times in front of the curtain. ¹⁸He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the tent of meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ¹⁹He shall remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar, ²⁰and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the community, and they will be forgiven. ²¹Then he shall take the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. This is the sin offering for the community.

²²“‘When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, when he realizes his guilt ²³and the sin he has committed becomes known, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect. ²⁴He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering. ²⁵Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ²⁶He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the leader’s sin, and he will be forgiven.

²⁷“‘If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt ²⁸and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they committed a female goat without defect. ²⁹They are to lay their hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. ³⁰Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ³¹They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.

³²“‘If someone brings a lamb as their sin offering, they are to bring a female without defect. ³³They are to lay their hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered. ³⁴Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. ³⁵They shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the food offerings presented to the Lord. In this way the priest will make atonement for them for the sin they have committed, and they will be forgiven.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND TO GOD?

It is interesting, but not surprising, that God knew that His People, who He called out and rescued from living in the Egyptian culture were so jaded by their past, so conformed to past habits of worshiping many gods with survivalist lifestyle; that many of their sins become labeled as “unintentional” or not yet known to them as sin. Generations were birthed into the Egyptian culture. God heard their cries for help and brought them out. Now God is teaching them His ways while providing for them daily.

God sees and knows the hearts of all mankind. God loves His created. God wants His best for them. So, God convicts and corrects His people of all sin, known and unintentional, that holds them back, hindering their connected relationship to God with ways to cover their sins through sacrifice of unblemished animals from their herds given to them as a blessing from God. Did it occur to them that God gave them the sacrifice for their sins?

Does it occur to us that God gave us His Son Jesus, as the sacrifice for our sins? We provide nothing but humble confession and remorseful repentance. God provides all the rest! Jesus was given, unblemished by sin, to be the sacrifice for our sin. Jesus, willingly laid down His life, taking all the sins of the world upon His shoulders, as The Way to rid us of our sins, cleansing our hearts completely. Our sins repented in Jesus Name are gone, removed “as far as the east is from the west”, forgiven forever, “to be remembered no more”! Jesus rescued us and brought us out of our own culture and past sin to give us new life with Him! Hallelujah!

The bottom line is this: God requires His people to deal with their sins against Him and against each other. God still requires this of us today. God made a Way for us to come to Him, repent of our sins and be forgiven. Jesus was, is and always will be the One and Only Way. God gave us His One and Only Son as the once and for all sacrifice, for all the sins of the world—yours and mine. God provided the Lamb to be slain for our sins.

Pause and let all this sink into our hearts. May Truth be internalized within our being.

Lord,

Cleanse my heart of all sin that needs to be removed. Convict me of unintentional sins that I am ignoring. Forgive me. Correct me. May Your Holy Spirit continue to renew my mind, that leads to the transformation of my behaviors because I want to be more like you and less like the unbelieving world around me. Comfort me. Refresh my soul with your new tender mercies for today. Restore continually the ever-flowing, everlasting joy of you in me and me in you; as your salvation work molds and shapes me into who you created me to be. Compel me to love like you love me so others will know you, too.

In Jesus Name, for our good, and Your Glory, Amen! Yes!

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SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOR A CHOSEN PEOPLE

Posted on December 28, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Blood sacrifices had great significance. Blood was offered as an atonement for sin, but its incompleteness required the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ. The sacrifices in these chapters of Leviticus taught the Israelites how to worship God through personal commitment. God’s people must revere him, commit themselves to his laws, and show sincere dedication to him.

But sometimes I wonder if God is teaching the Israelites even more than the offering itself? So, I looked it up. I poured over a few study commentaries by reputable people and here is what I learned;

There are several distinctive features about the peace (or fellowship) offering that should be noted. For one thing, the offeror could bring a female animal, something not permitted for the other animal sacrifices. If the offering was not in fulfillment of a vow, the sacrifice could have some defects and still be accepted (See Leviticus 22:23). After all, it was basically going to be used as food for the priests and the offeror’s family, and those defects wouldn’t matter.
The peace offering is the only offering that was shared with the worshipers. After the priest had completed the sacrifice, a large portion of the meat went to him; the rest went to the offeror, who could then enjoy a feast with his family and friends.

Where God guides His People; He always provides. Consider the work of Aaron and his sons as priests. God guided Moses to appoint Aaron and his sons to give all their time serving as priests. Their priestly work seemed to be 24/7 as they kept the lights on, so to speak, but making sure there was enough oil in the lamps to keep burning day and night in the tent of meeting as directed by God which indicated the Presence of God.

They also had specific, detailed instructions of the care of all things used for burnt offerings unto the Lord. That meant cleaning the grill after all the burnt offerings were cooked over the designated grates made especially for this purpose. The priest took their work seriously and did their best to please God. They were appointed and anointed to do this specific work. There is no time for priests to grow a garden or shepherd a flock of animals so God provided “leftovers” from the offerings to feed their families.

