Leviticus 17
New instructions for Aaronverses 1-7
And the LORD spoke unto Moses
saying
Speak unto Aaron – and to his sons and to all the children of Israel
and say to them
This is the thing which the LORD has commanded
saying
What man soever there be of the house of Israel
that kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp
or that kills it out of the camp
And brings it NOT to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation
to offer an offering unto the LORD
before the tabernacle of the LORD
blood shall be IMPUTED to that man
he has shed blood
And that man shall be CUT OFF from among his people
to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices
which they offer in the open field
even that they may bring them to the LORD
to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation
to the priest and offer them for
peace offerings unto the LORD
And the priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar of the LORD
at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation
and burn the fat for a sweet savor to the LORD
And they shall NO MORE offer their sacrifices to devils
after whom they have gone a-whoring
This shall be a statute for ever to them throughout their generations
Judgment given to those who disobeyverses 8-9
And you shall say to them
Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel
or of the strangers which sojourn among you
that offers a burnt offering or sacrifice
and brings it NOT to the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation
to offer it to the LORD
even that man shall be CUT OFF
from among his people
Restriction regarding blood of the animalverses 10-12
And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel
or of the strangers that sojourn among you
that EATS any manner of BLOOD
I will even set MY face against that soul that eats blood
and will CUT him OFF from among his people
FOR the life of the flesh is in the blood
and I have given it to you on the altar to make an
ATONEMENT for your souls
FOR it is the BLOOD that makes an
ATONEMENT for the soul
THEREFORE I said to the children of Israel
No soul of you shall EAT BLOOD
neither shall any stranger that sojourns
among you EAT BLOOD
Hunter must drain blood from animalsverses 13-14
And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel
or of the stranger that sojourn among you
which hunts and catches any beast or fowl
that may be EATEN
He shall even pour out the BLOOD thereof
and cover it with dust
FOR it is the life of all flesh
The blood of it is for the life thereof
THEREFORE I said to the children of Israel
You shall EAT the BLOOD of NO manner of flesh
FOR the life of all flesh is the BLOOD thereof
whosoever EATS it shall be CUT OFF
Clean only if bathed after eating torn or natural deathverses 15-16
And every soul that EATS that which died of itself
or that which was torn with beasts
whether it be one of your own country – or a stranger
He shall both wash his clothes and bathe himself in water
and be unclean until the even then shall he be clean
BUT if he wash them not
nor bathe his flesh
THEN he shall bear his iniquity
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 4 And brings it not to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering to the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed to that man; he has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people (7133 “offering” [qorban] means gift, sacrifice, oblation, an offering made to the God of Israel whether the sacrificial offering of an animal or produce, or a gift to deity of general kind)
DEVOTION: Rules, rules, rules!!! Why so many rules? God wanted them to realize that HE was in control. HE wanted them to reverence HIS holiness. HE wanted them to depend on HIM. HE wanted them to depend on each other.
First, HE wanted HIS people to worship together at the Tabernacle. HE wanted them to have fellowship dinners regularly. While they were in the wilderness, they were to bring their offering to the tabernacle. If they didn’t bring their offering to the Tabernacle they were going to be excommunicated. Not sure if in this context they might even been given a death sentence. Once they arrived in the Promised Land there were going to be different rules regarding the sacrifices but not the blood.
Second, HE continually warned them that the blood of the sacrifices had to be completely drained from the animals. There would be no eating meat with blood still in it.
We have the statute that all sacrifices had to come to the tabernacle of the congregation to be offered by the priests. This was giving, so that, the people didn’t start any cults. There is a verse that said that they had been sacrificing to devils or demons. False worship is something that God hates. HE hates HIS people breaking HIS statutes.
The other statute dealt with eating blood from animals. Hunters were commanded to drain the blood out of anything they killed. God gave the consequences for those who disobeyed.
When the children of Israel broke the law of God, they were to be killed, so that, the sin would not spread. The LORD had many rules whose judgment was death or excommunication.
