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Separate – Leviticus 20 – 2025 Day 149

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 119:1-40; Leviticus 20

The Israelites were to be a set apart people in Egypt and now they are to be a set apart people in Canaan. God pulled them out of a nation of idol-worshippers, and now He’s sending them into a new nation of idol-worshippers.

God has always been – and will always be – holy. It is His very nature. To be holy, by definition, means to be set apart.

From the beginning of creation God separated. He separated the light from the dark, the water above from the water below, the land from the sea, the day from the night. He made animals of different kinds and He designed the animals to reproduce after their own kinds.

From the beginning of the nation of Israel, God desires His people to be separated from the nations. And when God gave Moses instructions for building the tabernacle, He told Moses to hang a veil to separate the Most Holy Place where the priest would meet with Him. (Exodus 26:33)

Yet, mankind doesn’t like to be separate. We like to mix and mingle. We like to be part of the crowd. We like to fit in.

So God says,

You shall be holy to me,
for I the LORD am holy
and have separated you from the peoples that you should be mine.

Leviticus 20:26 ESV

Heavenly Father, please give us the strength to be separate, to stand out from the crowd. Help us to remember that even when we feel alone, You are with us. Please place like-minded believers into our lives who can encourage us and hold up our arms when we feel weak. We especially pray for our children and other young people who have to learn to swim upstream in a current that wants to pull them down. Make us holy for You, our Creator and Father, are holy. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Genesis 1:4 ESV — And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:6 ESV — And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

Genesis 1:14 ESV — And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,”

Exodus 26:33 ESV — And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy.

Refiner’s Fire – Brian Doerksen

Love God. Love people. – Leviticus 17-19 – 2025 Day 148

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Read through the Bible in 2 years:  Psalm 118, Leviticus 17-19

Reading through chapter after chapter of unlawful practices and their consequences can feel irrelevant or confusing, but tucked in their midst is this gem:

Love your neighbor as yourself:
I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:18b ESV

Matthew, Mark, and Luke, recorded Jesus uttering these very words and Paul and James repeated them in their letters. What if we read all of Scripture through the lens Leviticus 19:18, “love your neighbor as yourself”?

  • Don’t steal. Love your neighbor as yourself.
  • Don’t lie. Love your neighbor as yourself.
  • Don’t commit adultery. Love your neighbor as yourself.
  • Help the poor. Love your neighbor as yourself.
  • Speak encouraging words. Love your neighbor as yourself.
  • Make disciples of every nation. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Do you love God? Then love the people that He made. Remember, they’re created in His very own image.

Heavenly Father, help me to love others the way that You have loved me. Help me to love others as much as I love myself. Help me to do good to others even when they hurt my feelings – because that’s how I want to be treated. Help me to speak the truth and speak it with love. I can’t do it on my own, Lord. Please do it through me. In the name of Jesus, my Lord, Amen.

Mercy – Ben Fuller

A Discharge of Blood – Leviticus 15-16 – 2025 Day 147

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 117, Leviticus 15-16

Yesterday I wrote about the Levitical laws about leprosy and Jesus healing the leper… Now we come to Leviticus 15, the Levitical laws about bodily discharges and menstruation and other discharges of blood. Ugh. Well, I’ve never been a leper, but I had times of menstrual uncleanness for over thirty-five years.

First, I was reminded of Genesis 31:34-35 which takes on a whole new depth of meaning in light of these laws (which hadn’t yet been given, at least not in writing). “Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. And she said to her father, ‘Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.’ So he searched but did not find the household gods.”

But then I was reminded of the woman who had suffered with a discharge of blood for twelve years. You can read her story in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8.

“And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, ‘Who was it that touched me?’

When all denied it, Peter said, ‘Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!’

But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.’ And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed.”

Luke 8:43-47 ESV

How lonely she must have been. How desperate for healing. Twelve years is a long, long time. And how terrified she must’ve been that she might get in big trouble for touching the rabbi.

