Month: December 2025

ARE YOU THIRSTY?  

ARE YOU THIRSTY?  

Psalms 63 NET.

A psalm of David, written when he was in the Judean wilderness. 1 O God, you are my God! I long for you! My soul thirsts for you, my flesh yearns for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. 2 Yes, in the sanctuary I have seen you, and witnessed your power and splendor. 3 Because experiencing your loyal love is better than life itself, my lips will praise you. 4 For this reason I will praise you while I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 As if with choice meat you satisfy my soul. My mouth joyfully praises you, 6 whenever I remember you on my bed, and think about you during the nighttime hours. 7 For you are my deliverer; under your wings I rejoice. 8 My soul pursues you; your right hand upholds me. 9 Enemies seek to destroy my life, but they will descend into the depths of the earth. 10 Each one will be handed over to the sword; their corpses will be eaten by jackals. 11 But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who takes oaths in his name will boast, for the mouths of those who speak lies will be shut up.

Seven years ago, when Penny and I were hiking the Appalachian Trail, we had a night when we lacked drinkable water. We traveled over a thousand miles, but that was the only night I recall having trouble finding water. Usually, there’s a stream, spring, pond, or river nearby where we hike. However, that night I saw some deer, and I was so thirsty that I followed them to see if they would lead me to water. They did, but it was just a puddle, and the water looked very yellow. Despite our thirst, we couldn’t bring ourselves to drink it, so we poured it out. The next day, we came off the mountain and into a city. The first place we stopped, I drank so much! I couldn’t get enough. I remember that day when I read David’s experience here.

David wrote this when he was thirsty for God.

He is in the Judean desert, and he describes it as “a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.” But David sings about gazing not on a stream, lake, or river, but on God’s sanctuary. He is thirsty for the presence of God. His experience with living in a place where water was scarce serves as a symbol for the thirst he was experiencing as he writes this psalm. He is thirsty, but not for the water you can get out of a faucet. He is thirsty for the real and powerful presence of God in his life.

He had experienced God’s active presence in his life before. He talks about being in the sanctuary and seeing God, witnessing his power and splendor. But it was not just God’s greatness that impressed him at those times. He also experienced God’s goodness, particularly his loyal love. That is how this version translates the Hebrew word חֶסֶד that we have encountered several times in our walk through the Old Testament so far this year. It speaks of God’s loyalty he shows to his covenant. He is loyal to the agreement he made with the ancestors of the Israelites – the Patriarchs. He is also faithful to the descendants of the Patriarchs because even though they have strayed away from that covenant many times, his love for them and his own integrity demand that he remain loyal to it, and to them.

To David, his relationship with God is better than life itself. An authentic relationship with God can do that to a person. It can make a person seek God above all other pursuits. It can make a person thirsty for the kind of water that Jesus said would make a person never thirst again.

Jesus encountered a woman in a Samaritan village who was looking for that kind of relationship with God. She didn’t know that was what she needed, but he knew. He came to the well and asked her for a drink. But the real reason he was at the well was that she needed a drink—not from the well, but from the living water that only He could provide.

The prophet Isaiah spoke the heart of God when he wrote, “Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water! You who have no money, come! Buy and eat! Come! Buy wine and milk without money and without cost! Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food! Pay attention and come to me! Listen so that you can live! Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you, just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David (Isaiah 55:1-3). As God’s prophet, Isaiah appealed to all who recognize their need for a relationship with God to come to him, because he is available. A real relationship with God is available, and it does not cost anything. It is free because the God of the Bible does not need anything that you and I might own, because he owns everything. So, we have to approach God and ask for this great gift on only one basis. We need it, and God offers it on the basis of his divine grace.

Jesus’s encounter with the woman at the well repeated the same message. He used the imagery of thirst because it was a clear metaphor for what this woman was truly facing. She had many men over time, but she had no husband. She was an outcast, never fitting in, which is why she chose to go to the well during the heat of the day when no one else would be there. She had a whole village around her, but she was lonely. What happened when she decided to listen to her thirst? She chose to drink from Jesus Christ himself, the Messiah. Suddenly, she was satisfied—so much so that her attitude changed completely. She became an evangelist, urging others in her village to come and see Christ as well.

