Leviticus 4

Dealing with unintentional sinsverses 1-2

And the LORD spoke unto Moses saying

Speak to the children of Israel

saying

IF a soul shall sin through IGNORANCE against

any of the commandments of the LORD

concerning things which ought

not to be done

and shall do against any of them

High Priest sin’s unintentionalverses 3-12

IF the priest that is anointed do sin

according to the sin of the people

THEN let him bring for his sin – which he hath sinned

a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD

for a SIN OFFERING

And he shall bring the bullock to the door of the

tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD

and shall lay his hand upon the bullock’s head

and kill the bullock before the LORD

And the priest that is anointed shall take of the bullock’s blood

and bring it to the tabernacle of the congregation

and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood

and sprinkle of the blood SEVEN TIMES

before the LORD

before the veil of the sanctuary

And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the

altar of sweet incense before the LORD

which is in the tabernacle of the congregation

and shall pour all the blood of the bullock at the

bottom of the altar of the BURNT OFFERING

which is at the door of the tabernacle of

the congregation

And he shall take off from it all the fat of the bullock

for the SIN OFFERING

the fat that covers the inwards

and all the fat that is upon the inwards

and the two kidneys

and the fat that is upon them

which is by the flanks

and the caul above the liver

with the kidneys

it shall he take away

as it was taken off from the bullock of the

sacrifice of PEACE OFFERING

and the priest shall burn them on the

altar of the BURNT OFFERING

And the skin of the bullock – and all his flesh – with his

head – legs – inwards – dung

even the whole bullock shall he carry forth

WITHOUT the camp unto a clean place

where the ashes are poured out

and burn him on the wood with fire

where the ashes are poured out

shall he be burnt

Entire Israelite people sin unintentionallyverses 13-21

And IF the WHOLE congregation of Israel sin through ignorance

and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly

and they have done somewhat against any of the

commandments of the LORD concerning things

which should not be done – and are guilty

WHEN the sin

which they have sinned against it is known

THEN the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin

and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation

And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the

head of the bullock before the LORD

and the bullock shall be killed before the LORD

And the priest that is anointed shall bring of the bullock’s blood

to the tabernacle of the congregation

And the priest shall dip his finger in some of the blood

and sprinkle it SEVEN TIMES before the LORD

even before the veil

And he shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar

which is before the LORD

that is in the tabernacle of the congregation

and shall pour out all the blood at the

bottom of the altar of the

BURNT OFFERING

which is at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation

And he shall take all his fat from him

and burn it on the altar

And he shall do with the bullock as he did with

the bullock for a SIN OFFERING

so shall he do with this

and the priest shall make an ATONEMENT for them

and it shall be FORGIVEN them

And he shall carry forth the bullock without the camp

and burn him as he burned the first bullock

it is a SIN OFFERING for the congregation

Leaders sin unintentionallyverses 22-26

WHEN a RULER has sinned – and done somewhat through

ignorance against any of the commandments of the

LORD his God concerning things

which should not be done

and is guilty

OR IF his sin – wherein he has sinned – come to his knowledge

he shall bring his offering – a kid of the goats

a male without blemish

and he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat

and kill it in the place where they kill the

BURNT OFFERING before the LORD

it is a SIN OFFERING

And the priest shall take of the blood of the SIN OFFERING

with his finger and put it upon the horns of the

altar of BURNT OFFERING

and shall pour out his blood at the bottom of the altar of

BURNT OFFERING

And he shall burn all his fat on the altar

as the fat of the sacrifices of the PEACE OFFERING

and the priest shall make an ATONEMENT

for him as concerning his sin

and it shall be FORGIVEN him

Common person sins unintentionally: kid of a goatverses 27-31

And IF any one of the COMMON PEOPLE sin through ignorance

while he does somewhat against any of the

commandments of the LORD concerning things

which ought not to be done – and be guilty

OR IF his sin – which he has sinned – come to his knowledge

THEN he shall bring his offering – a KID of the goats

a FEMALE without blemish

for his sin which he hath sinned

And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the SIN OFFERING

and slay the SIN OFFERING in the place of the

BURNT OFFERING