God thinks of all the details—we can always count on God in all the details of our lives, too!

Leviticus 3

The Fellowship Offering

“‘If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the Lord an animal without defect. ²You are to lay your hand on the head of your offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash the blood against the sides of the altar. ³From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering to the Lord: the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, ⁴both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. ⁵Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is lying on the burning wood; it is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

⁶“‘If you offer an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering to the Lord, you are to offer a male or female without defect. ⁷If you offer a lamb, you are to present it before the Lord, ⁸lay your hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. ⁹From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering to the Lord: its fat, the entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, ¹⁰both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. ¹¹The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord.

¹²“‘If your offering is a goat, you are to present it before the Lord, ¹³lay your hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. ¹⁴From what you offer you are to present this food offering to the Lord: the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, ¹⁵both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. ¹⁶The priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering, a pleasing aroma. All the fat is the Lord’s.

¹⁷“‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

In the East, to eat with people is to make them your friends and allies. It means the end of hostilities, as with Jacob and his father-in-law Laban (Genesis 31:54), or the sealing of friendship, as with Israel and Jethro and his people (Exodus 18:12). In the church today, the Lord’s Supper, or Eucharist, is a simple meal that shows the unity of God’s family (1 Corinthians 10:16–18; 11:18–34). That’s why it’s called “Communion.”

The peace/fellowship offering meal, however, meant more than the enjoyment of good food and fellowship with loved ones. It was also an expression of joyful thanksgiving of worshipers at peace with God and in communion with God. The peace/fellowship offering emphasized the fact that the forgiveness of sins resulted in communion with God and with God’s people.

JESUS IN LEVITICUS…THE ULTIMATE, ONCE AND FOR ALL SACRIFICE FOR US!

On the cross Jesus Christ purchased reconciliation with God (2 Corinthians 5:16–21) and peace with God (Colossians 1:20) for all who will believe Him and follow Him with trusting obedience.

We enjoy fellowship with God and other believers, because of His shed blood (1 John 1:5—2:2). Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves—remove our sins. We who believe hunger for truth and discover Christ is the truth we seek. We “feast” on Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life and the Living Water when we feed on His Word and accept all that He is to us with all that He has done for us.

Today, instead of bringing animals, we offer God “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 116:17) and the “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15), from pure hearts that are grateful for His mercies. We give ourselves, our very lives to God, as an offering. (Romans 12:1-2)

We who believe and receive salvation are now His priests who tell others of His forgiveness and love! Peter, disciple of Jesus, proclaims to all who believe:

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

Paul clearly explains our work as priests chosen by God to freely give what He has freely given us—the way to be reconciled to God in communion with God by the blood shed by Jesus Christ, His son!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Our work as Christ’s ambassadors (representing Christ) as priests are like Aaron and his sons’ work in this—

Our work as “holy priests” with the ministry of reconciliation is also 24/7! We live expectantly and grateful with His power working in us; reflecting the Light of Christ, keeping the light of His presence burning in our hearts, minds, and souls with the precious “oil” of His Word and the guidance of His Holy Spirit, while pointing the Way to be reconciled to God through Jesus to others who do not yet know Him! It’s not about us but all about Jesus!

Lord,

Help us to fulfill your commandment to us to go and make disciples, teaching them all that you are teaching us. May your Light and your glory be seen in us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

In Jesus Name, Amen

He said: ‘Freely, freely, you have received,
Freely, freely give;
Go in My name, and because you believe
Others will know that I live.’

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AN AROMA PLEASING TO GOD

Posted on December 27, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Who doesn’t like the smell of homemade bread baking? I don’t know of anyone who doesn’t; do you? As an adult, I love making bread. Making it and giving it away reminds me of Grandma Lacquement. I spent a lot of time on Grandpa and Grandma’s farm as they cared for me while my parents worked. I watched as my grandma made bread as their way of life. Bread on the farm was rarely “store-bought.” Even the butter for the bread was made using her old mixer to whip the cream taken off the top of the milk produced by their cows. It was my job to watch the cream turn to butter because the mixer could jump off the counter in the process!

Grandpa raised beef, chicken, and pork for the purpose of butchering in the fall to fill their freezer—and ours! Sometimes, goat milk and meat was also part of the farm’s menu. Grandma and Grandpa were mostly self-sufficient as they also had a garden of fresh vegetables and fruit.

