tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60743240911726154212024-03-18T20:45:51.413-04:00Digging The WordDo you treasure the Bible? The Bible is a popular book but most of us don't read it. I want to encourage you to study God's Word because it really is his words.Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comBlogger1168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-3360631210709770442024-02-24T07:58:00.005-05:002024-02-24T19:01:44.860-05:00Do Not Do As Egypt Or Canaan<h4>It is easy to imitate the ways of this world but God wants his people to be like him.</h4>
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<div>
Leviticus 18:1-5 Then the LORD said to Moses,
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>“Give the following
instructions to the people of Israel. I am the LORD your God.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 </span><b>So do not act like the
people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where
I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life.
</b></div><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4 </span>You must obey all my
regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the LORD your
God. <span style="font-size: x-small;">5 </span>If you obey my
decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the LORD.
<br /><br />
<div>
Leviticus 18:30 So obey my instructions, and do not defile yourselves by
committing any of these detestable practices that were committed by the
people who lived in the land before you. I am the LORD your God.
</div><br />
Leviticus 19:1-2 The LORD also said to Moses, <span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>"Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
<br /><br />
Leviticus 20:7-8 So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am the LORD your God. <span style="font-size: x-small;">8 </span>Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the LORD who makes you holy.
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />The good news is our holy God loves us so much that he wants to have a close intimate relationship with us. But the bad news is because he is holy we cannot have an intimate relationship with him. But we don't have to live in the reality of the bad news!<div><br /><div>Holiness is <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-most-important-thing.html" target="_blank">the most important truth</a> that you must comprehend about God, it is a huge kindness on God's part to give us his instructions on how to safely draw near to him. The book of Leviticus is the first record that we have on how to live to please God. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have to wonder how God's people knew what God's standards are before the exodus from Egypt when he began teaching them at Mount Sinai. It seems that somehow people knew about God and what he expects from mankind before the law was revealed. </div><div><br /></div><div>How did:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Abel please God and how did Cain know what was right and yet he chose the wrong way?</li><li>Enoch have close fellowship with God so that he would be taken directly to Heaven? </li><li>Noah know how to have God's favor when everyone around him missed the boat?</li></ul></div><div>God's people today have the luxury of looking back at thousands of years of history that God has preserved for us in the Bible to give us a clear picture of how to have his favor. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Old Testament shows us a very clear picture of the difficulty mankind has in living up to God's standards. By the end of the book of Genesis (Genesis 46:1-34, 47:1-12) we see that God's people wound up in Egypt for their own good so they would escape the famine in Canaan, but later on we see that while they were in Egypt they started to live like Egyptians.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>God's people are conformed to the world</b> when they leave Egypt, their character was proven very quickly and with great repetition. After 400 years of Egyptian influence, God's people didn't look much like God's people, Israel needed to get out of Egypt but God knew that he needed to get Egypt out of Israel.</div><div><blockquote><div>Deuteronomy 18:9 “When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, be very careful not to imitate the detestable customs of the nations living there.</div></blockquote></div><div>Perhaps that is the reason God did not take them directly to the Promised Land. (Psalm 106:35, Ezekiel 20:7-8, 23:8) God used the wilderness to get his people away from everyone else so that they could be taught how to live by his rules so that they could live long, prosper and be <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/07/redeemed-to-be-redeemers.html" target="_blank">a blessing to the other nations</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>God's people need to be transformed,</b> this goes way beyond nonconformity to the world, this is way more than withdrawing from the world or living by a list, this is a rebirth that comes from a new nature.</div><div><blockquote><div>Romans 12:2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.</div></blockquote></div><div>A change of character is exactly what God requires for his people but don't be confused, the change is not a requirement to have a relationship with him but rather it is proof that you do have a relationship. Your obedience will be a natural outcome of the transformation of your character.</div><div><br /></div><div>God is perfect in holiness to the point that all of his divine attributes are holy attributes, because he loves us and wants the best for us, God wants us to also be holy. This is a condition that mankind doesn't long to achieve, our carnal minds are more concerned about happiness and pleasure, we want ease and comfort.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Everybody has a choice to make</b>, we can behave like Egypt or Canaan or we can be renewed with a new nature by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we will be a reflection of God for the world to see. We struggle with this decision because we want God to solve our problems and carry our burdens, we want our best life now and that doesn't include a God that demands control our lives and a huge change in our character.</div><div><div><blockquote><div>Ephesians 4:17, 23-24 With the Lord’s authority I say this: <b>Live no longer as the Gentiles do,</b> for they are hopelessly confused. <span style="font-size: x-small;">23 </span>Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. <span style="font-size: x-small;">24 </span>Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy.</div></blockquote></div><div>Paul repeats the warning from Leviticus in his letter to the Ephesian church, it was still an issue hundreds of years later, as long as we are in this world we will struggle with this decision. God's people still need the encouragement to make the right choice:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Will we allow the Holy Spirit to renew our thoughts and attitudes? (Ephesians 4:23)</li><li>Will we desire to put on our new nature which was given to us to make us like God? (Ephesians 4:23)</li></ul></div><div>Instead of saying "don't do as the..." it's still a good idea to <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2009/05/does-anybody-still-care-wwjd.html" target="_blank">ask yourself, WWJD</a>? Jesus is the only man that God fully approved so that makes him the perfect example for us to follow. (Matthew 3:17)</div><div><br /></div><div>We will mess up as we continue to grow, the Bible makes it clear that God's people will not automatically or perfectly implement the practice of being like God, it takes time to change our minds about the ways of Egypt and Canaan. We must remember that God is just as patient with us as we wonder around in our wilderness on the way to our Promised Land.</div><div><div><div><div>
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(ligonier.org)
</div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTd2Dvnck1Q" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John MacArthur: Becoming a Better You?</a> (youtube.com)</div>
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</div></div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-88523435300677021672024-02-11T15:46:00.004-05:002024-02-11T15:46:39.158-05:00Yom Kippur - Day Of Atonement<h4>God with us has some requirements that cannot be ignored.</h4>
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<blockquote><div>Leviticus 16:1,6-10, 30 The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons, who died after they entered the LORD's presence and burned the wrong kind of fire before him.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">6 </span>"Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the LORD.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">7 </span>Then he must take the two male goats and present them to the LORD at the entrance of the Tabernacle. <span style="font-size: x-small;">8 </span>He is to cast sacred lots to determine which goat will be reserved as an offering to the LORD and which will carry the sins of the people to the wilderness of Azazel. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">9 </span>Aaron will then present as a sin offering the goat chosen by lot for the LORD. <span style="font-size: x-small;">10 </span>The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the LORD. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the LORD.</div><div><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-small;">30 </span>On that day offerings of purification will be made for you, and you will be purified in the LORD's presence from all your sins.</blockquote>
<div>To know God and have "God with us" is an accomplishment that few will ever achieve despite the fact that so many of us are seeking to know him. Anyone that is interested in knowing God has so many worldly options available but there is only one way that God has provided. </div><div><br /></div><div>We don't have to figure it out for ourselves, God's word gives us a great amount of teaching on how to have "God with us" and the benefits that it brings. In my three previous post, from the book of Isaiah, we looked at the: <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-hope-of-god-with-us.html" target="_blank">Hope of God with Us</a>, the <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-peace-of-god-with-us.html" target="_blank">Peace of God with Us</a> and the <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-rule-of-god-with-us.html" target="_blank">Rule of God with Us</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>God gave his people the desire to have a relationship with him and he mercifully gave them the rules to follow so they could approach him without losing their life. Don't forget the consequences of Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu, back in Leviticus 10:1-3, the sons were the first priest that did not take God's holiness serious.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is amazing enough that God would come to be with us and give us hope and peace for this world but the good news of God's story doesn't end here. It is even more amazing that God would give us his plan for us to follow so that he can be with his people for all of eternity.</div><div><br /></div><div><h4 style="text-align: left;">Our relationship with God is governed by God's rules.</h4><div><blockquote>Exodus 30:10 "Once a year Aaron must purify the altar by smearing its horns with blood from the offering made to purify the people from their sin. This will be a regular, annual event from generation to generation, for this is the LORD's most holy altar."</blockquote></div><div>God gave his people a calendar full of rituals, feast and festivals but the most important annual day that he gave his people was Yom Kippur. A day that God's people did nothing physically to provide for their own forgiveness, they could not bring a sacrifice, they had to depend on the sacrifice and the work of their high priest to provide atonement and forgiveness of their sins.</div><div><br /></div><div>God's people in the Old Testament could not come into God's presence as casually as we do today. (Hebrews 10:19-22, Ephesians 2:18) Only the high priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place and that was only allowed one day a year on the Day of Atonement.</div><div><br /></div><div>The day began as every other day, the daily sacrifice of a one year old lamb, would precede the annual Day of Atonement rituals which would allow the high priest, Aaron, to enter the most holy place without the penalty of death. (Exodus 29:38-42, Numbers 28:3-6)</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Two goats are needed to represent the truth of the atonement.</span></h4><div><br /></div><div><b>1. The first goat shows us the debt that must be paid.</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Our rebellion against God requires the death penalty, we didn't believe God when he told us that "we would surely die" as a result of our sin and now we live in the reality that God is true to his word. (Genesis 2:17)</div><div><blockquote><div>Psalm 103:9-10 He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. <span style="font-size: x-small;">10 </span>He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.</div></blockquote></div>Jesus work on the cross was the ultimate fulfillment of this ritual sacrifice, the blood of the animal sacrifices were a picture of the true sacrifice that God's people needed. When we were transformed by the gospel we became members of God's family and that includes an inheritance as heirs of God's kingdom. <div><br /></div><div><b>2. The second goat is for the people</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The goat which is driven away from the camp, into the wilderness, to never return, symbolizing the even greater agony of our Lord, His separation from the Father because of our sins but it also symbolizes the removal of our sin away from us.</div><div><blockquote><div>Psalm 103:12 He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.</div></blockquote></div><div>God's people confess their sins and God sends their sin as far as the East is from the West to no longer be brought up as a charge against us. And since we are freed from our sins we can experience God with us here on earth and we have have the hope of glory. (Jeremiah 31:34, Colossians 1:27)</div><h4 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The slain and abandoned Savior offers you atonement.</span></h4><div><blockquote>Matthew 27:45-46 At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. <span style="font-size: x-small;">46 </span>At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"</blockquote></div><div>The two goats together are an illustration of the work that was accomplished through the death of Christ on the cross. Jesus blood was spilled to be the substitute sacrifice that was required to pay the debt of sin that we owed and he was sent outside of the camp, abandoned by God. (Hebrews 9:1-29)</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus sacrifice is the ultimate fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, our great high priest did all of the work, he brought the sacrifice that was offered for our forgiveness so that we could approach God intimately. (John 1:29)</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus offers his children the true and lasting day of atonement that each of us must experience in a personal way. Have you had a personal day of atonement when you were made made right in God's eyes?</div></div>
<h5>
RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
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<a href="https://bible.org/seriespage/day-atonement-leviticus-16" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Day of Atonement</a> (bible.org)</div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-70306243481846258622024-01-23T08:50:00.000-05:002024-01-23T08:50:17.489-05:00The Rule Of God With Us<h4>God's people are longing for an eternal kingdom with a righteous ruler.</h4>
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<blockquote>
Isaiah 9:6-7 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The
government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">7 </span>His government
and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice
from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate
commitment of the LORD of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!
</blockquote>
<div>
God with us should be a glorious thought that is too wonderful to
describe, in the past couple of post we saw <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-hope-of-god-with-us.html" target="_blank">The Hope of God With Us</a> and <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-peace-of-god-with-us.html" target="_blank">The Peace of God With Us</a>, It is amazing that God would come to be with us and give us hope and peace. But God's story doesn't end there, he is going to bless his people even more when he returns to reign on earth.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
We all long for a better country that is ruled by a better king, but for most of us that is just a crazy dream, it may be crazy for the rest of the world but it is reality for God's people. The day is coming when God will setup his kingdom and
tear down the kingdoms of this world that stand in opposition to him.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
God's people are always waiting for God's timing.
</h4>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God's people have a long history of waiting, a lot of God's promises seem like they will
never happen, don't forget that there are more prophecies of Jesus
second coming than there were of the first so we can be sure that <a href="https://youtu.be/EaYRmSKm98c?si=aBJIsND1RkPGm9VA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The King Is Coming</a> (music video).
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
When Jesus finally arrived to be God with us the first time, there was nothing to fear,
as a baby he was defenseless, as an adult he was gentle and kind. Jesus
had power over everyone he met but he only used his power to reveal his
deity in a gracious and merciful way for our benefit so that we would believe. (Philippians
2:5-9) </div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus second advent will not be the same, anyone that wasn't prepared for the first advent could either carry on business as usual or they could have their life radically changed, either way there wasn't any devastating consequences. When he comes again it will be totally different.</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">The Eternal King And His Kingdom: </h3>
<div> </div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">The characteristics of the king:</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<b>Wonderful Counselor</b> - Every other counselor will be gone as the
supernatural wisdom of this counselor will be far superior. We exaggerate
and overuse "wonderful" so we need to pause and consider it's true
meaning. Jesus is wonderful in a way that is truly boggling to the
mind. (Jeremiah 23:5, Romans 11:33, Colossians 2:3)
</li>
<li>
<b>Mighty God</b> - Powerful enough to return after 3 days in the grave
and powerful enough to defeat every evil and restore his kingdom to the
state it was in before it became marred by sin. (Deuteronomy 10:17,
Nehemiah 9:32, Psalm 50:1-6)
</li>
<li>
<b>Everlasting Father</b> - The only source of compassion and care that
God's people will ever need. They have a peace treaty with the mighty God
so they can enjoy being in his presence for eternity without fear. (Isaiah
63:16, John 10:28-30)
</li>
<li>
<b>Prince of Peace</b> - God's people should strive to live at peace
with each other but as Jesus told his disciples his first advent wasn't
about bringing peace. The conflict that we see in the New Testament
continues, Jesus is a polarizing figure, the spiritual battle is not over
yet. (Matthew 10:24 and 2 Corinthians 6:14-16) Some day the peace that
God's people have with him will finally be enjoyed with each other and
with all of God's creation. (Romans 12:18, Ephesians 4:1-3, Philippians
4:6-7, Hebrews 12:14)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">The characteristics of the kingdom:</h4>
<blockquote>
<div>
<div>
Isaiah 11:3-5 He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by
appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4 </span>He will give justice to the
poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at
the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the
wicked. <span style="font-size: x-small;">5 </span>He will wear
righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
Isaiah 11:10 In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of
salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land
where he lives will be a glorious place.
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
The kingdom of God will be the true creation of the "holy land" where love,
justice, peace and joy are the norm. The prayer of Jesus for "thy kingdom
come, thy will be done" is a summary of God's kingdom. When the kingdom comes
it will be God's will done on Earth as perfectly as it is in Heaven.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The new Heaven and new Earth will not have the destructive influence of sin,
man's rebellion will be overthrown and Satan will be bound. The whole story of
the Bible is about our rebellion against the king and his work to bring us
back under his reign.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">When Jesus returns as king: </h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
The new kingdom will be known for God, his presence will be all that we
will ever need for eternity.
</li>
<li>
The new king will obviously be the promised heir of King David's throne.
Nobody will question who he is or why he is reigning.
</li>
<li>
The old king of this world will be dethroned and the devastating
consequences of his evil empire will be reversed and the earth will be
restored.
</li>
<li>
The promises made to Israel and all of God's people through the prophets
will finally be realized and the people of every nation will be blessed.
Every covenant God has made with man will be 100% fulfilled.
</li>
<li>
The Promised Land will finally belong to Israel, all of it, the boundaries
of the nation in Bible times and today do not include all of the land God
promised.
</li>
<li>
The scattered people will return to Jerusalem to live completely submitted
to the rule of their amazing king.
</li>
<li>
The world peace that everyone says they long for, but does little to
achieve, will finally be real and eternal. More than peace it will be
shalom, Greater than just the absence of conflict, everything will work
together in perfect harmony as creation is made whole.