When Jesus stood and spoke at the Feast of Tabernacles, he made the same invitation to everyone who would listen. He said if anyone was thirsty, they could come to him and drink. The truth is, we are all thirsty for this, whether we think we are or not. When John commented on Jesus’s statement, he said that Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit. He took it as a reference to the miracle of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit appeared visibly and the church was born.

But I want to ask a fundamental question here because someone might assume that now that we are living post-Pentecost, the Spirit has arrived, and the church has been established, the offer no longer applies. My question is this:

Are you feeling needs you cannot meet?

I’m not asking if you have ever asked Jesus into your heart. I’ll assume most of you did that a long time ago. I’m not even going to ask if you have ever had any experience with the Holy Spirit in your life. Most of you can probably recall a time when the Holy Spirit spoke to you clearly and made a difference in your life. My question is more about all the doors to your house that you might not have thought about opening to God. I don’t know about your home, but I know that in my house, I have rooms I keep more presentable because they are rooms someone might reasonably enter. I also have rooms that are mainly for storage. I don’t spend much time making those rooms look nice because nobody sees them.

Our spiritual lives can become that way, too. We might keep up a respectable religious appearance that everyone notices, but there are parts of our lives we choose not to share with others because doing so might bring us shame. That’s why my question is quite open-ended. “Are you feeling needs you cannot meet?” Some of us might have a strong Christian life in most areas, but we might still have areas where we haven’t allowed God access. We might have needs that we have always considered too shameful to seek God to fulfill. A follow-up question might be:

Are those needs giving you a thirst for God?

If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us would admit that we rarely consider letting God handle many of our deepest needs. He is holy, and many things that truly disturb us we see as unholy, even profane. We’ve learned to compartmentalize ourselves. We tell God he can have us for an hour or two on Sunday, but the rest of our time is reserved for someone else. Could it be that the reason we’re still thirsty for the same things after all these years in Christ is that we refuse to trust him with those needs?

Isaiah challenged all of us to seek the LORD while he makes himself available; to call to him while he is nearby! He said that the wicked refuse to do that because it would mean abandoning their lifestyle and their plans. Here, he identifies the root cause of the lack of revival in 21st-century Christianity. God does not revive us because so much of the way we live reflects a dependence on something else besides the Holy Spirit. It does not have to be a bad thing in itself. All it has to do is take the place of the presence of God in our lives.

I’m reminded of the story of the little boy in Sunday School. His teacher asked him what is gray, lives in trees, and collects acorns. The boy said, “I know the answer is Jesus, but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me.” Our problem is not the same as that little boy’s problem. We don’t know that the answer is Jesus. We have all these needs that we are looking for the answer to, but we think those needs are off limits to Jesus. But Jesus himself proclaimed that he is the way, the truth, and the life.

Jesus calls for all who thirst to come to him.

From the most fabulous kings to the lowest servants, we all need an active relationship with God. It’s what we thirst for even when we don’t realize we’re thirsty. But now and then, one of us becomes like David in today’s psalm. We finally recognize that we long for God himself—our souls hunger for him.

The thing about thirst is that it makes you look outside yourself. You might go through your day, handling everything you need to do, but then you start to feel thirsty. You can’t convince yourself to ignore it. You can’t wish your thirst away. Your focus simplifies. Water is what you need, and your eyes turn toward finding a water source. You decide to obey your thirst – not for Sprite, but for God.

The 17th-century French philosopher Blaise Pascal spoke about a God-shaped vacuum in every person’s heart. Augustine prayed, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” That is why we all thirst for God. His creation reveals His existence, and His word shows what He desires. Every day, you and I meet people who live anxious lives, searching for something they don’t fully understand. But we have met the Savior, and He is what they need. We have the living water within us, and they are dying of thirst. 

LORD, teach us how to share your Holy Spirit with our thirsty world.

Leviticus 10

Leviticus 10

Leviticus 10:1 But Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire to Yahveh’s face, which he had not commanded them.

Leviticus 10:2 And fire came out from Yahveh’s face and consumed them, and they died at Yahveh’s face.

Leviticus 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahveh spoke when he said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and to all the people’s face I will be glorified.'” And Aaron kept still.