What I observed most about them was how humbly grateful they were for the privilege to have the farm where they would work hard to produce these products as a way of life, along with his carpentry work for others. They always gave glory to God for His provisions daily. They gave from their provisions to others in need who would come down their lane seeking help. Thank you for allowing me to indulge in my memories of these precious people who reflected the goodness of God and taught me how to give away a portion of what God has so graciously given to me.

Speaking of God, apparently, HE loves the smell of bread cooking, too! Read on…

Leviticus 2

The Grain Offering

“‘When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it ²and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ³The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the Lord.

⁴“‘If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of the finest flour: either thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in or thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with olive oil. ⁵If your grain offering is prepared on a griddle, it is to be made of the finest flour mixed with oil, and without yeast. ⁶Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. ⁷If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it is to be made of the finest flour and some olive oil. ⁸Bring the grain offering made of these things to the Lord; present it to the priest, who shall take it to the altar. ⁹He shall take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. ¹⁰The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the Lord.

¹¹“‘Every grain offering you bring to the Lord must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in a food offering presented to the Lord. ¹²You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. ¹³Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

¹⁴“‘If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the Lord, offer crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire. ¹⁵Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering. ¹⁶The priest shall burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all the incense, as a food offering presented to the Lord.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND TO GOD?

We must give back a portion of all that God has given to us to steward for our good and His glory. Giving back to God displays our thanksgiving for all He has provided. Giving the best and the first of our labors shows our gratitude for all He has created for us to enjoy.

From Genesis to Revelation—we see Jesus in all of Scripture. Jesus was at the beginning of Creation. Jesus is “God with us” now as the One who willingly sacrificed His life for our sins’ punishment which removed all the sins of the world. When we repent of our sins to Jesus—all our sins are removed from our being—to be remembered no more!

Jesus is and always will be King of kings, and Lord of lords, as designated by God. God, the Father plan was for His Son to be our one and only high priest who by the sacrifice of His life once and for all, reconciled us back to God. Jesus was the ultimate “grain offering” when he sacrificed Himself for us. Jesus is our Savior and Lord now and forever. Only through Jesus can we obtain Life eternal—God’s Plan. And Jesus, the alpha and omega, beginning and end of this age, is coming back!

So, we will see Jesus throughout Leviticus as “offerings” are set in motion as pleasing aromas to God. We are reminded today of the words of Jesus while He walked the earth: “I AM the Bread of Life.”

God knows. God knows what His People need to understand about Him. God provides. God still does that for us through His Word—ALL of it.

A portion of an old hymn plays in my mind; written in 1902 by Howard Grose, to teach us how to give our best back to God;

Give of your best to the Master;
Give of the strength of your youth;
Clad in salvation’s full armor,
Join in the battle for truth.

Give of your best to the Master;
Give Him first place in your heart;
Give Him first place in your service;
Consecrate every part.
Give, and to you will be given;
God His beloved Son gave;
Gratefully seeking to serve Him,
Give Him the best that you have.

God is first. Seek God first. Listen to God first before doing anything. Jesus taught us that! Moses relayed God’s command to put God first and worship only God as the number one commandment. We now learn thought-out Scripture that God gives. We must learn to give like God by giving back the first fruits of His provision to us! It is not so God “has enough” but to remind us that God is always enough for us.

Jesus explains God’s giving gene that is embedded in all believers in this way;

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”–Jesus, Matthew 6:30-34, MSG

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33, NIV Jesus demonstrated seeking God first often as He would get away by Himself to seek God’s will before doing anything of significance in His ministry on earth. Jesus was our perfect example of seeking God first then doing what God says. Who are we not to seek God first if Jesus, Son of God, did?

Jesus, Bread of Life. Jesus, the sacrificial offering to God, removed our sins from us set us free to enjoy a sweet relationship with God, our Father, an aroma pleasing to God!

Lord, God of all and in all,

Your resurrection power has resurrected me indeed. Thank you for teaching us how to love, give, and live a life worthy of who you created us to be.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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OPEN FOR BUSINESS—WITH GOD!

Posted on December 26, 2024 by randscallawayffm

God has designed the place to meet with Him. Now God provides the process for dealing with personal sins. God’s process is as detailed and specific as building the place for God and creating the tools used for burnt offerings. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God since Adam said yes to taking the fruit from Eve offered by evil. So, the sins of all the inhabitants of the camp must be dealt with through designated priests at the Tent of Meeting that is now open for doing business with God.

Leviticus 1

The Burnt Offering

1 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, ²“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.

³“‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. ⁴You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. ⁵You are to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. ⁶You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. ⁷The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. ⁸Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. ⁹You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

¹⁰“‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, you are to offer a male without defect. ¹¹You are to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before the Lord, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash its blood against the sides of the altar. ¹²You are to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. ¹³You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of them and burn them on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

¹⁴“‘If the offering to the Lord is a burnt offering of birds, you are to offer a dove or a young pigeon. ¹⁵The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the altar. ¹⁶He is to remove the crop and the feathers^[a] and throw them down east of the altar where the ashes are. ¹⁷He shall tear it open by the wings, not dividing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is burning on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND TO GOD?