</li>
</ul>
</div>
Our king has gone on a long journey, before he left he gave us resources to be
used to help others find their way in, when he returns we need to be prepared to
give an account for how we used our blessings, our skills and our time for his
pleasure. (Matthew 25:14-30)
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
God has made it clear that we must submit to his son, we must see our need
for Jesus before we die or before his return, don't discount the opportunity to transfer
your citizenship to the kingdom of God. </div><div><br /></div><div>Will you remain in the kingdom of darkness that leads to destruction or will you renounce your
citizenship there and move to the kingdom of God that will last for eternity? (Luke 13:22-30,
Colossians 1:13-14)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/what-is-the-kingdom-of-god" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What Is the Kingdom of God?</a>
(desiringgod.org)
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/millennium.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What Is The Millennial Kingdom?</a>
(gotquestions.org)
</div>
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<a href="https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/millennial-reign-christ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Millennial Reign of Christ</a>
(ligonier.org)
</div>
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<a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-kingdom-of-god/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Kingdom Of God</a>
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Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-31492706751038122682023-12-27T05:30:00.001-05:002023-12-27T05:30:00.197-05:00Advent Word Study: Shalom / Peace<h4><span face=""Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #141414; font-size: 15px;">A video by BibleProject.com</span></h4>
<br />
<div class="v-wrap"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oLYORLZOaZE?si=44-OGHl4tvOv4sr2" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"" style="background-color: white; color: #141414; font-size: 16px;">Video: <a href="https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/shalom-peace/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Advent Word Study: </a></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span face="Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif" style="color: #141414;"><a href="https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/shalom-peace/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shalom / Peace</a> </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-peace-of-god-with-us.html" target="_blank">The Peace Of God With Us</a></div><div>God's people will have peace when sin is defeated.<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2014/12/peace-on-earth-good-will-to-men.html" target="_blank">Peace On Earth, Good Will To Men</a></div><div>Is there really any peace?<br /><br /><a href="https://peacewithgod.net/steps/?outreach=LP-home" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Peace With God</a></div><div>Find out from Billy Graham.</div></div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-89747673330909502232023-12-26T06:20:00.001-05:002024-01-30T04:40:52.179-05:00The Peace Of God With Us<h4>God's people will have peace when sin is defeated.</h4>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div>
<div></div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Isaiah 9:1-5 Nevertheless, that time of darkness and despair will not go
on forever. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali will be humbled, but there
will be a time in the future when Galilee of the Gentiles, which lies
along the road that runs between the Jordan and the sea, will be filled
with glory.</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>The people who walk in darkness
will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a
light will shine. <span style="font-size: x-small;">3 </span>You will
enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will
rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors
dividing the plunder.
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4 </span>For you will break the yoke of
their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will
break the oppressor's rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of
Midian. <span style="font-size: x-small;">5 </span>The boots of the
warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will
be fuel for the fire.
</div>
</blockquote>
<div></div>
</div>
<div>God redeemed his people from Egypt and ended their slavery to that kingdom of darkness but it didn't last forever. Another dark kingdom would come along and oppress God's people again and again but most of the time it was their own fault. </div><div><br /></div><div>God was using the nations to reprimand his people, they are living in the same darkness as the rest of the world because they are living just like the rest of the world. Despite the warnings from God through Moses that they were given before they even got to the Promised Land they have failed to live by God's standards over and over again. (Deuteronomy 31:14-30, 32:1-47)</div><div><br /></div><div>Since Israel refused to be a light to the nations God eventually chose to punish his people, the one nation became two and later they both were defeated. First the Northern Kingdom was taken away by the Assyrians 800 years before Jesus comes, and then the Southern Kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians 200 years later.</div><div><br /></div><div>The people of Isaiah's day needed the message of hope that peace was coming to their nation. The message of peace was received by King Ahaz that he would have victory over his enemy but there is more to the prophecy than that, there was a distant prophecy and also another application of the prophecy that we are still waiting for thousands of years later.</div><div><br /></div><div>God's message through Isaiah told about a new ruler, that would be victorious over their enemies, a ruler that will bring true peace that will end all wars. It sounds like God must be sending a mighty warrior to save the day but suddenly we get a prediction that a baby boy is on the way.</div>
<div><div><blockquote>Isaiah 9:6-7 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. <span style="font-size: x-small;">7 </span>His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven's Armies will make this happen!</blockquote></div></div><div>They wanted a great military victory that would get rid of their enemy forever but that's not the way God works. The people living in darkness that heard Isaiah speak these words probably didn't find much comfort in the announcement of a baby. They wanted to immediately see a great light of hope that would give them the peace that was promised in the previous verses.</div><div><br /></div><div>One of the most difficult things to understand is why God loves to send a baby to do a man's job. Why can't a full grown man arrive on the scene and take care of things right away? We want someone with strength, know how and determination but God prefers to send a <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2021/12/special-babies.html" target="_blank">special baby</a> to do the job.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus first advent was prophesied for hundreds of years and then there was another <a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/400-years-of-silence.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">400 years of silence</a> after Malachi. When baby Jesus finally arrives it is very similar to the situation when God's people were in bondage to Egypt. </div><div><br /></div><div>Back when they were in Egypt for 400 years without a word from God, there was a baby that would eventually be their savior, he would have to be protected from Pharaoh, and then the baby reached 80 years old before his ministry began. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>The light of the world came in peace to be with us.</b></div><div><blockquote><div>Luke 1:78-79 Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, <span style="font-size: x-small;">79 </span>to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace."</div></blockquote></div><div>If you look at world history in Europe and the Middle East for hundreds of years before Jesus arrival you will begin to understand how miserable the conditions are when Jesus is born. The Promised Land has been invaded by many different countries, various world powers will rise and fall, many of them will invade Israel, including Jerusalem, and the temple.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally God is with us, up close and personal, but without the fear that was always present back in the Old Testament. When God came to us as a baby there wasn't any restrictions on who could see or touch him. But, as accessible as he was and as exciting as the news was, his arrival was unnoticed by almost everyone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Eventually the baby grew up and although he did nothing wrong, he became a disappointment for his people, they were just like King Ahaz, they wanted a military victory. They wanted a savior from today's problems but Jesus came to solve their eternal problem.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>The final war that will bring us permanent peace is on the way.</b></div><blockquote><div>Daniel 7:13-14 As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. <span style="font-size: x-small;">14 </span>He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal-it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.</div></blockquote><div>There will be a final war to set-up the eternal kingdom of our savior, God's people will rejoice at his arrival and his final victory over evil. (Isaiah 9:3-5) The everlasting kingdom of the Messiah will give permanent rest for his people but the sad truth is this peace is not for everyone. </div><div><br /></div><div>God's peace will be rejected by the enemy and the children of the enemy, they will not survive the harvest that Jesus told us about at the end of the age. You must accept God's offer of peace before it is too late, those that are not a part of the kingdom now cannot become citizens of his kingdom later. (Matthew 13:36-43)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Peace in this world can only happen if you <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/p/find-peace-with-god.html" target="_blank">have peace with God</a>. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>My ultimate enemy has been defeated and I have accepted God terms to make peace with him. Even in the worse chaos I know that I am secure for eternity in God's eternal kingdom of peace. </div><div><br /></div></div><div>When this world has no peace to offer I need to remember that: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep, The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2014/12/peace-on-earth-good-will-to-men.html" target="_blank">peace on earth, good will to men</a>."</div><div><br /></div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://www.olivetree.com/blog/what-happened-between-old-and-new-testament/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What Happened Between the Old and New Testament?</a> (olivetree.com)</div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://www.kevinhalloran.net/christmas-bible-verses/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">31 Reasons Why Christ Came</a> (kevinhalloran.net)</div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://credomag.com/2022/12/o-come-o-come-emmanuel/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">O Come, O Come, Emmanuel</a> (credomag.com)</div>
</div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-18623392160410170532023-12-08T07:00:00.005-05:002023-12-08T09:01:12.930-05:00Advent Word Study: Yakhal / Hope<h4>A video by BibleProject.com</h4>
<br />
<div class="v-wrap"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4WYNBjJSYvE?si=WBJ0zSVspRMbkrOv" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">Video: <a href="https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/yakhal-hope/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #2a66d0; font-family: "Tahoma, Geneva, sans-serif"; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Advent Word Study: Yakhal / Hope</a> </div><div><br /><a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/12/the-hope-of-god-with-us.html" target="_blank">The Hope Of God With Us</a> </div><div>God's people don't need to look for hope in anything or anybody other than him.<br /><br /><a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-hope-of-christmas.html" target="_blank">The Hope Of Christmas</a></div><div>You're still the light when the world looks dark and you're still the hope of my heart.</div><div><br /><a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-best-news-ever.html" target="_blank">The Best News Ever</a></div><div>Because of Jesus I have an incredible hope.<br /></div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-18535079344391775282023-12-06T10:27:00.011-05:002023-12-08T08:37:53.642-05:00The Hope Of God With Us<h4>
God's people don't need to look for hope in anything or anybody other than
him.
</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7TG94in2-VjKJrTMIw4egWYPzQ9RToiFfk3C20ROSz8FrhS3t0bEBnhLIn-bc3xh7WL3vWYpSnqTsgscREgWmkKhQAkyUBjwQ7aAj3pL8hQyTtyL4Atsr0kx0gKMbMfdFhThTYKmnEj942Ke93ySVDbBXI2sSNXiLa-8JynSkKQoihJqgXg21fhF9dwX/s1080/God-With-Us-Title-1-1080x675.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn7TG94in2-VjKJrTMIw4egWYPzQ9RToiFfk3C20ROSz8FrhS3t0bEBnhLIn-bc3xh7WL3vWYpSnqTsgscREgWmkKhQAkyUBjwQ7aAj3pL8hQyTtyL4Atsr0kx0gKMbMfdFhThTYKmnEj942Ke93ySVDbBXI2sSNXiLa-8JynSkKQoihJqgXg21fhF9dwX/w640-h400/God-With-Us-Title-1-1080x675.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><blockquote>Isaiah 7:10-14 Later, the LORD sent this message to King Ahaz: <span style="font-size: x-small;">11 </span>“Ask the LORD your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.” <span style="font-size: x-small;">12 </span>But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the LORD like that.” <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 13 </span>Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? <span style="font-size: x-small;">14 </span>All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). </blockquote>God's people are in the Promised Land, but they are not living the lifestyle that they promised. God's chosen people have turned their backs on God's way to live which they enthusiastically promised just a few hundred years earlier. (Exodus 24:1-18) <br /><br /> If they made the right choices their obedience would continue the special favor that they had already received from God. They would continue to receive so many blessings including security and abundance so that all the nations around them would glorify God. (Deuteronomy 33:26-29) <br /> <br />Pleasing God is
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-most-important-thing.html" target="_blank">the most important thing in the world</a>
and the only way to please him is to become like him and that means being
holy. Not only are they not holy but God's people are just as bad as the
nations around them.
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Isaiah 1:4 Oh, what a sinful nation they are- loaded down with a burden of
guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the LORD.
They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him.
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
Their lack of holiness will bring about their ruin, the nation has already
split into two and God has promised that he will discipline his people. They will be "cut down" until
there isn't any visible signs of life. But God would keep his promise to bring
Messiah through the lineage of King David. God will cut his people down but
out of the tree stump a holy branch will appear. (Isaiah 6:9-13, 11:1)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
King Ahaz had a great opportunity to do the right thing when the alliance of
Syria and Israel threatened to come after Judah to force them into their
coalition. The alliance of Rezin, of Syria, and Pekah, of Israel, will
fail to force Judah to join them and they will also fail against the Assyrians. (2 King 16:5-20, 17:5-18 and also in 2 Chronicles 28:5-27)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><b>God gives his people hope in spite of their disobedience.</b></div>
<div>(Isaiah 7:1-9)</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
King Ahaz was afraid of the future like trees shaking in a storm (Isaiah 7:2) and fear of the wicked schemes of man. (Isaiah 7:4-6) His fears sent him to Assyria
for help instead of trusting God. Ahaz still gets another chance, even though he went to Assyria to get help, God still tells Ahaz through Isaiah that
the threats coming against Judah will never be successful despite the fact that he didn't trust God for his future.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The nations can plot to come against God's people but it is God who decides
the victory. Isaiah tells us what God thinks of their plans very clearly in
Isaiah 7:7-8, 16. Don't be like Ahaz, he relied on his own wisdom instead of listening to the message from Isaiah that the feared invasion isn't going
to happen. He should have accepted God's word as his source of hope and joy but if you don't have
faith in God then you will have nothing but fear of the future. (Isaiah 7:9)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div><b>God gives his people a sure sign of the hope of Messiah.</b></div>
<div>(Isaiah 7:10-16)</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>But God didn't just tell Ahaz that the plot against Judah would not succeed he also gave him a rare opportunity to ask God for any sign whatsoever that would prove what God said was true. Ahaz said that he wouldn't test God but
he wasn't being strong in his faith, he had already tested God's patience by putting his faith in the strength of
Assyria. </div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
<b>Jon Courson's Application Commentary</b> - “The Lord will indeed give
you a sign,” Isaiah said. The word “you” is plural. Therefore, it speaks
not only to Ahaz, but to all humanity through all of history. You who
feel threatened, intimidated, pressed upon, worried, anxious—the Lord
will give you a sign: A virgin shall conceive and bear a Son whose name
means “God with us.”
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
At least 700 years before Jesus birth God gave a sign for his people to know that he is with them back then and will be in the future when the Messiah finally arrives. </div>
<div><br /></div>
</div>
<div><b>The folly and sin of seeking hope in man's wisdom.</b></div>
</div>
<div>(Isaiah 7:17-25)</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Israel and Syria are described as smoldering sticks that are not going to
exist much longer. Both of these countries would lose their military strength
and become useless for protection. In Ahaz' lifetime he would see the end of
the Northern Kingdom of Israel but Judah would still survive.
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Isaiah 2:22 Don't put your trust in mere humans. They are as frail as
breath. What good are they?
</div> <div><br /></div>
<div>Isaiah 8:13 Make the LORD of Heaven's Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble.</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>Assyria would prove to be the enemy of Judah and would destroy her but the promised survival of Judah would eventually lead to Hezekiah, a future Godly king that would lead the nation back to God.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><b>God with us restores our hope.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><div>The loss of "God with us" back in the Garden of Eden was restored for brief moments in the history of God's people. </div><div><br /></div><div>God was with his people when he:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Moved them to Egypt to save them from famine. </li><li>Took them out of Egypt and made a nation of them.</li><li>Gave them unexplainable military might.</li></ul></div><div>God has always been with a chosen people that have known his presence in their lives but now we can celebrate the most wonderful news of "God with us" in a more personal way.</div></div><div>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote>
Matthew 1:22-23 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message
through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will
give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God
is with us.’”
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>The son of God came as it was promised long ago to give us victory over our enemy! King Ahaz received the promise of victory over his enemy and now with the arrival of Jesus we can celebrate our own victory.</div><div><br /></div><div>The New Testament writers quoted Isaiah more than any other prophet, Matthew makes the connection with the prophecies of Isaiah at least a dozen times to prove that Jesus is our God and also our savior.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>God with us gives us eternal hope</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The "God with us" doesn't have to end! God is with us through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we put our hope in Jesus, our Messiah, we will receive God with us through the gift of the Holy Spirit.</div><blockquote><div>Romans 5:5 <b>And this hope will not lead to disappointment.</b> For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.</div></blockquote><div>God's chosen people have never deserved the privilege that God has offered to us. We don't deserve it any more than the people we read about in the Old Testament. Our friendship with God has been restored by God's mercy and grace through our savior so that we can have victory over our enemy because God is with us. (Romans 5:1-11)</div></div><div><br /></div><div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-key-bible-verses-on-hope/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ten Key Verses On Hope</a>
(crossway.org)
</div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/yakhal-hope/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Advent Word Study: Yakhal / Hope</a> (bibleproject.com)</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-7471748411047517562023-10-17T06:04:00.000-04:002023-10-17T06:04:38.502-04:00The Priest Govern God's People<h4>
God's people need leaders to show them how to be clean and acceptable to God.
</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZihIncCGPzSK52mJzQHjsEtGlyW9tQH0MztB2sKznVRO5rKTR2IxZBqMPXTPnKN051wgoxFiK4TU6A4AhVkSlM-yPeo5GhKILDQP4iVMxCl7204LBb4crHYiSm-NEbrhNYPGGrYuSnjZGQ7lIKFKHvVUvisXmCfU5QtsYehKc7uSfWk7owTBi37q-xd0k/s1000/EzratheTeacher-1000x540%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1000" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZihIncCGPzSK52mJzQHjsEtGlyW9tQH0MztB2sKznVRO5rKTR2IxZBqMPXTPnKN051wgoxFiK4TU6A4AhVkSlM-yPeo5GhKILDQP4iVMxCl7204LBb4crHYiSm-NEbrhNYPGGrYuSnjZGQ7lIKFKHvVUvisXmCfU5QtsYehKc7uSfWk7owTBi37q-xd0k/w640-h346/EzratheTeacher-1000x540%20(1).jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Leviticus 10:10-11 You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is
common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">11 </span>And you must teach the
Israelites all the decrees that the LORD has given them through Moses."
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Leviticus 18:3-4 So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to
live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you.
<b>You must not imitate their way of life.</b>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4 </span><b>You must obey</b> all my
regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the LORD your God.
