“If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.” -Leviticus 5:1 When we see injustice, God expects us to speak out. In Leviticus 5, we find this principle at work in a legal setting. When something wrong had happened in the community, there would be a public call for those with information to share what they know. The idea... Read more
“If any member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, when they realize their guilt and the sin they have committed becomes known, they must bring as their offering for the sin they committed a female goat without defect.” -Leviticus 4:27-28 Is it sin when you do something wrong and don’t know about it? According to Leviticus 4, the answer is yes. This chapter focuses on the specific offerings to be... Read more
“‘If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the Lord an animal without defect.” -Leviticus 3:1 The system of offerings in the Old Testament repeated focuses on giving God your best. Leviticus 3 begins with the command to present before the Lord an animal without defect. Why? The temptation would be to bring the weakest of a person’s livestock, saving the best for themselves.... Read more
“When anyone brings a grain offering to the Lord, their offering is to be of the finest flour.” -Leviticus 2:1 One interesting insight from the system of offerings in Leviticus is the focus on giving God our best. In chapter two, the emphasis is on the grain offering. God’s people were to bring the finest flour, prepared to the best of their abilities. Giving our best to God is an act of worship. Excellence is a value and a priority... Read more
“The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting.” -Leviticus 1:1 Leviticus is known as a book of laws. It is, but it is much more. It is the revelation of God through Moses to the nations of Israel. Why did God choose Moses rather than someone else? Moses was chosen because of God’s will, not the will of Moses. Moses didn’t want to serve. God had other plans. Sound familiar? We often accept where... Read more
36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels. -Exodus 40:36-38 Exodus concludes with an insightful narrative. The people of... Read more
Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them. -Exodus 39:43 There is something special about completing a project. Whether a term paper, a degree, or your shopping list, completion often equals relief. When the Israelites completed the tabernacle and its items, Moses inspected the work. His verdict? They had done it just as the Lord had commanded. The result? Moses blessed them. What is the project God... Read more
22 (Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses; 23 with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan—an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.) -Exodus 38:22-23 God gave Bezalel and Oholiab special abilities to craft the tabernacle. But what if they had not used their gifts to accomplish God’s will? There would have been no tabernacle,... Read more
“They also made the sacred anointing oil and the pure, fragrant incense —the work of a perfumer.” -Exodus 37:29 It has often been said the devil is in the details. But the opposite is actually true; God is in the details. From the creation of the universe to knowing the number of hairs on your head, God knows every detail about every aspect around us. This is also made clear in Exodus 37. The entire chapter consists of instructions and... Read more
2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each... Read more
Holy Writ
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In