Even though the book of Leviticus seems odd and maybe even distasteful and a bit disgusting to our culture, God was training His people to do business with Him in ways that they could understand at that time. Leviticus is the third book of five “books of the Law” written by Moses, inspired by God. God began from the very beginning—the Genesis of Creation of all living things. God now tells Moses to write down God’s plan and process for His people to relate to God, to do business with God, who is holy. Moses tells God’s people and designated priests in “real time” what is expected of them in detail.

Eugene Peterson’s commentary helps us to relate to Leviticus today;

“One of the stubbornly enduring habits of the human race is to insist on domesticating God. We are determined to tame God. We figure out ways to harness God to OUR projects. We try to reduce God to a size that conveniently fits our plans and ambitions and tastes. But our Scriptures are even more stubborn in telling us that we can’t do it. God cannot be fit into our plans; we must fit into his. We can’t use God—God is not a tool or appliance or credit card.

‘Holy’ is the word that sets God apart and above our attempts to enlist him in our wish-fulfillment fantasies or our utopian schemes for making our mark in the world. Holy means that God is alive on God’s terms, alive in the way that exceeds our experience and imagination. Holy refers to life burning with an intense purity that transforms everything it touches into itself.

Because the core of all living is God, and God is a holy God, we require much teaching and long training for living in response to God as he is and not as we want him to be.

The book of Leviticus is a narrative pause in the story of our ancestors as they are on their way, saved out of Egypt, to settle in the land of Canaan. It is a kind of extended time-out of instruction, a detailed and meticulous preparation for living ‘holy’ in a culture that doesn’t’ have the faintest idea what ‘holy’ is. The moment these people enter Canaan they will be picking their way through a lethal midfield of gods and goddesses that are designed to appeal to our god-fantasies: ‘Give us what we want when we want it on our own terms.’ What these god-fantasies in fact do is cripple or kill us. Leviticus is a start at the ‘much teaching and long training’ that continues to be adapted and reworked in every country and culture where God is forming a saved people to live as he created them to live—holy as God is holy.

The first thing that strikes us as we read Leviticus in this light is that this holy God is actually present with us and virtually every detail of our lives is affected by the presence of this holy God; nothing in us, our relationships, or environments is left out.

The second thing is that God provides a way (the sacrifices and feasts and Sabbaths) to bring everything in and about us into his holy presence, transformed in the fiery blaze of the holy. It is an awesome thing to come in to His presence and we, like ancient Israel, stand in His presence at every moment (Psalm 139). Our Lord is not dwelling in a tent or house in our neighborhood. But he makes his habitation in us and among us as believers and says, ‘I am holy, you be holy’ (1 Peter 1:16, citing Leviticus 11; 19; 20).

Once we realize this, the seemingly endless details and instructions of Leviticus become signposts of good news to us. God cares that much about the details of our lives, willing everything in and about us into the transformation that Paul later commended.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-2, Message Bible.

Embracing and placing with full attention on God is how to respond to God who is the Only One who makes us holy to Him. To God be the glory!

Lord,

I give you my life today as an offering to you. I’m listening for your holy prompting that will lead me by the hand to your agenda.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD’S HOUSE—GOD’S RULES!

Posted on December 24, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Most adults of a certain age, raised to adulthood in the sixties-seventies, probably heard this phrase more than a few times from our parents; “Our house, our rules, as long as you live under our roof as our children; you will obey our rules.” If your parents were Christians, they would add; “This is for your own good.” And they meant it for the rules were meant to protect us while they provided for us until we were able to have jobs that provided enough to have our own home. If you obeyed, life was easier. If you did not, there was constant tension. Remember?

When we enter God’s House, we come with expectant hope of seeing God’s glory at work as we worship Him with others. If we pause to prepare our hearts and truly focus on God; we will indeed hear from God and learn His ways. Coming to God’s House today is simple as we live in a country that allows us the freedom to meet to worship our God with others. We have an array of choices of where to go as there are many churches in every city or town! We are blessed to have it this easy. Will there be a time when we do not? Sometimes I wonder and I stop to give praise to God, thanking Him for the privilege to come into His house with humbled gratitude!

“I rejoiced with those who said to me, Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1

God’s place has rules. These commandments, given to Moses, were the “rules of engagement” with God. The Israelites were taught to have respect, a healthy fear and awe of who God is as the One and Only God to be worshiped, with specific ways to repent of their sins through sacrifice.

