how much are you worth?

Posted on November 19, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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THERE IS A COST TO FREEDOM

Leviticus 27:1-8

Lev 27:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,
Lev 27:2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, if anyone makes a special solemn pledge to Yahveh involving the valuation of souls,
Lev 27:3 then the valuation of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old will be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary.
Lev 27:4 If the person is a female, the valuation will be thirty shekels.
Lev 27:5 If the person is from five years old up to twenty years old, the valuation will be for a male twenty shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
Lev 27:6 If the person is from a month old up to five years old, the valuation will be for a male five shekels of silver, and for a female the valuation will be three shekels of silver.
Lev 27:7 And if the person is sixty years old or over, then the valuation for a male will be fifteen shekels, and for a female ten shekels.
Lev 27:8 And if someone is too poor to pay the valuation, then he will be made to stand before the priest, and the priest will value him; the priest will value him according to what the maker of the solemn pledge can afford.

how much are you worth?

The Israelite who might be concerned for a child – whether that child would live to see old age – had the option to dedicate that child to God. It was assumed that a child dedicated to God and his temple work would be under God’s special protection. But the LORD told the Israelites that they had the option to buy back this dedicated person later. The person was valued according to age and gender, and the valuation was based on how fit that person would potentially be to do the work of the temple.

The spiritual point in this process is not that we have different values. We are all created equal in God’s sight. No, the point seems to be that God’s deliverance is valuable, and it costs us. In other words, God’s presence and provision are worth something to us.

LORD, thank you for your gracious protection and provision.

Posted in commitment, deliverance, protection | Tagged | 1 Comment

no surprise

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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HE CAN BE TRUSTED

Leviticus 26:40-46

Lev 26:40 “But if they confess their violation and the violations of their fathers in their act of betrayal against me, and also in walking contrary to me,
Lev 26:41 so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies– if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their violation,
Lev 26:42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
Lev 26:43 But the land will be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they will make amends for their violation, because they spurned my rules and their soul grew tired of my prescriptions.
Lev 26:44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I grow tired of them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, because I am Yahveh their God.
Lev 26:45 But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am Yahveh.”
Lev 26:46 These are the prescriptions and rules and laws that Yahveh made between himself and the people of Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai.

no surprise

God makes two more promises to the Israelites here, contingent on whether they repent from their future rejection of his covenant, and make amends by enduring the exile in faith. God’s promises are that the Israelites will not be completely destroyed by their exile, and that he will remember his covenant. Implied in this promise is that they will eventually be restored to the land. These promises were recorded by Moses before the Israelites even entered the land for the first time. Nothing that happened was a surprise to God.

LORD, thank you for your promises to us.

Posted in confidence, dependence upon God, plan of God, trust | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sabbaths of desolation

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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CAN YOU TRUST GOD IN EXILE?

Leviticus 26:27-39

Lev 26:27 “But if in spite of this you will not listen to me, but walk contrary to me,
Lev 26:28 then I will walk contrary to you in fury, and I myself will discipline you sevenfold for your mistakes.
Lev 26:29 You will eat the flesh of your sons, and you will eat the flesh of your daughters.
Lev 26:30 And I will destroy your high places and eliminate your incense altars and cast your dead bodies upon the dead bodies of your idols, and my soul will grow tired of you.
Lev 26:31 And I will lay your cities waste and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your soothing aromas.
Lev 26:32 And I myself will devastate the land, so that your enemies who end up staying in it will be appalled at it.
Lev 26:33 And I will scatter you among the nations, and I will unsheathe the sword after you, and your land will be a desolation, and your cities will be a waste.
Lev 26:34 “Then the land will enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land will rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths.
Lev 26:35 As long as it lies desolate it will have rest, the rest that it did not have on your Sabbaths when you were staying in it.
Lev 26:36 And as for those of you who remain, I will send faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. The sound of a driven leaf will put them to flight, and they will run away as one runs away from the sword, and they will fall when none pursues.
Lev 26:37 They will stumble over one another, as if to escape a sword, though none pursues. And you will have no power to stand before your enemies.
Lev 26:38 And you will become lost among the nations, and the land of your enemies will eat you up.
Lev 26:39 And those of you who remain will rot away in your enemies’ lands because of their violation, and also because of the violations of their fathers they will rot away like them.

The Sabbaths of desolation

This litany of consequences became reality for the Israelites. Their land was laid waste, and their people exiled and scattered among the nations. All the while, the Sabbaths which were part of the covenant with the LORD finally took place, because the abandoned and devastated land had its rest. It was not just the restoration of Israel that fulfilled prophecy. The exile itself was a direct fulfillment of prophecy.