Today we need to realize that God uses the government around us to keep citizens in line. Sometimes we don’t agree with our government but God wants us to obey unless they tell us to do things that are against the Word of God. The time might come that we will have to preach what the government doesn’t want us to preach. We need to remember to listen to God and HIS Word over the government. We are not to be politically correct we are to be Biblically correct.
There might be a choice coming soon to a church near us. We need to make the right choices. Our world might change before our eyes. Worshiping the LORD in freedom might come to an end. Those who continue to worship might be put in jail or killed as is happening in other nations.
CHALLENGE: God wants us to honor HIM and HE will bless us. Study the Word of God to find out what HE expects of us and do it.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 7 And they shall no more offer their sacrifices to devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute forever to them throughout their generations. (8163 “devils” [sa‘iyr] means kid, goat, satyr, or he-goat)
DEVOTION: This word can mean demons but it can never mean “devils” because there is only one devil that is talked about in the Word of God. He is the one who rebelled against the LORD and had a group of other angels follow him in rebellion. Satan or Lucifer or Devil is used of one angel who was one of the cherubim type angel who rebelled. His army of demons or fallen angels is recorded throughout Scripture.
In this passage we find that there was a restriction regarding killing any domestic animal in the camp or outside the camp. The only place that a animal was to be killed was by the priests as offerings to the LORD. Any other killing of domestic animals was considered idolatry. They were worshiping false gods.
The children of Israel worshiped false gods when they were in Egypt. There was the thought that there were evil gods who inhabited goats. So those who killed domestic goats outside the camp or within the camp were worshiping false god who represented Satan and his fallen angels. They were worshiping Satan instead of God. If anyone was found guilty of this type of worship he was cut off from the people. He was either killed our excommunicated.
The first commandment states that we are to not worship any other god. This is true today just as it was true in the Old Testament. There is only ONE TRUE GOD and HE is manifested in three persons or the Godhead made up of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
CHALLENGE: God knows if we are truly worshiping HIM each day. Worshiping anyone or anything else is a sin. Keep your eyes on the LORD alone.
: 9 And brings it not to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it to the Lord; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.(3772 “cut off” [karath] means 1 to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to cut off. 1a1a to cut off a body part, behead. 1a2 to cut down. 1a3 to hew. 1a4 to cut or make a covenant. 1b (Niphal). 1b1 to be cut off. 1b2 to be cut down. 1b3 to be chewed. 1b4 to be cut off, fail. 1c (Pual). 1c1 to be cut off. 1c2 to be cut down. 1d (Hiphil). 1d1 to cut off. 1d2 to cut off, destroy. 1d3 to cut down, destroy. 1d4 to take away. 1d5 to permit to perish. 1e (Hophal) cut off. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship].)
DEVOTION: Here God is warning the people about offering sacrifices at any place other than the tabernacle. The instruction of God was that they were to bring their sacrifices to Him at the tabernacle (which was different from how they had been offering sacrifices up to this point). Anyone failing to comply with this was to be separated and cut off from contact with the rest of the children of Israel. This is the equivalent of excommunication in the church today or the modern Amish practice of “shunning.”
It is interesting that God had started this section by warning the people about needing to be separate from all the peoples around them in their practices and in their worship of the LORD. Now there is a warning for those who would seek to syncretize their worship of the LORD with the worship of other peoples and deities. They would no longer be separate with the people of God but would rather be separate from the people of God. It was their choice!
Paul had a similar situation he was involved in in the church at Corinth. There was a man living in open sexual immorality, and he instructs the Corinthians to have nothing to do with him as a believer. This resulted in the man repenting and coming back to faith in order to have fellowship with the people of God. What if we did this practice in our churches more frequently? Would we have less sin in our churches? Would our divorce rate in the church plummet?
We must remember that it is not an option to serve God our own way. We must rather serve God in the way that He has prescribed, and that means that we are to obey Him in offering our sacrifices to Him.
