FEB 28- TODAY’S READINGS FROM THE ONE YEAR BIBLE
Leviticus 22:17-23:44; Mark 9:30-10:12; Psalm 44:1-8; Proverbs 10:19
ANSWERS TO PRAYER and TODAY’S READINGS- HOLINESS AND THE FEASTS OF ISRAEL; WHO IS THE GREATEST IN THE KINGDOM
In past months many have been praying for Said Musa, an Afghan Christian who had been arrested in May in Afghanistan and sentenced to be executed for his conversion to Christianity. After an aggressive campaign to bring attention to this story, an international diplomatic effort was made and representatives from the US and Italian embassies offered him asylum.
According to a letter dated Feb 13, after the foreign representatives left the room, Musa was visited by three Afghan officials who told him that he would be released within 24 hours if he wrote a statement declaring that he regretted his conversion to Christianity.
“I laughed and replied, ‘I can’t deny my Savior’s name,’’” Said wrote, “Because my life is just service to Jesus Christ and my death is going to heaven where Jesus Christ is. I am a hundred percent ready to die. They pushed me much and much. I refused their demands.”
Musa was then transferred back to his prison cell.
On February 21 an official from the US Embassy in Kabul confirmed that Said Musa was released and is safely out of the country.
However, according to a report from the International Christian Concern Organization, another Afghan Christian, Shoaib Assadullah, remains behind bars and faces the same charges of apostacy that Musa was rescued from. Shoaib was arrested for giving a Bible to a man who later reported him to authorities. In a letter dated February 17, smuggled out of prison in northern Afghanistan, Assadullah expressed fears that his execution in imminent.
He writes: “The court’s decision is most definitely going to be the death penalty for me, because the prosecutor has accused me under the Clause 139 of the criminal code which says, ‘If the crime is not cited in the criminal code, then the case has to be referred to Islamic Sharia law.”
International Christian Concern regional manager, Aidan Clay writes, “We still have a long road ahead before we witness religious freedom in Afghanistan. We must remain vigilant and keep the public and diplomatic pressure alive by continuing to shout with one voice for Shoaib Assadullah until together, we can also celebrate his release.”
OLD TESTAMENT READING: Leviticus 22:17-23:44
In Leviticus 19 The Lord speaks to Moses saying:
"Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, 'You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” (19:2)
This is the theme of Leviticus. The Lord, who is present in the midst of His people, is holy. Therefore His people must properly recognize their sin and pursue practical personal holiness in the light of their redemption through the Tabernacle.
Why are they to be holy? The reason is given repeatedly. “For I the LORD your God am holy.” 16 times in the midst of the listing of commands in Leviticus 19 we hear the proclamation: “I am the Lord” or “I am the Lord your God”. His commands are not arbitrarily given. They are based on His character. They are related to His person. The Lord is making known that if He is to identify Himself with His people they must identify with Him in a manifest way.
Notice that God does not call His people to be holy until He first redeems them and makes them His own. The Book of Leviticus does not come before the Book of Exodus. Holiness does not come before redemption. Holiness is a result of redemption. We do not become holy so that God will redeem us and call us His own. He redeems us and calls us His own so that we can receive His presence and be holy. It is only as a result of being identified with the One who brought us out of bondage (our Redeemer) and tabernacled among us (our Holiness) that we can bring forth holiness.
HOW IMPORTANT IS HOLINESS?
We were created in God’s image- to tell the truth about God. But all of us, through the deceitfulness of sin, have abandoned truth-telling. We need to be restored to our original place and function. This is the restorative work that is to follow redemption. The Lord buys us out of our slavery, pays our debt and ransom, and brings us out of the place of bondage into our full inheritance to make us a people who can proclaim His virtues.
1 Peter 2:9 (NASB) 9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR GOD'S OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Our behavior will reflect the God (or gods) we worship. Personal and national corruptions mirror their idolatries. Israel was called to manifest the character of God and demonstrate the ways and truths of God by living according to His laws as a distinctly different people.
There were 613 commandments in the Law, 248 positive “Thou shalts” and 365 negative “Thou shalt nots” . Throughout the centuries scribes debated which of these 613 was “the Great Commandment”. Jesus quoted a pair that summarize them all and thereby proves that we all fall short of keeping them and need a Savior.
First, Jesus quotes from the “Shema”, the statement of faith (Deuteronomy 6:5) which is recited or sung daily by every Jew:
Matthew 22:37-38 (NASB)
37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.”
37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' 38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.”
