death is bad, resurrection is good

Posted on August 14, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 11:29-38

Lev 11:29 “And these are contaminated to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of any kind,
Lev 11:30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.
Lev 11:31 These are contaminated to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be contaminated until the evening.
Lev 11:32 And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead will be contaminated, whether it is an container of wood or clothes or a skin or a sack, any container that is used for any purpose. It must be put into water, and it will be contaminated until the evening; then it will be clean.
Lev 11:33 And if any of them falls into any clay pottery container, all that is in it will be unclean, and you will break it.
Lev 11:34 Any food in it that could be eaten, on which water comes, will be contaminated. And all drink that could be drunk from every such container will be contaminated.
Lev 11:35 And everything on which any part of their carcass falls will be contaminated. Whether oven or stove, it will be broken in pieces. They are contaminated and will remain contaminated for you.
Lev 11:36 Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water will be pure, but whoever touches a carcass in them will be contaminated.
Lev 11:37 And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed grain that is to be planted, it is pure,
Lev 11:38 but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is contaminated to you.

death is bad, resurrection is good

Most of the restrictions concerning unclean ground swarmers has to do with death: restrictions about eating things or coming into contact with their carcasses. There is, however, an interesting exception. Any carcass coming into contact with a seed does not necessarily contaminate it. That is because once a seed is buried, it will be resurrected into a new living plant. Conclusion: death is bad, resurrection is good. That sounds utterly simplistic, but the fact is most Christians still believe that death is a reward. The Bible is clear on the subject. Death is a consequence of sin, and an enemy, not a friend. Resurrection is the true believer’s hope.

There is also an exception to the exception. If a seed is in standing water, and a carcass falls on it, it is contaminated. Perhaps this is a foreshadowed warning about believer’s baptism. Let no one presume that baptism alone will save him, if he is still dead in his sin. Baptism symbolises death to the old self, and resurrection to a new, repented self.

LORD, thank you for the gospel hope of a resurrection unto eternal life.

Posted in baptism, resurrection | Tagged | 2 Comments

foot and mouth disease

Posted on August 13, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 11:26-28

Lev 11:26 Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is contaminated to you. Everyone who touches them will be contaminated.
Lev 11:27 And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are contaminated to you. Whoever touches their carcass will be contaminated until the evening,
Lev 11:28 and he who carries their carcass will wash his clothes and be contaminated until the evening; they are contaminated to you.

foot and mouth disease

When the Israelites lived in Egypt as slaves, they never had to worry about which animals were OK to eat. They rarely had the chance to eat anything other than the domesticated animals they had raised. But now, in the wilderness, far from anyone telling them what to do, they needed some guidelines. The question was not whether it was healthy to eat all those other creatures. The issue was what diet would identify them as followers of the LORD. So, the guidelines about what the animal’s foot looks like, and what it did with its mouth were a helpful way for them to discern which were appropriate to eat.

Freedom is a wonderful gift from God. But if we are not careful, our freedom will make us just like everyone else — free from slavery, but in bondage to sin. Under the new covenant, it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the guidance that we need, so that we can discipline ourselves. He is the Spirit who produces self-control. He teaches us not to eat meat if it defends our weaker brother. But, otherwise all foods are clean for us.

LORD, thank you for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Posted in consideration of others, discernment, Holy Spirit | Tagged | 1 Comment

pests on the plate

Posted on August 12, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 11:20-25

Lev 11:20 “All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you.
Lev 11:21 Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground.
Lev 11:22 Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.
Lev 11:23 But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.
Lev 11:24 “And by these you will become contaminated. Whoever touches their carcass will be contaminated until the evening,
Lev 11:25 and whoever carries any part of their carcass will wash his clothes and be contaminated until the evening.

pests on the plate

Certain insects are a delicacy in many parts of the world, providing food in places where there is little opportunity for domesticated animals to thrive. Often these pests swarm at certain times of the year, providing a predictable harvest. So, while most insects were off limits to the Israelites, God made exceptions even to this rule. He loved his people and always found ways of taking care of them.

LORD, thank you for your provision.

Posted in dependence upon God, providence | Tagged | 1 Comment

useful for other things

Posted on August 11, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 11:13-19

Lev 11:13 “And these you will detest among the birds; they will not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
Lev 11:14 the kite, the falcon of any kind,
Lev 11:15 every raven of any kind,
Lev 11:16 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind,
Lev 11:17 the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl,
Lev 11:18 the barn owl, the tawny owl, the carrion vulture,
Lev 11:19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the duchifat, and the bat.

useful for other things

Most of these flying creatures may have been excluded from the Israelite menu because they were useful for other things besides being eaten. The scavenger birds may have been excluded in order to keep the wilderness tidy of stray carrion. The owls and bats, hawks and ravens may have been excluded to keep the rodent population down. The gulls, storks and herons probably had a useful purpose in controlling sea pests.

I am thankful that Christ has now done away with these dietary restrictions, because ostrich meat is absolutely wonderful. But I have to admit, I am not too keen to try any of the other birds on the list. The duchifat, for example, I doubt any one of us will put on our menu. This colourful woodpecker-like flying creature is the state bird of Israel today!

LORD, thank you for the wonderful ecosystem you have created, and the usefulness you have built into all the creatures on this planet.

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fishing license

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 11:9-12

Lev 11:9 “These you may eat, of all that are in the water. Everything in the water that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.
Lev 11:10 But anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the water and of the living souls that are in the water, is detestable to you.
Lev 11:11 You will regard them as detestable; you will not eat any of their meat, and you will detest their carcasses.
Lev 11:12 Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

fishing license

The rights for Israelites to eat what swam in the water were quite strict, but that is to be expected of a nation that was intended to be separate from all those around it. Free use of the treasures of the oceans and rivers would have likely led to lots of commercial trafficking with the nations surrounding Israel, and that was not what God wanted. He wanted the treasure that Israel would share to be the Torah. For that reason, fishing licenses were limited.