CHALLENGE: Are you bringing your sacrifices to God? Are you gladly offering them in your church? (2 Corinthians 9:8) (MW)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 12 Therefore I said to the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourns among you eat blood. (1616 “stranger” [ger] means sojourner, temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights, or foreigners in Israel)
DEVOTION: At the time in the wilderness all animal offerings were to be made by the priests in the Tabernacle area. No one but a priest was to kill an animal while they were in the wilderness. If someone did it was grounds to excommunicate them from the camp whether they were part of the children of Israel or a stranger.
Now the eating of animals with their blood still in their bodies or the drinking of blood was a sin. The blood had to be drained from the body by the priest and sprinkled before the LORD. No blood was to be left in the bodies of the animals.
People who drank blood in worship of false gods were removed from the camp or killed. They were worshiping a false god.
Today we have groups that take this passage to mean that there should be no blood transfusions given to people because they say that it is drinking blood. They are wrong. It is not drinking blood to a false god but a health issue.
Those who receive blood transfusions are letting doctors help them live longer. Remember life is in the blood. So believers can have a blood transfusion for health reasons.
CHALLENGE: Drinking blood from an animal that you have killed is a sin. It can also cause some health issues to those who practice it. Blood transfusions from a doctor is not the same thing as drinking animal blood.
: 16 But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity. (3526 “wash” means launder, to cleanse with a cleaning agent, clean, wash away guilt, or wash something with liquid)
DEVOTION: The LORD gave instructions regarding animals that were killed in the wild by the children of Israel. They were to drain the blood and over it with dirt. Then they were to go home and bathe. Once they followed this procedure, they were considered unclean until evening.
Once all of this was accomplished, they were considered clean in the eyes of the LORD. That should be the goal of all of the children of Israel in the Old Testament and us in the New Testament age.
We are cleansed by confession of sin after we have repented of our sins and began following the LORD. Following the LORD is a fulltime responsibility. It takes work to remember all that HE expects of us each day.
When we fail, we have to confess that sin and ask HIM to refill us with HIS Holy Spirit. We don’t lose the indwelling of the Holy Spirit but HIS filling is associated with us confessing sins of commission and sins of omission.
Living a Spirit filled life gives us opportunities to please the LORD in all of our activities. HE will give us direction as we listen to HIS voice regarding what we should be doing and what we shouldn’t be doing.
Can you hear HIS voice today in your life? Is HE telling you to witness to a certain individual? Did you do it?
CHALLENGE: Follow HIS lead on where you should walk and what you should say throughout the day.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Tabernacleverses 4-6
Peace offeringsverse 5
Blood on the Altar of the LORDverse 6
Burn the fat for a sweet savor to the LORDverse 6
Burnt offering or sacrificeverse 8
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Statuteverse 7
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORDverses 1, 2, 4-6, 9
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Strangersverses 8, 10, 12, 13, 15
Life in the flesh is in the bloodverses 11, 14
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Offer sacrifices away from Tabernacleverses 3-4, 8-9
Shed bloodverse 4
Sacrifices unto devilsverse 7
Whoringverse 7
Eating bloodverses 10, 12, 14
Uncleanverse 15
Iniquityverse 16
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Imputeverse 4
Atonement: bloodverse 11
Cleanverse 15
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mosesverse 1
Aaronverse 2
Aaron’s sonsverse 2
Children of Israelverses 2, 5, 12, 13
House of Israelverses 3, 8, 10
Door of the Tabernacle of the congregationverses 4-6, 9
Tabernacle of the LORDverse 4
Altar of the LORDverse 6
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Cut offverses 4, 9, 10, 14
Statute foreververse 7
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QUOTES regarding passage