And the priest shall take of the blood thereof with his finger

and put it upon the horns of the altar of BURNT OFFERING

and shall pour out all the blood thereof

at the bottom of the altar

And he shall take away all the fat thereof

as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of

PEACE OFFERING

And the priest shall burn it on the altar for a sweet savor to the LORD

and the priest shall make an ATONEMENT for him

and it shall be FORGIVEN him

Common person sins unintentionally: lambverses 32-35

And IF he bring a LAMB for a SIN OFFERING

he shall bring it a FEMALE without blemish

And he shall lay his hand on the head of the SIN OFFERING

and slay it for a SIN OFFERING in the place where they

kill the BURNT OFFERING

And the priest shall take of the blood of the SIN OFFEIRNG

with his finger

And put it on the horns of the altar of BURNT OFFERING

and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the

bottom of the altar

and he shall take away all the fat thereof

as the fat of the LAMB is taken away from the

sacrifice of the PEACE OFFERING

And the priest shall burn them on the altar

according to the offerings made by fire to the LORD

and the priest shall make an ATONEMENT for

his sin that he has committed

and it shall be FORGIVEN him

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them (7684 “ignorance” [shegagah] means unintentionally, a mistake, error, at unawares, or unwittingly)

DEVOTION: There is premeditated sin and unwitting sins. God had a judgment for those who sinned in a premeditated manner. HE also had some counsel for those who sinned without realizing that they were sinning. Some of the people didn’t have all the commandments of the LORD memorized. There were some who were just learning all the commands and statutes and ordinances of the LORD.

There are times that we sin and don’t know we have sinned. Remember that there are sins of commission and sins of omission recorded in the New Testament.

Sins of commission are those sins that are committed against the commands of the LORD. There are lists found throughout the Scriptures regarding the sins that God condemns. Some of the sins are judged with capital punishment.

Each of us is at different levels of maturity in the LORD. When we first come to know Christ we know that there are Ten Commandments but we don’t know all the ramifications of the commandments.

We know that we are to love the LORD and love our neighbor. Sometimes we are unloving in our relationship with our neighbor. Sometimes we can be unloving in our relationship with the LORD. As we receive wisdom from the LORD, we realize areas of our life that can be more loving to both.

Then there are the sins of omission. The Holy Spirit can direct us to help someone we meet but we chose to not help him or her. We can be told to witness to someone and become afraid and not do it. Those are sins of omission. We can sometimes break one of them without know it.

Does that seem possible? Yes, here we have an offering to be offered for just such a sin. We are in the learning process as we grow in the LORD. The children of Israel were in the learning process. In fact, this chapter covers unintentional sins of not only the common people but also the High Priest or priest, of the leaders, and of the whole congregation.

Each year we learn things we should do and things we shouldn’t do. This goes on for the rest of our Christian life. There are some Christians who don’t seem to know what is right and wrong in God’s eyes. Some of this is unwitting. Some is premeditated. Only the person and God know the difference. Let’s watch what we practice in our daily lives.

I have met people who have been followers of the LORD for many years that don’t know the basic teachings of the Word of God. This should not happen if they are attending Bible preaching churches but it does. Is it the pastor’s fault? Sometimes! Most of the time it is the people who are not excited about learning what the Bible has to say to them and how they should live that don’t know the teachings of the Word of God.

CHALLENGE: Don’t fall into the second category. All of us need to be students of the Word DAILY!!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 3 If the priest that is anointed do sin according to the sin of the people; then let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the LORD for a sin offering. (4899 “anointed” [mashiyach] means Messiah, consecrate, or to smear with oil.

DEVOTION: This was the High Priest sinning against the LORD through ignorance. He didn’t go out willfully to sin against the LORD but he did sin.

It was required of him that he offered a sin offering for his sin. He had to sacrifice a bullock to the LORD. He had broken one of the commandments of the LORD. He had to bring the blood of his sacrifice to the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies. He had to sprinkle it seven times on the veil.

Remember the significance of the number seven. It is the number of completion. This meant that he was completely forgiven of his sin of ignorance.