To their surprise Jesus continued:
Matthew 22:39 (NASB) 39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
Here Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:18 and adds:
Matthew 22:40 (NASB)
40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
40 "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
Jesus is again explaining the kind of holiness that God requires is a righteousness that is greater than that of the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20)-- 100% devotion to God and love towards others. This is a righteousness and a love that we do not have. It describes the fully responsive heart of devotion that we were originally created to have, not the heart of stone and corruption that resulted from the Fall of Adam.
Jesus’ answer condemned the Pharisees as lawbreakers by highlighting the way they were mistreating their neighbor, Jesus.
The New Testament agrees that the test of an authentic love for God will be expressed in loving our neighbors as ourselves (1 John 3:10-18;4:7-21). The gospel tells us that the righteousness and the love we need and cannot attain is a gift to be found in the person and work of the Messiah, Jesus.
The call to holiness is continued in Leviticus 20.
Leviticus 20:26 (NASB) 'Thus you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine.
Leviticus 20:7-8 (NASB) 7 'You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 'You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
Notice how this verse foreshadows the gospel! It contains a PROMISE! The Lord God says: “Be holy, for I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” HE is our sanctifier! This reminds us of what we read in the New Testament:
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NIV) 23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
In chapter 20 you will notice the severe punishment for sexual sins in Leviticus 20:10-21.
“The One Year Bible Companion” notes:
The detestable acts listed here were very common in the pagan nations of Canaan; their religions were rampant with sex goddesses, temple prostitution, and other gross sins. The Canaanites’ immoral religious practices reflected a decadent culture that tended to corrupt whoever came in contact with it. By contrast, God was building a nation to make a positive influence in the world. So he prepared the people for what they would face in the promised land and commanded them against falling into the trap of such sexual sins.
Sexual sins were dealt with very swiftly and harshly in the Old Testament. God had no tolerance for such acts for the following reasons: (1) They shatter the mutual commitment of married partners; (2) They destroy the sanctity of the family; (3) They twist people’s mental well-being; and (4) they spread disease. Sexual sin has always been widely available, but the glorification of sex between people who are not married to each other often hides deep tragedy and hurt behind the scenes. When society portrays sexual sin as attractive, it is easy to forget the dark side. God has good reasons for prohibiting sexual sins. He loves us and He wants the very best for us.
Leviticus 21 and 22 contain regulations for the priests. They bore the serious of representing a Perfect Mediator who would have the strength and the unblemished nature required to make atonement for sin (Lev 21:1-22:16). This was to be true of the animal sacrifices also (22:17-33).
LEVITICUS 23
We learned about the seven feasts of Israel in Exodus 23. In Leviticus 23 we read of them again:
THE SABBATH – OUR RESTING IN THE TRUSTWORTHINESS AND SUFFICIENCY OF CHRIST (23:1-3)
The Sabbath is modeled on the seventh day of creation in which God rested in the satisfactory completion of His creative work (Gen 2:2). God said ‘It was good!’ We can rest in what God is pleased with.
The Sabbath is a gift (Exodus 16:23-30). To further illustrate this the Lord gave twice as much manna on the sixth day, manna that would not grow stale or moldy, so that no one would need to work for food on the Sabbath day. God’s people could not only cease from their own labors but rest in what God provided. And equally miraculous was the reinforcing fact that there would be no manna on the ground to collect on the seventh day. God’s people were being trained and commanded (in the Decalogue) to “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy”.
The Sabbath Day was a reminder that God’s people can rest in the character of their Creator and Redeemer and all that He has done and will do on their behalf. It was to be a day of rest and worship. It was to be a day for a “holy convocation” where God’s people come together. God knows our need for physical rest and worshipping together as a gathered company of believers. The daily sacrifice for six days of the week would be one lamb. Two lambs were offered on the Sabbath (Numbers 28:9,19). We can worship every day during the week but our joys are doubled when we are able to gather together on the first day of the week and worship Him together in a holy convocation!