These idols may have been goat shaped, and Eichrodt argues that they were the Semitic counterparts to Greek satyrs, which were considered to have power over fertility. Such an offense would be a violation of the First Commandment (Exod 20:3; Deut 5:7), which explains why the supreme punishment was meted out in Lev 17:4. The offense was equivalent to spiritual adultery (17:7). The Hebrew term zānâ literally refers to “going astray” and is most often employed in reference to an unfaithful wife. The term is used to describe such offenses as the apostasy of the worship of Molech and of consulting spiritists (Lev 20:5–6). Metaphorically the term applies to Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord. The figurative use of adultery is common in the Bible (Exod 34:15–16; Deut 31:16; Judg 2:17; 8:27, 33; Isa 57:3; Jer 2:20; 3:1; 5:7; Ezek 6:9; 16:15, 16, 17; 20:30; 23:3, 19) and is the theme of the Book of Hosea (1:1; 2:5; 4:12, 15; 9:1). (Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A, p. 234). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
The reference to sacrifices for satyrs (7) is another indication of an early phase in the life of the nation. The word ‘satyr’ (rv ‘he-goat’; neb ‘demons’) referred superstitiously to demons that were supposed to haunt areas of the wilderness (Isa. 13:21; 34:14). The allusion here is to the kind of goat worship practised in Lower Egypt, a form of idolatry with which the Israelites had evidently had some contact (cf. Josh. 24:14). (Harrison, R. K. (1980). Leviticus: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, p. 182). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
7 The word שָׂעִיר (sāʿîr) is identical with the word for he-goat; but as it obviously refers to idolatry, it is translated “goat idol.” Some think this points to what the Greeks called satyrs—mythical creatures in half-human, half-goat form. But the LXX translation is “vanities,” a name for idols, and the word is used in 2 Chronicles 11:15 clearly in a context of idolatry—with mention of Jeroboam’s golden calves. As far as is known, satyrs were creatures of Greek mythology, not of Semitic idolatry. There is no hint that these idols were half-human. It is easiest to see here just an idol in goat form similar to the more common one in calf or bull form. (Harris, R. L. (1990). Leviticus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 595). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
According to Leon Morris, the word “blood” is used 460 times in the Bible, 362 of them in the Old Testament. In Leviticus 17, you find the word “blood” 13 times; you also find in this chapter the key text in biblical theology on the significance of the blood in salvation: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (v. 11, NKJV). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (p. 76). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
The Jews didn’t eat a great deal of meat because it was too costly to slaughter their animals. The law stated here prohibited them from killing their animals for food anywhere inside or outside the camp. Any animal used for food had to be brought to the altar and presented as a fellowship (peace) offering to the Lord. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (p. 77). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
According to verse 4, slaying an animal away from the altar was the same as murdering the animal, and God wants us to treat His creation with greater respect. When we thank God at the table for our food, we’re not acknowledging only His goodness; we’re also sanctifying the meal and making eating it a spiritual experience. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (p. 77). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
This word occurs 4 times in biblical Hebrew. In its first biblical appearance, the word represents “goat-demons” (some scholars translate it “goat-idols”): “And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils [nasb, “goat demons”], after whom they have gone a whoring” (Lev. 17:7). This passage demonstrates that the word represents beings that were objects of pagan worship. Worship of these “demons” persisted long in the history of Israel, appearing under Jeroboam I (929-909 B.C.), who “… ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils [rsv, “satyrs”], and for the calves which he had made” (2 Chron. 11:15). In this instance, sa˓ir represents idols that Jeroboam had manufactured. Josiah’s revival probably involved the breaking down of the high places of the goat-demons (2 Kings 23:8). (Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.)