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Leviticus 19:1-2, 37 The LORD also said to Moses,
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>"Give the following instructions
to the entire community of Israel.
<b>You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. </b>"You must be careful to keep all of my decrees and
regulations by <b>putting them into practice.</b> I am the LORD."</div></div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>Also see: Leviticus 20:23-24, 26 and Leviticus 22:31-33</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Malachi 2:5-7 <b>“The purpose of my covenant with the Levites</b> was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">6 </span>They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin. <span style="font-size: x-small;">7 </span>“The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies."</div></div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />
<div>
From the very beginning God's people have wanted to do things their own way,
man chose to eat what he wanted (Genesis 3:1-19), which led to choosing how he
wanted to worship (Genesis 4:1-16), which eventually led to total wickedness
and evil until God destroyed the planet. (Genesis 6:5)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>But wait, there's more, we are so bad that
even after the flood the world rebelled again very quickly.
The grand children of Noah are probably around to
tell their children and grandchildren about God's judgment yet they still refused to
do what <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2019/12/following-crowd.html" target="_blank">God told them</a> to do. (Genesis 11:1-9)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>So God chose one man from out of the millions of people on earth to begin a new
people that would be called out of slavery to live by a different set of rules that
govern how they worship, how they treated each other and even what they were
allowed to eat.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The book of Leviticus tells us about the priest and the rules that they would use to govern God's people. God would be their king and the priest
would govern under his authority. The nation of Israel would have a far better
king that any other nation but later on they would demand to be like the other nations with their imperfect kings. (1 Samuel 8:19-20)</div>
<blockquote>Deuteronomy 28:9-10 “If you obey the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways, the LORD will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. <span style="font-size: x-small;">10 </span> Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the LORD, and they will stand in awe of you.</blockquote>
<div>
It may be difficult to read every rule of the book of Leviticus in your quiet
time, but don't worry, you don't need to know all of the rules but you do need to be aware of the rules and understand the purpose of them. (<a href="https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/threefold-use-law" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Threefold Use of the Law</a> ligonier.org)</div><div><br /></div><div>God wanted a distinct people that were set apart, eager to love what he loves, a people that would show their loyalty to him and showed his goodness to the rest of the world. (Psalm 1:2, 40:8, 119:162, Hebrews 8:9-10)</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The priest are supposed to use the rules that God gave even though some of them don't make any sense from our point of view. We might
wonder:
</div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
Why would it make you unclean to kill an animal to make dinner but killing
an animal at the altar in the temple made you clean?
</li>
<li>
Why would God say that you cannot eat a pig or a horse but you can eat a
cow?
</li>
<li>
Why would God say that normal physical relations between a husband and his
wife make them unclean?
</li>
<li>
Why would a skin disease that you did nothing to cause be treated like you
were being punished?
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
God wants us to do what he tells us to do just because he said to do it! The best reason for some of these rules is just so that you can prove your
allegiance to the God that saved you from slavery and gave you your freedom.
The best way to prove your belief in God and your loyalty to him is to conform your thinking to God's standards even when the rules don't make sense. (John 14:21-24)</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
God never tells Israel why something is clean or unclean. Think about God’s
choice of Israel as a nation. Is there some reason why God chose Israel as
opposed to the Canaanites? Did he choose the Israelites because they were so
spiritually pure? It was just God’s choice. -<a href="https://bible.org/seriespage/8-clean-and-unclean-part-i-leviticus-11" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Clean and Unclean</a>
on <a href="http://Bible.org">Bible.org</a>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
The book of Leviticus helps us know that God's people were supposed to be a peculiar kingdom, their government
organization and the ruling hierarchy would be very different, their laws
would be peculiar, their worship and even what they would not eat would be peculiar.</div><div><br /></div><div>God's people would be led by ordinary men that God set apart as holy despite their shortcomings, once again it is a matter of God said so and that should settle it. They had a sacred responsibility that required more of them, they couldn't perform their duties and live to tell about it if they were ceremonially unclean, higher privilege required higher standards. (Luke 12:48)</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus came to be our High Priest so that we can all be priest that do God's work, we are to go to the Holy of Holies to ask for
forgiveness, we are to carry out the task of revealing God to the rest of
the world as a royal ambassador and we are supposed to take a stand for holiness in this unclean
world. (2 Corinthians 5:20 / 1 Peter 1:15, 2:5, 2:9-10)</div><div><br /></div><div>If we live up to the task we have been given then the world around us will take notice and check us out to see why we are not conformed to this world. (Romans 12:2)</div><div><br /></div><div><div>If God's people would cooperate with him and live by his rules, then his glory and honor would be seen and praised around the world, just as it will be at the end of time. </div><div><br /></div><div>God's people in the church era are all priest that have the awesome privilege to work under the great High Priest, the heart and purpose of the Old Testament priestly ministry should be adopted by each of us. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
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(biblestudytools.com)
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/missions-exists-because-worship-doesnt-a-bethlehem-legacy-inherited-and-bequeathed" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Missions Exist Because Worship Doesn't</a>
(desiringod.org)
</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-66952480259395941782023-08-23T06:06:00.002-04:002023-10-11T06:38:47.561-04:00The Priest Begin To Fail<h4>God's people will never measure up without obeying him.</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl5YFhoQjXcCit5kjAGTRw1DuqolZAArhiXP3jzJZklBXP2nm5ddzo_f-sjRvz8Xjqdplws4C0-HJxbuzlfCIuVTko1m632ODGwpt90FB2dkPwNeRLtL0K7QP5Hrn4KhPZxD99WGcAhS6RfpTu4y345SX6wdjP1TKnteAf1_-3qWMBhij_BK7nUhK151r/s1500/students-taking-written-examination--woman-holding-hand-to-head-200446112-007-59dfd071685fbe0011ae04ee.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEl5YFhoQjXcCit5kjAGTRw1DuqolZAArhiXP3jzJZklBXP2nm5ddzo_f-sjRvz8Xjqdplws4C0-HJxbuzlfCIuVTko1m632ODGwpt90FB2dkPwNeRLtL0K7QP5Hrn4KhPZxD99WGcAhS6RfpTu4y345SX6wdjP1TKnteAf1_-3qWMBhij_BK7nUhK151r/w640-h426/students-taking-written-examination--woman-holding-hand-to-head-200446112-007-59dfd071685fbe0011ae04ee.jpg" width="640" /></a>
</div>Leviticus 10:1-3 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 2 </span>So fire blazed forth from the LORD's presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 3 </span>Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD meant when he said, 'I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.'" And Aaron was silent.</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" /><div>It is amazing how quick the gift of the priesthood and the benefits of "God with us" that the priesthood made possible was turned into a curse. It's no different than the way we treated the presence of God in Eden or how God's people turned their abundance in the promised land into a curse.</div><div><br /></div><div>In <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-priest-begin-their-work.html" target="_blank">the previous post</a> we saw that God's glory was displayed when God's people were obedient in worshipping him but, like everything else that God gives us, we will see today that God's good gifts have always been rejected or perverted. </div><div><br /></div><div>It seems like Nadab and Abihu worked together in their sinful actions. Instead of listening to God and worshipping him correctly they found within each other the same prideful spirit that would make them boldly disobey God. Disobedience in general is a bad thing but to disobey God in worship is a very callous behavior that God has already addressed on several occasions. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>The two dead priest had many advantages in their lifetime, they were there when God rescued his people from Egypt, they were there when the Egyptians drowned, they were there when God descended on Mount Sinai and they were there when God shared a covenant meal with them. (Exodus 24:1-18) They were also there when their father made the golden calf for the people to worship.</div><div><br /></div><div> A casual reading of the story in Leviticus 10 doesn't make it very clear just how wrong their actions were. This list compiled from the Warren Wiersbe Bible Commentary shows us clearly how wrong their behavior was:<br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>They were the wrong people to be handling the incense and presenting it to the Lord. This was the task of their father, the high priest. (Exodus 30:7–10). </li><li>They also used the wrong instruments, their own censers instead of the censer of the high priest, sanctified by the special anointing oil. (Exodus 40:9). </li><li>They acted at the wrong time, for it was only on the annual day of Atonement that the high priest was permitted to take incense into the Holy of Holies, and even then he had to submit to a special ritual. (Leviticus 16:1)</li><li>They acted under the wrong authority. They didn’t consult with Moses or their father, nor did they seek to follow the Word of God, which Moses had received. </li><li>They used the wrong fire, what Scripture calls "strange fire". The high priest was commanded to burn the incense on coals taken from the brazen altar. (Leviticus 16:12) </li></ul></div><div>Serving God isn't something to be done by our own rules and by our own power. We cannot bring honor to God by our disobedience. If we truly believe that God is perfect and his ways are perfect then we should seek to follow his perfect ways so that we will become more like him.</div><div><br /></div><div>We can't explain adequately why God gave Aaron a second chance to worship correctly (Exodus 32:1-25), a mercy that was also extended to Cain (Genesis 4:1-16) but Nadab and Abihu were killed immediately just as we also see in the early church. (Acts 5:1-11)</div><div><br /></div><div>Divine justice is difficult for us to understand, from our point of view it seems to be administered unfairly, only God knows why mercy and grace are given in some circumstances but not always. God has the right to give to any of us whatever he wants and we have no right to complain or accuse him. (Matthew 20:1-16)</div><div><blockquote><div>Luke 12:5 But I'll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he's the one to fear.</div></blockquote></div><div>Our world has reduced God to love and mercy so that they, and most of the church as well, can avoid the attributes of God that are seen as less perfect than the others. Jesus himself made it clear without apology that God's perfections includes his wrath, his justice and the right to elect those that would know him and be with him for eternity.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>The failure of the Old Testament priest shows us the need that couldn't be met by an imperfect High Priest. The failures of the Old Testament priest grew so much that when Jesus comes to earth the High Priest and the priest under him are only holy in their own eyes.</div><div><div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>1 Corinthians 10:11-13 These things happened to them as examples for
us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">12 </span>If you think you are
standing strong, be careful not to fall.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13 </span>The temptations in your
life are no different from what others experience. And God is
faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can
stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you
can endure.</div>
</blockquote>
</div>God's word shows us plenty of stories of human failure and tragedy so that we can learn from their mistakes and live for him. God knows that we will not turn from our own ways until we lose hope in our ways. </div><div><br /></div><div>The hope that the world gives is nothing more than hype. Their lies will get us nowhere in this life and it cannot stand next to the hope of the gospel that gives us a right relationship with God despite our failures.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Do you know the perfect High Priest that has the power to save and give you <a href="http://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/p/find-peace-with-god.html" target="_blank">peace with God</a>?</div><div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/3-things-leviticus" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">3 Things You Should Know about Leviticus</a>
(ligonier.org)
<br /></div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://davidjeremiah.blog/is-there-a-wrong-way-to-worship-god/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Is There A Wrong Way To Worship God?</a> (davidjeremiah.blog)</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-25097340156219039362023-08-16T14:55:00.002-04:002024-02-24T19:09:00.264-05:00The Priest Begin Their Work<h4>God draws near when his people worship him correctly.</h4>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdagvJ4qVJcuZLpYv-EzpbWRSDHX0sAEckux7c6r3oe0UvvRqF08OKSWakISFuyTa20DQdWPv6qOaMVQUPQCsbUkySTRg2jgk7McBGpV279fkb5h6Be7ur0mLo7TBXsl9CKixfY7ZNw1wXljQ_7M1XOTY7-URs5cxKisHD5RHZIOrw7606CfPFDH4lsmEp/s1536/gods_power-1536x864.jpg.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1536" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdagvJ4qVJcuZLpYv-EzpbWRSDHX0sAEckux7c6r3oe0UvvRqF08OKSWakISFuyTa20DQdWPv6qOaMVQUPQCsbUkySTRg2jgk7McBGpV279fkb5h6Be7ur0mLo7TBXsl9CKixfY7ZNw1wXljQ_7M1XOTY7-URs5cxKisHD5RHZIOrw7606CfPFDH4lsmEp/w640-h360/gods_power-1536x864.jpg.webp" width="640" /></a></div>Leviticus 8:34 Everything we have done today was commanded by the LORD in order to purify you, making you right with him. <br /><br /> Leviticus 9:5-7 So the people presented all these things at the entrance of the Tabernacle, just as Moses had commanded. Then the whole community came forward and stood before the LORD. <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"> 6 </span>And Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded you to do <b>so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you</b>." <span style="font-size: x-small;">7 </span>Then Moses said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to purify yourself and the people. Then present the offerings of the people to purify them, making them right with the LORD, just as he has commanded."
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />
<div>
We saw in the previous post that
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-priest.html" target="_blank">the Priest</a>
are supposed to be radically different people, holy, cleansed and anointed for
service. We learned that God's people today are supposed to be just as
radically different so that they can also serve God and the people around them. We should be like priest working under the leadership of our Great High Priest.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>A seven day ordination ceremony was completed in that post and now in our scripture today it is time to begin on the eighth day. The eighth day is used in the Bible to suggest the
beginning of something new, a day of completion of a process having to do with
dedication, purification or cleansing.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
It is a long process to become ceremonially clean, imagine going through the
same routine for seven days without anything miraculous happening, hopefully
the priest realized through this long process how incredibly far away we are
from God's standards and how serious he is about our holiness.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
There must have been great anticipation as the priest finally begin their
work. The reason they told Pharaoh that they needed to leave Egypt was so that they could worship God but they had no idea that it would be delayed for so long and what would be involved. </div><div><br /></div><div>They are probably thinking about the last time the glory of the Lord was
seen. God took the first step towards his people when the Tabernacle was
completed and now it is time for his people to draw near to him.</div><div><br /></div><div>But they must have been a little nervous about this worship service, this seems to be the first worship service since the golden calf worship experience, when three thousand people died. God's people were quick to go back to the way of worship they learned from the Egyptians despite the miracles that God performed that proved that the Egyptian gods were no God at all.</div><div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">God's Awesome Glory Revealed</h4>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Leviticus 9:22-24 After that, Aaron raised his hands toward the people
and blessed them. Then, after presenting the sin offering, the burnt
offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down from the altar.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">23 </span>Then Moses and Aaron went
into the Tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the
people again,
<b>and the glory of the LORD appeared to the whole community.</b>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">24 </span>Fire blazed forth from the
LORD's presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the
altar.
<b>When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on
the ground.</b>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>God's people listened to God when he told them how to worship and because they did they saw God's approval manifest among them. Back in the day, it was much easier to know when God accepts your offering, his pleasure was displayed in powerful ways that cannot be mistaken. </div><div><br /></div><div>The people that God chose to be his own people have connected with him in a real and personal way. It is interesting that the awesome display of God's power somehow did not cause fear, this must be a sign that the people were forgiven of their sins and they knew they were in right standing with God.</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
The pagan nations around them had priests and sacrifices, but they didn’t
have the glory of God.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
-Warren Wiersbe Old Testament Commentary
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
If God's people performed these
rituals with the proper attitude then they would see the glory of God
and be assured that their God is real, he is loving and he is powerful to
protect them. This should have given them great courage when it comes time to enter the Promised Land.</div><div><br /></div><div>God's word has made it clear that we need an intercessor to allow us to have an intimate relationship with our holy God. The picture of the High Priest in the Old Testament points to the ultimate fulfillment of the High Priest.</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">God's Perfect High Priest Revealed</h4><div><blockquote><div>Matthew 24:30-31 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. <span style="font-size: x-small;">31 </span>And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world-from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.</div></blockquote></div><div>The ultimate revelation of God's glory is on the way! Do you have a great High Priest that will allow you to experience this magnificent occasion with great joy or will you meet him in anguish? Are you set apart as one of his children so that you can be with him forever in the Promised Land? </div><div><br /></div><div>My High Priest is also the holy sacrifice for my sins, he allowed himself to be brutally murdered to satisfy the holy justice of God so that I can have <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/p/find-peace-with-god.html" target="_blank">peace with God</a>. Although I have not attained it yet, my position in Jesus is holy because the most holy sacrifice was made for me. (Deuteronomy 33:3, Revelation 1:6, 5:10)</div><div><br /></div><div>Because of this, I am commanded to live a holy life, I am a priest serving under the Great High Priest to point others to God. I must be free from sin, holy and set apart so that I won't be disqualified to serve. (1 Peter 1:15-16, John 17:19, Titus 2:14)</div><div><div><br /></div><div>My position as a royal priest was given to me so that I can be the connection between Heaven and Earth that points others to God's glory so that he will also be revealed to them. (1 Peter 2:5, 9-10)</div></div><div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.crossway.org/articles/in-the-beginning-god-created-a-priest/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In the Beginning God Created a Priest</a> (crossway.org)
</div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://bibleproject.com/explore/category/the-royal-priest-series/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Royal Priest Video Series</a> (bibleproject.com)</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.ccef.org/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-priesthood/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">10 Things You Should Know About The Priesthood</a>
(ccef.org)
</div>
</div>
</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-68377105060704816572023-06-22T14:59:00.001-04:002023-10-13T06:06:22.578-04:00The Priest<h4>My relationship with God requires a great High Priest.</h4>
<br />
<div>
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Leviticus 8:1-5 Then the LORD said to Moses,
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>"Bring Aaron and his sons, along
with their sacred garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin
offering, the two rams, and the basket of bread made without yeast,
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 </span>and call the entire community of
Israel together at the entrance of the Tabernacle."