God’s best for us all is to enjoy the full benefits of all the blessings he provides. But we must do so within the limits of the new covenant he has made with us in Christ. To enjoy the benefits apart from obedience to the covenant invites desolation and exile. The post-Christian world in which many of us live is now experiencing that judgement.

LORD, grant us the courage to trust you even as the society around us falls into captivity.

Posted in blessings, commitment, faithfulness, judgment, suffering | Tagged | 1 Comment

human rights and God’s right

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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GOD HAS RIGHTS TOO

Leviticus 26:23-26

Lev 26:23 “And if by this discipline you are not turned to me but walk contrary to me,
Lev 26:24 then I also will walk contrary to you, and I myself will strike you sevenfold for your mistakes.
Lev 26:25 And I will bring a sword upon you, that will execute vengeance for the covenant. And if you gather within your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you will be delivered into the hand of the enemy.
Lev 26:26 When I break your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and will dole out your bread again by weight, and you will eat and not be satisfied.

human rights and God’s right

Included in any covenant agreement in the ancient near east was both the blessings of following the covenant, and the consequences for choosing to rebel against it. These consequences were severe for the Mosaic covenant. The LORD called this process executing vengeance for the covenant. It involved reducing the blessings of protection and provision that were the LORD’s part of the agreement.

In many parts of the world today, governments operate on an entitlement basis. The people enjoy life and liberty because their societies see those things as human rights. But, even in those societies life and liberty can be rescinded if the people act in an unlawful way that harms others and conflicts with the rights of others. The message of Leviticus is that God has rights too. To act against the covenant is to risk losing the benefits that are God’s right to give or withhold.

LORD, keep us mindful of protecting your right of judgement.

Posted in dependence upon God, faithfulness, loyalty, obedience, protection, sovereignty of God | Tagged | 1 Comment

decline as discipline

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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DECLINE IS NOT THE REAL PROBLEM

Leviticus 26:18-22

Lev 26:18 And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your mistakes,
Lev 26:19 and I will break the pride of your power, and I will make your sky like iron and your land like bronze.
Lev 26:20 And your strength will be spent in vain, because your land will not yield its increase, and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit.
Lev 26:21 “Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your mistakes.
Lev 26:22 And I will let loose the wild beasts against you, which will bereave you of your children and eliminate your livestock and make you few in number, so that your roads will be deserted.

decline as discipline

Western civilization has been in decline for several generations now, but few dare to attack the problem at its roots. We have forsaken the gospel covenant. All attempts at restoring our societies are destined to fail, because we have pushed God out of the equation. Our decline is not the real problem. It is discipline meant to force us to address the God we have abandoned. Other societies are gaining ground, not because of their industries and work ethic, but because they dare to accept the existence of God as a given.

LORD, revive us. We have had enough of deadness and decline.

Posted in dependence upon God, gospel, renewal | Tagged | 1 Comment

his other presence

Posted on November 14, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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THE PROBLEM WITH IGNORING GOD

Leviticus 26:14-17

Lev 26:14 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments,
Lev 26:15 if you spurn my prescriptions, and if your soul grows tired of my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant,
Lev 26:16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with terror, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the soul fade away. And you will plant your seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it.
Lev 26:17 I will set my face against you, and you will be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will run away when none pursues you.

his other presence

Those who know the LORD and remain committed to his covenant and commandments will know the LORD’s presence, which is manifested by protection and provision. But if ever someone decides to forget what he knows, to ignore God and pretend that he does not exist and that his will does not matter — God will not ignore him. The protection will be removed. Enemies will eat up his provision, but God’s presence will still be there in his life. Only, now that presence will manifest by failure and fear.

LORD, forgive us for creating societies based on the concept of your insignificance. Forgive us for trying to ignore you. Restore our lands.

Posted in discernment, sovereignty of God | Tagged | 1 Comment

what eternity will look like

Posted on November 13, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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GOD’S PRESENCE CAN MEAN PROTECTION AND PROVISION

Leviticus 26:1-13

Lev 26:1 “You will not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you will not set up a sculptured stone in your land to bow down to it, because I am Yahveh your God.
Lev 26:2 You will keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am Yahveh.
Lev 26:3 “If you walk in my prescriptions and observe my commandments and do them,
Lev 26:4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land will yield its increase, and the trees of the field will yield their fruit.
Lev 26:5 Your threshing will last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest will last to the time for planting. And you will eat your bread to the full and stay in your land securely.
Lev 26:6 I will give peace in the land, and you will lie down, and none will make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword will not go through your land.
Lev 26:7 You will chase your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword.
Lev 26:8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.
Lev 26:9 I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you.
Lev 26:10 You will eat old store long kept, and you will clear out the old to make way for the new.
Lev 26:11 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul will not grow tired of you.
Lev 26:12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you will be my people.
Lev 26:13 I am Yahveh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect.

what eternity will look like

The Mosaic covenant did not promise eternal salvation, nor did it promise a home in heaven. But God did promise his presence, protection from harm, and plenty to to those who obeyed his scriptures, kept his Sabbaths, and revered his sanctuary. When Jesus promised to raise believers to eternal life, it was understood that the resurrected life would be in God’s presence, with eternal peace and provision. The promised land itself was a kind of prophecy of the restoration of earth’s original intention.