Peace Offerings Brought before the Lord (17:5–7)
17:5–7 Verses 5–7 provide the reason for the previous regulation regarding the proper location for sacrifice. This connection is established by the introductory phrase lĕmaʿan ʾăšer, literally, “in order that” (17:5). Thus the legislation sought to prevent sacrifices being made to goat idols instead of to the Lord. The word translated “goat idols” or “goat demons” is the Hebrew word śāʿîr, which normally is used for the male goat of the sin offering (Lev 4; 16) but was also used to refer to particular idols associated with apostasy in the time of Jeroboam (2 Chr 11:15) and Manasseh (2 Kgs 23:8). These idols may have been goat shaped, and Eichrodt argues that they were the Semitic counterparts to Greek satyrs, which were considered to have power over fertility.20 Such an offense would be a violation of the First Commandment (Exod 20:3; Deut 5:7), which explains why the supreme punishment was meted out in Lev 17:4. The offense was equivalent to spiritual adultery (17:7). The Hebrew term zānâ literally refers to “going astray” and is most often employed in reference to an unfaithful wife. The term is used to describe such offenses as the apostasy of the worship of Molech and of consulting spiritists (Lev 20:5–6). Metaphorically the term applies to Israel’s unfaithfulness to the Lord. The figurative use of adultery is common in the Bible (Exod 34:15–16; Deut 31:16; Judg 2:17; 8:27, 33; Isa 57:3; Jer 2:20; 3:1; 5:7; Ezek 6:9; 16:15, 16, 17; 20:30; 23:3, 19) and is the theme of the Book of Hosea (1:1; 2:5; 4:12, 15; 9:1).
The proper procedure for the sacrifice of a peace offering is given in v. 6. The sprinkling of the blood against the altar and the burning of the fat are the primary distinguishing procedures of the peace offerings in Leviticus 3. The sprinkling of the blood against the altar contrasts with the shedding of the blood to the ground (17:4). It was permissible for mankind to eat meat provided the blood, which belongs to God, was drained (Gen 9:3–4). The proper place of the blood in sacrifice was to be for atonement.
Burnt Offerings Brought before the Lord (17:8–9) (Rooker, M. F. (2000). Leviticus (Vol. 3A, pp. 234–235). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)
Ver. 7. And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils, &c.] As it seems they had done, which was monstrously shocking, and especially by a people that had the knowledge of the true God. Such shocking idolatry has been committed, and still is among the Indians, both East and West: when Columbus discovered Hispaniola, and entered it, he found the inhabitants Worshippers of images they called Zemes, which were in the likeness of painted devils, which they took to be the mediators and messengers of the great God, the only one, eternal, omnipotent, and invisible; and so at Calecut and Pego in the East Indies, and in other parts thereof, they sacrifice to the devilb: one can hardly think the Israelites would give into such gross idolatry as this; wherefore by devils may be meant idols in general; for if men do not worshhip God and Christ, let them worship what they will, it is only worshipping devils, 1 Cor. 10:20; Rev. 9:20 and so the calves of Jeroboam are called devils, 2 Chron. 11:15 hence the golden calf also, the Israelites worshipped but lately in the wilderness, might go by the same name; to which sense is the Targum of Jonathan, “and they shall not offer again their sacrifices to idols, which are like to devils.” The word here used signifies goats, and these creatures were worshipped by the Egyptians, and so might be by the Israelites, whilst among them; this is asserted by several writers. Diodorus Siculus says, they deified the goat, as the Grecians did Priapus, and for the same reason; and that the Pans and the Satyrs were had in honour by men on the same account; and Herodotusd observes, that the Egyptians paint and engrave Pan as the Greeks do, with the face and thighs of a goat, and therefore do not kill a goat, because the Mendesians reckon Pan among the gods; and of the Mendesians he says, that they worship goats, and the he-goats rather than the she-goats; wherefore in the Egyptian language both Pan and a goat are called Mendes; and Strabo reports of Mendes, that there Pan and the goat are worshipped: if these sort of creatures were worshipped by the Egyptians in the times of Moses, which is to be questioned, the Israelites might be supposed to have followed them in it; but if that be true, which Maimonidesf says of the Zabii, a set of idolaters among the Chaldeans, and other people, long before the times of Moses, that some of them worshipped devils, whom they supposed to be in the form of goats, the Israelites might have given in to this idolatry from them, and be the occasion of this prohibition: after whom they have gone a whoring; idolatry being a spiritual adultery, a forsaking God, who had taken them into a conjugal relation, and been as an husband to them, and cleaving to idols, which were as paramours; see Jer. 31:32; Ezek. 16:26: this shall be a statute for ever unto them throughout their generations: not only this of not sacrificing to devils, but all before commanded, particularly that they should bring their sacrifices to the priest, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 633). London: Mathews and Leigh)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