Leviticus 10:4 And Moses invited Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the face of the sanctuary and out of the camp.”

Leviticus 10:5 So they came near and carried them in their shirts out of the camp, as Moses had said.

Leviticus 10:6 And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, or else you will die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, mourn over the burning that Yahveh has kindled.

Leviticus 10:7 And do not go outside the entrance of the conference tent, or else[1] you will die, because the anointing oil of Yahveh is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

Leviticus 10:8 And Yahveh spoke to Aaron, and this is what he said,

Leviticus 10:9 “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the conference tent, or else you will die. It will be a permanent prescription throughout your generations.

Leviticus 10:10 You are to divide between the sacred and the common, and between the contaminated and the pure,

Leviticus 10:11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the prescriptions that Yahveh has spoken to them by Moses.”

Leviticus 10:12 Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his surviving sons: “Take the tribute offering that is left of Yahveh’s fire offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, because it is most sacred.

Leviticus 10:13 You will eat it in a sacred place, because it is your prescription and your sons’ prescription, from Yahveh’s fire offerings, because so I am commanded.

Leviticus 10:14 But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you will eat in a pure place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, because they are given as your prescription and your sons’ prescription from the sacrifices for healthy relationships of the people of Israel.

Leviticus 10:15 The thigh that is contributed and the breast that is waved they will bring with the fire offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering to Yahveh’s face, and it will be yours and your sons’ with you as a permanent prescription, as Yahveh has commanded.”

Leviticus 10:16 Now Moses diligently enquired about the goat of the failure offering, and he noticed it was burned up! And he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the surviving sons of Aaron, and this is what he said,

Leviticus 10:17 “Why have you not eaten the failure offering in the place of the sanctuary, since it is a thing most sacred and has been given to you that you may be responsible for the violation of the congregation, to provide reconciliation for them to Yahveh’s face?

Leviticus 10:18 Notice, its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You certainly ought to have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.”

Leviticus 10:19 And Aaron said to Moses, “Notice, today they have offered their failure offering and their ascending offering to Yahveh’s face, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the failure offering today, would Yahveh have approved?”

Leviticus 10:20 And when Moses heard that, he approved.

[1] פֶּן= or else.

Leviticus 10 quotes:

“First, it is just possible that Aaron’s sons had been drunk at the time of the unauthorised fire experience, since the Lord tells Aaron seemingly out of the blue in Leviticus 10:9 that they should not drink fermented drink when they go into the Tent of Meeting, or they would die.”

“Furthermore, later on in Leviticus 10 Aaron incurs the wrath of Moses because his two remaining sons make another elementary mistake—remember that all these regulations were brand new to the people, and they didn’t have years of tradition or experience to fall back on. This time Aaron, in some exasperation I have no doubt, pleads his cause with Moses, who understands the extenuating circumstances and lets him off. Once again God makes it clear that although the letter of the law is important, it is the attitude of its adherents that is more important—a fact that Jesus himself was quick enough to point out: ‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law— justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former’ (Mt 23:23).”

Fergusson, John. Holy Fire. Kingsway Publications, 1996. pp. 52, 53.

“The word “strange” in Leviticus 10:1 comes from the Hebrew word zar. It is the same word that is used to describe a false god in Psalm 81:9. It is the word used to signify an immoral woman in Proverbs 2:16. It is the word used to denote illegitimate children in Hosea 5:7. Therefore, the “strange fire” must have been taken from somewhere other than the divinely appointed place and was, therefore, unacceptable to God.”

Harris, J. Gerald. Pardoned to Be Priests. Broadman Press, 1988. p. 32.

“This biblical principle has enormous implications. No human being has the right to introduce into religious practice an activity for which the Scriptures provide no approval. We human beings are simply not free in God’s sight to fashion religion and morality according to our own desires. Cain learned that the hard way when he did not offer the precise sacrifice that God had designated (Genesis 4:5-7; Hebrews 11:4; 1 John 3:12). The lives of Nadab and Abihu were snuffed out by God because of what they viewed as a minor adjustment in their offering (Leviticus 10:1-2). They were the right boys, at the right time and place, with the right censers, and the right incense—but the wrong fire. This deviation from God’s precise specifications was “unauthorized” (NIV) fire “which He had not commanded them” (NKJV). The change failed to show God as holy and give Him the respect He deserves (Leviticus 10:3).”

