February 19th, Leviticus 11-13: Kosher and uncleanliness

Leviticus 11 contains the definition of kosher.

Leviticus 11:3 says:
3 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.

From the water, the Israelites could eat anything with fins and scales. Locusts, katydids, crickets, and grasshoppers made the kosher list. They had to be careful not to touch the carcasses of such animals lest they be made unclean.

Leviticus 12 details the purification for a woman after childbirth, and what to do if she cannot afford a lamb to offer as a sacrifice.

Leviticus 13 explains how the priests were to declare someone clean or unclean from the color and markings of skin problems. Those were made to be unclean were to be quarantined for seven days and checked again at the end of that week of isolation.

Question: Aren’t you amazed that the LORD has plans for our hygiene and cleanliness?

February 18th, Leviticus 8-10: Moses consecrates the priests

Leviticus 8 records Moses consecrating Aaron and his sons to be the priests for the Israelites. The divination of Urim and Thummim was placed in the high priest’s breastplate.

Leviticus 9 records the beginning of the priests’ ministry.

Leviticus 10 records the first deaths of two priests for failing to follow the LORD’s instructions. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu added incense to the fire, and the unauthorized fire consumed them and they died before the LORD. Eleazar and Ithmar, Aaron’s remaining sons, managed to mess up by not eating the sin offering in the sanctuary area.

Question: Isn’t it amazing how quickly we forget God’s instructions for our lives?

February 17th, Leviticus 5-7: The guilt offering

Leviticus 5 deals with what happens if someone happens to be too poor for the prescribed offering. This is true even if he doesn’t know the law.

Leviticus 5:17 says,
17 “If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.

Leviticus 6 deals with the regulations of the burnt, grain, and sin offerings.

Leviticus 7 details the guilt offering, which is the most holy. The guilt offering was to be slaughtered in the same place as the burnt offering. It goes on to detail the regulations for the fellowship offering, including those of the freewill variety. Again, the LORD tells Moses that the Israelites must not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. They were also not to eat any of the blood of any bird or animal.

February 16th, Leviticus 1-4: Instructions for offerings

Leviticus Chapters 1-4 detail the instructions for several types of offerings. What I gather from these readings is that I’m glad Christ shed His blood for our sins, because things were a bit more complicated in the days of the Old Testament. Allow me a quick rundown of the offerings:

• The Burnt Offering: Either from the herd or flock, they were to be without defect. The animal was to be slaughtered by the man bringing the offering, and burned by the priests. If a bird, it was tobe a dove or yung pigeon. “17 He shall tear it open by the wings, not severing it completely, and then the priest shall burn it on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.” (Leviticus 1:17)
• The Grain Offering: Offerings of grain were to be of fine flour, mixed with oil and incense. They could bring yeast or honey, but not burned as a pleasing aroma. “13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.” (Leviticus 2:13)
• The Fellowship Offering: Whether a male or female sacrifice, it was to be without defect. The fat and blood were to be removed. “17 “‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.’” (Leviticus 3:170
• The Sin Offering: Here the LORD addresses what to do if someone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands. From the anointed priest, to the whole community, to the leader, to the member of the community, each had a specific offering to make to atone for their sins.

February 15th, Exodus 39-40: Priestly garments and setting up the Tabernacle

Exodus 39 goes into great length about the priestly garments for Aaron and his sons.

Exodus 40 records the LORD’s specific instructions to Moses on how to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, the ark of Testimony for proper worship. Moses follows the Lord’s instructions, setting up the tabernacle on the first day of the first month of the second year, i.e. the second anniversary of Israel’s departure from Egypt.

Exodus concludes in the verses 36-38 of Chapter 40:
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.

February 14th, Exodus 36-38: The Tabernacle, The Ark, and the Altar

Exodus 36 details the making of the tabernacle with its ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn.

Exodus 37 details the making of the Ark, which was crafted by Bezalel out of acacia word.