The Post-Church Christian by J. Paul Nyquist and Carson Nyquist
Carson – son of J. Paul:
With baby boomers retiring at a rate of 10,000 per day, they will mostly pass from the leadership of the church in the next ten to fifteen years. (p. 15)
But many of us grew up in homes and churches where image management was king. As a Christian, it was your goal to convince others of how spiritual you were. Reality was irrelevant. Perception was everything. (p. 18)
My generation has been frustrated and hurt by a Christian community and subculture that sometimes values perfection over faith. And it makes sense – our struggles are often not heard or welcome. Instead of grace being the common thread, the church has replaced it with moral and religious standards. (p. 22)
As someone who has experienced Christian in Bible college, he talks about the constant pressure to be happy. With that focus, much of Christianity is centered on moralism and emotion rather than faith. (p. 23)
This waffle-like approach to faith allows us to place our faith in one section, our work in another, and our hobbies in another. They are disconnected, without the ability to influence each other. (p. 24)
When you’re drowning in a culture of Christianity that approves of everyone, people who look for more. Why? Because cheap Christianity, with low expectations, is virtually meaningless. (p. 26)
We need the freedom to fail. (p. 30)
THE CROSS IS PROCLAMATION
…to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins….
Romans 3:25
The cross, thank God, is not only exposition. The cross is also proclamation, a mighty declaration. I like the word that the apostle uses there in Romans 3, and especially the way in which he repeats it. He likes it himself obviously. “Whom God hath set forth,” he says “to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins…to declare, I say…” (Romans 3:25-26). Have you got it, have you heard it, were you listening? says the apostle. Wake up, you sleepy listeners. “…to declare, I say…” Have you heard the declaration? Have you heard the mighty proclamation? What does this blood declare to me?
Let me sum it up in another word that this same apostle used in 2 Corinthians 5:19,21. This is the declaration: God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them….For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. What does all this mean? Let me put it in modern terms. The cross tells me that this is the declaration. This, it says, is God’s way of dealing with the problem of man’s sin. It has already said that there is a problem. It is a terrible one; it is the greatest problem of all time and of the whole cosmos. There is nothing greater than this. There is the exposition of the problem. Then comes the mighty declaration. This, it says, is God’s answer.
Now our Lord had been saying that in His teaching, but they could not understand it. They were blinded, even His own disciples. They were thinking as Jews, in terms of a kingdom on earth. Man will always materialize the great and glorious blessings of God’s kingdom.
A Thought to Ponder
The cross, thank God, is not only exposition. The cross is also proclamation, a mighty declaration. (From The Cross, p. 161. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Romans 8
What the Law cannot do in delivering us from sin, God does through Christ.
INSIGHT
In Greece, a little boy might run into the kitchen and call “Mama, Mama!” when he wants to find his mother. And late in the afternoon as he hears familiar masculine footsteps approaching the house, he may run out to his father and cry “Abba, Abba!” “Mama” and “Abba” are terms of close family endearment. God loves the whole world, but He loves His spiritual children in a different, special way. With respect and joy, we can express our love back to Him with the tender name, “Abba, Abba.” It’s a term of endearment in the spiritual family. (Quiet Walk)
Gripped by the gravity of the promises he was making to LaShonne, Jonathan found himself stumbling as he repeated his wedding vows. He thought, How can I make these promises and not believe they’re possible to keep? He made it through the ceremony, but the weight of his commitments remained. After the reception, Jonathan led his wife to the chapel where he prayed—for more than two hours—that God would help him keep his promise to love and care for LaShonne.