God appointed were anointed and given directions of how the priests should dress with very detailed ways given by God with how they will do ministry. God gave them specific ways and means to bring His people back to Him through their repentance and His forgiveness of sins through specific ways of sacrifice.

God’s greatest desire is that we trust and obey what He says as He stands ready to pour out all the blessings we need for our good which reveals His glory at work! But when we choose not to obey, like King Saul who followed his sin nature of pride, it was the priests designated work, through the generations of Aaron, who were to bring them back to what God delights in—our obedience and allegiance to Him. Here is an example:

“Samuel, (the priest to rebellious King Saul) replied:

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23

So, arrogance and rebellion of God’s rules and commandments have no place in God’s house.

All of these commands are new to God’s people who He brought out of slavery from Egypt to journey through the wilderness on their way to new land that God has promised to them. They were eager to build “just as God specifically commanded them.” Now all is ready to set it up. They will see the outcome of their hard labor. They will see God’s glorious Presence descend from heaven and hover over the new tabernacle built for God. How amazing in our God!

But God’s house has rules. So, Moses and the people do exactly “as the Lord commands” in every detail.

Exodus 40

Setting Up the Tabernacle

Then the Lord said to Moses: ²“Set up the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, on the first day of the first month. ³Place the ark of the covenant law in it and shield the ark with the curtain. ⁴Bring in the table and set out what belongs on it. Then bring in the lampstand and set up its lamps. ⁵Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the covenant law and put the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle.

⁶“Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; ⁷place the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it. ⁸Set up the courtyard around it and put the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard.

⁹“Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it and all its furnishings, and it will be holy. ¹⁰Then anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it will be most holy. ¹¹Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.

¹²“Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting and wash them with water. ¹³Then dress Aaron in the sacred garments, anoint him and consecrate him so he may serve me as priest. ¹⁴Bring his sons and dress them in tunics. ¹⁵Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so they may serve me as priests. Their anointing will be to a priesthood that will continue throughout their generations.” ¹⁶Moses did everything just as the Lord commanded him.

¹⁷So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year. ¹⁸When Moses set up the tabernacle, he put the bases in place, erected the frames, inserted the crossbars and set up the posts. ¹⁹Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, as the Lord commanded him.

²⁰He took the tablets of the covenant law and placed them in the ark, attached the poles to the ark and put the atonement cover over it. ²¹Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle and hung the shielding curtain and shielded the ark of the covenant law, as the Lord commanded him.

²²Moses placed the table in the tent of meeting on the north side of the tabernacle outside the curtain ²³and set out the bread on it before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.

²⁴He placed the lampstand in the tent of meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle ²⁵and set up the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded him.

²⁶Moses placed the gold altar in the tent of meeting in front of the curtain ²⁷and burned fragrant incense on it, as the Lord commanded him.

²⁸Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. ²⁹He set the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, and offered on it burnt offerings and grain offerings, as the Lord commanded him.

³⁰He placed the basin between the tent of meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing, ³¹and Moses and Aaron and his sons used it to wash their hands and feet. ³²They washed whenever they entered the tent of meeting or approached the altar, as the Lord commanded Moses.

³³Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and altar and put up the curtain at the entrance to the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work.

The Glory of the Lord

³⁴Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. ³⁵Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

³⁶In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; ³⁷but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. ³⁸So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Trust and obey God! Do what He says!

Max Lucado helps us understand a heart of obedience that delights God;

“Some people believe that outward appearance determines inner quality. With God, it is the other way around: Outward appearance should reflect inner reality. The priestly garments reflected the holy character of the priests as they were in communion with a holy God.

“Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14).

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:26–27).

This clothing has nothing to do with dresses and jeans and suits. God’s concern is with our spiritual garments. He offers a heavenly robe that only heaven can see and only heaven can give. Listen to the words of Isaiah: “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness” (Isaiah 61:10)

Remember the words of the father when the prodigal son returned? He wanted his son to have new sandals, a new ring, and what else? New clothes. “Bring the best robe and put it on him” (Luke 15:22). No son of his was going to be seen in shabby, muddy rags. The father wanted the son to have the best clothing available.

Your Father wants you to have the same.

Again, this discussion of clothing has nothing to do with what the store sells you. It has everything to do with what God gives you when you give your life to him.” –Max Lucado, Lucado Encouraging Word Bible

Lord,

May we come before you with humbled, thoughtful repentance, hearts of praise and thanksgiving, with obedient attitudes who seek you first and often throughout the day and into the night.

I love you, Lord with all that is in me. Thank you for cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, transforming my behaviors, while growing your character within me.

Thank you for refreshing my soul with your tender mercies when I fail and fall. Thank you for teaching me valuable lessons while picking me up from the fall and setting my feet back on your firm foundation.

