You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. Leviticus 18:3
Have you ever considered how helpful road signs are? All you have to do is visit another country, especially if it is a foreign one; one whose laws are quite different from your own. When I am driving in New Zealand or Australia where you are hard pressed to find a road without a round-about, I am always grateful for the arrows on the road that tell me which lane I should be in order to go whatever direction I am headed when I peal off.
Road signs are government markers and to tamper with them is a federal offense. They are placed in their positions to help us know what the law requires. If we disobey them, whether out of ignorance or rebellion, we will pay for our transgression.
These carefully placed markers are not positioned to enhance the scenic view; they are there to bring protection and to keep us from harm. To ignore them would be foolish!A couple years ago, I was helping my two oldest grandchildren to study for their test to obtain their driver’s license. Their right to get behind the wheel of a car depended on their knowledge of the law. This knowledge included knowing what each road sign meant. This meant they needed to get out the driver’s manual and carefully study the relevant information. And the information they learned was not just for one test; it is meant to be with them throughout their lives. Neither of them enjoyed the study. To them it seemed boring and monotonous. They question why they needed to know some of the things contained in the manual, but the law required them to understand every aspect of driving.
The pages we are traveling through this week can feel much like the driving manual Cory and Dorine struggled with. You may question why it is important to know some of it, especially since we are under the New Covenant. Paul wrote to the people of Galatia and said, “Therefore the Law had become our tutor to lead us to Christ.” Have you ever stopped to consider that neither Christ nor His disciples had the New Testament to quote from? Their laws and regulations they followed are the very ones we are laboring over. And yet we are told that somewhere in these strange commands and statutes, we will find the hidden message of Christ. The discernment and cleansing of diseases that are in are flesh that caused them to be unclean hold the truth that Jesus came to set us free from the defilement of flesh. The laws governing a contaminated house remind us that sin not only affects us as individuals, but can destroy our whole household. To understand the principles of the Day of Atonement most certainly sheds light on the One who is our Atonement. The fact that unrestrained sexual sin in a nation causes that nation to lose their God-given legal right to the land should make us aware that Christ’s return is not that far off. Sexual misconduct is rampant throughout the world today! Kindness, compassion and fairness are found in God’s nature, and therefore a part of His Law. And so is justice and punishment for offenses that show no respect for God or His creation.
On Friday we spend our time passing through the appointed festivals. These festivals mark the journey of a year. If we took the time to study them out, we would discover that each festival is a picture of an event God has placed on His calendar. As we enter into the time of Passover and remember Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, we are reminded that Passover is not a festival that was only in the Old Covenant. The night Jesus ate Passover with His disciples; He told them that whenever they ate Passover together, they were to remember Him. When we celebrate the day of Pentecost, we realize that we, as Christians, we have even greater right to celebrate its truths than the children of Israel. The Day of Atonement sends out its warning that a day of reckoning is coming. And as we watch the Israelites build their shelters and live in them for seven days, we are reminded that we, also, have lived in these temporary structures of flesh. But then comes the eighth day, a day when we will wave the branches of the palm tree, the tree of life, the leafy tree that brings rest and shade, and the willow tree which flourishes by the streams of water.
So if you are struggling with the information found in the Law, just keep getting the information into your memory banks. You may think you will never need its content, but I guarantee you, there is nothing you will read that is insignificant. Cory and Dorine didn’t learn all that was contained in the driving manual by just reading it once or twice, and neither will we!
****
TRAIL STOPS
Monday
1. What does the cleansing of a leper and the cleansing of a contaminated house have in common?
2. What does the cleansing of a leper and a the ordination of a priest have in common? (This question requires you to remember what we read previously.)
Tuesday
When were the instructions for the Day of Atonement given?
Wednesday
When could you start to eat the fruit of a newly planted tree?
Thursday
1. How do the instructions for the High Priests regarding defilement by the dead differe from those given for the rest of the priests?
2. How do the instructions for the High Priests regarding marriage differ from the rest of the priests?
Friday
Which two festivals contained a seven day component in their instructions?