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4 </span>So Moses followed the LORD's
instructions, and the whole community assembled at the Tabernacle entrance.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">5 </span>Moses announced to them, "This is
what the LORD has commanded us to do!"
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Exodus 28:1-3 "Call for your brother, Aaron, and his sons, Nadab, Abihu,
Eleazar, and Ithamar. Set them apart from the rest of the people of Israel
so they may minister to me and be my priests.
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>Make sacred garments for Aaron
that are glorious and beautiful.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 </span>Instruct all the skilled
craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom. Have them make
garments for Aaron that will distinguish him as a priest set apart for my
service.
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" /><div>When we think of the word priest we think of a messy occupation that would
gross us out if we had to do it today, we think that priest are no longer needed and we are so thankful
that we don't need to provide an
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/search/label/Animal%20Sacrifices" target="_blank">animal sacrifice</a>
anymore. But the work of the priest is much more than that, we need to expand
our thinking of who a priest is and what they do so that we can see why we still need priest
today.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The history of God's priest in the Bible shows us that the qualifications for the job has changed many times. The first time that the function of a priest is mentioned is way back in the
garden when God shed the blood of animals to extend forgiveness and to make clothing for Adm and Eve. </div><div><br /></div><div>Outside of the garden a little
later Cain and Abel would be acting as their own priest and then Noah, Abram,
Isaac, Jacob and also Job were all making sacrifices to God. First the Bible shows us individuals functioning as
their own priest and then later it shows us the head of the family doing this
work. (Genesis 8:20, 12:7, 13:4 26:25, 31:54, Job 1:5).
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
After
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/05/redeemed-to-be-gods-people.html" target="_blank">God chose a people</a>
for himself he gave them rules about how to
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2021/08/ten-commandments.html" target="_blank">live a new way</a> to please him that would make them different from the rest of the
world. They would have a new worldview, a new civilized way of loving God and their neighbor, new food rules and also new rules about how to worship.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God's rules for worship began with the worship leaders back in the book of Exodus, next he gave them his rules about how to worship, including the sacrifices in Leviticus 1-7, and now they are ready to ordain the first High
Priest and the first priests that will serve under him.
</div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><b>The preparations for the ordination:</b></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Washed (Leviticus 8:6)</li>
<li>High Priest Garments (Leviticus 8:7-9)</li>
<li>Anointing (Leviticus 8:10-12)</li>
<li>Priest Garments (Leviticus 8:13)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><b>The offerings for ordination:</b></div>
<div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Sin offering (Leviticus 8:14),</li>
<li>Burnt offering (Leviticus 8:18)</li>
<li>Ordination offering (Leviticus 8:22)</li>
<li>Wave offering (Leviticus 8:25-29)</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>God's priest are ordinary men that need to be forgiven and cleansed before they can put on their priestly
garments. The priest must be sanctified by the Sin Offering and the Burnt Offering
before their special Ordination Offering and Wave Offering. These rituals would last for seven days and Aaron and his
sons would have to stay at the Tabernacle the whole time.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The fact that Aaron was chosen as the first High Priest is an amazing symbol
of God's mercy and grace, as the leader of
God's people while Moses was away, Aaron led the
people to idol worship. But instead of being disqualified, by God's grace he was
elevated to a position of honor that he didn't deserve.</div><div><div></div><blockquote><div>Malachi 2:5-7 <b>“The purpose of my covenant with the Levites</b> was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">6 </span>They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat; they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they turned many from lives of sin. <span style="font-size: x-small;">7 </span>“The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies."</div></blockquote><div></div></div>
<div>God's chosen people (the nation) would have a chosen people (the priest) to be the ambassador between God and his people. They will lead them in worship, teach them truth and govern their everyday life. The priest would focus on helping the people maintain a clean and holy life that would please God and bring him glory that would be seen among the nations.</div><div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">There Is A New High Priest</h4>
<blockquote><div>Hebrews 9:11-12 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. <span style="font-size: x-small;">12 </span>With his own blood-not the blood of goats and calves-he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.</div></blockquote><div>
As I said earlier in this post, the priesthood has changed, it was
originally the work of the individual or the head of the family, later it became
an official occupation of a few men but now it has changed again. Because of Jesus the
priesthood that God initiated in Exodus and Leviticus is now obsolete.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Jesus would die as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, but he wasn't just
the perfect lamb that covered our sins, because of his sacrifice and
resurrection from the dead he is now our ultimate High Priest that was chosen by God and because of his perfect obedience he is now interceding
for us at God's throne in Heaven.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
If you know your Bible a little bit you may wonder "how can Jesus become the
High Priest if he is from the tribe of Judah? Didn't the priest come from
the tribe of Levi?"
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://dwellcc.org/learning/essays/melchizedek-and-priesthood-christ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Melchizedek and the Priesthood of Christ</a> is a great essay that explains how and why Jesus replaced Aaron's
lineage. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of the High Priest, he met all of
the credentials, but he came from the tribe of Judah through the lineage of
the kings. (Psalm 110:1-7, Hebrews 7:11-28)</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">God's People Serve As Priest</h4>
<blockquote><div>1 Peter 2:9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.</div></blockquote><div>All of God's children are a chosen people that live as members of a holy nation that serve as royal priest so that the people that are not a part of this holy nation can see the goodness of God.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think that it is a shame that most of us think about ourselves when we
hear that we are priest or we hear about the priesthood of the believers. We
think about the fact that we don't need to go through another human in order
to talk to God or to receive forgiveness. But if we are true to the original
priest in the Old Testament and apply their job description to ourselves
then we will see things differently.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Direct access to God is just one of the benefits that we have as priest that
are working under the great High Priest.
</div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">We are supposed to be:</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
A set apart people that live to serve God and others.
</li>
<li>
A light to the dark world around us so that they can God's goodness.</li>
<li>
A blessing to our neighbors and family, helping them to know how to
please God.
</li>
<li>
A multiplying people, making more and more priest to serve God and
others.
</li>
<li>
An encouraging people, nudging others to good works and holiness.
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
Salvation is a free gift but, as you can see from this list, it is so much
more than a fire insurance policy. Obedience to God's commands should be a
natural reaction when you understand how tremendously ugly your sin is next to
God's holy standard. If you don't feel an urgency to live God's way then you
may not be his child.</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Titus 2:14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to
cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to
doing good deeds. </div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>1 Peter 1:15-16 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as
God who chose you is holy.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">16 </span>For the Scriptures say, "You
must be holy because I am holy."</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>The proper Old Testament priest were radically different people, holy, cleansed and anointed for service. Shouldn't we be just as committed to the same high standards? </div><div><br /></div><div>The Old Testament commands to be holy are repeated in the New Testament so why don't we consider holiness as a requirement in our own lives?</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.crossway.org/articles/in-the-beginning-god-created-a-priest/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">In the Beginning God Created a Priest</a>
(crossway.org)
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://bibleproject.com/articles/were-adam-and-eve-priests-eden/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Were Adam and Eve Priests in Eden?</a>
(bibleproject.com)
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-priesthood-of-believers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">10 Things You Should Know about the Priesthood of Believers</a> (crossway.org)
</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-42753343573157720782023-05-09T12:51:00.000-04:002023-05-17T06:08:29.619-04:00The Guilt Offering<h4>The King provides a way to restore our relationships.</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
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</div>
Leviticus 5:14-15,17-18 Then the LORD said to Moses,
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15 </span>"If one of you commits a sin by
<b>unintentionally defiling the LORD's sacred property</b>, you must bring a
guilt offering to the LORD. The offering must be your own ram with no
defects, or you may buy one of equal value with silver, as measured by the
weight of the sanctuary shekel.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">17 </span><b>"Suppose you sin by violating one of the LORD's commands. Even if you are
unaware of what you have done,</b>
you are guilty and will be punished for your sin.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">18 </span>For a guilt offering, you must
bring to the priest your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of
equal value. Through this process the priest will purify you from your
unintentional sin, making you right with the LORD, and you will be forgiven.
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Leviticus 6:7 Through this process, the priest will purify you before the
LORD, making you right with him, and you will be forgiven for any of these
sins you have committed."
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />
So far in the
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/search/label/Book%20of%20Leviticus" target="_blank">book of Leviticus</a>
we have seen the first four sacrifices that God established for his people so
that they would be able to approach his holiness. This is important because the
people that originally received this information have just completed the
Tabernacle and now that God is with them there they must know how to approach
him.
<div>
<div>
<br />The fifth sacrifice that Leviticus gives us is usually called the
Guilt Offering which doesn't give you a clear idea of what it is since
feeling guilty was a common part of all of these offerings. A better name is
restitution offering since this was given to repay debts caused by
unintentional sin against:
</div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Holy things (Leviticus 5:14–16)</li>
<li>Sin against God’s commands (Leviticus 5:17–19)</li>
<li>Sin against a neighbor (Leviticus 6:1–7)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<b>When the offense is against God and his holy things,</b> he shows us how
to return his stuff back to their clean, holy state. In our culture we have
very little sense of the holiness of God, we have been given so much freedom
in Jesus that we take it for granted. We fail to see that holy things need
to be respected and protected from unholy uses that would make them
unclean.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<b>When the offense is against a neighbor and their things, </b>it may
require more than an apology to make things right between you. This offering
helped show remorse for your sin so that the people you offended will see
that your repentance is genuine.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Atonement and restitution go together like repenting and obeying, it is
always good when we have verbs to back up our change of heart. The
offender is in great need of both, repentance and obedience, the first brings about pardon and the later
proves the condition of the heart.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Remember the way that Zacchaeus reacted after Jesus changed his life, a
notorious taker became a most generous giver after he received God's
forgiveness he voluntarily gave back what he took and paid interest. (Luke
19:8-10)
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
The Joy Of Being Forgiven And Cleared Of Guilt
</h4>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Psalm 32:1-2 Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven,
whose sin is put out of sight!
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>Yes, what joy for those
whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in
complete honesty!
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
God's people didn't groan when they received God's rules, it is unfair
that we named these first books of the Old Testament "The Law" so that
they seem like a burden, we don't see any of the rules in the Torah as a
source of joy.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
But God's people were joyful about the law because it was their source
of information about how to please their God so they could live without
fear. The man made gods of the pagans didn't come with any clear
instructions on how to please them. (Psalm 1:1-2) We have been blessed
with God's revelation of himself from the Torah all the way to
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/search/label/Book%20of%20Revelation" target="_blank">the book of Revelation</a>
and every book in between.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Loving God And Your Neighbor</h4><div><br /></div>
Repairing relationships is the main story of the Bible. The Old Testament sacrifices show us that as we become right with God through his atoning sacrifice we should be able to restore our relationships with the people around us. </div><div><br /></div><div>The people back there in Moses day didn't realize it but we know that those sacrifices were pointing toward a better sacrifice. The only sacrifice that truly mattered, the only sacrifice that can make peace with God and restore my relationship with my friends and neighbors.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>God didn't need to do anything</b> to reconcile our relationship with him, he could have allowed us to continue into the downward spiral that our sin caused, he could have done nothing to help us and it would not change his holiness. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>But God did everything</b> that we couldn't do to have a peaceful relationship with him, not that we in any way deserved it, he personally gave us the best gift ever so that we can stand before him with confidence. (2 Corinthians 5:5-8) </div><div><br /></div><div>God's awesome goodness toward us should control everything that we do, it should give us a huge desire to please him in everything, living for ourselves should not be an option for God's people. (2 Corinthians 5:9, 14-15) </div><div>
<blockquote>
<div>
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 And all of this is a gift from God, who
brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this
task of reconciling people to him.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">19 </span>For God was in Christ,
reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins
against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of
reconciliation.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> 20 </span>So we are Christ's
ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for
Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!"
<span style="font-size: x-small;">21 </span>For God made Christ, who
never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be
made right with God through Christ.
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>God came down to our level to restore our relationship with him so how can we think we can refuse to restore the relationships around us? The Old Testament sacrifices show us the high cost that God was willing to pay to make us right with him. I have no excuse to hold resentment and judge those that have offended me.</div><div><br /></div><div>I should imitate God by giving the gift of restored relationships away to others. His example of extravagant giving is the standard that I must live up to. As God's ambassador I need to share the gift of restored relationships with my friends and neighbors so they can do the same. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://bible.org/seriespage/guilt-offering-leviticus-514-67-71-6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Guilt Offering</a>
(bible.org)
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-1382909575944360672023-04-09T06:39:00.000-04:002023-05-17T06:08:29.618-04:00The Purification Offering<h4>The King offers cleansing when we become stained with sin.</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCVkjG9Y3qzacmrjXBFeY8_PtBJDuIw4hwaSOTphfCZQkHlu6KYKkEu-AFxe8pHH5P3-6otz5UvJpfMqmsqx07bj34d0_Wvb0U2rqRjCTDXv3rPVvtXtRAp-rk9a6JWoZenvTeSxcAk_RmCxZO97Dn8YKuC_kx-T3qJCwwdX2FCxFcOEjXz5gCgwkNg/s458/e8897_9339_5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="458" height="391" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCVkjG9Y3qzacmrjXBFeY8_PtBJDuIw4hwaSOTphfCZQkHlu6KYKkEu-AFxe8pHH5P3-6otz5UvJpfMqmsqx07bj34d0_Wvb0U2rqRjCTDXv3rPVvtXtRAp-rk9a6JWoZenvTeSxcAk_RmCxZO97Dn8YKuC_kx-T3qJCwwdX2FCxFcOEjXz5gCgwkNg/w640-h391/e8897_9339_5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Leviticus 4:1-2 Then the LORD said to Moses,
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>"Give the following instructions
to the people of Israel. This is how you are to deal with those who sin
unintentionally by doing anything that violates one of the LORD's commands.
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Leviticus 5:13 Through this process, the priest will purify those who are
guilty of any of these sins, making them right with the LORD, and they will
be forgiven. The rest of the flour will belong to the priest, just as with
the grain offering."
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />
The most important thing we need to know about God is that he is holy. His
holiness is at the core of who he is and it is the driving force behind his
righteousness, justice, mercy, wrath, compassion and all the other
attributes of God.<div><br /></div><div>Because of God's holiness we cannot approach him in an impure state or we will be consumed similar to the way that the sun would destroy us. We know that the sun is powerful and good but you would need something to cover you to allow you to have access without burning up. <div><br /></div>
<div>So far in this series from the Book of Leviticus we have seen the rules for
worshipping God:
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-burnt-offering.html" target="_blank">The Burnt Offering</a>
shows us that God is merciful in providing a way for us to approach him
through the blood sacrifice.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-grain-offering.html" target="_blank">The Grain Offering</a>
shows us that we need to be grateful for his mercy in providing us
everything that we have.
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-peace-offering.html" target="_blank">The Peace Offering</a> was a celebration of our renewed fellowship that we have because
of God's mercy.
</li>
</ul>
<div>
Our next lesson in how to worship God tells us how to continue to receive
God's mercy when we fail him. </div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
The sin offering was actually a purification of God's people and God's
places that he has designated as holy. The purification rituals were
done so that God could inhabit those holy spaces and come close to his
people without jeopardizing their safety.