Miller, Dave. Surrendering to His Lordship : The Principle of Authority in the Bible. Apologetics Press, 2012. p. 5.

Leviticus 10 links:

consumed
consumed-
purity and proclamation
representing the King
service, celebration and devotion
staying at your post
stillness in crisis

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Saturday, July 27, 2024

LEVITICUS in Jeff’s library

Leviticus 9

Leviticus 9

Leviticus 9:1 On the eighth day Moses invited Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel,

Leviticus 9:2 and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a bull calf for a failure offering and a ram for an ascending offering both perfect and offer them to Yahveh’s face.

Leviticus 9:3 And speak to the people of Israel, and this is what you should say, ‘Take a male goat for a failure offering, and a calf and a lamb, both a year old, perfect, for an ascending offering

Leviticus 9:4 and an ox and a ram for offerings for healthy relationships, to sacrifice to Yahveh’s face, and a tribute offering mixed with oil, because today Yahveh will appear among you.'”

Leviticus 9:5 And they brought what Moses commanded in front of the conference tent, and all the congregation drew near and stood at Yahveh’s face.

Leviticus 9:6 And Moses said, “This is the thing that Yahveh commanded you to do, that the impressive appearance[1] of Yahveh may appear to you.”

Leviticus 9:7 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and offer your failure offering and your ascending offering and provide reconciliation for yourself and for the people and bring the offering of the people and provide reconciliation for them, as Yahveh has commanded.”

Leviticus 9:8 So Aaron drew near to the altar and killed the calf of the failure offering, which was for himself.

Leviticus 9:9 And the sons of Aaron presented the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar.

Leviticus 9:10 But the fat and the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver from the failure offering he burned on the altar, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

Leviticus 9:11 The flesh and the skin he burned up with fire outside the camp.

Leviticus 9:12 Then he killed the ascending offering and Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he threw it against the sides of the altar.

Leviticus 9:13 And they handed the ascending offering to him, piece by piece, and the head, and he burned them on the altar.

Leviticus 9:14 And he washed the entrails and the legs and burned them with the ascending offering on the altar.

Leviticus 9:15 Then he presented the people’s offering and took the goat of the failure offering that was for the people and killed it and offered it as a failure offering, like the first one.

Leviticus 9:16 And he presented the ascending offering and offered it according to the judgment.

Leviticus 9:17 And he presented the tribute offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar, besides the ascending offering of the morning.

Leviticus 9:18 Then he killed the ox and the ram, the sacrifice for healthy relationships for the people. And Aaron’s sons handed him the blood, and he threw it against the sides of the altar.

Leviticus 9:19 But the fat pieces of the ox and of the ram, the fat tail and that which covers the entrails and the kidneys and the long lobe of the liver —

Leviticus 9:20 they put the fat pieces on the breasts, and he burned the fat pieces on the altar,

Leviticus 9:21 but the breasts and the right thigh Aaron waved for a wave offering in Yahveh’s sight, as Moses commanded.

Leviticus 9:22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the failure offering and the ascending offering and the offerings for healthy relationships.

Leviticus 9:23 And Moses and Aaron went into the conference tent, and when they came out, they blessed the people, and the impressive appearance of Yahveh appeared to all the people.

Leviticus 9:24 And fire came out from Yahveh’s sight and consumed the ascending offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces

[1] כָּבוֹד = impressive appearance. Leviticus 9:6, 23.

Leviticus 9 quotes:

“The Cloudy Pillar of Fire left Mt. Sinai and came and dwelt on the Blood-stained Mercy Seat, Divine fire came out from the Glory and burnt the sacrifice on the Brazen Altar, thus lighting the Fire which was to burn continually and never to go out, (Leviticus 9:22-24). From this Divinely-lit fire were taken the coals of fire for the Golden Altar of Incense, and the fire to light the Golden Candlestick.”

Conner, Kevin J. The Tabernacle of Moses. Bible Temple Pub., 1975. p. 44.