Jonathan’s wedding-day fears were based on the recognition of his human frailties. But God, who promised to bless the nations through Abraham’s offspring (Galatians 3:16), has no such limitations. To challenge his Jewish Christian audience to perseverance and patience to continue in their faith in Jesus, the writer of Hebrews recalled God’s promises to Abraham, the patriarch’s patient waiting, and the fulfillment of what had been promised (Hebrews 6:13-15). Abraham and Sarah’s status as senior citizens was no barrier to the fulfillment of God’s promise to give Abraham “many descendants” (v. 14).
Are you challenged to trust God despite being weak, frail, and human? Are you struggling to keep your commitments, to fulfill your pledges and vows? In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God promises to help us: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” For more than thirty-six years God has helped Jonathan and LaShonne to remain committed to their vows. Why not trust Him to help you?
(By Arthur Jackson. Our Daily Bread)
SIN
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 1:10
This is the failure to realize that we as sinners need forgiveness. It is the failure to realize the nature of sin, to grasp that our own natures are sinful, and to understand that we have all actually sinned and need forgiveness.
There are certain people who seem to say, “Yes, I believe in God, and I like to have fellowship with Him. And yet, you know, I have never been conscious of my sin. I do not understand that doctrine of yours. If you were to preach it to people gathered from the streets, I could understand that. But I have been brought up as a Christian; I have always tried to do good. I have never been conscious of the fact that I am a sinner, that I need repentance, and that I must be converted.”
Well, says John, if that is your position, “[you] make him a liar, and his word is not in [you].” If we do not realize that we are sinners and need the forgiveness of God, if we do not realize that we have always needed it and that we still need it, if we think that we have always been perfect or that now we are perfect as Christians, if we do not realize that we must repent, then, says John, we are making God a liar, for the “him” referred to is none other than God Himself. John here is just stating the whole teaching of the Bible from beginning to end
What, then, is he teaching? Paul has summarized it perfectly for us in Romans 3; this is his verdict: “There is none righteous, no, not one” (verse 10). That is the doctrine of the Bible; so if we say we have not sinned, we are denying the doctrine of the Bible.
A Thought to Ponder: If we say we have not sinned, we are denying the doctrine of the Bible. (From Fellowship with God, pp. 119-120, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Guarding the Word
“Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words.” (Psalm 119:57)
Three stanzas within the 22 stanzas of Psalm 119 have all eight Hebrew terms used to describe the Word of God. How appropriate it is that the central theme in these verses (vv. 57- 64) provides us succinct ways to keep (guard) His Word.
Principally, our “whole heart” must be involved in seeking the “favour” of God (v. 58). The “great commandment” (Matthew 22:38) rests on loving God with “all” of our hearts. If we seek God’s blessing, both during our earthly life and in the eternity to come, we can “trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Such a heart thinks (considers, reckons) about the ways of God and turns (turns back, corrects) its “feet unto [His] testimonies” (Psalm 119:59). The godly life is not an unplanned life. The godly life seeks to understand and obey the words of God’s Word. And the godly life makes “haste” and will not delay in keeping His commandments (Psalm 119:60).
Circumstances may cause temporary difficulties in the life of a godly person (Psalm 119:61), but he will not forget the laws of God. Rather, he will rise at “midnight” (the deepest time of trouble) to give thanks to our Lord “because of thy righteous judgments” (Psalm 119:62).
The one who wants to guard the Word of God is a companion of those who fear God and keep the precepts of the Word (Psalm 119:63). The godly heart sees the mercy of the Lord everywhere and longs for the “Creator of the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 40:28) to teach it the eternal statutes of His Word (Psalm 119:64). May “such an heart” (Deuteronomy 5:29) be ours as we seek to serve Him.
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
Tony Dungy says: “Today we are a divided country, and Satan is laughing at us because that is exactly what he wants. Dysfunction, mistrust, and hatred help his kingdom flourish. We have to realize we are not fighting against other people. We are fighting against Satan and his kingdom of spiritual darkness.
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