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The purification offering had different sacrifices required for different
people and the amount of purification that would be needed:
</div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>the high priest (vv. 3–12)</li>
<li>the congregation (vv. 13–21)</li>
<li>a tribal leader (vv. 22–26)</li>
<li>an individual member (vv. 27–35)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<div>
The application of blood to the holy areas of the tabernacle restores
the sacred space that was defiled by the sins of the priest. The blood
was applied to the veil, the incense altar, and the altar of burnt
offering so that the sacred space would be cleansed.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
As you move on from the priest to the congregation, to the tribal
leaders and then to an individual's sin you see a decreasing level of
threat to holiness. The lack of holiness in Israel's leaders required
more blood to be applied to more places, including the holiest places,
whereas the sins of one ordinary person required less.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
The popular notion theses days is that sin is sin, no matter which one
you commit, is terrible theology. God's law shows us that sin has
various levels of consequences, in this chapter we can see that
unintentional sin and defiant sins are not treated the same. There are
premeditated sins that the Bible says puts us in great harm and there
are smaller sins that you are not even aware of such as accidently
taking a pen home from work.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Another popular idea is that my sin is my sin and you should stay out
of my business. We think it doesn't concern anybody else but God's
word shows us that the individual sinner has a negative affect on the
whole community. When God sent the Jews into exile, many good people suffered and died as a result of national sins. It's not just a personal thing, individual sins
affect the tribes and the entire nation, that's why we have the
responsibility to look out for each other. (2 Samuel 12:1-10,
Galatians 6:1-3)
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
This offering shows us our sin nature, our natural ability to do wrong
by God's standards, we don't need to learn how to sin, we can do it
without any effort. The old definition of sin that I learned in Sunday
school is not good theology. I was taught that sin is when you know
what is right and you don't do it. This definition is completely
discredited by the demand for a sacrifice that covers unintentional sins. (Also
in Psalm 19:12-14)
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The Old Testament shows us that the purity of God's places and his
people could only be restored through the blood sacrifice. In Leviticus
four we see that the result of these sacrifices was forgiveness of the
sins of God's people. (Leviticus 4:20, 26, 31, 35; Leviticus 5:10,13;
6:7)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Pardon for sin was accomplished to some degree through the animal
sacrifices, otherwise the High Priest wouldn't be able to come into the
most holy places in the Tabernacle and the Temple, but the New Testament
tells us that these sacrifices didn't forgive our sins. (Romans 3:20, Hebrews 10:1-23)</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
It seems to be a contradiction but maybe what looks like a contradiction
is actually a difference in perspective. The Matthew Henry
Commentary shows us the difference in the types of forgiveness that we
are talking about.
</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Under the old, sacrifices must be often repeated, and after all,
<b>only pardon as to this world</b> was to be obtained by them. Under
the new, one Sacrifice is enough to procure for all nations and ages,
spiritual pardon, or being
<b>freed from punishment in the world to come.</b>
<div style="text-align: right;">-Matthew Henry Commentary</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>The sacrifices of the Old Testament when done with the right
motivation clearly brought them forgiveness from punishment in this world
(1 John 1:9) but the sacrifice wasn't enough to obtain pardon that would
free them from punishment in the after life (John 3:16).
</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Offering the Old Testament sacrifices flowed from the life of one rightly related to God by faith, but was not the means of the right relationship, just as Abraham was counted as righteous by his faith. Doing good, even following the rituals of the law, didn't get anybody into Heaven.</div></div>
<div><blockquote><div>1 Timothy 2:5 For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.</div></blockquote></div>
<div>
The perfect sacrifice is the only one that will get you to a forever home
with God, it had to be
<a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/human-sacrifice.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the sacrifice of the perfect God/Man</a>
that could forgive us and give us the right to be God's children living
with him for eternity. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-shepherd.html" target="_blank">Have you found the perfect lamb for sacrifice?</a> </div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://meetinggodinthemargin.com/2020/03/09/leviticus-chapter-4-the-purification-offering/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Purification Offering</a>
(meetinggodinthemargin.com)
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.crossway.org/articles/the-provision-of-sacrifice-in-the-old-testament/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Provision of Sacrifice in the Old Testament</a>
(crossway.org)
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://christiancourier.com/articles/was-there-forgiveness-under-the-law-of-moses" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Was There Forgiveness Under the Law of Moses?</a>
(christiancourier.com)
</div>
</div>
</div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-35251739429234308602023-03-12T21:09:00.004-04:002023-05-17T06:08:29.618-04:00The Peace Offering<h4>Celebrating the restoration of shalom with the King and with our neighbors.</h4>
<br /><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJltbDMEoOnjDBy4h1QyZsRiNZwTwZm6PsldT6w44Pr7MGjA2i50yPFuF41xxh35lppZhS4Bw26ets7SYP5frqQHDAAPw_LyfQL9CiWRoMVNQtS2CwziN3YXDAHBNm-sZ6K2iXeWa0ftu7C4zviuEcRaQnoUMDhxMfHVwr9KHqyH0Yqw3IQ_Gjqx60ng/s1024/Peace-offering-1024x585.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1024" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJltbDMEoOnjDBy4h1QyZsRiNZwTwZm6PsldT6w44Pr7MGjA2i50yPFuF41xxh35lppZhS4Bw26ets7SYP5frqQHDAAPw_LyfQL9CiWRoMVNQtS2CwziN3YXDAHBNm-sZ6K2iXeWa0ftu7C4zviuEcRaQnoUMDhxMfHVwr9KHqyH0Yqw3IQ_Gjqx60ng/w640-h366/Peace-offering-1024x585.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Leviticus 3:1-3 "If you present an animal from the herd as a peace offering to the LORD, it may be a male or a female, but it must have no defects. <span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>Lay your hand on the animal's head, and slaughter it at the entrance of the Tabernacle. Then Aaron's sons, the priests, will splatter its blood against all sides of the altar. <span style="font-size: x-small;">3 </span>The priest must present part of this peace offering as a special gift to the LORD. This includes all the fat around the internal organs,</div></div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />
<div><div>From my previous post, you may get the idea that sacrificing animals began in the book of Leviticus but sacrifices have already been around ever since the first sin while man was still living in the Garden of Eden. Right after they left Eden the Bible moves on to Cain and Abel worshiping God and somehow they knew that they shouldn't approach God without a sacrifice.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first sacrifice that the book of Leviticus shows us is the <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-burnt-offering.html" target="_blank">Burnt Offering</a> which was a gift wholly given to God, they did not approach God casually like we do today. Next was the <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-grain-offering.html" target="_blank">Grain Offering</a> that was given to show our gratitude to God for providing for our needs.</div><div><br /></div><div>After the worshiper finished the obligatory Burnt and Grain offerings it was natural to celebrate their renewed fellowship with God. It wasn't enough to have peace with God and just keep it to yourself, to receive shalom and not celebrate it would be a sign that you don't really appreciate the amazing deed that God has done for you.</div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>Since God is the host of this party the food must be eaten in his house. Parts of the sacrificed animal belong to God, other parts to the priest and other parts to the person bringing the offering. It reminds me of the covenant meal that God served to Israel's leaders when they ratified the covenant at Mount Sinai.</div><div><blockquote><div>Exodus 24:11 And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!</div></blockquote></div><div><div>All of the religious systems around God's people had sacrifices and celebrations but none of them had the demand from God to be ceremonially clean and celebrate by his rules. This celebration time had to be free from the immoral practices that Israel had learned from the culture. (Leviticus 7:19-21)</div><blockquote><div>Luke 1:78-79 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, <span style="font-size: x-small;">79 </span>to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to <b>the path of peace</b>.</div></blockquote><h4 style="text-align: left;">God has done everything necessary to give us the only way to obtain peace with him.</h4><div><br /></div><div>The solution to our sin problem could only come from God and it was always his intention to go to the extreme to restore our relationship. Only the perfect sacrifice that God provided could provide our pardon and bring back the shalom that was lost in the garden.</div><div><br /></div><div>God provided my peace offering which isn't really mine unless I accept it, I need to admit that Jesus is my only way to have fellowship with God, and he is the only way that I can come to the table and eat the bread and drink the cup. Do you have peace with God? (Romans 5:1-2)</div><div><br /></div><h4 style="text-align: left;">God has done everything necessary for us to obtain peace with everyone. </h4><div><br /></div><div>The peace that I have with God should naturally bring joyful, peaceful and loving relationships with my enemies, my neighbors and especially with the rest of God's family. True peace should bring an amazing joy that has to come out and be shared with others. (Matthew 5:9)</div><div><br /></div><div>When my sins, which are way more offensive to God, are forgiven how can I refuse to forgive other sinners who have sinned against me? If I cannot forgive the sins that have been committed against me, which are so small, then I must not appreciate the undeserved forgiveness that I received. (Matthew 18:21-35)</div><div><br /></div><div>As a priest of the king of kings I need to do my job, showing the world the only source of everlasting peace with God that will bring great joy. (Mark 9:50 / 1 Peter 2:5, 9 / Colossians 1:19-20)</div></div></div><div>
<h5>
RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://meetinggodinthemargin.com/2020/03/07/leviticus-chapter-3-the-peace-offering/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Leviticus Chapter 3 – The Peace Offering</a> (meetinggodinthemargin.com)</div></div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/peace-offering.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What is a peace offering?</a> (gotquestions.org)</div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2020/02/the-parable-of-the-unforgiving-servant/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant</a> (tabletopmagazine.com)</div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-24916255774899317182023-02-26T08:16:00.003-05:002023-05-17T06:08:29.618-04:00The Grain Offering<h4>A gift of thanks for the kindness of the King.</h4>
<br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYqHGYZrBkOLeeeSKLjVwZHeVujRup9715vkSmnSNN5t-uBUE0S9mKiAXVgw3Zo0Puwq6WO1BOvARH4FnYznAbSRBpzBFZuNYATyNX6mrXugR29vXmIIllA6Ac19SEkXsJk88uyW9Btd8eFpHM0BX2ThvqlbS60LSrvG9w6etZrsB61Dw2kGvdbBKbg/s1200/grain.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1200" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYqHGYZrBkOLeeeSKLjVwZHeVujRup9715vkSmnSNN5t-uBUE0S9mKiAXVgw3Zo0Puwq6WO1BOvARH4FnYznAbSRBpzBFZuNYATyNX6mrXugR29vXmIIllA6Ac19SEkXsJk88uyW9Btd8eFpHM0BX2ThvqlbS60LSrvG9w6etZrsB61Dw2kGvdbBKbg/w640-h445/grain.png" width="640" /></a></div>Leviticus 2:1-2 "When you present grain as an offering to the LORD, the
offering must consist of choice flour. You are to pour olive oil on it,
sprinkle it with frankincense,
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>and bring it to Aaron's sons, the
priests. The priest will scoop out a handful of the flour moistened with
oil, together with all the frankincense, and burn this representative
portion on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Leviticus 2:8-9 "No matter how a grain offering for the LORD has been
prepared, bring it to the priest, who will present it at the altar.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">9 </span>The priest will take a
representative portion of the grain offering and burn it on the altar. It is
a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />
God's people must receive forgiveness before he will accept anything else from
us, the Israelites learned that they cannot give any other offering to God before
they have their sins forgiven. But after their relationship was restored
through <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/02/the-burnt-offering.html" target="_blank">the burnt offering</a> it is only proper to honor God by showing their gratitude. ( 2 Corinthians 5:18-21)
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The grain offering was an important part of worship that reminded them that
everything they had came from God. God knows the heart of man will turn away
from him if we just keep taking from him without acknowledging him by giving
back a portion.<br />
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God's people prepared this offering at home before they took it to the priest. The priest would burn a portion
on the altar and the rest was used by the priest for his food because he was not allotted any land to produce his own food.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Three kinds of grain offerings are listed: </b></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Choice flour with oil and frankincense, </li><li>Baked cakes or wafers of choice flour and oil, and </li><li>Roasted kernels of grain with oil and frankincense.</li></ul></div></div>
<div>
<div>
God's people are not in the Promised Land yet, they aren't harvesting
anything, if they had any grain for this offering it would have to
be what they brought from Egypt. But we already know that they didn't
have grain to make flour to feed themselves because God was giving them manna, their daily
bread from Heaven to sustain them.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
We can't be sure how this offering worked out before they took the
Promised Land and started growing their own food but their future has a
promise of abundant crops. So abundant that they were warned over and
over before they even arrived that they would be ungrateful and turn
away from God.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
They were going to be blessed in their new homeland so that they could
be a blessing and point people to the source of their blessings but we know they failed to do this even though they were warned ahead of time. (Deuteronomy 8:7-11)
</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Sacrificial giving is a great challenge for most of us. In our self centered culture it is difficult to think of giving away something that you feel like you deserve because of your work to produce it. The attitude of the carnal man is, I'm all that matters in the world (narcissism), others don't matter (individualism) and neither does God (secularism). (From the post "<a href="https://lifewaychurch.life/the-solution-to-self-centeredness/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Solution to Self-Centeredness</a>")</div><div><br /></div><div>Just like God's people in the Promised Land we also struggle to acknowledge him when we have so much abundance. Most of us have back-up plans and safety nets, margins and contingency plans that keep us from being reliant on anybody, not even God.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is difficult to give so much that it makes you rely on God daily for your needs. We see little need to pray for today's bread when we have enough in the cupboards to sustain us for weeks. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Consider sacrificial giving in scripture:</b></div><div><ul><li>The first fruit offering which was given before the barns were full. (Proverbs 3:9-10)</li><li>The Gentile widow that fed Elijah with her meager resources. (1 Kings 17:8-16)</li><li>The poor widow that gave her last two coins. (Mark. 12:42)</li><li>The offering that the Macedonian church gave out of poverty. (2 Corinthians 8:1-2)</li><li>Paul's instructions to the church in Corinth. (2 Corinthians 9:10-11)</li></ul></div><div>I have never seen giving done to the extreme that it is in the Bible. The examples given in scripture show kindness toward others that exceeds any kindness that most people would ever consider even to their best friend. Our gifts to God are not really very sacrificial.</div><div><br /></div><div>We struggle with, or just ignore the fact, that we are to desire what's best for others even though we have been given the ultimate example of what that looks like. We treat others with the same attitude as the world has, we interpret situations and respond no different than the world, we view our stuff the same as the world. </div><div><br /></div><div>If Jesus gave away his right to be individualistic and self centered what right do we have to contradict his attitude in our own lives? (Philippians 2:5-8)</div></div>
</div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div><b>Seeing Jesus in the details of the grain offering:</b></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
The oil (Lev. 2:1–2, 4, 6, 15), either poured on it or mingled
with it, a picture of the Holy Spirit of God, who was given to
Christ without measure (John 3:34).
</li>
<li>
The salt (Lev. 2:13; Matt. 5:13), which speaks of our Lord’s
purity of character.
</li>
<li>
Jesus compared himself to a grain of wheat (John 12:23–25), and He
was crushed (“fine flour’’) and put through the furnace of
suffering that He might save us from our sins.
</li>
<li>Jesus told us that he is the bread of life (John 6:32)</li>
<li>
Leaven is to be excluded from the offering. This speaks of the
fact that there is no evil in Christ. There is no sin in the life
of Christ.
</li>
<li>
Honey was also excluded. It represents natural sweetness. It will
sour, just as leaven is a souring thing.
</li>
<li>Frankincense was a pleasing aroma to God</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div>The greatest way to honor the King for what he has done for me is to give him a portion of his provision for me back to him. I need to be grateful to God for his blessings and realize that I have been blessed so I must be a blessing or I am being disobedient.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before the grain was used personally for groceries, a portion of it was first prepared and taken to the temple to be offered to God first and then to others (the priest). This attitude should still be in us today!</div><div><br /></div>
<div><h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5></div><div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://meetinggodinthemargin.com/2020/03/06/leviticus-chapter-2-the-grain-offering/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Grain Offering</a>
(meetinggodinthemargin.com)<br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/grain-offering.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What is a grain offering?</a> (gotquestions.org)</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-44826933865703359172023-02-07T06:53:00.011-05:002023-05-17T06:08:29.619-04:00The Burnt Offering<h4>You can't approach the King without a sacrificial gift.</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcMCc3IaS2qGQNCIs3CEexGpTdjWyddbzKYZnnmb7GTdKPNWnLlGgVUfIPmvxFoFLh3iZo1ngRR9slwAIXaRVdFYmtt3NiVN5OImiWP9kT5GGO_aO2Xh4pi7MvRok_CDfAkZBxoA320_ZMHe3NMeCY4z3XBvvK7Q9JoEMpgl91Vw7ChnBnNOkRD-lqQ/s2048/6842286303_d946326693_k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcMCc3IaS2qGQNCIs3CEexGpTdjWyddbzKYZnnmb7GTdKPNWnLlGgVUfIPmvxFoFLh3iZo1ngRR9slwAIXaRVdFYmtt3NiVN5OImiWP9kT5GGO_aO2Xh4pi7MvRok_CDfAkZBxoA320_ZMHe3NMeCY4z3XBvvK7Q9JoEMpgl91Vw7ChnBnNOkRD-lqQ/w640-h426/6842286303_d946326693_k.jpg" width="640" /></a>
</div>
Leviticus 1:1-4 The LORD called to Moses from the Tabernacle and said to
him, <span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>"Give the following
instructions to the people of Israel. When you present an animal as an
offering to the LORD, you may take it from your herd of cattle or your flock
of sheep and goats.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 </span>"If the animal you present as a
burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it
to the entrance of the Tabernacle so you may be accepted by the LORD.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4 </span>Lay your hand on the animal's
head, and the LORD will accept its death in your place to purify you, making
you right with him.