“After Moses and Aaron blessed the people, we read in Leviticus 9:24, “And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.” God is holy, and the purity of His presence manifests itself in fire. On the Day of Pentecost, God poured out tongues of fire on believers. The fire of the Holy Spirit is a real manifestation of God’s presence. “Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them” (Acts 2:3).”

Hayford, Jack W., and Paul McGuire. Milestones to Maturity : Growing in the Laws of Grace : A Study of the Wilderness Books (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). T. Nelson, 1994. p. 60.

“God was back! That could only mean that what had been wrong had finally been put right. Then the Lord gave evidence of his presence: “Fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground” (Leviticus 9:24).”

Smith, Colin S., and Tim Augustyn. The One Year Unlocking the Bible Devotional. Tyndale House Pub., 2012. p. 41.

Leviticus 9 links:

approved devotion
because today Yahveh will appear
debugging Luke 23-43
impressive appearance
reconnection
reflections, not precursors
ultimate mediation

LEVITICUS in Jeff’s library

Leviticus 8

Leviticus 8

Leviticus 8:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Leviticus 8:2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the clothes and the anointing oil and the bull of the failure offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread.

Leviticus 8:3 And collect[1] all the congregation at the entrance of the conference tent.”

Leviticus 8:4 And Moses did as Yahveh commanded him, and the congregation collected at the entrance of the conference tent.

Leviticus 8:5 And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing that Yahveh commanded to be done.”

Leviticus 8:6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.

Leviticus 8:7 And he put the shirt on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skillfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band.

Leviticus 8:8 And he placed the breast piece on him, and in the sacred pouch[2] he put the Lights and the Darks. [3]

Leviticus 8:9 And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, at its face, he set the golden plate, the sacred badge, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it and consecrated them.

Leviticus 8:11 And he spritzed some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.

Leviticus 8:12 And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.

Leviticus 8:13 And Moses brought Aaron’s sons and clothed them with shirts and tied sashes around their waists and wrapped headbands around them, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:14 Then he brought the bull of the failure offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the failure offering.

Leviticus 8:15 And he killed it, and Moses took the blood, and with his finger put it on the horns of the altar around it and purified the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it to provide reconciliation upon it.

Leviticus 8:16 And he took all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar.

Leviticus 8:17 But the bull and its skin and its flesh and its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:18 Then he presented the ram of the ascending offering and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

Leviticus 8:19 And he killed it, and Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar.

Leviticus 8:20 He cut the ram into pieces, and Moses burned the head and the pieces and the fat.

Leviticus 8:21 He washed the entrails and the legs with water, and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was an ascending offering with a pacifying aroma, a fire offering for Yahveh, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:22 Then he presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.

Leviticus 8:23 And he killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

Leviticus 8:24 Then he presented Aaron’s sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar.

Leviticus 8:25 Then he took the fat and the fat tail and all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat and the right thigh,

Leviticus 8:26 and out of the basket of unleavened bread that was to Yahveh’s face he took one unleavened loaf and one loaf of bread with oil and one wafer and placed them on the pieces of fat and on the right thigh.

Leviticus 8:27 And he put all these in the hands of Aaron and in the hands of his sons and waved them as a wave offering to Yahveh’s face.

Leviticus 8:28 Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar with the ascending offering. This was an ordination offering with a pacifying aroma, a fire offering to Yahveh.

Leviticus 8:29 And Moses took the breast and waved it for a wave offering to Yahveh’s face. It was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

Leviticus 8:30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and of the blood that was on the altar and spritzed it on Aaron and his clothes, and also on his sons and his sons’ clothes. So, he consecrated Aaron and his clothes, and his sons and his sons’ clothes with him.

Leviticus 8:31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance of the conference tent, and there eat it and the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, when I said, ‘Aaron and his sons will eat it.’

Leviticus 8:32 And what remains of the meat and the bread you will burn up with fire.

Leviticus 8:33 And you will not go outside the entrance of the conference tent for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, because it will take seven days to ordain you.

Leviticus 8:34 As has been done today, Yahveh has commanded to be done to provide reconciliation for you.

Leviticus 8:35 At the entrance of the conference tent you will stay day and night for seven days, performing what Yahveh has charged, so that you do not die, because so I have been commanded.”