Exodus 38 tells us about the building of the Altar of Burnt Offering, which was also built out of acacia wood.

All in all, the census counted 603, 550 men, i.e. a little more than 3 3/4 tons according to the sanctuary shekel. I wish I had more to say about these chapters, but it’s fairly cut and dry.

February 13th, Exodus 33-36: Tent of Meeting and new stone tablets

Exodus 33 describes the “tent of meeting”, where Moses set a tent outside of camp to address those inquiring of the LORD. Moses then asks to see the face of God, but the LORD replies that Moses may only see his back, for those that see the fact of God cannot live.

In Exodus 34, the LORD commands Moses to chisel out two new stone tablets. The LORD revealed himself and added more instructions for His chosen people.

Exodus 34:6-7 says:
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.”

Moses assembles the whole Israelite community in Exodus 35. The skilled came to make their contributions, and the others bought what they could, i.e. acacia wood, onyx, linens, etc.

Then we learn that the Israelites have given more than enough at th beginning of Exodus 36.

Exodus 36:6-7 says:
6 Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, 7 because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

Question: Isn’t it awesome when a church gets together and donates more than enough for a cause?

February 12, Exodus 30-33: More Preparations and the golden calf

Exodus 30 goes into great detail about the preparations for worship in the temple. When taking the census, each Israelite must pay a ransom less a plague strike him (Exodus 30:12).

Exodus 31 describes craftsmen given special skills in building the temple. The LORD also tells the Israelites to observe the Sabbath.

Exodus 31:14 says:
14 “‘Observe the Sabbath, because it is holy to you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; whoever does any work on that day must be cut off from his people.

Then, the golden calf makes its appearance in Exodus 32. Impatience beset the Israelites and they implored Aaron to give them an idol, much like the gods of old. The LORD in anger wanted to destroy them, but Moses pleaded with Him and reminded Him of the covenant He had made with Abraham. Moses then approached the camp and let the tablets in his hand fall and break.

Exodus 32:20 says:
20 And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

Seeing the Israelites had run amok under Aaron’s leadership, Moses rallied the Levites and had them kill three thousand of the Israelites. Then Moses begged for mercy, which the LORD responded, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book” (Exodus 32:33). And the LORD struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.

The beginning of Exodus 33 sees the LORD telling Moses to leave for the land promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But the LORD would not go with them, for God might destroy a stiff-necked people like the Israelites.

Exodus 33:5 says:
5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.’”

February 11th, Exodus 28-29: Priests and Aaron’s Legacy

Exodus 28 details the priestly garments. Gold, onyx stones, and other precious materials would be worn by the priests of Israel.

Exodus 28:12 says:
21 There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes.

Exodus 29 details the consecration of the priests, requiring a young bull and two rams without defect. Aaron and his sons and their sons would serve as priests of Israel for the generations to come.

Exodus 29:7-9 says:
7 Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. 8 Bring his sons and dress them in tunics 9 and put headbands on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons. The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons.

Exodus 29-44-46 says:
44 “So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altar and will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. 46 They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

God had a plan for the Israelites, and by obeying his plan they acknowledged that he was the LORD. This meant paying attention to the little details like the garments that their priests wore.

February 10th, Exodus 25-27: The Tabernacle

Exodus 25:1-2 says:
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.

The important thing is that the LORD only wants that which the heart prompts to give. As we see throughout the Bible, it’s not only what we give, but what our intentions behind what we give that matters. Reverence to the LORD is greater than any wealth that man can offer, for God already owns everything.

Exodus 25:8-9 says:
8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.

Whenever God leads us to do something, He has a plan for us. All the better when he has a detailed schematic prepared!

The LORD then instructs Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant out of acacia wood and other precious materials. The tabernacle needed poles, lampstands, tables and other structural amenities.

Exodus 26 details the curtains and frames and crossbars of the tent.

Exodus 27 goes to great lengths to describe the altar of the tabernacle.