Today's Reading:
- Leviticus 1-7
- Psalm 49-52
- Isaiah 49-52
- Matthew 23-24
- 1 Corinthians 16
Today we got started in one of my favorite books--Leviticus. 27 chapters of rules and regulations that invade the most private areas of life.
You're joking, right? you might be wondering.
No, I'm really not joking. I actually do love Leviticus. I love drawing nuggets from its treasures.
Treasures in Leviticus? you might be wondering.
There really are some. Especially when you realize that all the rules and regulations were about keeping God's people separate from the demon-worshiping pagans who surrounded them.
In spite of the nuggets, we have to realize that these Levitical laws were written for the Jews, not for the Gentiles. And that 3500 years ago, those laws were necessary to protect the health and tranquility of a mobile nation wandering around in the wilderness for forty years. And that 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law and set believers free from the law of sin and death. So instead of reading Leviticus and trying to apply all those rules and regulations to ourselves, I look for the nuggets.
The first seven chapters of Leviticus are all about codifying a sacrificial system that involved the continual offering of bulls and rams and goats and doves and pigeons and grain and oil and flour and bread in a constant attempt to atone for one's sins and ward off the judgment and wrath of God. Whole burnt offerings, sin offerings, peace offerings, fellowship offerings, grain offerings. Offerings for secret sin. Offerings for unintentional sin. Offerings for the corporate sins of the community. Offerings for the High Priest of Israel. Offerings of ritual cleansing in case one is defiled by coming into contact with a dead body, and offerings of consecration in case one accidentally touches something dedicated to the Lord. It is a beautiful and intricate picture of all that Christ accomplished for us on the cross, but the practice of such was messy...and insufficient.
The Psalmist says so in today's reading. That the blood of bulls and rams and goats and doves and pigeons is not enough to make up for my sinfulness. That no sacrifice is enough to pay for my transgressions of the law. That no offering is enough to redeem me from certain destruction at the hands of a just and judging God. But there is something that is sufficient to help me. There is something that is enough.
God's mercy.
It's the only thing anyone could ever depend upon:
Adam and Eve, who were cast from the Garden of Eden and condemned to die...slowly, over the course of a lifetime.
Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord when everyone else on earth was doing everything they could to avoid it.
Abraham, who was called out of idolatry, and declared righteous because of his obedience.
Moses, who was a murderer and a st-st-stutterer with self-esteem issues.
David, the Psalmist whose words we read today, who understood that it wasn't really sacrifices and offerings that God wanted.
What God wants is our heart.
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