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />
<div>
<div>
<div>
In the
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-most-important-thing.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>
we saw that nothing else could be more important than knowing God and
knowing his demands. Something in mankind has always made him aware
that there is a higher power and they knew that they should be concerned
about making sure that higher power is pleased.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Our God is the only higher power that we need to know, he is the real God
and he wants to have a relationship with us. The fact that we are unclean
makes it dangerous to come close to our holy God if we ignore his rules.
Thankfully God has given his people the information that we need so that
we can safely approach him.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
Just as you wouldn't come into the presence of an earthly king without a gift,
you certainly shouldn't approach the ruler of the universe without a gift. The
believers in the Old Testament would not ever consider going to the tabernacle
or the temple without a sacrifice.</div><div><br /></div><div>If they wanted to come into God's presence a costly gift from their herd or flock was required. It had to be a real sacrifice that cost them something, it wasn't a sacrifice just because it was burned on the altar, it was a sacrifice because it was expensive. They had either purchased the animal or they had the expense of raising it from birth.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Going to worship was a mentally, physically, and emotionally draining event.
Thousands of years later we have lost the worship experience that God's people
had back in the Old Testament. We come to worship so casually without much forethought or preparation.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Imagine the impact of bringing your own animal, laying your hands on the
innocent and personally taking it's life while the priest caught the blood in
a basin. After you caused it to bleed out and die you still had to cut your
animal into pieces and wash them while the priest burned them, piece by piece, on the altar.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
The burnt offering has so many symbols that point to Jesus:
</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
The bull speaks of our Lord as the patient, unwearied laborer, always
doing the Father’s will.
</li>
<li>The sheep represents the Lord as the meek and lowly one. </li>
<li>The goat speaks of Christ as our substitute. </li>
<li>The turtledove points to Him as the man of sorrows (mourning dove)</li><li>To cleanse and restore the sinner to fellowship with God</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>The way to atone for our sins and restore our fellowship with God was through the blood of a perfect sacrifice. This truth was fulfilled perfectly and was replaced by a better sacrifice when Jesus came.</div><div><br /></div><div>For 33 years the lamb of God was inspected and found to be without fault, he
lived the perfect life to be the only sacrifice that actually pays the penalty
for my sin. The symbolic sacrifices in the Old Testament only covered their
sin for a season until the lamb of God offered himself as the only sacrifice
that could bring salvation and make us holy. (John 1:29, Romans 3:25, 8:3, Hebrews 10:1-18)</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>It is much more difficult to have genuine, deep sorrow for our sin and
truly appreciate the costly sacrifice made for us. We come so casually to worship, we seem to think that there isn't much required of us, we have forgotten the
fact that
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2023/01/god-with-us-holiness-is-required.html" target="_blank">holiness is still required</a>
in order to have a relationship with God.
</div>
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
God has only one intended destiny for mankind—holiness. His only goal is to
produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use,
and he did not come to save us out of pity—he came to save us because he
created us to be holy.<div style="text-align: right;">-<a href="https://utmost.org/destined-to-be-holy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Oswald Chambers</a></div></div>
</blockquote>
<div><div>Holiness is the reason for salvation, it is the ultimate reason that Jesus came to be sacrificed, becoming holy is the only way that I can spend eternity with God. Pleasing God is the most important thing in the world and the only way to please him is to become like him and that means being holy. (Hebrews 10:10)</div><div><br /></div><div>We love to think that God wants us to be happy, healthy and wealthy but none of those things are going to get you into God's presence for eternity. The most important thing in life is your holiness achieved by accepting Jesus as the perfect sacrifice and then committing yourself to work to become more like Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit living in you.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Burnt Offering-</b> Genesis 8:20-22, Exodus 29:42-46, Numbers 28-29 / 1 Samuel 7:9-10 / 1 Chronicles 21:18-22:1, Ezra 3:1-6, Job 1:5, Isaiah 1:11-20, Mark 12:33, Romans 3:25, 8:3, Hebrews 10:1-18</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Law of Burnt Offering-</b> Leviticus 6:8-13</div><div><br /></div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-to-become-holy1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How To Become Holy</a>
(thegospelcoalition.org)
</div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/burnt-offering.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What is a burnt offering?</a> (gotquestions.org)</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-74840751465856174902023-01-30T14:00:00.008-05:002024-02-10T10:05:08.205-05:00The Most Important Thing<h4>God is holy and he requires that his people be holy.</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
<div>
Leviticus 11:44-45 For I am the LORD your God. You must consecrate
yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. So do not defile yourselves
with any of these small animals that scurry along the ground.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">45 </span>For I, the LORD, am the one
who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God.
Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy.
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Leviticus 19:1-2 The LORD also said to Moses,
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>“Give the following instructions
to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your
God, am holy.
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
Psalms 33:8 Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone
stand in awe of him.
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Psalm 96:8-9 Give to the LORD the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and
come into his courts. <span style="font-size: x-small;">9 </span>Worship the
LORD in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him.
</div>
</div>
<div></div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />
<div>
Something in mankind has always made him aware that there is a higher power
and they knew that they should be concerned about making sure that higher
power is pleased. The most ancient cultures all over the world have sought to
appease the gods so that they could live and be prosperous.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
But we aren't worried about their "gods." We know there is only one higher
power to be concerned with. Our fear about how God will treat us became
obvious as soon as we sinned, Adam and Eve didn't have any way of knowing how
God would react, we read in Genesis that they were afraid but I think that is
an understatement.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The first worshippers that the Bible tells us about are Cain and Abel, after
that is was Noah and then all of the forefathers of Israel. They all used a
sacrifice as a gift to God even before the laws about sacrifices was
given.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
The book of Leviticus is God's gift to his people to let us know what he
expects from them when they have made him unhappy with them. None of the
"gods" ever went out of their way to help their believers know what is
expected.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Nothing else could be more important than knowing God and his demands but
most of us like to stay out of the Old Testament so we don't get the full
story. We don't realize that our view of God is inaccurate because we are
only reading half of God's book.
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
The fact that God devoted an entire book of the Bible to the subject of
holiness would indicate that it’s an important subject, one that we dare
not ignore. Whenever we minimize the holiness of God, we’re in danger of
minimizing human sinfulness, and the combination of these two errors
results in the minimizing of the cross of Jesus Christ.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">-Warren Wiersbe Commentary</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<div>
The most popular way of referring to God in scripture is simply "the holy
one," it is so important that it is the one characteristic that is most
celebrated before his throne in Heaven. "Holy, holy, holy" is the song of
the saints before God's throne. (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8-9, 15:2–4)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God wants a relationship with us but his holiness is dangerous to unclean
people if we do not adhere to his rules about approaching's him. By
ignoring the Old Testament we find it easier to avoid the fact that God is
holy, Moses described him as being "glorious in holiness" (Exodus 15:11)
and we have been commanded in both the Old and the New Testament to be
holy just as he is.
</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
God’s holiness can be understood as the momentum behind all the other
attributes of God. Holiness is the essence of God. It is the
driving force behind the righteousness, justice, mercy, wrath,
compassion, will, truth, and all other attributes of God.
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/Holiness_of_God.html#_ftn24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Brief Analysis Of The Holiness Of God</a>
by John Wilsey
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
We don't like to think about God's holiness or his demand that his people
be holy. The most popular way of referring to God today is to say that God
is love, everybody likes that God, we want a God that helps us get along
with each other, solves our problems and carries our burdens. We want a
God that affirms us and tells us to follow our heart or trust our
feelings.
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
We are too much like the crowds that followed Jesus around looking for a
cure, looking for a meal or looking for a leader to save them from the
Roman oppression. But as soon as Jesus fails to make our life better we
turn on him.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
We want a Jesus that makes us happy, so don't even mention a Jesus that
wants to control our lives and change our character. The idea of God or
Jesus wanting us to be happy is a concept that isn't found in the Bible.
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
1 Peter 1:15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as
God who chose you is holy.<div><br /></div>1 Peter 2:5 And you are living stones
that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are
his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer
spiritual sacrifices that please God.<div><br /></div>
1 Peter 2:9 But you are not like
that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy
nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others
the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his
wonderful light.
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
We have been commanded to be holy, that is our greatest goal, we must be
unique and separate from the world. We belong to a holy God who has
given us a job to do. As his nation of priest we have work to do that
requires us to be holy. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, and 2 Corinthians 7:1)</div>
<div><br /></div>
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-priesthood-of-believers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">10 Things You Should Know about the Priesthood of Believers</a>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
</div>
<div>
Jesus came to be our High Priest so that we can be priest that do God's
work, interceding for others and representing God to them. How can we draw
near to God as a priest if we are unholy? How can we accurately show God to
others if we are a terrible example?
</div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
</div>
<div>
God's attributes must be seen as equal, we shouldn't stress his love and
neglect wrath and justice, too much emphasis on any of them is a distortion
of who God is. Without a proper view of God's holiness there is a lack
of fear or reverence for him and we won't see a need to change.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Pleasing God is the most important thing in the world and the only way to
please him is to become like him and that means being holy. Instead of
pursuing our happiness in this world we should seek to prepare ourselves for
the next world where we will experience joy eternally.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://mereorthodoxy.com/the-problem-solving-jesus/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Problem Solving Jesus</a>
(mereorthodoxy.com)
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.gty.org/library/blog/B160808/gods-holiness-and-your-worship" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">God's Holiness And Your Worship</a>
(gty.org)
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.olivetree.com/blog/what-does-it-mean-to-fear-the-lord/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">What Does It Mean to Fear the Lord?</a>
(olivetree.org)
</div>
</div>
</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-91222028574053108542023-01-04T09:15:00.003-05:002023-10-08T06:27:14.068-04:00God With Us: Holiness Is Required<h4>How to be acceptable when you come before God.</h4>
<div><br /></div>
<div class="v-wrap">
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IJ-FekWUZzE?si=uZ8Q8bmUuoU0bNfp" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ-FekWUZzE" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Book of Leviticus</a> by The Bible Project
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>Leviticus 19:1-2 The LORD also said to Moses, <span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>“Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Leviticus 26:11-13 I will live among you, and I will not despise
you. <span style="font-size: x-small;">12</span> I will walk
among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people.
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13 </span>I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their
slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with
your heads held high.
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#E9E9E9" size="1" width="100%;" />
<div>
The story line that began in Genesis continued through the book of Exodus
and now we will see that it keeps on going through the next book. We saw in
Exodus that the <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/02/saved-for-gods-glory.html" target="_blank">people of God were redeemed</a>
from the kingdom of darkness, they were taught how to
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2021/08/ten-commandments.html" target="_blank">live to please God</a>
and they have just built a
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/12/god-with-us-looking-for-people.html" target="_blank">place to meet their God</a>.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Now that they have a place to meet with God they need to learn how to do it, our God is not like all of the false gods that were mean and their rules
about how to relate to them were not clear. Our God gave his people the book of
Leviticus as a loving revelation of the essential requirements for his
people, as bad as they are, so they will know how to come into his presence.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God with us has requirements, it's easy to see that in the Old Testament,
but it is still equally true today! God’s expectations for his people have not become less strict just because we don't have to go to the temple and slit the throat of a perfect sacrifice from our flock and watch it bleed out. In the church age few of us consider the cost of going to worship, it is too easy to just show up without a sacrifice and expect God to be pleased.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
The Holy One commands his chosen ones to be holy.
</h4>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
1 Peter 1:15-17 But now
<b>you must be holy in everything you do</b>, just as God who chose you
is holy. <span style="font-size: x-small;">16 </span>For the
Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
<span style="font-size: x-small;">17 </span>And remember that the
heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or
reward you according to what you do.
<b>So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as
“temporary residents.”</b>
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>The pursuit of holiness is still required as we reside in this temporary
home, progressively becoming more like our holy God, even though we will not
fully obtain holiness until Jesus takes us to our permanent home. We need to realize that God isn't expecting less of us than he did of the believers of the Old Testament.</div><div><br /></div><div>As believers, we need to be "set apart" (sanctified) from the world, we need to be living by God’s standards, not the world’s. God knows we won't be perfect, but there should still be a distinct difference seen in us. As a holy nation of priest we need to live set apart, in the world but not of it, if we are the same as the world then the world won't see anything that needs to change in their lives.</div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Children inherit the nature of their parents. God is holy; therefore, as
His children, we should live holy lives. We are “partakers of the divine
nature” and ought to reveal that nature in godly living.
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">-Wiersbe Bible Commentary</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<div>The culture has turned up the
anti-God indoctrination in the past few years in an attempt to silence
people that refuse to call evil as good. We will all be forced to decide which side we will be on, we will be
tempted to lower God's holy standards, just like Israel did in the Old Testament.</div><div><br /></div><div>The New Testament requires our holiness just as much as the Old Testament. If we truly love a holy God then we will want to please him and seek to be just like him. </div>
</div>
<br />
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/why-should-we-bother-reading-leviticus.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Why Should We Bother Reading Leviticus?</a>
(biblestudytools.com)
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/god-demand-perfection/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Yes, Actually, God Does Demand Perfection</a>
(thegospelcoalition.org)
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://bible.org/seriespage/6-call-holiness-1-peter-114-16" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">A Call to Holiness (1 Peter 1:14-16)</a>
(biblestudytools.com)
</div>
</div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-42594704702992108632022-12-26T08:28:00.002-05:002022-12-26T08:31:44.464-05:00The Shepherd<h4>Have you found a spotless lamb for sacrifice?</h4>
<br /><div class="v-wrap"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/463627992?h=86846a0da3" width="640"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/463627992">The Chosen Series: The Shepherd Pilot</a></div>
<div><br /></div><div><div>Luke 2:8-21 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. <span style="font-size: x-small;">9 </span>Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, <span style="font-size: x-small;">10</span> but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">11 </span>The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! <span style="font-size: x-small;">12 </span>And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">13 </span>Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, <span style="font-size: x-small;">14 </span>“Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">15 </span>When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, “Let’s go to Bethlehem! Let’s see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” <span style="font-size: x-small;">16 </span>They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">17</span> After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. <span style="font-size: x-small;">18 </span>All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, <span style="font-size: x-small;">19 </span>but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. <span style="font-size: x-small;">20 </span>The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. </div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: x-small;">21 </span>Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyel2Qbww71ywSHTnNw4PDD9rFLeo_TzzOly2X8etAekG6p7V7pGeafMd3JE4aLRQIY2bEhgJs6KMZUNRQlH4SO4Vx4GIvq1BZHWfaQq9HRwy325HTa6Uf7FJpDo130GpypD_NiZFhJfCBjdwE46jj05LL8yprw0liu_O5_hX5oBDUptAGIOw7W92oZQ/s1920/Pilot_Episode_Poster.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyel2Qbww71ywSHTnNw4PDD9rFLeo_TzzOly2X8etAekG6p7V7pGeafMd3JE4aLRQIY2bEhgJs6KMZUNRQlH4SO4Vx4GIvq1BZHWfaQq9HRwy325HTa6Uf7FJpDo130GpypD_NiZFhJfCBjdwE46jj05LL8yprw0liu_O5_hX5oBDUptAGIOw7W92oZQ/w400-h225/Pilot_Episode_Poster.webp" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-18897774990359302212022-12-23T11:49:00.000-05:002022-12-23T11:49:37.668-05:00God With Us: Looking For A People<h4>God has always wanted to be near.</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
Exodus 25:8-9 “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can
live among them. <span style="font-size: x-small;">9 </span>You must build
this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will
show you.
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Hebrews 8:1-2,5 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down
in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>There he ministers in the
heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord
and not by human hands.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">5 </span>They serve in a system of worship
that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was
getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure
that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on
the mountain.”
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#DDDDDD" size="2" width="100%;" />
<div>In the beginning God created a place where he could be Emmanuel, God with us,
but it didn't take long for Satan's rebellion to become our rebellion. We took
Satan's advice and now we are guilty of the same sin, wanting to be God
instead of serving God, but thankfully we don't have to get the same
punishment that he will receive.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
If you think about their circumstances in the garden it appears that Adam and
Eve existed in a priestly manner. Priests are special representatives who can go into God's presence and since they were made in God's image they
were ideal representatives of God. They had God given jobs to serve him by caring for his creation and filling the earth with other people that would also represent God and make him known.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God could walk his garden and fellowship with them, without sin there wasn't
any fear and there wasn't any need for a special place to meet with God, the entire garden
was a holy place where God could be Emmanuel.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
(Video:
<a href="https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/priests-of-eden/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Royal Priest of Eden</a> on bibleproject.com)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
If Adam and Eve are priest then the garden where they worked would be a
foreshadow of the Tabernacle which foreshadows the Temple which ultimately
foreshadows Heaven. In each of these locations God is making a way for him to be Emmanuel.</div>
<div></div>
<blockquote>
<div>
The tabernacle, like the garden of Eden, is where God dwells, and various
details of the tabernacle suggest it is a mini-Eden. These parallels
include the east-facing entrance guarded by cherubim, the gold, the tree
of life (lampstand), and the tree of knowledge (the law). Thus God’s
dwelling in the tabernacle was a step toward the restoration of paradise,
which is to be completed in the new heaven and earth.