What joy it is to trust and obey you! Thank you for daily restoring the joy of your salvation within me for my good and Your glory! I delight myself in you as you delight in me as your child. You never fail! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Exodus, God, Moses, Tabernacle | Leave a comment

THE OBEDIENT COMPLETE THE WORK!

Posted on December 23, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Think of that time in your life when you were a part of a huge project that needed to be accomplished. You knew from the beginning of the project’s inception that it would take a small army of people to accomplish it. You realized the project would require the accomplishment of several smaller, intricate pieces of the project by people of varying abilities. In my experiences with work or church projects; I discovered that to be a part of the whole meant:

I must put my complete focus on the leader who holds the Plan.
I don’t need to know or even understand the whole Plan to do my part.
My complete obedience to the directions given, while doing my best work, would be the key to the completion of the whole.
I must concentrate on completing my part of the Plan; to busy to judge others completing their part.
When I need advice with how to complete my part, I must go directly to the Leader for clarification.
I must fully believe in the Designer of the Plan with complete trust in the Plan.
A divided heart unduly questions the Plan, the Designer and all participants; which hinders completion.
When the work is completed as directed by the Designer you are elated with indescribable joy with all who had a part in it!

The following is the greatest story ever of team work!! Lets’ see what we learn…

Exodus 39

The Priestly Garments

From the blue, purple and scarlet yarn they made woven garments for ministering in the sanctuary. They also made sacred garments for Aaron, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Ephod

²They made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. ³They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of skilled hands. ⁴They made shoulder pieces for the ephod, which were attached to two of its corners, so it could be fastened. ⁵Its skillfully woven waistband was like it—of one piece with the ephod and made with gold, and with blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and with finely twisted linen, as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁶They mounted the onyx stones in gold filigree settings and engraved them like a seal with the names of the sons of Israel. ⁷Then they fastened them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses.

The Breastpiece

⁸They fashioned the breastpiece—the work of a skilled craftsman. They made it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. ⁹It was square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double. ¹⁰Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. The first row was carnelian, chrysolite and beryl; ¹¹the second row was turquoise, lapis lazuli and emerald; ¹²the third row was jacinth, agate and amethyst; ¹³the fourth row was topaz, onyx and jasper. They were mounted in gold filigree settings. ¹⁴There were twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

¹⁵For the breastpiece they made braided chains of pure gold, like a rope. ¹⁶They made two gold filigree settings and two gold rings, and fastened the rings to two of the corners of the breastpiece. ¹⁷They fastened the two gold chains to the rings at the corners of the breastpiece, ¹⁸and the other ends of the chains to the two settings, attaching them to the shoulder pieces of the ephod at the front. ¹⁹They made two gold rings and attached them to the other two corners of the breastpiece on the inside edge next to the ephod. ²⁰Then they made two more gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the seam just above the waistband of the ephod. ²¹They tied the rings of the breastpiece to the rings of the ephod with blue cord, connecting it to the waistband so that the breastpiece would not swing out from the ephod—as the Lord commanded Moses.

Other Priestly Garments

²²They made the robe of the ephod entirely of blue cloth—the work of a weaver— ²³with an opening in the center of the robe like the opening of a collar, and a band around this opening, so that it would not tear. ²⁴They made pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen around the hem of the robe. ²⁵And they made bells of pure gold and attached them around the hem between the pomegranates. ²⁶The bells and pomegranates alternated around the hem of the robe to be worn for ministering, as the Lord commanded Moses.

²⁷For Aaron and his sons, they made tunics of fine linen—the work of a weaver— ²⁸and the turban of fine linen, the linen caps and the undergarments of finely twisted linen. ²⁹The sash was made of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn—the work of an embroiderer—as the Lord commanded Moses.

³⁰They made the plate, the sacred emblem, out of pure gold and engraved on it, like an inscription on a seal: holy to the Lord. ³¹Then they fastened a blue cord to it to attach it to the turban, as the Lord commanded Moses.

Moses Inspects the Tabernacle

³²So all the work on the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, was completed. The Israelites did everything just as the Lord commanded Moses. ³³Then they brought the tabernacle to Moses: the tent and all its furnishings, its clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases; ³⁴the covering of ram skins dyed red and the covering of another durable leather and the shielding curtain; ³⁵the ark of the covenant law with its poles and the atonement cover; ³⁶the table with all its articles and the bread of the Presence; ³⁷the pure gold lampstand with its row of lamps and all its accessories, and the olive oil for the light; ³⁸the gold altar, the anointing oil, the fragrant incense, and the curtain for the entrance to the tent; ³⁹the bronze altar with its bronze grating, its poles and all its utensils; the basin with its stand; ⁴⁰the curtains of the courtyard with its posts and bases, and the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard; the ropes and tent pegs for the courtyard; all the furnishings for the tabernacle, the tent of meeting; ⁴¹and the woven garments worn for ministering in the sanctuary, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when serving as priests.