The law to keep the Sabbath Day is not repeated in the New Testament. We have the report that the disciples gathered on the First Day of the Week as a testimony to the Resurrection. Jesus is the One who finishes the work of redemption. Just as God was satisfied when the work of creation was finished, so God is satisfied when the work of redemption was finished. Jesus cried from the cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). The work of redemption is perfect. God rests in it and we can too. We rest in that which satisfies the heart of the father. The Bible word for the satisfaction that fulfills the requirements of justice and releases God’s delight in mercy is called “propitiation”. (1 John 2:2; 4:10; Romans 3:25; Heb 2:17)
Jesus invites us to enter into a lasting Sabbath rest:
Matthew 11:28 (NIV) 28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
This Sabbath is an ongoing state of rest that reflects an ongoing state of trusting Jesus. It is not limited to a 24 hour period. This original seventh day was one with no evening or morning; no beginning or ending. This is a prophecy of an eternal day of rest. The first six days have an evening and a morning (Gen 1:5,8,13,19,23,31); a beginning and an ending. The seventh day is described without any reference to beginning and ending (Genesis 2:1-2). Melchizadek, the priest who had no genealogy listed in the Bible, no record of beginning or ending of days, is a type of Christ in His eternal priesthood. The seventh day, with no record of beginning or ending, is a type of the eternal sabbath rest we have in Christ.
“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24)
The writer of Hebrews speaks about the Sabbath rest that is ours to enter into in Christ. He reminds us that we can rest in the sufficiency of God’s promise even as we can rest in the perfection of His accomplished work of redemption (Hebrews 4:2).
The Sabbath Day of the Old Testament is not a sufficient rest for God’s people, according to Hebrews 4:4. The New Testament clearly teaches that the Sabbath is a shadow of what was to come in substance in Christ (Colossians 2:16-17). Like the sacrifices of the Tabernacle, it was a placeholder and sign-post for the future grace that was to come. The Holy Spirit prophesied through David of CERTAIN DAY of hearing God’s voice with a new heart that delights to do God’s will (Hebrews 4:7). “So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” (Heb 4:9). The writer implies that the rest is found not in keeping the Sabbath day but in resting in the Person of our Sabbath. We can enjoy an ongoing state of rest in the sufficiency of His Word and His work as the Perfect High Priest on our behalf (Hebrews 4:11-16). We need to abandon our own brand of self-justifying works and enter by faith into what brings rest to the heart of God— the perfections of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 4:10).
THE SABBATH YEAR- THE PROMISED RENEWAL OF THE LAND (Lev 25:18-22)
Not only were the people to reflect rest in the sufficiency of their Creator and Redeemer, but the land was to enjoy this relationship.
The promise of redemption affects the earth. Adam and Eve did not rest in the sufficiency of God’s word when they were tempted in the garden. As a result of their disobedience the land was cursed and turned to a wilderness. Jesus, the second man, and last Adam, was tempted in the wilderness. He rested in the sufficiency of God’s Word (Matt 4:4). As a result of His obedience, the wilderness will be turned back to a garden.
THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER- CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS (Leviticus 23:4-5)
As we have seen in the Book of Exodus. Jesus was crucified and shed His blood on the Feast of The Passover. God’s firstborn dies in our place, paying the penalty for sin, that the angel of justice that brings death might not strike those who put their faith in the blood of the Lamb and claim that payment as their own.
THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD- SEPARATION FROM SIN (Leviticus 23:6).
Notice that the Feast of Unleavened Bread comes the day AFTER the Passover. Paul notes this relationship in 1 Corinthians 5:7:
7 Clean out the old leaven so that you may be a new lump, just as you are in fact unleavened. For Christ our Passover also has been sacrificed. (1 Cor 5:7)
Christ has made us holy (unleavened) through His sacrifice on the cross as our Passover Lamb (Heb 10:14). Now we can get rid of that sin and pursue personal holiness. This feast lasts for seven days.
THE FEAST OF FIRST FRUITS- RESURRECTION SUNDAY (Leviticus 23:9-14)
The day after the Sabbath after Passover is the Feast of First Fruit. The priest waves the the firstfruit sheaf of the harvest, which is the result of a seed that fell into the ground to die to rise and bring a harvest (John 12:24). This sheaf of barley, the first fruit of the harvest, is to be accepted by God as a representative of the full harvest to follow. The Jews were not allowed to eat of the harvest until the firstfruit was offered to the Lord (Lev 23:14)
FEAST OF PENTECOST (Leviticus 23:15-21) THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH
Seven weeks later, on the fiftieth day, the day after the seventh sabbath, the seventh week after the presentation of the first fruit (in Resurrection) the harvest comes in and two loaves are baked “with yeast” and presented to the Lord. This speaks of both Jews and Gentiles presented together as one, although they still have yeast (a type of sin). They are accepted because of the offerings made without defect on their behalf. This has its fulfillment in The Book of Acts, Chapter 2. (For more detail on the Significance of the Feast of Pentecost read the earlier Blog notes on Exodus 23).