6 comments:
Monday
1. Not real sure the answer. Mine doesn't make sense but here it is. The cleansing process is the same proceedure for purification of the garment and the person that had been a leper.
2. The leper needed to be purified of his sins (hands and feet) just as the priest did. Leper - Lamb, Priest - Ram
Tuesday
It is thought that instructions were given right after the death of Aarons sons. Nadab and Abihu.
Wednesday
Forbidden to eat after 3 full years. 4th year set apart for God.
May eat fruit in 5th year.
Thursday
1. High Priest couldn't go to any dead body. Priest could show mourning for immediate family.
2. High Priest had to marry a virgin and not outside the tribe of Levi. A priest could not marry a whore or profane or a divorced and could marry from Israel.
Friday
Not sure about this one.
Sukkot and Shavuat
What is in common with the cleansing of the leper and the ordination of the priest are the sin/guilt offering and grain offering. Other than that, I am not making any other connections. I don't think I am coming to the conclusion Shirley had in mind!
Shirley,
Does that mean all the feasts and rituals etc set in the OT is no longer applicable since they all pointed to Christ who has since fulfilled the requirements of the law. Am asking as there's the firstfruit teaching (they call it one of the ancient pathways of God)and dedication of lands involving rituals to cleanse the land etc. which I feel is bringing back the law BUT am not a Bible scholar and so getting confused. If that's of the law, does that mean tithing is also under the law? Simple faith in Christ and His atonement seems to be getting complicated....
Question #1
Compare Lev. 14:4-7 & 14:49-51.
The sacrifice and the procedure are the same: 2 clean birds, cedar stick, scarlet string and hyssop. That's pretty specific. The fact that these are tied together by the same sacrifice would tell us that their symbolism is also tied together. It is certainly food for thought for those who want to take time to consider it!
Friday
Which two festivals contained a seven day component in their instructions?
Lev. 23:6 & 23:34
The Feast of Unleavened Bread at Passover was to last 7 days.
The Feast of Booths (Sukkot) was to last 7 days.
Mandy, your question is a good one and not one that can be answered by a simple yes or no. One thing I can say for sure is that Christ's death on the cross fulfilled all the requirements of the Law. When I accept the fact that Jesus took my penalty for sin and I yield the lordship of my life to Him, I am saved, assured of eternal life.
But the Law was not merely about "salvation." For example, God commanded the Israelites to keep the Passover as a memorial, a remembrance. When Jesus ate passover with His disciples, He told them that every time they ate the Passover, they were to remember Him. He didn't nullify the Passover, He gave it meaning. The early Christians, and many today, still celebrate the Passover in remembrance of what Jesus did.
We no longer bring animals for sacrifice, because Jesus' death fulfilled the requirement for sacrifice. I don't transfer my sins onto an animal; my sins were transfered onto Christ and He took the penalty for them.
There are some parts of the Law that Jesus changed. He changed the dietary law and declared all foods clean. His sacrifice brought an end to animal sacrifices. His resurrection and position at the Father's right hand brought an end to the Levitical priesthood. He didn't bring an end to the priesthood, but an end to the Levitical and Aaronic priesthood. Hebrews tells us that after Christ's victory, the Sabbath was no longer on Saturday, but that God fixed a different day which is called "Today!"
When it comes to tithing, Jesus did not abolish it. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others."(Luke 11:42) This is quite different from His words concerning dietary laws when He said, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him,because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) (Mark 7:18-19)
I could certainly go on, but the bottom line is that by Christ's death and resurrection, He took away the curse we would incur because of our inability to keep the Law on every point. The law showed us that we could never be perfect enough. Jesus took the penalty, but God still expects us to live by the heart of the Law which is love God first and foremost, and love others as you love yourself. As a matter of fact, Jesus strengthened the Law. He said things like, "You've heard it said that you should not commit adultery. But I say to you that if you look at a woman and lust after her, you've already committed adultery in your heart."
Christ fulfilled the Law in order to get us out from under the penalty of the Law. What He desires for us is to understand the heart of the Law, but not bound to it.
Post a Comment