Here is the spiritual leader of the nation of Israel sinning against the LORD. He needed to offer a sacrifice to receive forgiveness for his sin. It is great to know that a spiritual leader had to seek the forgiveness of the LORD for his sin.

We need to realize that our spiritual leaders do sin. Is there anyone in the church that doesn’t commit sin? Should a pastor be forgiven of his sin by the congregation? Should the LORD forgive a pastor for his sin? The answer is YES!!!

Spiritual leaders sin each day just like the rest of the congregation. Here it is describing a sin that was done in ignorance. So often we find people who will not forgive a spiritual leader if they do something in ignorance.

God wants us to realize that HE will forgive a spiritual leader who confesses his sin before HIM. We need to do the same.

There are many people in our churches who consider themselves spiritual leaders and yet think that they are not guilty of sin like the rest of the congregation. That is a sin of pride.

All believers sin and need to confess their sins and God is faithful and just to forgive them and restore them to a proper relationship of blessing to HIM.

CHALLENGE: If God is willing to forgive a spiritual leader shouldn’t we do the same. We are commanded to love one another and that includes forgiving even a spiritual leader who sins.

: 13 And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty (816 “guilty” [‘asham] means suffer from one’s guilt, trespass, desolate, offend, to be liable for a wrongdoing or sin, or to fail in duty)

DEVOTION: Is there a time when a whole congregation can commit a sin against the LORD? The answer is YES!! Here we have a section of this chapter that deals with the entire community of the children of Israel committing a sin against the LORD. It is something that was done in ignorance or a time when they didn’t realize they were sinning against the LORD.

They had to bring a sacrifice to the LORD for this action. The details are very similar to the offering that the High Priest had to bring when he sinned in ignorance.

Today we have congregation that say they honor the LORD but commit sins of ignorance too. They could just not treat their spiritual leader properly. They could not treat visiting individuals properly. They could allow someone to come in who was teaching false doctrine.

We need to realize that God holds congregations accountable to HIM for their actions. The second and third chapters of Revelation are talking to individual congregations who are committing sins against the LORD that they need to correct or HE will take their candlestick from them and they will go out of existence.

CHALLENGE: There needs to be regular times of evaluation by the church regarding their relationship to the LORD and HIS expectations of them.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 27 And if any one of the common people sin through ignorance, while he does somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which ought not to be done, and be guilty (4687 “commandments” [mitzvah] means an authoritative direction or instruction to do something, prohibition, or accepted obligations)

DEVOTION: Here we have a common person who sins unintentionally. He had to offer a sin offering as well. He is to bring a kid of the goats. He is to lay his hand on the animal to signify that he is identifying with the sin and offering the animal as a replacement for him.

Once he identifies himself with the sin that he committed ignorantly then the priest is to take the animal and sacrifice it like he would a sacrifice given as a peace offering or a fellowship offering.

Remember that the priest and the offender could eat of the offering. This is not true when the High Priest sins or the whole congregation sins. God allows this type of offering to be eaten by the priest and offender. God notes the difference between the High Priest and the congregation as a whole sinning against HIM compared to the sin of the ruler or the common man.

With greater responsibility comes greater judgment. God expects more of those in leadership then the common man. Even in the New Testament we find that those in leadership are held to a higher standard. They are forgiven of sin but the pay a higher price.

This should give us a warning but also a prayer request. We should be praying regularly for those who are in leadership.

CHALLENGE: We should be encouraging those in leadership. We should be helping those in leadership. It can be a lonely place for those who are in leadership.

:35 And he shall take away all the fat thereof, as the fat of the lamb is taken away from the sacrifice of the peace offerings; and the priest shall burn them on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire to the Lord: and the priest shall make an atonement for his sin that he has committed, and it shall be forgiven him. (5545 “forgiven” [calach] means 1 to forgive, pardon. 1a (Qal) to forgive, pardon. 1b (Niphal) to be forgiven. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])

DEVOTION: The purpose of the peace offering was to achieve forgiveness with God. The children of Israel understood what sin was, and yet it was easy enough to think that God would be satisfied with the annual sacrifice on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). God did not need the repeated sacrifices of His people in order for them to receive His forgiveness (Hebrews 10:1-2). Yet is was a way of demonstrating His desire for fellowship with them, when that fellowship had been broken by our sin. In this way one could receive peace with God through offering one of the peace offerings.