Leviticus 8:36 And Aaron and his sons did all the things that Yahveh commanded by Moses.

[1] קָהַל = collect. Leviticus 8:3, 4.

[2] חשֶׁן = sacred pouch. Leviticus 8:8.

[3] ‎ אֶת־הָאוּרִ֖ים וְאֶת־הַתֻּמִּֽים= Lights and Darks. Leviticus 8:8.

Leviticus 8 quotes:

“The modern reader can better appreciate this section by associating it with lived experience. Life stages bring so-called “rites of passage” to which all can relate in some way: birthdays, receiving sacraments, graduations, becoming parents or grandparents. Ordinations and other calls to ministry characterize modern faith as much as they did for the readers of Leviticus 8-10. Being called, consecrated, instructed in proper service, and embracing moral living remain perpetual values.”

Owens, J. Edward. Leviticus. Liturgical Press, 2011. p. 29.

“In Leviticus 8:1—10:20 the Aaronic family is ordained to be priests in Israel, sacrificial worship is inaugurated in the Tabernacle through Aaron’s ministry, and the first problem in the conduct of the priesthood emerges in the sin of Nadab and Abihu.”

Mays, James Luther. The Book of Leviticus : The Book of Numbers. John Knox Press, 1963. p. 38.

“In Leviticus 8:10-12, Moses anointed Aaron and the tabernacle. This was done with a special oil that no one was to duplicate in the camp, nor was it to be used on anyone but a priest (Ex. 30:22—33). In Scripture, oil is often a symbol of the Spirit of God who has anointed each believer (2 Cor. 1:21; 1 John 2:20, 27; see Ps. 133).”

Wiersbe, Warren W. Leviticus : Becoming “Set Apart” for God. First edition, David C Cook, 2015. p. 33.

Leviticus 8 links:

a week in the sanctuary
contract signing meal
ears, thumbs and toes
everybody watch
fashion statement
forgiveness before service
key to commitment
ordained devotion

Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, April 2, 2021

Leviticus 7

Leviticus 7

Leviticus 7:1 “This is the instruction about the reparation offering. It is most sacred.

Leviticus 7:2 In the place where they kill the ascending offering, they will kill the reparation offering, and its blood will be thrown against the sides of the altar.

Leviticus 7:3 And all its fat will be offered, the fat tail, the fat that covers the entrails,

Leviticus 7:4 the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he will remove with the kidneys.

Leviticus 7:5 The priest will burn them on the altar as a fire offering to Yahveh; it is a reparation offering.

Leviticus 7:6 Every male among the priests may eat of it. It will be eaten in a sacred place. It is most sacred.

Leviticus 7:7 The reparation offering is just like the failure offering; there is one instruction for them. The priest who provides reconciliation with it will have it.

Leviticus 7:8 And the priest who offers anyone’s ascending offering will have for himself the skin of the ascending offering that he has offered.

Leviticus 7:9 And every tribute offering baked in the oven and all that is prepared on a pan or a griddle will belong to the priest who offers it.

Leviticus 7:10 And every tribute offering, mixed with oil or dry, will be shared equally among all the sons of Aaron.

Leviticus 7:11 “And this is the instruction of the sacrifice for healthy relationships that one may offer to Yahveh.

Leviticus 7:12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he will offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.

Leviticus 7:13 With the sacrifice for his healthy relationships for thanksgiving he will bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread.

Leviticus 7:14 And from it he will offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to Yahveh. It will belong to the priest who throws the blood of the healthy relationships offering.

Leviticus 7:15 And the meat of the sacrifice of his healthy relationships offering for thanksgiving will be eaten on the day of his offering. He will not leave any of it until the morning.

Leviticus 7:16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a solemn pledge offering[1] or a spontaneous voluntary offering,[2] it will be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it will be eaten.

Leviticus 7:17 But on the third day what remains of the meat of the sacrifice will be burned up with fire.

Leviticus 7:18 If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his healthy relationships offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted, neither will it be recognized in his behalf. It is tainted, and the throat that eats it will be responsible for his violation.

Leviticus 7:19 “Meat that touches any contaminated thing will not be eaten. It will be burned up with fire. All who are pure may eat meat,

Leviticus 7:20 but the throat who eats from the meat of the sacrifice of Yahveh’s healthy relationships offering while a contamination is on him, that throat will be eliminated from his people.