Yet, Jesus was not angry with her for touching Him. Rather He spoke these tender words to her,

“Daughter, your faith
has made you well;
go in peace.”

Luke 8:47
  • Are we tender like that with those who need healing, or do we join in ostracizing them and putting them outside the camp?
  • Do we go to Jesus and grab hold of the fringe of His garment when we need healing ourselves?

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, there are men and women in our midst who need healing. Help us to see their need and respond tenderly to them. Help us to introduce them to Jesus, the only one who can heal them. Father, we all need healing in various areas of our life – healing from bitterness, healing from emotional pain, healing from physical ailments. We come to You, the Great Physician, and lay all of our needs at Your feet. Help us to reach out to You and cling tightly to You. It is in the Almighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Touch the Hem – Sam Cooke

He Touched Me – Leviticus 11-14 – 2025 Day 146

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 116; Leviticus 11-14

A few years ago, on a Sunday morning, as I was sitting in our church women’s Sunday school class, I was overwhelmed by the deep sense of love and community that I felt from the women gathered there. Earlier that week I had been told that I had a stress fracture in my right foot, and I’d have to use a boot for several weeks until it healed. The women gathered there were all asking about me and listening intently to what I had to say. I felt genuinely seen and heard and cared for.

It’s hard to explain, but it’s something I had never experienced before being a part of the body of Christ. These women loved me for just exactly who I was – not some fake, cleaned-up version of myself … but me.

Reading about the Levitical laws for those afflicted with leprosy broke my heart. Listen to these verses and imagine how that must have felt,

“The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.”

Leviticus 13:45-46 ESV

And now imagine this scene between a leprous man and Jesus.

When [Jesus] came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.
And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying,
“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.”
And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:1-3 ESV

He touched him. He could’ve just spoken a word. He could’ve told him to go wash himself far away in the river … or go roll around in the dust outside the camp … But, no, Jesus touched him. Intentionally.

Jesus didn’t have to worry about becoming unclean.
The leprous man’s disease couldn’t contaminate Him –
and neither can yours.

Jesus came close to me. He touched me and cleansed me and made me whole. Has He done that for you? He can.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your loving touch and care for me, a sinner. Thank You for bringing me in from outside the camp, for welcoming me in while I was a stranger, lonely and alone. Thank You for making me a member of Your body, filling me with purpose and meaning and hope for a brighter tomorrow. I pray for the many people in our world who are still living their lives outside the camp. Alone. Please send Christians into their lives to welcome them in and to share the hope of the gospel with them. In the name of Jesus – the Ultimate Welcomer – I pray. Amen.

He Touched Me – Gaither Vocal Band

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Drink No Wine – Leviticus 10 – 2025 Day 145

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Read through the Bible: Psalm 115; Leviticus 10

This chapter begins with the death of Aaron’s two oldest sons who foolishly burn “unauthorized” incense to the Lord. Then the Lord tells Aaron,

“Drink no wine or strong drink,
you or your sons with you,
when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations.”

Leviticus 10:9 ESV

Do you think there’s a connection between alcohol and Aaron’s sons making this foolish choice? I’m not certain, but it sure seems like a reasonable guess.

When I was preparing to teach a study on 1 Timothy 3, I read Chuck Smith’s commentary on 1 Timothy 3:8, “Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine…” Read this very interesting, and timely, excerpt:

“We have a very interesting case in the Old Testament when God commanded Moses to build the tabernacle and He gave him specific instructions as to the materials and the dimensions and the sizes, the whole thing. He gave him his careful instructions in building. Once they had built the tabernacle, had set it up, had set up the altar and the whole framework for the sacrifices, the time came to inaugurate now the temple or the tabernacle worship of God. And so the altar was built, the sacrifice was placed upon it and fire came from heaven and sort of lit the fire of the altar. A supernatural manifestation of God. The presence of God came down, the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. The priest, because of the glory of the Lord, sort of swooned, they weren’t able to stand up.