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
-<a href="https://www.crossway.org/bibles/esv-study-bible-none-case/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ESV Study Bible</a>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div></div>
<div>
<div>
To get us back to God with us, God chose a people, ordinary people with
hurts, habits and hang ups. God called them out from the kingdom of
darkness to be his people, he called them to give up their false gods to
be a kingdom of priest that would represent the true God and make him know
to the rest of the world.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The priest job is most vividly seen in the way that Moses related to God
and his people. Moses was God's representative,
he would speak to God in intercession for the people and he would speak to
the people on God's behalf.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Even with all of the miraculous events that have taken place since they
left Egypt and with God's presence so visible on the mountain in the
wilderness, God's people still turned on him. Israel would disobey God so much
that God would leave the sacred
places where he chose to meet his people and be Emmanuel, God with
us. </div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Jeremiah 7:4 But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety
simply because the LORD’s Temple is here. They chant, “The LORD’s
Temple is here! The LORD’s Temple is here!”
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
Unfortunately the Tabernacle and the temple became a good luck charm.
They thought that they would always have God's presence just because
they had God's house. They became like the pagans by making an idol of
the sacred places and believing that God would always be with them
regardless of their behavior.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God left the temple but he never left his people, he has always been
Emmanuel, God with us for those that truly seek him. We can see that God
was with his people even when they didn't have a physical, sacred place
for corporate worship and even when they were in exile because of their
national sins. We can see that in the lives of people like Daniel, Ezekiel, Esther, and many other
believing exiles.
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">The Son Of God Has Come To Dwell</h4>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div></div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Matthew 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will
give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means
‘God is with us.’”
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
John 1:14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He
was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his
glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
</div>
</blockquote>
<div></div>
</div>
<div>
God's plan to dwell with man has gone to the next level with the
arrival of Jesus. God came to us as a simple man, an average
Jewish baby, grew up in an average Jewish home, he was God yet he was
fully approachable and touchable, God became more with us than man had
ever know before. (John 1:1-4, Romans 1:3-4, Colossians 1:15-17)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
It sounds really exciting to see so many Old Testament prophecies
being fulfilled but most people didn't even take notice. God became touchable and accessible even while the priest were still
working in the temple following the Old Testament rules. They didn't know that they could have Emmanuel if they would have listened to the shepherds.</div><div><br /></div>
<div>Those priest didn't know it yet but they will soon be out of work. After his baptism Jesus priestly ministry began and instead of
working in a temple he went to the people. Jesus priesthood looked
totally different as he did God's work seeking people that needed to
be restored, healing their imperfections and forgiving their sins so
that they could approach God. </div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
(Video:
<a href="https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/royal-priesthood/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Royal Priesthood</a>
on bibleproject.com)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">The New Priest And The New Temple</h4>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
1 John 4:14-15 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes
and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of
the world.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15 </span>All who declare
that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they
live in God.
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
Jesus came to be our High Priest, he is in Heaven interceding for us,
we then have the right to be priest that do God's work and intercede
for others down here. Jesus perfect sacrifice makes us acceptable to
God so that we can become priest that show God to the rest of the
world. (1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 8:1-2)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
And now, thanks to Jesus, we can have Emmanuel, God with us living within us,
you can't get any closer than that. The barrier has been removed
because our sin has been forgiven and we have God's spirit living in
us. The Jews at the Western Wall don't realize that they are closest
to God when they are standing at the wall next to a
believer. (Romans 8:10-11, 1Corinthians 3:16, Galatians 2:20)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
As God's chosen people and his royal priest we can only please God
when we are living by the rules that his priest should obey. We should
be famous for love without boundaries, for turning the other cheek and
treating others much better than we think they deserve. When we do these things we fulfill our role as a royal priest and a peculiar people. (Leviticus
19:16-18, 33-34 / 1 John 3:11-18 / Romans 12:9-21)
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Revelation 21:1-3 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea
was also gone.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>And I saw the
holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven
like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 </span>I heard a loud
shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his
people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God
himself will be with them.
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>Throughout scripture you can see over and over again that
one of the ultimate themes of the Bible is to have a people that chose
him so that he can dwell with them so that their lives will point to him. I need to fulfill my role as a royal priest and live a peculiar life that shows the people around me that I have found the source of all goodness, love and mercy.</div>
<table><tbody><tr>
<th>God Is Looking For A People</th></tr>
<tr><td> <div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+17%3A8%3B+Exodus+6%3A7%2C+29%3A45-46%3B+Leviticus+26%3A11-12%2C+26%3A44-45%3B+Deuteronomy+7%3A6%2C+14%3A2%2C+26%3A17-19%3B+Psalms+144%3A15%3B+Jeremiah+7%3A23%2C+11%3A4%2C+30%3A22%2C+31%3A33%2C+32%3A38%3B+Ezekiel+11%3A20%2C+36%3A28%2C+37%3A27%3B+Hosea+2%3A23%3B+Joel+2%3A26-27%3B+Zechariah+2%3A11%2C+8%3A8%2C+13%3A9%3B+&version=NLT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Old Testament</a>
(biblegateway.com)
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A11%2C+9%3A26%3B+1+Corinthians+3%3A16-17%3B+2+Corinthians+6%3A16%3B+Ephesians+3%3A16-17%3B+Hebrews+8%3A10%3B+1+John+4%3A15%3B+1+Peter+2%3A9-10%3B+Revelation+21%3A3-4%2C+7&version=NLT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New Testament</a> (biblegateway.com)
</li>
</ul>
</div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>History will end just as it started, with God dwelling with his people but this time it will be for eternity. God has created a place where he will be Emmanuel, God with us, without the effects of sin on our relationship with him. We will enjoy the unlimited goodness of God for an unlimited amount of time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Are you ready to leave the bondage of the kingdom of darkness to spend eternity in the promised land? Find out <a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/p/find-peace-with-god.html" target="_blank">how you can have peace with God</a> so that you can dwell with him forever.</div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://discovertheword.org/series/god-with-us-week-1/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">God With Us</a> (discovertheword.org)</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/god-leaves-temple" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">God Leaves the Temple</a> (ligonier.org)
</div><div style="margin-left: 30px;"><a href="https://www.kevinhalloran.net/christmas-bible-verses/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">31 Reasons Why Jesus Came</a> (kevinhalloran.net)</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-60921012780868316062022-12-19T13:56:00.003-05:002022-12-19T13:56:26.071-05:00Noel<h4>
Born is the King of Israel</h4>
<br /><div class="v-wrap"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qDyA9W9CaeQ" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">Video: <a href="https://youtu.be/qDyA9W9CaeQ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Noel (He Is Born) feat. Stanaj</a> - Tommee Profitt</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The first Noel the angel did say</div><div>Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay</div><div>In fields where they lay keeping their sheep</div><div>On a cold winter's night that was so deep</div><div>Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel</div><div>Born is the King of Israel</div><div><br /></div><div>Then let us all with one accord</div><div>Sing praises to our heavenly Lord</div><div>That hath made heav'n and earth of nought</div><div>And with His blood mankind has bought</div><div>Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel</div><div>Born is the King of Israel</div><div><br /></div><div>He is born, He is born</div><div>The Son of God has come to dwell</div><div>The King of Kings, and Lord of Lords</div><div>Emmanuel</div><div>He is Born, He is born</div><div>Hope for all, now go and tell</div><div>He has come to save the world</div><div>We sing Noel</div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-36413119031787606332022-12-08T08:24:00.000-05:002022-12-08T08:24:12.007-05:00The Hope Of Christmas<h4>
You're still the light when the world looks dark and you're still the hope of my heart.
</h4>
<br />
<div class="v-wrap">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/27rMrWqJsNA" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
</div>
Video: Matthew West -
<a href="https://youtu.be/27rMrWqJsNA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Hope of Christmas</a>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Take me back to eight years old <br />The little church on a dead end road <br />With a candle flicker in one hand <br />And dad's hand in the other <br />Take me back to silent night <br />My heart was full and the world was right <br />'Cause right now the world looks nothin' like <br />Those innocent Decembers <br />These days peace on Earth is hard to find <br />And I need you to remind me one more time <br /><br />You're still the hope of Christmas <br />You're still the light when the world looks dark <br />You're still the hope of Christmas <br />And You're still the hope of my heart <br /><br />Watch the snowflakes fallin' down <br />Like a blanket on this town <br />For a moment we can hardly see <br />The pain this year has brought us <br />May the sick find healing's touch <br />May hatred's fight be one with love <br />And may every heart make room for You <br />The one who came to save us <br /><br />'Cause You're still the hope of Christmas <br />You're still the light when the world looks dark <br />You're still the hope of Christmas <br />And You're still the hope of my heart <br />You're the hope of Christmas <br /><br />I bowed my head to pray tonight <br />Felt my little girl by my side <br />She slipped her tiny hand in mine <br />And we both talked to You <br />And it took me back to 8 years old <br />My daddy's hand and a story told <br />About Heaven's love and the manger lo <br />And a promise that's still true <br /><br />You're still the hope of Christmas <br />You're still the light when the world looks dark <br />You're still the hope of Christmas <br />And You're still the hope of my heart
<div>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="left" valign="top">
Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill
you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you
will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy
Spirit.
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table></div></div>Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-33045085775129357502022-10-06T08:58:00.004-04:002022-10-06T08:58:47.553-04:00Broken Promises<h4>Experiencing God's miracles won't guarantee your faithfulness to him.</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1zFuuYzjYEoR7TZY_3zX6HDfJKASJt7qR2sMcGXjiUECFzdm-hqmIgSF0i5Y-py_YK6AwpM4EomAMWCUvD5cch-w7XVlnCDrALxkZ8F-s_agYUNx-VCRUzJklXq421u0uFHQ0GacrB0lx-l7OwQp0B9rD-LrJF_Tj_zkZe1IQDAGUAJsoU18RDAgnw/s425/hope.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="282" data-original-width="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1zFuuYzjYEoR7TZY_3zX6HDfJKASJt7qR2sMcGXjiUECFzdm-hqmIgSF0i5Y-py_YK6AwpM4EomAMWCUvD5cch-w7XVlnCDrALxkZ8F-s_agYUNx-VCRUzJklXq421u0uFHQ0GacrB0lx-l7OwQp0B9rD-LrJF_Tj_zkZe1IQDAGUAJsoU18RDAgnw/s16000/hope.jpg" /></a>
</div>
Exodus 24:1-3 Then the LORD instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and
bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu,
<b>and seventy of Israel’s elders.</b> All of you must worship from a
distance. <span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>Only Moses is allowed
to come near to the LORD. The others must not come near, and none of the
other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 </span>Then Moses went down to the
people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the LORD had
given him.
<b>All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the LORD
has commanded.”</b>
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Exodus 24:9-11 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of
Israel climbed up the mountain.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">10 </span>There they saw the God of
Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis
lazuli, as clear as the sky itself.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">11 </span><b>And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy
them.</b>
In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Exodus 32:1-6 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back
down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make
us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to
<b>this fellow Moses, who brought us here</b> from the land of Egypt.”
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 </span>So Aaron said, “Take the gold
rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to
me.” <span style="font-size: x-small;">3 </span>All the people took the gold
rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4 </span>Then Aaron took the gold, melted
it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it,
they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the
land of Egypt!”
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">5 </span>Aaron saw how excited the people
were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced,
“Tomorrow will be a festival to the LORD!”
<span style="font-size: x-small;">6 </span>The people got up early the next
morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they
celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#E9E9E9" size="1" width="100%;" />
In my study of the
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/search/label/Book%20of%20Genesis?updated-max=2020-06-29T08:00:00-04:00&max-results=20&start=15&by-date=false" target="_blank">book of Genesis</a>
and
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/search/label/Book%20of%20Exodus" target="_blank">Exodus</a>
it has been so clear that God loves us and wants to restore our relationship
with him to the intimate relationship that we had before sin came between us and
him. God gave us a choice in the garden to let him define good and evil or eat
from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil so that we can make
our own rules.
<div><br /></div>
<div>
From the beginning of time we have proof that it is difficult for man to trust
God's wisdom and consistently make good choices on our own. The Bible shows us
that our problem is the same as it was back then. When we take control and
decide good and evil the results are always more evil. (Genesis 6:5,
Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 12:2)
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and even Moses all made poor choices
despite the close, intimate relationship with God. You may think
that you would be more consistent and behave so much better than they did
in the Bible but history has proven that no matter how much we learn about
God we will still have a problem trusting him and treating him as well as
he deserves.
</div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div><b>God's people in Exodus have experienced him:</b></div>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
Bring disaster on Egypt by the plagues and they saw him save his
people by
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/01/saved-by-passover-lamb.html" target="_blank">the Passover lamb</a>. (Exodus 12)
</li>
<li>
The Egyptians demand that they leave and they give them their wealth
to take with them. (Exodus 12:31-42)
</li>
<li>
Manifestation of God that went before them to lead the way. (Exodus
13:21-22)
</li>
<li>
The crossing of the Red Sea and the drowning of their
enemies. (Exodus 14)
</li>
<li>
Work miracles in the wilderness to teach them to trust him for their
necessities. (Exodus 15-17)
</li>
<li>
Defeat the army of Amalek (Exodus
17:8-16)
</li>
<li>
Moses father in law declares that God alone saved his people from
Egypt. (Exodus 18:9-11)
</li>
<li>
God has taught them that
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/05/redeemed-and-learning-about-holiness.html" target="_blank">he is holy</a>, he is the only God and he must be worshiped properly. (Exodus
19-20)
</li>
<li>
God's chosen people have been
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2021/08/ten-commandments.html" target="_blank">redeemed to live a new way</a>. (Exodus 20-23)
</li>
<li>A new covenant with God is established. (Exodus 24-31)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<div>Such amazing experiences with God made them so sure that
they could be committed to him and fully trust him. They agree to God's terms and Israel's leaders meet with God and even
eat a meal in his presence to ratify the new covenant before Moses is
called to climb the mountain higher to meet with God for 40 days.
(Exodus 24:7-18)</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God's people needed less than 40 days to go back to the way of worship
they learned from the Egyptians. They didn't forget about God but they
wanted to remember the gods of Egypt and worship the way their evil
neighbors did despite how God had just finished judging them. The
blessings of God became a curse to the people, they took the gold from
Egypt and created an idol, they seem to want God but they also want to
have their idols too. (Exodus 14:1-4, 15:1-21)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God's purpose to make his people a priestly kingdom and a holy nation
that would be a witness for him to our dark world is difficult to
imagine. So far in the first two books of the Bible, God has been true
to his word despite the broken promises of his people.
</div>
<div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
At this point they are still at Sinai, God's glory has been obvious
for all to see, if they can't be true to him here just imagine what
happens when they start moving forward to the promised land.
(Numbers 11:1,10, 12:1-9, 14:1-2, 16:1-3, 20:1-3, 21:4-5)
</div>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Deuteronomy 8:2,10-11 <b>Remember</b> how the LORD your God
led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling
you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out
whether or not you would obey his commands.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">10 </span>When you have
eaten your fill, be sure to praise the LORD your God for the
good land he has given you.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">11 </span>“But that is the
time to <b>be careful! Beware</b> that in your plenty you do
not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands,
regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today.