God’s desire is that we experience His peace. Jesus indicated that He wanted His disciples to have His peace (John 14:27). This was in contrast to the peace that the world offers, which is based on compromise with the world’s value system (and therefore not true peace). We can still settle for second best and try to achieve peace with God through our own efforts (rather than simply relying on the finished work on the cross).

One of the challenges, then, to being forgiven is to realize and admit that I have sin. In this day, we are influenced by a lot of Eastern religions which do away with the concept of sin, and talk instead about one’s bad karma. Or we are tempted to accept the psychological definition of our sin, and talk about how we are victims of our past heritage or that what we do is not as bad as someone else. When we do all of these things, we fail to realize that our sin is serious and is what separates us from a holy God. We forget that forgiveness of sin was so serious an idea that it took God sending His only-begotten Son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin.

CHALLENGE: Sin is serious stuff. When you are tempted to think about sinning today, make it a point to change your focus to Jesus dying on the cross to pay for your sins. (MW)

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)

Sin offeringverses 3-6

Bullock to door of tabernacle

Without blemish

Kill bullock

Take blood

Sprinkle blood seven times before LORD

Some blood on horns of altar of sweet incense

Burnt offeringverse 7

Peace offeringverse 10

Congregation sin through ignoranceverses 13-21

Offer a young bullock

Elders lay hands on offering

Priest sprinkle blood seven times

Sin offeringverse 21

Ruler sinsverses 22-26

Through ignorance

Kid of the goats: male

Burnt offering

Sin offering

Peace offering

Atonement – forgiven

Common peopleverses 27-35

Through ignorance

Kid of the goats: female

Sin offering

Peace offering

Bring a lamb without blemish (instead)

Peace offering

Atonement: forgiven

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Commandments of the LORDverses 2, 13, 22, 27

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 13, 15, 17, 18, 22, 24, 27, 31, 35

Commandments of the LORDverses 2, 13, 22, 27

God (Elohim)verse 22

LORD his Godverse 22

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)

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Sinverses 2, 3, 8, 13, 14, 20-29, 32-35

Ought not to be doneverses 2, 13, 22, 27

Ignoranceverses 2, 13, 22, 27

Sin of the peopleverse 3

Guiltyverses 13, 22

Ruler sinverse 22

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Anointedverses 3, 5, 16

Atonementverses 20, 26, 31, 35

Forgivenverses 20, 26, 31, 35

Knowledgeverses 23, 28

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Mosesverse 1

Children of Israelverse 2

Sin offeringverses 3, 8, 14, 20, 21, 23-25, 28, 29, 32-34

Priest that is anointedverses 3, 5-7, 16, 17, 20, 25, 31

Offering without blemishverses 3, 23, 28, 32

Tabernacle of the congregationverses 4, 5, 7, 14, 16-18

Altar of the burnt offeringverses 7, 10, 18, 25

Peace offeringverses 10, 26, 31, 35

Whole congregation of Israelverses 13, 14

Elders of the congregationverse 15

Ruler sinverse 22

Common peopleverse 27

Sweet savor unto the LORDverse 31

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

4:3 the anointed priest. See Ex 29:29 and Lv 16:32, which defined this person as the High-Priest. bring guilt on the people. Only the High-Priest, due to his representative position, was capable of this type of guilt infusion. For example, Achan had brought about the defeat of Israel when he held back the spoils, but the entire nation was not executed, as was his family (cf. Jos 7:22–26). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Le 4:3). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

The sin offering and the guilt (or trespass) offering were very much alike and were even governed by the same law (7:1–10). Generally speaking, the guilt offering was for individual sins that affected people and property and for which restitution could be made, while the sin offering focused on some violation of the law that was done without deliberate intent. The trespass offering emphasized the damage done to others by the offender, while the sin offering emphasized the offender’s guilt before God. The priest would examine the offender and determine which sacrifice was needed. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (p. 25). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