⁴²The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. ⁴³Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God loves to work in and through individuals while pulling them together in holy unity as a team! He always has and always will. God’s Son, Jesus came to earth to demonstrate the power of team work as he chose, trained, and sent his disciples in teams to do even greater things on earth than He did because His time on earth was coming to a close in person.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it. —Jesus, John 14:12-14

Our alone time is with God the Father, seeking His will, purpose and plan. But the accomplish of His will and plan means that we will join with others who God has instilled with purpose in order to complete the work God has given all of us to be and do. It begins with believing and trusting God who designed and holds the plan. He is the One and Only who knows all the details as the plan is being completed.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

God will see to it that His work is completed. One of God’s Team Leaders, Paul writes to the team in Philippi;

“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6

JOY, UNSPEAKABLE JOY!

“The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.” Imagine the overwhelming joy of the people who all had a part in completing the detailed, exquisite work God had commanded them to accomplish! I can feel the joy that must have been overflowing in the team leaders of woodcrafters, embroiderers, weavers, stone cutters and setters, gold overlayers, and sewers—just to name a few mentioned here as they brought all the completed projects to Moses for his inspection!

Think about it! This huge project was accomplished in the wilderness! But God, the Master Designer, had provided all they needed. God put together people gifted by Him to complete the work. The people responded in obedience to God. They believed God and trusted the details God have commanded them to accomplish for His glory and worship of Him. Belief and relentless focus accomplished God’s Plan! The reward is knowing you contributed to the plan that was now completed.

What this massive project also provided from God to His People was to bring them together in unity for their good while accomplishing the work. We do not read of any complaining among them or arguing with Moses during this project while they were focused on their God and His Plan, do we? They completed the work “just as God commanded” and they were blessed by their obedience.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy (joyful) in Jesus—but to trust and obey.

Lord,

What joy the people felt then. What joy I feel now when I give myself to You and trust and obey what you say.

In Jesus Name

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Exodus, God, Moses, Tabernacle | Leave a comment

GOD’S GOT THIS!

Posted on December 20, 2024 by randscallawayffm

The center of worship to God with provisions made for atonement of sins was designed perfectly by God before the Israelites knew they were leaving town! All the materials needed by the skilled artisans, weavers, and those skilled in woodwork and precious metal overlaying, according to God’s specific design, were readily available! God provided. God knew before they knew what would be needed. Before crossing the Red Sea, God commanded the Israelites to take all that would be needed from the hands of those who called God’s People their slaves. And their Egyptian neighbors gave readily! Let’s refresh our memories…

“The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. ³⁶The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.” Exodus 12:35-36

This passage gives us a realization just how much gold, silver, and bronze that God’s people carried out of Egypt to be used in God’s Design for His portable place of meeting with Him. Here are the portions used translated into our system of measurement today:

Gold: The weight of the gold was a little over a ton or about 1 metric ton.
Bronze: About 2 1/2 tons or about 2.4 metric tons.
Silver: About 44 pounds or about 20 kilograms.

No wonder God provided dry land to cross the Red Sea! Just the weight of their Egyptian plunder on their carts would have created a traffic jam if they got stuck in the mud! And this doesn’t include the amounts they kept for themselves after God said to stop giving, we have enough to build!

Yesterday, we talked about God being in the details. God is always in the details! God is the chief Designer of Details! God loves helping us in all the details of our lives today! God knows what we need to do today so that we can fulfil what God’s plan will be for tomorrow. Could this be why Jesus emphasized the “don’t worry” part of his sermon on the Mount? Probably, because we so easily forget that God, not us, is the One in control and is in all the details! When we say, “God’s got this”, do we really believe it?

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”—Jesus, Matthew 6:25-34

Like me, I’m sure that you could tell wonderful stories of God’s provision—even before you knew you would need it! I can and have many times in these writings. God not only provides, God protects us by shutting doors, (and the windows), of those things that will hinder our relationship with Him and do harm to our hearts, minds, and souls.

There are many trials provided by our imperfect world that will test our faith—we don’t need to add more pain through trials produced of our own making by foolishly disobeying God! Trust and obey!

Exodus 38

The Altar of Burnt Offering

38 They built the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood, three cubits high; it was square, five cubits long and five cubits wide. ²They made a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar were of one piece, and they overlaid the altar with bronze. ³They made all its utensils of bronze—its pots, shovels, sprinkling bowls, meat forks and firepans. ⁴They made a grating for the altar, a bronze network, to be under its ledge, halfway up the altar. ⁵They cast bronze rings to hold the poles for the four corners of the bronze grating. ⁶They made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. ⁷They inserted the poles into the rings so they would be on the sides of the altar for carrying it. They made it hollow, out of boards.