Leviticus 7:21 And if any throat touches a contaminated thing, whether human contamination or a contaminated animal or any contaminated detestable creature, and then eats some meat from the sacrifice of Yahveh’s healthy relationships offering, that throat will be eliminated from his people.”

Leviticus 7:22 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Leviticus 7:23 “Speak to the people of Israel, and this is what you should say, you will eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat.

Leviticus 7:24 The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn may be put to any other use, but on no account will you eat it.

Leviticus 7:25 Because every throat who eats of the fat of an animal of which a fire offering may be made to Yahveh will be eliminated from his people.

Leviticus 7:26 Moreover, you will eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, wherever you stay.

Leviticus 7:27 Whatever throat eats any blood, that throat will be eliminated from his people.”

Leviticus 7:28 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,

Leviticus 7:29 “Speak to the people of Israel, and this is what you should say, whoever offers the sacrifice of his healthy relationships offering to Yahveh will bring his offering to Yahveh from the sacrifice of his healthy relationships offering.

Leviticus 7:30 His own hands will bring Yahveh’s fire offerings. He will bring the fat with the breast, so that the breast may be waved as a wave offering to Yahveh’s face.

Leviticus 7:31 The priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will be for Aaron and his sons.

Leviticus 7:32 And the right thigh you will give to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your healthy relationships offering.

Leviticus 7:33 Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the healthy relationships offering and the fat will have the right thigh for a portion.

Leviticus 7:34 Because the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed, I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their healthy relationships offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a permanent prescription from the people of Israel.

Leviticus 7:35 This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from Yahveh’s fire offerings, from the day they were presented to serve as priests of Yahveh.

Leviticus 7:36 Yahveh commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, from the day that he anointed them. It is a permanent prescription throughout their generations.”

Leviticus 7:37 This is the instruction of the ascending offering, of the tribute offering, of the failure offering, of the reparation offering, of the ordination offering, and of the offering for healthy relationships.

Leviticus 7:38 which Yahveh commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to Yahveh, in the open country[3] of Sinai.

[1] נֶדֶר = solemn pledge. Leviticus 7:16; 22:18, 21, 23; 23:38; 27:2.

[2] נְדָבָה = spontaneous voluntary. Leviticus 7:16; 22:18, 21, 23; 23:38.

[3] מִדְבָּר= open country. Leviticus 7:38; 16:10, 21, 22.

Leviticus 7 quotes:

“The ban on eating the fat of beasts offered for sacrifice was extended in Leviticus 7:23 to all animal meats eaten in a non-sacrificial context. Since tapeworms can sometimes be found in fatty tissues, even those of the ‘clean’ bovine species, the regulations governing the eating of animal fat would be another important means of protecting the Israelites against this kind of parasitic infestation.”

Harrison, R. K. Leviticus, an Introduction and Commentary. Inter-Varsity Press, 1980. p. 58.

“From Leviticus 7 we know the fellowship offering concluded with the worshiper and his friends and family joining in a meal to eat the meat not offered in sacrifice. All the participants in the meal needed to be in a state of ritual purity, and the meat was to be eaten on the same day it was offered if it was a sacrifice of confession, and by the following day if offered for other purposes. The priests were given the breast and the right thigh as part of their salary, and the worshiper and his friends ate the rest. Fellowship with God was thus experienced as the guests enjoyed his blessings in his gracious presence.”

Lenz, Mark J. Leviticus. Northwestern Pub. House, 1988. p. 33.

” The peace offering was the only sacrifice in which the person making the offering received anything back from what he presented. Both the person bringing the offering and the priest got to eat from the offering. This represents mutual acceptance and mutual enjoyment between man, priest, and God. At the peace offering they communed together — fellowship made possible through the blood covenant that gave them a common bond.”

Stringer, Doug. Born to Die : So We May Live. Bridge-Logos, 2006. p. 73.

Leviticus 7 links:

compensation for consecration
dependence diet
one law for them
spoiled gifts
sustenance and sacrifice
thanking God for each other
the portion for the priests
the Sinai six

LEVITICUS in Jeff’s library