When the whole nation sinned, it was the elders who did this (4:15); for as leaders, they were responsible before God to oversee the spiritual life of the people. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (p. 26). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)

The result of this ritual was forgiveness (Lev. 4:20, 26, 31, 35; see 5:10, 13; 6:7). As I mentioned before, even though the sacrifice of animals can’t take away sin or change the human heart, the sacrifices pointed to the perfect Sacrifice, Jesus Christ (Heb. 10:1–15). He is our sin offering (Isa. 53:4–6, 12; Matt. 26:28; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (p. 27). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

Distribution of the offering: The Lord’s share was the portion that was burned upon the altar—the fat, kidneys, fatty lobe above the liver, etc. The priest was allowed to eat the flesh of the offerings of a ruler or of a commoner because the blood of these offerings was not taken into the sanctuary (7:30), as in the case of the offerings of the high priest and the congregation (4:5, 6, 16, 17). (MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (p. 141). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)

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!!)

HEAVEN is a place on EARTH by Michael E. Wittmer

However, nowhere does Scripture hold out heaven as our ultimate goal. Instead, it informs us that heaven is merely the first leg of a journey that is round-trip. (p. 74)

In short, just as a king or government might leave a replica of himself behind to rule in his stead, so God the Creator has left us, made in his image, to rule the earth on his behalf. (p. 82)\

There we discover that God created us in his image so that we might enjoy three deeply satisfying and productive relationships with God, other people, and the earth itself. (p. 90)

But rather than pursue this itch to its source, many people prefer to just continue scratching. Although they suspect they will never be satisfied until they rest in God, yet, shaped by the flattened ontology of the modern world, they choose to behave as if this life is all there is. (p. 92)

Acts 23
Because of attempts to kill Paul, he is taken to Caesarea to await trial.
INSIGHT

Jesus says, “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). This certainly describes Paul. As he stands before the Jewish Council, Paul knows that his life is in peril. He also knows that the Council is divided between Pharisees, who believe in the resurrection of the dead, and the Sadducees, who do not. When Paul deliberately brings up that issue, the ensuing dissension is so great that the soldiers take him away, thwarting the immediate plot against him.

(Quiet Walk)

CHRIST THE PROPHET
He that hath seen me hath seen the Father. John 14:9
How did Christ act as a prophet on earth? He did so in all His teaching: His teaching concerning God the Father; His exposition of the law in the Sermon on the Mount; in all He told us of God’s love, of God’ gracious purpose, of His nature and His person. All this was a part of the exercise of His prophetic function, and supremely He told us about Himself. All this is vital, and I emphasize it because we sometimes forget that a part of our salvation consists in our receiving this knowledge that our Lord has given. This is why we must realize that this gospel applies to us. All He taught applies to us; the gospel is vital for Christian people and for Christian living. Christ is our Prophet.
And then He taught us by His life and example. “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). “Look at me,” He said in effect. “Have not my works shown you?” (See John 10:37-38.) “Hast thou not known me, Philip?” (John 14:9). “If you only look at Me, you will learn about God.”
Then let me go on to show you how He has continued to exercise His prophetic function ever since His ascension, after He left earth and returned to heaven. He said that He would speak through the Holy Spirit. “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you” (John 16:12-14). The Holy Spirit would not speak of Himself or about Himself, but the Holy Spirit would be told what to say. Christ would send the Holy Spirit to instruct. As the Son did not speak of Himself but from the Father, so the Spirit speaks as our Lord instructs Him.
A Thought to Ponder: Christ exercised His prophetic function as He told us about Himself.