And in the midst of this moving of God among the people, a couple of Aaron’s sons got excited. And they had little bowls with incense that they were to offer before the Lord and they went in to offer this incense in the excitement of the moment and the fire came from the altar of God and consumed them. And later, God commanded Moses to speak unto Aaron that when they were doing the service to God, they weren’t to drink wine. Made very specific commandments. The intimation is that the two sons of Aaron perhaps had been drinking a little wine and had lost their sense of good judgment. And that is why they were consumed by the fire of God when they sought to offer strange fire before the Lord.”

Chuck Smith – Commentary on 1 Timothy 3-4

And what about Ephesians 5:15-18 ESV? “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,”

I’ll close today’s lesson with Chuck Smith’s prayer from his 1 Timothy 3-4 lesson –

Father, as Your Holy Spirit has again tonight caused us to look in the mirror, to see the truth, to face the reality of what we are, help us, Lord, not to be so foolish as to just go away and forget what we saw. But Lord, I pray tonight that there might be within our heart that renewed commitment to the things of the Lord. Things of the Spirit. Lord, we know that we are in the last days. Many have departed from the faith. Have been caught up with these seducing spirits, following after the flesh, turning away from the things of God. Being drawn into the things of the world. God, help us in these days to be like You. God, give to us a renewed experience in the Spirit that we might walk in the Spirit and live in the Spirit and be led of the Spirit. A new sense, Lord, of spiritual values. The examination of our priorities, our energies going into those things that are going to fail and those things that are going to crumble and those things that are going to be reduced to ashes while we neglect the eternal. Physically fit but spiritually bankrupt. God, may that not be our case. Renew our hearts in the things of the Spirit, our walk and life with Thee. In Jesus’ name, Father, Amen.

One Pure & Holy Passion Passion – Amy Nobles

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The Only Sinless Priest – Leviticus 9 – 2025 Day 144

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 114; Leviticus 9

“So Aaron drew near to the altar and killed the calf of the sin offering, which was for himself.”

Leviticus 9:8 ESV

Just think – even Aaron, the man chosen by God to be the first high priest, must make an offering for himself. Even he, himself, has sin which must be atoned for. And so do you and I. But Jesus …

“He has no need, like those high priests,
to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins
and then for those of the people, since he did this
once for all when he offered up himself.”

Hebrews 7:27 ESV

Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Jesus Christ, the only high priest without sin, the only God-man, Your only begotten Son, to come to earth and to die a sinner’s death in my place. He is the only worthy one. His death and resurrection have freed me from my slavery to sin and the penalty of sin: death. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. I am forever grateful for Your sacrifice. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord. Amen.

“Is He Worthy?” by Andrew Peterson – Performed by Highrock Church

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Unity in the Body of Christ – Leviticus 8 – 2025 Day 143

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 113; Leviticus 8

At the consecration of Aaron and his sons, the Lord tells Moses to assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting, so they can witness this blessed event. Moses washes Aaron and his sons with water and dresses them in their sacred robes and ephods and turbans. Moses pours anointing oil onto their heads as well as on the tabernacle and the altar and its utensils.

And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head
and anointed him to consecrate him.

Leviticus 8:12 ESV

This passage reminded of Psalm 133:1-3, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.”

Are you an active, participating, contributing member of a local Bible-preaching, Bible-believing congregation? Friends, you need them, and they need you.

Is there someone in Christ’s body that you are at odds with? Someone you need to forgive? Someone who has something against you? Christ has charged His children to be ministers of reconciliation and ambassadors for His kingdom. Let it start with you.

