Find the Messiah in Leviticus 11-25-2016

Finding the Messiah in Leviticus Friday 11-25

Leviticus 11:29-47 Festival of Trumpets

In Exodus chapters 19 and 20 we read the account of God’s appearance on Mount Sinai and the initial giving of the Ten Commandments. Exodus 19:5 depicts God inviting the children of Israel into a covenant: the Mosaic Covenant. In a spectacular revelation, God manifested His presence in the smoke and fire on Mount Sinai—as He came to covenant with His people amidst the sound of a trumpet that caused the people to tremble. They promised to do everything that the Lord commanded.

This cataclysmic event was to be stamped indelibly upon the memory of the people of Israel. Every year, at the Feast of Trumpets, those same-sounding trumpet blasts reminded Israel that they were a people under covenant; a nation who had accepted the responsibilities of being God’s people. By doing so, the nation also prepared herself for the Day of Atonement, eight days later, when they would repent and find atonement for all they had done to break this covenant.

I believe that the truest fulfillment of this festival is Jesus’ offer of the New Covenant to all who would receive it. “‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you'” (Luke 22:20b).

We who have accepted the New Covenant remember this fact every time we take communion. The bread and the cup remind us of the cataclysmic events of the Lord’s death and resurrection. They remind us of our responsibilities in being New Covenant-people. We repent and show remorse for our sin in falling short of this high and holy calling. Through faith in the shed blood of Jesus, we receive the full and final atonement provided by the New Covenant.  https://jewsforjesus.org/newsletter-sep-2000/the-feast-of-trumpets

Happy Thanksgiving!

Finding the Messiah in Leviticus

Happy Thanksgiving Thursday 11-24

Leviticus 11:9-28

Festival of weeks

Festival of weeks It was in essence similar to our Thanksgiving Day which celebrates the end of the harvest. But now imagine that instead of having Christmas a month after Thanksgiving, we had another Thanksgiving Day to thank God for the abundance that the harvest brings.  The whole time would be focused on giving thanks to God.  That is what happening here only the time frame is 50 days instead of 30 days.  This feast was a great celebration of how God had provided an abundant harvest for the people once again.

But there is another aspect in Jewish history that is often overlooked when it comes to this feast.  Exodus 19:1 states that the giving of the Law at Sinai began in the third month after Passover and so later Jewish tradition related this feast to the giving of the Law at Sinai.  Thus later on during the Feast of Weeks at the time of Jesus, the synagogue prayers would refer to this feast as “the time of the giving of our law.”  The Passover and Pentecost were linked then as salvation and gratitude in the people’s lives.  They recognized that while God saved them from Egypt, without obedience to the law it meant nothing.

Today, thank God for the abundance you have. Thank God for all the people who have brought God’s word to you life.


Finding the Messiah in Leviticus November 23

Wednesday 11-23
Finding the Messiah in Leviticus 10:16-11:8
First Fruits
“Jesus is the First Fruits of the barley harvest.  He is:
•          the firstborn of Mary (Mat 1:23-25)
•          the first-begotten of God the Father (Heb 1:6)
•          the firstborn of every creature (Col 1:15)
•          the first-begotten from the dead (Rev 1:5)
•          the firstborn of many brethren (Rom 8:29)
•          the first fruits of the resurrected ones (1 Cor 15:20,23)
•          the beginning of the creation of God (Rev 3:14)
•          the preeminent one (Col 1:18)

Take extra time to thank God for the first Jesus signifies.

Finding the Messiah in Leviticus 11-22-2016

Finding the Messiah in Leviticus. Tuesday 11-22

Leviticus 10:1-15 Unleavened Bread

The Festival of Unleavened Bread reminded Israel of their escape from Egypt. For seven days they ate unleavened bread, just as they had eaten it back then (Exodus 12:14-15). The symbolism of this bread made without yeast was important to the Israelites. First, because the bread was unique, it illustrated Israel’s uniqueness as a nation. Second, because yeast was a symbol of sin, the yeast-less bread represented Israel’s moral purity. Third, the baking method reminded them to obey quickly. Their ancestors left the yeast out of their dough so they could leave Egypt quickly without waiting for the dough to rise.

Tyndale (2012-02-17). Life Application Study Bible NIV (Kindle Locations 161334-161338). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Thank God for how he has made and gifted you uniquely. Thank God for the moral purity we have in Christ. Pray for God to teach and strengthen you to obey quicker.

Finding the Messiah in Leviticus, November 21 2016

Finding the Messiah in Leviticus, Monday 11-21

Leviticus 9:8-9:24

Sabbath

“The first of the feasts is the weekly Sabbath, a day for complete rest for all Israel.  The word Sabbath (Hebrew shabbat) means cease (hence rest) and derives from the concept of a celebration of creation, remembering that God rested from his creative works on the seventh day (Gen 2:1-3, ).  Shabbat thus became the official name for the 7th day of the week.”

The purpose of the Sabbath rest here was to reinforce the fact that God is taking care of them.  God had provided for them and so they could take a break from their work.  The Sabbath highlighted for them that same fact: God will provide and they could rest in God’s provision.  We too can rest in God and not weigh ourselves down trying to provide for ourselves.

In January 1999, the North Atlantic commercial fishing industry saw a deadly string of accidents. In a 13-day span, the Cape Fear, the Adriatic, and the Beth Dee Bob were all lost at sea off the coast of New Jersey. In all, 10 men died, five never to be found.  Investigations revealed the following facts about the three separate tragedies:  None involved a hull breach.  All three ships were piloted by veteran captains with 10 years or more in the wheelhouse. All three ships were near the end of their journey, less than 15 miles from home.  So what happened? Two of the three ships were carrying too much weight, and one was carrying its weight improperly. The Cape Fear and the Adriatic each had 10-15 tons of excess weight and the heavy seas overwhelmed them.

When we go all out without resting, we become like these ships and we carry too much on our shoulders because we think we have to do more and more.  Sabbath means that we can rest securely as we trust fully that God will provide for us no matter what we may have to endure; God has us securely.

When we fail to observe God’s rhythm of rest, we become either overloaded or improperly weighted. And we may fail to make our heavenly port. John Turner. “Lessons from Leviticus.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/9oBi1.l

Obedience

Finding the Messiah in Leviticus Sunday 11-20
Leviticus 8:30-9:7

So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses. Leviticus 8:36

Considering the many detailed lists of Leviticus, that was a remarkable feat. They knew what God wanted, how he wanted it done, and with what attitude it was to be carried out. This can serve as a model for how carefully we ought to obey God. God wants us to be thoroughly holy people, not a rough approximation of the way his followers should be.