(From God the Father, God the Son, pp. 294-295, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

The Writing of God
“And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.” (Exodus 32:16)
In this verse is the first occurrence in the Bible of the word “writing” and, appropriately enough, it is speaking of “the writing of God” rather than the writings of men. The reference, of course, is to the two tables of the law, the Ten Commandments, “written with the finger of God” (Exodus 31:18) and rewritten on a second set of stone tables to replace the first, once they were shattered (Exodus 34:1).
All Scripture is divinely inspired, but the Ten Commandments were divinely inscribed! This testimony of their unique importance is a sobering condemnation of any who ignore them or distort their meaning (including the one referring to the six-day creation in Exodus 20:11).
But there is another writing of God—this one recorded in the New Testament, one of even greater personal significance to the Christian: “Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ…written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3). No longer an external standard divinely engraved in stone by the finger of God, but an internal conviction inscribed in the heart by the Spirit of God! “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them” (Hebrews 10:16).
This remarkable writing of God’s law in our hearts and minds has been accomplished because Christ came not “to destroy, but to fulfill” the law (Matthew 5:17) and “hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). Now, with the law in our hearts, we have become epistles of God, “known and read of all men” (2 Corinthians 3:2), and it is vital that the writing read true and clear through our lives.

(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

Acts 22
Upon his arrest at the temple, Paul attempts in vain to justify his message to the Jews.
INSIGHT

Even though Paul lives in complete recognition of the will of the Lord and acceptance of the sovereignty of God, he is not passive regarding his personal welfare or the welfare of his mission. Paul knows it is illegal to punish a Roman citizen without his being tried and found guilty. When he is about to be beaten, Paul brings up this issue and is spared. Acceptance of the sovereignty of God does not mean passiveness in the things of this world. Paul does what he can within the legal system and then leaves the results to the Lord. (Quiet Walk)

LIMITATIONS

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father Mark 13:32
Another piece of evidence for the humanity of Christ is that here on earth He was subject to certain [self-imposed] limitations in His knowledge. There is an instance of this in Mark 11:13–“the incident of the barren fig tree. We are told that our Lord came to it expecting to find fruit. He did not know that it had none. Also, in Mark 13:32 we read these most important and momentous words, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” He said specifically that He did not know the precise time of this day that is coming; not only the angels, but even He did not know it, but only the Father.
That brings us to another proof of Christ’s humanity, which is that He was subject to physical limitation. In John 4, in the instance of the woman of Samaria, we are told that He was weary. He sat down by the side of the well and did not go with the disciples to buy provisions because He was physically tired. We read that He fell asleep in the boat on the sea, in the stern of the vessel (Mark 4:36-41). In the incident of the barren fig tree we are told that as He was going to Jerusalem one morning He was hungry. He endured physical agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, sweating great drops of blood. And finally, of course, and conclusively and most important of all, He actually, literally died; and His death–this physical limitation–is the ultimate proof of His humanity
Further evidence of Christ’s humanity was that He was tempted. We find this in Hebrews 2:18, in addition to the Gospel accounts of His temptation in the wilderness.
A Thought to Ponder: Christ was subject to physical limitation.
(From God the Father, God the Son, p. 273, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Revival Through the Word
“My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word.” (Psalm 119:25)
Sometimes the battle takes its toll, we feel like the enemy is winning, and our soul “melteth for heaviness” (v. 28). Many psalms share these intense emotions and seek God’s face for relief and revival. These eight verses in Psalm 119 provide a concise remedy that every Christian needs sometimes.

Open confession and supplication: “I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me” (v. 26).
Clear request for understanding: “Teach me thy statutes. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts” (vv. 26-27).
Reaffirmation for personal witness: “So shall I talk of thy wondrous works” (v. 27).
Bold request for spiritual strength: “Strengthen thou me according unto thy word” (v. 28).
Request to gain victory over habitual sin: “Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously” (v. 29).
Conscious declaration of personal commitment: “I have chosen the way of truth: thy judgments I have laid before me” (v. 30).
Remembering past righteous behavior: “I have stuck unto thy testimonies” (v. 31).
Plea for God’s favor and mercy: “O LORD, put me not to shame” (v. 31).
Expectant promise for future lifestyle of holiness: “I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart” (v. 32).

Personal revival is as sure as the Word of God. But revival assumes our own deep desire to live in accordance with God’s Word. God will “enlarge” (fill, expand) our heart when we seek His face (Psalm 81:10).

(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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