Are you reading the Bible through with me? Grab your pen and journal, and get ready to write your thoughts as you journey through the Bible.
Today read Leviticus 19-21. At least 3 times in these chapters, Yahweh God says, “Be holy because I, Yahweh your God, am holy.” This is the theme of Leviticus.
Throughout these chapters, God tells Moses to remind the people about the commandments and other moral, civil, and ceremonial laws. Just like us, they needed constant reminding to NOT: lie, cheat someone, steal, curse, slander, pervert justice, hate, seek revenge, hold grudges, have idols, misuse the Lord’s name, commit adultery, have inappropriate sexual relations, dishonor parents, abuse the elderly, be dishonest, seek fortune tellers, degrade people, misuse land, eat unclean things, and refuse to go to church.
Yahweh inserts His Name to stress to the people that these are HIS laws. Many of the principles behind these laws were repeated by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Note Leviticus 19:18. It is quoted by Jesus in Matthew 22:39 and by Paul in Romans 13:9. The Bible must be taken as a whole if we are to be the people God has called us to be.
Yes, we live in age of grace, but the grace of our Lord Jesus does not discount the teachings and principles found in the Old Testament. Again, the moral, civil, and even ceremonial laws are God’s laws established for the well-being of His people. They are just as important and necessary today.
Though many of the ceremonial laws, like those concerning the sacrificing of animals, have been rendered unnecessary in our day, the principles found in the moral and civil laws, the prophets, the wisdom literature, and even the historical records are coupled with the New Testament as THE word of God. Read it, study it, apply it, memorize it, and share it with others.
In your journal, list all of the laws mentioned in the third paragraph above. Circle the laws that you have broken or need to work on. Next to each circled item, be specific and write how you defiled God’s Law. Date each one so that at a later time you can return to these laws and see how you have progressed and changed your life.
Pray: Jehovah Ezer (ehzer), the Lord our Helper, help me hunger more for Your word. Teach me through the Law, the history, the prophets and the wisdom literature of the Old Testament. That’s where the promise of Jesus’ coming begins. Help me to keep your commandments. Make me a person of the Word as I read it, study it, apply it, memorize it, and share it with others.