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<div>
The new generation of God's people will be reminded of the
reason why their parents did not receive the Promised Land. This new generation of God's people will need to guard their hearts even after the amazing miracles they will experience.</div><div><br /></div><div>Everyone throughout the ages must decide for themselves. We are not forced to do what God wants, you cannot force love, there must be the freedom to chose God in order to truly love him. Man had to be a creature with a genuine will of his own. Otherwise, there could be no such thing as relationship or love. The possibility of love between man and God springs directly out of man’s freedom to choose.</div><div><br /></div><div>We must guard our hearts so that we will make the right decision. Humbly digging into God's word everyday is the best way to guard your heart so that you will become more faithful to your promises to love and obey him. (Deuteronomy 11:26, 30:15 Psalms 119:30, 111, 173)</div>
<div>
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Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-41593594480089701482022-09-03T06:10:00.001-04:002022-09-03T06:10:58.889-04:00No Greater Neighbor<h4>God's people should be the greatest neighbor ever.</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52owVWrjrLsqliwXZduONiibBDNj3fJZX-J-3RnfQPQU2d6_Oqe6fOjT1a5i4lSpVJ1-FoTeF3BSM_qVZnikGTGhZ9LMSBBLo_k0o2ZBsNKf8mv9PD8p9fxNoTBSkFbM6w9VeJZIsk1pbU-35pQ1ajA2GBQXROepkjkK_Fw4xPit_Agm5E1xsQA6yGA/s952/Home-Improvement-Wilson-Facts-Full-Name.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="952" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj52owVWrjrLsqliwXZduONiibBDNj3fJZX-J-3RnfQPQU2d6_Oqe6fOjT1a5i4lSpVJ1-FoTeF3BSM_qVZnikGTGhZ9LMSBBLo_k0o2ZBsNKf8mv9PD8p9fxNoTBSkFbM6w9VeJZIsk1pbU-35pQ1ajA2GBQXROepkjkK_Fw4xPit_Agm5E1xsQA6yGA/w400-h240/Home-Improvement-Wilson-Facts-Full-Name.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</div>
Exodus 20:12-17 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a
long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">13</span> “You must not
murder. <span style="font-size: x-small;">14</span> “You must
not commit adultery.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">15 </span>“You must not steal.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">16 </span>“You must not testify
falsely against your neighbor.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">17 </span>“You must not covet your
neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female
servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your
neighbor.”
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#E9E9E9" size="1" width="100%;" />
<div>
The Ten Commandments begin with the most important rules, the rules that teach us about to relate to God properly. There may be many "gods" in this world but there is
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/07/no-other-god.html" style="outline-width: 0px; user-select: auto;" target="_blank">no other God</a>, he deserves our love and we
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2022/08/no-greater-rest.html" target="_blank">need to slow down</a>
and spend time with him.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Our ultimate love and the greatest desire of our heart should be for God but it is such a great challenge because the world has so many other loves and so many other places to put our trust.
We fall for the lie that we can use people and stuff to give us the security and fulfillment that can only be found in God.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
After the Ten Commandments teach us about our relationship with God it moves
on to our relationship with the people around us. All of us are tempted
constantly to look out for ourselves at any cost but the Bible clearly shows
us that God wants his people to live a different way.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God expects us to be like him especially in the way that we love and care for other
people. God is giving these rules to his people that he just rescued from slavery and saved them from the greatest military of the day. He has proved his love for them and he expects them to live the same.</div><div><br /></div><div>Obeying these six commands about our relationship with the people
around us will help us live at peace and it will show the world that there is
a better way to live.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">The Ten Commandments Simplified</h3>
<blockquote>
<div>
Mark 12:29-31 Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this:
‘Listen, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only LORD. <span style="font-size: x-small;">30</span> And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your
soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ <span style="font-size: x-small;">31</span> The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No
other commandment is greater than these.”
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>Jesus taught us the spirit of the law when he answered the question about the greatest of all of the commandments. Love your Savior and your neighbor is all that it takes to fulfill all of the laws.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
The parable of the good Samaritan is a great example of how we need to
<a href="https://diggingtheword.blogspot.com/2011/11/choose-to-be-generous.html" target="_blank">choose to be generous</a>
to everyone. Jesus taught us that we need to go out of our way and become inconvenienced to be kind to others. Jesus didn't give us a limited space to show his love to others,
he broadened the definition of a neighbor to anybody you come into contact
with.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
The New Testament has so much to say about how we treat people:
</h3>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Love One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I
have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people
will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
(John 13:34-35)
</li>
<li>
“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
(John 15:12)
</li>
<li>
“These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” (John
15:17)
</li>
<li>“Love one another with brotherly affection.” (Romans 12:10)</li>
<li>
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves
another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)
</li>
<li>
“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another
and for all, as we do for you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12)
</li>
<li>
“Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to
you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for
that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout
Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more.” (1
Thessalonians 4:9-10)
</li>
<li>
“Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere
brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart.” (1 Peter
1:22)
</li>
<li>
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a
multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
</li>
<li>
“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we
should love one another.” (1 John 3:11)
</li>
<li>
“And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son
Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.” (1 John
3:23)
</li>
<li>
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever
loves has been born of God and knows God.” (1 John 4:7)
</li>
<li>
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one
has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love
is perfected in us.” (1 John 4:11-12)
</li>
<li>
“And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new
commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one
another.” (2 John 1:5)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Honor One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>“Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10b)</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Greet One Another</h4>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet
you.” (Romans 16:16)
</li>
<li>
“All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy
kiss.” (1 Corinthians 16:20)
</li>
<li>“Greet one another with a holy kiss.” (2 Corinthians 13:12)</li>
<li>
“Greet one another with the kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in
Christ.” (1 Peter 5:14)
</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Welcome One Another</h4>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory
of God.” (Romans 15:7)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Show Hospitality To One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9)
</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Have Fellowship With One Another</h4>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all
sin.” (1 John 1:7)
</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Agree With One Another</h4>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“…agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace
will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11b)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Live In Harmony With One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with
the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” (Romans 12:16)
</li>
<li>
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such
harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus.” (Romans 15:5)
</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Be At Peace With One Another</h4>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make
it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one
another.” (Mark 9:50)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Be Kind To One Another</h4>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted…” (Ephesians 4:32a)</li>
</ul>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Forgive One Another</h4>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“…forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians
4:32b)
</li>
<li>
“…and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as
the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3:13b)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Bear With One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one
another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond
of peace.” (Ephesians 4:2-3)
</li>
<li>“Bearing with one another…” (Colossians 3:13a)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Bear One Another’s Burdens</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
(Galatians 6:2)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Comfort One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another…”
(2 Corinthians 13:11)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Care For One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“That there may be no division in the body, but that the members may
have the same care for one another.” (1 Corinthians 12:25)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Confess Sins To One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>“Therefore, confess your sins to one another…” (James 5:16)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Pray For One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“…and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a
righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Encourage One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians
4:18)
</li>
<li>“Therefore encourage one another…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11a)</li>
<li>
“Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but
encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing
near.” (Hebrews 10:25)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Build One Another Up</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“…and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians
5:11)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Exhort One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that
none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Instruct One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are
full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one
another.” (Romans 15:14)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Teach And Admonish One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing
one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,
with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” (Colossians 3:16)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Sing With One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” (Ephesians 5:19)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Stir Up One Another To Love And Good Works</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.”
(Hebrews 10:24)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Do Good To One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good
to one another and to everyone.” (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Serve One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom
as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
(Galatians 5:13)
</li>
<li>
“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good
stewards of God's varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Wash One Another’s Feet</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought
to wash one another's feet.” (John 13:14)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Wait For One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one
another.” (1 Corinthians 11:33)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Be Humble Toward One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe
yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God
opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” (1 Peter 5:5)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Submit To One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians
5:21)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Speak The Truth To One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the
truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” (Ephesians
4:25)
</li>
<li>
“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self
with its practices.” (Colossians 3:9)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Do Not Speak Against One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks
against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and
judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law
but a judge.” (James 4:11)
</li>
<li>
“Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be
judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.” (James 5:9)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Do Not Judge One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but
rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of
a brother.” (Romans 14:13)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Do Not Provoke One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>
“Let us not become conceited, provoking one another…” (Galatians 5:26)
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">Do Not Envy One Another</h4>
<div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>“…envying one another.” (Galatians 5:26)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
If you think the Ten Commandments don't apply to you, that's fine, but look
at how clearly the New Testament makes the case for behaving way above the
world's standards. Too bad the world can't see our Jesus because we have
failed to live like Jesus by living extremely loving lives. (John 13:35)
</div><div><br /></div><div>What a huge difference we could make in the world if Jesus followers actually followed. We fail to give up our pride and selfishness and take on grace, compassion, service and forgiveness even though Jesus makes it so clear.</div>
</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6074324091172615421.post-35288100303366578502022-08-30T08:28:00.001-04:002022-09-01T06:52:35.443-04:00No Greater Rest<h4>Sabbath rest was just a glimpse of something better that is on the way.</h4>
<br />
<div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21swy4xX04gBxP3ectEOTlF6RlLv808qQ-ctSHbp9v806OuO0p7PQ2enhMMpKqyRlrUiAT4WAaA7Nq9LTTR8ittmed4Xa_zqVT-YpyKBe9aaSK_Cs8lLxZq1V6Z-ojsM98QONHtQ33G-LeJxnjBN38e6ybho2Qz1ZgLqj3g2ulpR4Hu4leDS2vhL7eg/s900/rest-day_drink-coffee_bp-2%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21swy4xX04gBxP3ectEOTlF6RlLv808qQ-ctSHbp9v806OuO0p7PQ2enhMMpKqyRlrUiAT4WAaA7Nq9LTTR8ittmed4Xa_zqVT-YpyKBe9aaSK_Cs8lLxZq1V6Z-ojsM98QONHtQ33G-LeJxnjBN38e6ybho2Qz1ZgLqj3g2ulpR4Hu4leDS2vhL7eg/s16000/rest-day_drink-coffee_bp-2%20(1).jpg" /></a>
</div>
<div>
Exodus 20:8-11 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it
holy. <span style="font-size: x-small;">9 </span>You have six
days each week for your ordinary work,
<span style="font-size: x-small;">10</span> but the seventh day is a
Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in
your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and
daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any
foreigners living among you.
</div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">11</span> For in six days the LORD
made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the
seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set
it apart as holy.
</div>
</div>
<hr align="center" color="#E9E9E9" size="1" width="100%;" />
<div>
<div>
<div>
Just about all of us are running on empty and would love to have some time
to rest but it seems like none of us are willing to make rest a priority.
It seems like it should be an easy command to obey but for most of us
resting is the hardest thing to do.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>In the beginning God put us in a perfect place of rest in the Garden of Eden but instead of
resting in our relationship with him we decided to take Satan's advice. We
preferred to put our trust in our own efforts rather than trusting God but
instead of improving and becoming a better version of humanity or becoming
gods we became much less than we were. As a result we gave up our place of
perfect rest in the garden. The Bible is the story of God making a way for
us to get back to our rest that can only be found in his presence.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God promised Abraham that his descendants would live in a place of rest
some day, the Promised Land was a place where they would live under God's
blessing, but hundreds of years went by as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all
passed away waiting for God's timing.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
God finally brought his people out of slavery to the kingdom of darkness
where they never had any rest. On their way to the land where they should find rest in the land of plenty they sing this song of praise to God after he saved
them from Pharaoh:</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
God Brought Them Out So He Could Bring Them In
</h4>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Exodus 15:13,17-18 “With your <b>unfailing love</b> you lead the
people you have <b>redeemed.</b> In your might, you guide them
<b>to your sacred home.</b>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> 17 </span><b>You will bring them in</b> and plant them on your own mountain—
the place, O LORD, reserved for your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O
Lord, that your hands have established.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">18 </span>The LORD will reign
forever and ever!”
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
Don't forget that God's children are singing this song out in the
wilderness on the shore of the Red Sea. They are celebrating a
miraculous victory over Egypt where they were forced to labor but they
were nowhere close to the place of rest that God has promised.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
They were brought out of the kingdom of darkness and guided to the place
where they can reside in God's presence even though they were still standing in the wilderness. What a beautiful picture of the
ultimate fulfillment of this reality in the future when God's people
will find the perfect rest that we lost in the garden.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Until we get there we need to wrestle with the desire to do everything
for ourselves. God's power at work in us and our willingness to rely on
him is the way to a peaceful, satisfying life. But most of us see God's word as a bunch of to do list and rule keeping that
looks nothing like rest. </div><div><br /></div><div>Finding rest seems just as impossible as it
must have sounded to the former slaves that Moses led out of Egypt. For
hundreds of years they were under the threat of losing their lives if
they did not work and now God is telling them that their future depends
on their ability to rest in him.</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">What Is Work? </h4>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
It's not a bad question to ask but when you look to man for the answer
instead of God you end of with the wrong answer. In their passion to avoid
work God's people kept adding to the list of things to avoid doing to the
point that the Sabbath became a burden instead of a blessing.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.israeltoday.co.il/read/silly-rabbinical-rules-and-the-true-meaning-of-torah/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Silly Rabbinical Rules and the True Meaning of Torah</a>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
When man adds to God's rules it is usually done with bias and it is done
to have control over others. The largest organized religions in the world
are famous for adding church rules and traditions on top of the Bible. We
have to be careful when we add to the intended purpose of God's rules.
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">To not work is just the beginning</h4>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Isaiah 58:13-14 Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your
own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it
with delight as the LORD’s holy day. Honor the Sabbath in everything
you do on that day, and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">14 </span>Then the LORD will be
your delight. I will give you great honor and satisfy you with the
inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob. I, the LORD, have
spoken!”
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
God centered rest was taught by the prophets in the Old Testament over
and over again. God made it so clear that they were doing it wrong, how
to do it right and showed them the great benefits for doing it correctly. (Isaiah
56:1-8, Isaiah 58:13-14, Jeremiah 17:21-27, Ezekiel 20:12-26; 22:8, 16,
26, Nehemiah 10:28-31; 13:15-22)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Part of their problem was they were not living to please God the other
six days of the week so it would be impossible to be genuine in their
observance of the Sabbath.
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote>
<div>
Micah 6:3,8 “O my people, what have I done to you? What have I
done to make you tired of me? Answer me!
<span style="font-size: x-small;">8 </span>O people, the LORD has
told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do
what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
The unnecessary burdens that the religious leaders placed on the
people probably contributed to their tendency to be unfaithful to God
and create less demanding gods. The pleasant demand to rest had been
replaced with a strict application of the law that was a weapon to
control people. (Deuteronomy 10:12, Matthew 23:4, Acts 15:10)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Then comes Jesus, the religious leaders didn't have any idea how to handle someone
that seemed to intentionally break their rules, imagine telling Jesus how to obey the Sabbath. It seems that Jesus took the time
to break man's Sabbath rules in order to teach them the real Sabbath
rules.
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.gotquestions.org/did-Jesus-break-the-Sabbath-law.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Did Jesus Break The Sabbath Law?</a>
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">The True Sabbath Rest </h4>
<div>
<div>
<blockquote>
Matthew 11:28-29 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are
weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
<span style="font-size: x-small;">29 </span>Take my yoke upon you.
Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you
will find rest for your souls.
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div>
Jesus must have felt incredibly misunderstood as he saw the unnecessary
burdens that the religious leaders placed on the people. As the people
tried to do what was right, their religious leaders only had bad news
for them, no matter how hard they tried they were told they were doing
it wrong. (Isaiah 58:1-14, Matthew 23:1-39)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Jesus offers us a better opportunity than the law could ever do,
instead of resting for a day Jesus
offers us a daily rest in him. Only Jesus can release us from the
bondage of sin to receive true rest. We can lay down the burden that
our conscious puts on us as we feel the weight of our sin. We can lay
down the burden of trying to be good enough to be loved.
</div>
</div>
<div>
<blockquote>
God's purpose for us on the sabbath is that we experience the highest
and most intense joy that can be experienced, namely, that we "take
delight in the Lord." And yet what he finds again and again is
professing Christians who prefer little human-sized pleasures from
things that have no close relation to God at all.
<div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/remember-the-sabbath-day-to-keep-it-holy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Piper</a></div></blockquote>
<div>
We can work as hard as we want everyday of the week but if we will acknowledge that every good thing that we have comes from God's blessing on our lives then we can give up our slavery to our own strength and stamina. We can rest from our labor and trust God that he will provide for tomorrow just as he did today. (Exodus 16:16-26)</div><div><br /></div><div>The greatest rest that we need can be found only in Jesus. We
celebrate the rest that only his work on the cross could make
possible, peace <b>with</b> God and the peace <b>of </b>God is available without an
effort on our part. (Ephesian 2:8-9, Romans 5:1, Philippians 4:6-8,
Revelation 14:13)
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
<div>
How can a true believer that understands the incredible gift that
Jesus has given them fail to rejoice at the beginning of the week for a day focused on celebrating
this glorious fact?
</div>
</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div>
Let's focus on delighting in God as we
look forward to the day when we reach our final and ultimate Sabbath
rest for eternity in his presence.
</div>
<h5>RELATED ARTICLES</h5>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.baylor.edu/ifl/christianreflection/sabbatharticlecapes.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Eighth Day</a>
(baylor.edu)
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://bible.org/seriespage/sabbath-apostolic-preaching-and-practice#P1865_695198" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sabbath in Apostolic Preaching and Practice</a>
(bible.org)
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 30px;">
<a href="https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/remember-the-sabbath-day-to-keep-it-holy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep It Holy</a>
(desiringgod.org)
</div>
</div>
</div>
Rick Morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09051137966364631813noreply@blogger.com