The Basin for Washing

⁸They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.

The Courtyard

⁹Next they made the courtyard. The south side was a hundred cubits long and had curtains of finely twisted linen, ¹⁰with twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, and with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹¹The north side was also a hundred cubits long and had twenty posts and twenty bronze bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts.

¹²The west end was fifty cubits wide and had curtains, with ten posts and ten bases, with silver hooks and bands on the posts. ¹³The east end, toward the sunrise, was also fifty cubits wide. ¹⁴Curtains fifteen cubits long were on one side of the entrance, with three posts and three bases, ¹⁵and curtains fifteen cubits long were on the other side of the entrance to the courtyard, with three posts and three bases. ¹⁶All the curtains around the courtyard were of finely twisted linen. ¹⁷The bases for the posts were bronze. The hooks and bands on the posts were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver; so all the posts of the courtyard had silver bands.

¹⁸The curtain for the entrance to the courtyard was made of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer. It was twenty cubits long and, like the curtains of the courtyard, five cubits high, ¹⁹with four posts and four bronze bases. Their hooks and bands were silver, and their tops were overlaid with silver. ²⁰All the tent pegs of the tabernacle and of the surrounding courtyard were bronze.

The Materials Used

²¹These are the amounts of the materials used for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant law, which were recorded at Moses’ command by the Levites under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. ²²(Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses; ²³with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan—an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.) ²⁴The total amount of the gold from the wave offering used for all the work on the sanctuary was 29 talents and 730 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel.

²⁵The silver obtained from those of the community who were counted in the census was 100 talents and 1,775 shekels, according to the sanctuary shekel— ²⁶one beka per person, that is, half a shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, from everyone who had crossed over to those counted, twenty years old or more, a total of 603,550 men. ²⁷The 100 talents of silver were used to cast the bases for the sanctuary and for the curtain—100 bases from the 100 talents, one talent for each base. ²⁸They used the 1,775 shekels to make the hooks for the posts, to overlay the tops of the posts, and to make their bands.

²⁹The bronze from the wave offering was 70 talents and 2,400 shekels. ³⁰They used it to make the bases for the entrance to the tent of meeting, the bronze altar with its bronze grating and all its utensils, ³¹the bases for the surrounding courtyard and those for its entrance and all the tent pegs for the tabernacle and those for the surrounding courtyard.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Hebrews 9:22

The bronze altar was a place of bloodshed and death, for “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness”—pause and let those words sink deep. If a sinner could manage to enter the tabernacle courtyard and wash in the laver, that wouldn’t save him. Nor would he be forgiven if he entered the Holy Place and ate the bread or burned the incense. The way into the presence of God began at the bronze altar, where innocent victims (unblemished animals offered as a sacrifice) died for guilty sinners.

This brings us once again to Calvary where the Son of God died for the sins of the world, once and for all sinners. (See Matthew 26:26–28; John 1:29; 3:14–16; Romans 5:8; 1 Peter 2:24). Jesus, the one who knew no sin and was without sin, took all the sins of the world upon his shoulders and willingly laid down his life in sacrifice for our sins. Jesus paid it all. We come to the altar today to tell Jesus thank you with a repentant, humbled heart of faith that believes He removed all our sins so that we could be free from them—forever!

How do we respond?

Believe in all the details that God designed from the beginning until now that led to our salvation.
Seek God and ask for His wisdom to follow all His details that include receiving His love, remaining in His love, so that we may love Him back and love each other with His love in us.
Follow Jesus in all the details that He provided in His Word to us. Jesus is the Word! (John 1:1)
Live redeemed lives with expectant hope of eternal life that dissolves our propensity to worry and fear.

Lord,

You have provided all we need to live with expectant Hope. Our future is secured because you fulfilled all the details to provide for us. Thank you for removing our sins as we repent them to you. Thank you for being in all the details of my life. I trust you with my life because you are Life!

In Jesus Name, for our good, and Your Glory, Amen!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, Exodus, Faith, Jesus, Tabernacle | Leave a comment

Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

HEART, MIND, BODY, AND SOUL

ATONEMENT AND RESTITUTION

GUILT RESOLUTION

SINS CONFESSED; SINS FORGIVEN

SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FOR A CHOSEN PEOPLE

AN AROMA PLEASING TO GOD

OPEN FOR BUSINESS—WITH GOD!

GOD’S HOUSE—GOD’S RULES!

THE OBEDIENT COMPLETE THE WORK!

GOD’S GOT THIS!

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