Dear Heavenly Father, what a beautiful gift it is to dwell in unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s not easy, but it’s good. I pray for pure and heartfelt unity within my local body of believers as well as across the global body of Your church. I pray that our unity would be rooted in Your truth and righteousness and bear great fruit for Your glory. Make us Your priests, anointing and washing others in the water of the Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Help us to be quick to repent and quick to forgive. By the grace of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

There is One Gospel by City Alight

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Keeping the Fire Burning – Leviticus 6-7 – 2025 Day 142

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 112, Leviticus 6-7

“The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it;
it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.
Fire shall be kept burning on the altar continually;
it shall not go out.”

Leviticus 6:12-13

The Lord is faithful. Day after day. Night after night. Morning after morning. He pours out His blessings upon me. He fills my lungs with breath. He causes the earth to continue to spin and the birds to continue to sing. Where would I be without Him?

I need Him every hour. In the highs and lows, on the mountain tops and in the valleys, in the darkness of nights and on the brightest of mornings, His praise will ever be on my lips.

He is faithful, and I want to be faithful, too.

Pray with me.

Heavenly Father, Let not let the embers of my love and faith grow cold in my heart. Fan those embers into roaring fires. Help me to abide in You and to hunger for Your Word to abide in me. Let me not forget that I need You every hour and every day. Remind me of the love I had at first – the passion and hunger and deep gratitude that I felt when I first met my Savior. Make me a bright and shining lantern, pointing the world to You. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

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Sins of Ignorance – Leviticus 4-5 – 2025 Day 141

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 141; Leviticus 4-5

The Lord here provides specific directions for how to atone for unintentional sins, sins of ignorance. This reminded me of so many other passages, like Paul’s beautiful testimony from 1 Timothy 1:12-16,

“I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”

Listen to Jesus’s words when He was being crucified,

“Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do.”

Luke 23:34

But what about when you continue willfully in sin? Or what about those who have heard the gospel again and again and yet they choose to turn their back on God?

“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.

Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?

For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Hebrews 10:26-31

Let’s stop questioning what God will do with those who have never heard the gospel, and instead ask ourselves, “Am I prepared to meet God? Am I in willful disobedience to the Word of God? Am I being faithful to share the good news and make disciples where God has placed me?”

Will you join me in prayer?

Heavenly Father, I, for one, am not ignorant. I once was lost, but now I’m found. Even when I was darkness, running away from You, You had written Your law on my heart. I knew that it was wrong to lie. I knew that it was wrong to say hateful things about other people. I knew that it was wrong to slander and gossip. I knew it, but I did it anyway. Thank You for saving me while I was yet a sinner. Thank You for sending Jesus to die in my place, to be the sacrificial lamb who died outside the camp, who bore my sin and shame.

Now let me take this knowledge and share it with others, so that they will not meet You in ignorance. I pray also for those who have heard the truth and have willfully rejected it, who are intentionally running away from You today. Please, Lord, save them! Draw them to Yourself. Send Your Word, Your angels, and Your children into their path. May Your courts be filled with people from every tribe and tongue from around the globe. In the Name of Jesus Christ, the only Name that saves, Amen.

In the Light – Shane and Shane

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The Priest and the Offering – Leviticus 1-3 – 2025 Day 140

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Read through the Bible in 2 years: Psalm 110, Leviticus 1-3

In these chapters, I see again and again the role of the priest in all of these detailed offerings. No one could make these offerings themselves. They had to go to the priest who would sacrifice the animal and throw its blood on the altar and burn it. They couldn’t do it themselves. A priest was required.

Some churches have taken this to mean that people must now continue going to a priest, that they cannot go directly to God, but that is in absolute contradiction to the Scriptures.

For there is one God
and there is one mediator
between god and man,
the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

1 Timothy 2:5-6

Jesus Christ Himself is our great and perfect priest. He is both the priest and the offering. We can – and we must – go directly to Him and through Him if we want to reach the Father.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for sending Jesus to earth to be our perfect High Priest, our Mediator, our spotless Lamb without blemish. May we confess our sins directly to Him, the only priest able to forgive us completely. Use us to share this good news with the world. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

What an Awesome God –
Phil Wickham, Michael W. Smith