Week 5 Exodus 33:1 to Leviticus 12:1
Ex 33:16 Are we different from the rest of the world? Have we found favor in His sight? Does God go with us?
Ex 33:20 No one can see God’s face and live, yet Moses spoke with God face to face? (Ex 33:11) Moses also had glowing skin at times. (Ex 34:29) Perhaps there are degrees of revelation of His presence / glory.
Ex 36:1-7 God provided what was needed for the task at hand in both skill and materials. If He gives us an assignment, we should be confident that He will provide as needed.
Lev 3:17 No eating of fat or blood perpetual command. This will come into play later when Yeshua / Jesus says to eat His flesh and drink His blood, causing many to walk away.
Lev 6:13 Fire must be kept on the alter continually and not go out… This may seem an obvious point but I highly doubt that this included when they packed up and moved. My point is that commands should not override all circumstances and that all things need to be taken under consideration.
There is a lot of detail and specific requirements for the temple service and offerings. How was all of this kept straight? The ceremonies and ordinances of the temple service and ordinations are very foreign. If given in another context, I might mistake it for pagan rituals. What can we learn from all of this?
Lev 9:24 Fire came down and consumed the burnt offering. Did this happen on a regular basis? This is an unmistakable “stamp of approval”.
Next Reading: Week 6 Leviticus 12:1 to Numbers 1:1
This weeks' Bible reading was quite the journey for me. So many things went on in my feelings & in my heart. So many things I thought about, agonized over, and prayed over weeping. It was a definite journey, hopefully into a greater understanding of who Yahweh (yes this was one of those journeys of understanding) truly is and how He wants us to serve and follow Him. Here are a few notes from my journal:
ReplyDeleteEx 34:5 "God came down & stood with Moses and proclaimed His name, The Lord or as the Hebrew says: Yahweh."
I looked up this Hebraic name and its meaning, and have come to understand the deeper, intimacy of who God is revealing Himself to Moses, and to His people as. Yhwh is best summarized as "Present to act" (usually, but not only) in salvation. "Being present", "Presence", God is with, He is near & among His people. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance, forgiveness & guidance. Involved in human struggle, forever tied with salvation & liberation. Promise of intimacy with Him and access to His abundant blessings.
After reading this I realize that God wants to be known more intimately than the English name for Him defines Him as. He wants to be more than God, He wants to be Everything! Just as I want to be known more than as just Kathy, but known as His child, His beloved. My terminology may take some time in changing when referring to Him, but my heart is embracing the fullness of who He truly is daily.
Ex 34:12 & 15 "Be careful not to make a treaty with..."
I looked up what making a treaty with someone entails. It is the equivalent of being yoked to them. Agreeing to walk in unity with them. Allowing them to be sovereign over you. In bondage to, a slave of. All things that oppose the treaty/covenant that Yahweh has made with us, when we chose to accept His Son as our atoning sacrifice, and become His. Yahweh warns us to be careful. Which means there is an unseen danger that I'm not aware of, that I'm not conscious of, and that I don't realize is there, and I need to heed His warning. Stop, Listen & let Him lead. What may seem like a harmless acceptance of on my part, may mean more than I realize spiritually. "Be as wise as a serpent, but as gentle as a dove." Here is a link to a very insightful article about this Scripture that I just quoted. http://www.bible.ca/ef/expository-matthew-10-16.htm
Lev Chapters 4-7: Unintentional sins. The person was still considered guilty & required a burnt sacrificial offering when made aware of the sin to be forgiven & cleansed.
This seems harsh, how could a person go one day without having a burnt sacrificial offering made on behalf of them? We are so blind to things in our own life, so ignorant, and so unintentional with our sins most of the time. Thanks be to Yahweh for the gift of His Son, who became my sin offering, once and for all. As I acknowledge His sovereignty over my life every morning, on the altar of submissive consecration, and yield to the purifying work of the Holy Spirit, I am made holy & acceptable to Him, and can be in His presence without fear of death. Yea!
(The above continued as I write too much for one comment submission.)
ReplyDeleteWhen I woke up this morning, before reading my devotions & the assigned Bible readings in Leviticus, I was overwhelmed with how unable I am to follow all of God's laws & regulations, how imperfect I am, how difficult it is to do everything in accordance with His guidelines. Following all those rules seems impossible, and it scares me. I cried out in frustration, like Paul did in Romans 7:24:"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?" I wept and then I picked up my Bible reading the devotional for today out of James chapter 4. How timely, how needed, how powerful! I then wept out of relief & humble appreciation, so, so thankful for Yahweh's presence in my life. The difference was in His name, impersonal to personal!
My study Bible had this small commentary in regards to Leviticus, on the page Chapter 11 was: "The rules of Leviticus tell how to avoid uncleanness. Contact with Jesus however changes the uncleanness to clean."
It is all about relationship!
Thank you so much for sharing your heartfelt comments! It is a blessing to read.
DeleteThe HCSB version I am reading does print Yahweh in select places. This is quoted from their introduction: "Yahweh is used more often in the HCSB than in most Bible translations because the word Lord in English is a title of God and does not accurately convey to modern readers the emphasis on God's personal name in the original Hebrew."