THE LAW OF THE HARVEST (Lev 23:22) THE WELCOMING OF THE GENTILES
Coupled with the commandments for ritual sacrifices on the Feast of Pentecost are the laws of the harvest. The corners of the field are to be left unharvested so that the foreigner and the needy will be able to freely glean. (In the Book of Ruth we will see how Ruth, a Gentile who made an exodus from Moab to the Promised Land, finds acceptance and full provision through the kindness of this Harvest Law and the mercy of a Kinsman Redeemer). She becomes the ancestor for our Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
THE AUTUMN FEASTS- These have prophetic significance in that they are grouped together. The Spring feasts were fulfilled in the First Coming of Christ (Passover, Resurrection First Fruit and Pentecost). The autumn feasts will be fulfilled at the Second Coming.
These feasts take place in the seventh month. The Hebrew word for ‘seven’ is derived from a root word that means, “to be full, to be satisfied.” It is also related to the word that means “to swear, to make an oath.” The number seven is used in the Scripture in a way in which the Lord reminds us that what the Lord does and says is perfect and therefore completely and trustworthy.
THE FEAST OF THE TRUMPETS (Leviticus 23:23-25) THE CALLING OF GOD’S PEOPLE
On the first day of the seventh month, the trumpet will sound to assemble God’s people. This day becomes “the head of the year” (Rosh Hashannah) ushering in a new civil year. It’s a day for a new beginning with the Lord and is spent in prayer, meditation and confession. One day Israel will hear the call and be gathered before the Messiah.
THE DAY OF ATONEMENT (Leviticus 23:26-32) -WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR FORGIVENESS
In Leviticus 16 we observed that this was the Great Day in which Atonement is made for sin. This is a day of humiliation when His people recognize their sins, repent of them and are cleansed from them. (Zech 12:10-13:1)
FEAST OF TABERNACLES (Lev 23:33-36) THE JOY OF ENTERING INTO A PREPARED PLACE
This feast reminds the people of Israel of God’s blessing them with His presence tabernacling among them. He cared for them and sheltered them in the wilderness. For a season they lived in booths. One day, in the land of their inheritance, they will live in houses, a place prepared for them. (Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2-3)
This was the “Feast of Ingathering” a celebration of the completion of the harvest. This is a day of great rejoicing and by the eighth day they had offered 199 animals (Numbers 29). The Feast of Tabernacles pictures the time when Israel received their Messiah and how the Gentiles will celebrate with them (Zech 14:16-19).
NEW TESTAMENT READING: Mark 9:30-10:12
The disciples discuss among themselves who among them was the greatest. His answer is a wonderful reality check to focus upon Him and not ourselves. Let us follow His example in the power of His Spirit.
Mark 9:35 (NASB) 35 Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."
TODAY’S PRAYER FOCUS: BAHRAIN
Today we pray for BAHRAIN. As popular uprisings have been sweeping the Arab world, perhaps you have seen pictures of more than 100,000 people assembled to protest in Pearl Square on February 22. What is astonishing is that those assembled were 1/10th of the national population. According to the NY Times, this small desert kingdom is one of the most politically volatile countries in the Persian Gulf and one of the most strategically important to the USA which bases its Fifth Fleet there.
Protestors are demanding sweeping political concessions from the ruling monarch, King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa. Pray for peaceful resolve and good government.
Protestors are demanding sweeping political concessions from the ruling monarch, King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa. Pray for peaceful resolve and good government.
PRAYER REQUEST: There are many more opportunities for Saudis and Kuwaitis and local Arab communities to hear the gospel. The labor force is 59% foreign, drawing from more than 50 nations. Most are on temporary contracts and often must endure poor treatment, poor pay and unrealistic expectations from back home. Pray for the Christians among the national groups to be fruitful in evangelism. Nearly half the congregations and house groups are from South India. The less evangelized expatriate communities are Iranians, Sri Lankans, and Hindus and Muslims from India and Pakistan. (See pages 131-132 in “OPERATION WORLD”)
Pastor David
So, naturally, we proclaim Christ! We warn everyone we meet, and we teach everyone we can, all that we know about him, so that, if possible, we may bring every man up to his full maturity in Christ. (Colossians 1:28, J.B. Phillips paraphrase)
New Life Community Church, Concord, MA 10742
Meeting Sundays at 10:30 AM at the Emerson Umbrella for the Arts, 40 Stow Street, Concord MA
Mailing Address: Post Office Box Five, Concord, MA 01742
Church Offices: 35 Bypass Rd. Lincoln, MA 01773 978-369-0061
Home Office: 978-371-3176
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