LORD, thank you for the benefits of your presence when we are in right standing with you.

Posted in dependence upon God, kingdom of God, protection, providence | Tagged | 1 Comment

identifying with God

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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GET OUT OF BONDAGE!

Leviticus 25:47-55

Lev 25:47 “If a stranger or temporary resident with you becomes rich, and your brother beside him becomes poor and sells himself to the foreign guest or temporary resident with you or to a member of the temporary resident’s clan,
Lev 25:48 then after he is sold he may be redeemed. One of his brothers may redeem him,
Lev 25:49 or his uncle or his cousin may redeem him, or an actual close relative from his clan may redeem him. Or if he grows rich he may redeem himself.
Lev 25:50 He will figure out with his buyer from the year when he sold himself to him until the year of liberation, and the price of his sale will vary with the number of years. The time he was with his owner will be rated as the time of a hired worker.
Lev 25:51 If there are still many years left, he will pay proportionately for his redemption some of his sale price.
Lev 25:52 If there remain but a few years until the year of liberation, he will figure it out and pay for his redemption in proportion to his years of service.
Lev 25:53 He will treat him as a worker hired year by year. He will not rule ruthlessly over him in your sight.
Lev 25:54 And if he is not redeemed by these means, then he and his children with him will be released in the year of liberation.
Lev 25:55 Because it is to me that the people of Israel are servants. They are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am Yahveh your God.

identifying with God

Even though an Israelite was not allowed to make another Israelite his slave, he could sell himself into slavery in order to survive. But the difference was that foreigners understood that there would be limits to his enslaving an Israelite. There would always be a year of liberation set, in which the slavery would end. There would also always be ways for the Israelite to get out of the contract. The reason was that the people were God’s possession whom he had already redeemed from slavery. No matter what their present condition, their identity was in the LORD.

LORD, our identity is in you. Rescue us from anything that does not glorify you.

Posted in glory, poverty, relationship with God, second coming | Tagged | 2 Comments

not over your brothers

Posted on November 11, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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ARE YOUR BROTHERS FREE?

Leviticus 25:44-46

Lev 25:44 As for your male and female slaves whom you may have: you may buy male and female slaves from among the nations that are around you.
Lev 25:45 You may also buy from among the temporary residents who are guests with you and their clans that are with you, who have been born in your land, and they may be your property.
Lev 25:46 You may bequeath them to your sons after you to inherit as a permanent possession. You may make slaves of them, but over your brothers the people of Israel you will not rule, one over another ruthlessly.

not over your brothers

The Mosaic laws conceded the slavery that was conceded by everyone else in the ancient near east, but stops short of endorsing it. In fact, God’s law included a limit that set Israel apart. They were not to allow slavery of other Israelites. The whole covenant community had been set free by God’s grace. The whole community was responsible to ensure one another’s perpetual freedom.

LORD, we are our brother’s keepers. Show us how to ensure that we all stay free from bondage.

Posted in ethnic Israel, freedom, slavery | Tagged | 2 Comments

brothers yet to be liberated

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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ABEL, WHERE IS CAIN?

Leviticus 25:39=43

Lev 25:39 “If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you will not make him serve as a slave:
Lev 25:40 he will be with you as a hired worker and as a temporary resident. He will serve with you until the year of the liberation.
Lev 25:41 Then he will go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers.
Lev 25:42 Because they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they will not be sold as slaves.
Lev 25:43 You will not rule over him ruthlessly but will fear your God.

brothers yet to be liberated

The jubilee laws created a society where there were landowners were responsible for treating the poor fairly. It was not perfect. In a perfect society, there would be no poor. But it was a way of giving hope to those who had not yet achieved stability. There was hope for redemption and restoration. Poverty itself became a kind of symbol for lostness, and the people of God were to understand that the poor and temporary Gentile residents among them were to be protected because of their potential.

In the same way, those societies where Christians enjoy a majority should demonstrate kindness and fairness toward the lost among them. They are not enemies; they are brothers yet to be liberated.

LORD, we resolve to pray for and protect the lost around us.

Posted in Cain & Abel, consideration of others, equality, poverty, witness | Tagged | 1 Comment