Leviticus is where many daily Bible reading New Year’s resolutions go to die! Not only does Leviticus come at a bad time (a month and a half into the New Year when we start getting sloppy), but it can be some pretty tough sledding. And today we begin Leviticus in our church daily Bible reading program. And I’ve already learned something new!
In Leviticus 1:16, the priest prepares birds as a sacrifice by removing its head, draining its blood, and tearing it half partially at the wings. And he is also removed the “crop.” Not only had I never noticed that before, I wasn’t sure what that a "crop" was. (I knew you planted them and that is what I do with pictures before I put them in the bulletin). The “crop” is a pouch in a bird’s digestive track that holds food before it goes into the stomach. The Message uses the word “gizzard,” but that is a different structure altogether (it comes after the stomach). The lexicon suggests “crop” as the primary meaning of the Hebrew word (“murah”) used here, but it also suggests that another possible meaning was “the alimentary canal, i.e. the entire tubular digestive canal from the mouth to the anus.”
What these opening chapters are going to stress is that the OT sacrificial system is very detailed and precise. All of the purposes, procedures and process of these various offering are laid out in great detail. When one went to the Tabernacle to offer a sacrifice, one did not have to wonder about how that sacrifice was to be offered.
Is there a point here for us? What is striking about New Testament worship is how much detail is missing. We have no real descriptions or examples of how New Testament worship services were conducted. Were they liturgical, spontaneous, high church, low church, etc? The few hints that we have, we don’t really try to emulate exactly—we may see a pattern in Acts 20:7 in breaking bread (which we assume is communion), but we generally don’t see a pattern in midnight sermons! We know the early Christians sang and prayed and ate communion, but we have nothing like the detail that is given in Leviticus. So we too often SUPPLY the details and bind them on others.
The fact that God was so detailed and specific in Old Testament worship and so not in the New Testament is likely a much more dramatic point than we have previously admitted.
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Leviticus Effect
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4 comments:
I have been reading Leviticus and I would like to discus it. The instructions given by the Lord to his children at that time concerning cleanliness in daily life and spiritual cleanliness, sin and a need for holiness of those who were the mediators between the people and God were specific. Even the fire used was a holy fire and no other fire was to be offered. When it was, the results were that the Lord not pleased, it was evident, that He was not pleased with those who brought the unholy fire. The Lord withdrew his favor from those people who willfully disobeyed Him but the Lord of heaven and earth always loved His people and wanted to be close to them as they drew closer to Him.
The old testament prepared and predicted the fulfillment of itself. It also prepared the way for what was to come; it is that opportunity for all people to know and receive the salvation that could only come from the lamb of God. There is today no need for further sacrifices for the cleansing of His people. That which was not sufficient to cleanse the sins of man and woman is not to be practiced today. We are to be baptized and washed in his holy blood continuously cleansed by that which was shed for all mankind once and for all (how awesome is that? That we can be free of sin!) When we keep that at our forethought we will do what is right and pleasing to our Heavenly father.
His kingdom it has come and the will of our heavenly father it must be and will done through His Holy One and it will be on earth as it is in Heaven. When God’s people live a Holy life they look to Him the author of all who wants His people to be Holy. God sees and hears His children with clean faces and hands. He has provided a way for all who will enter in through that narrow way that is His gift to the world. It is so easy that even small children know it and obey. The Lords voice as He tells us to love, encourage one another (withdraw from darkness) enter into His lighted way. Build up and do not tear down those who are His church. They act in the name of love which carries all authority and will not allow itself to be blasphemed.
One thing I am sure of, the Blood of Christ is all sufficient, it is all we need for our spiritual cleansing and that those who are obey Him are in Him and are His body, men and women. Those that Christ broke bread with were told “this do in remembrance of me” they were also told that they would not eat and drink again with their savior until they do so inn his fathers place (Heaven) and He does not lie. He will be there and the spirit that is of Him is the overlap (if you will) between us and the Heavenly Father we can have communication with our Lord and that communication is conditional.
There is no need to sacrifice anything birds and such. It is our bodies that we are to offer as a living sacrifice. We are bought salvation has come down and our soul is safe when we remain under his wing.
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