When Jesus called his disciples to be the first members of his new covenant community, he promised to train them in the skill of fishing for men and women. He placed no restriction on their licenses. In fact, he commanded them to make disciples of all nations. Those of us who are Gentiles are so glad that is true.

LORD, thank you for opening your oceans and rivers for us to fish freely for souls that need you.

Posted in discipleship, evangelism | Tagged | 1 Comment

His preference

Posted on August 9, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 11:1-8

Lev 11:1 And Yahveh spoke to Moses and Aaron, and this is what he said to them,
Lev 11:2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and this is what you should say, these are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the land.
Lev 11:3 Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.
Lev 11:4 Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you will not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is contaminated to you.
Lev 11:5 And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is contaminated to you.
Lev 11:6 And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is contaminated to you.
Lev 11:7 And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is contaminated to you.
Lev 11:8 You will not eat any of their meat, and you will not touch their carcasses; they are contaminated to you.

His preference

My first response upon reading a passage like this is to wonder why God decided to make some foods taboo for the Israelites, and not others. These choices seem a bit arbitrary to me. They do not seem to be based on the healthiness of the food. Perhaps some of these contaminated foods were deemed fit sacrifices for other religions? I do not know. But I do not need to know, and neither did the Israelites. They only needed to know what God preference was. Following his commands indicated that they had submitted to his lordship.

There is a great deal about the new covenant that believers in Christ cannot fully explain. There are seeming paradoxes and mysteries throughout the New Testament. But we are not responsible as believers to understand and explain it all. We are responsible to believe and trust, even those things that we cannot explain.

LORD, we surrender to your preference. For those mysteries in your word that we cannot solve, we yield to your omniscience.

Posted in Bible, dependence upon God, discernment | Tagged | 1 Comment

representing the King

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 10:12-15

Lev 10:12 Moses spoke to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his surviving sons: “Take the tribute offering that is left of Yahveh’s fire offerings, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, because it is most holy.
Lev 10:13 You will eat it in a holy place, because it is your prescription and your sons’ prescription, from Yahveh’s fire offerings, because so I am commanded.
Lev 10:14 But the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed you will eat in a pure place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, because they are given as your prescription and your sons’ prescription from the sacrifices for healthy relationships of the people of Israel.
Lev 10:15 The thigh that is contributed and the breast that is waved they will bring with the fire offerings of the fat pieces to wave for a wave offering in Yahveh’s sight, and it will be yours and your sons’ with you as a permanent prescription, as Yahveh has commanded.”

representing the King

In the ancient near east, the tribute offerings that the pagans gave were to their kings, and the images represented the king. The fact that under the Mosaic law, the priests were to eat a portion of the tribute offering — meant that they served as living images, representatives of the king. So, the priests were to be treated as nobility. Since the King under the Mosaic law was God himself, the tribute offerings offered at the tabernacle took on religious, as well as royal significance.

Under the new covenant, instituted by Christ himself, believers are all priests. We represent our coming King, and proclaim his coming kingdom. We may not always be treated as royalty during this age of rebellion against our King, but our position is secure, and the benefits of our position await his return.

LORD, make us faithful representatives of our coming King.

Posted in Aaron, kingdom of God, priesthood of believers, second coming | Tagged | 1 Comment

purity and proclamation

Posted on August 6, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 10:8-11

Lev 10:8 And Yahveh spoke to Aaron, and this is what he said,
Lev 10:9 “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the conference tent, or else you will die. It will be a permanent prescription throughout your generations.
Lev 10:10 You are to divide between the holy and the common, and between the contaminated and the pure,
Lev 10:11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the prescriptions that Yahveh has spoken to them by Moses.”

purity and proclamation

Following the disastrous incident with Nadab and Abihu, it is fair to say that all of the other ordained priests would now be liable to take their jobs quite seriously. So, it makes sense that a job description for the priesthood would come next. The job description consisted of two main tasks: dividing between the holy and the common, and teaching the people of Israel all that Yahveh had prescribed via Moses. Purity of the place and people of God was their responsibility. The priests themselves were to be the first examples of that purity. The LORD commanded Aaron that none of the priests were to ever enter the conference tent under the influence of alcohol. Could this have been the reason Nadab and Abihu attempted to offer the strange fire? Regardless, it is clear that the LORD would tolerate no other influence on the priests except his word. And the LORD also commanded this special group to be the instructors in the moral and ceremonial requirements of God. They were to pass on philosophical and theological purity as well as ecclesiastical and liturgical purity.

LORD, show us how to make our lives thoroughly devoted to you, and pass on that devotion to the next generation.

Posted in Aaron, bible study, holiness, purity, teaching | Tagged | 1 Comment

staying at your post

Posted on August 5, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 10:4-7

Lev 10:4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.”
Lev 10:5 So they came near and carried them in their shirts out of the camp, as Moses had said.
Lev 10:6 And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, or else you will die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, mourn over the burning that Yahveh has kindled.
Lev 10:7 And do not go outside the entrance of the conference tent, or else you will die, because the anointing oil of Yahveh is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

staying at your post

Moses instructed Aaron and his other two sons to stay at their post and continue to serve the LORD until the visitation was over. They had been anointed for the task, and the task must be done. He assured Aaron that the whole house of Israel would mourn over the destruction of these two men. But he warned Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar that if they went outside the entrance of the conference tent, they would die too.

They stayed at their post. In doing so, they demonstrated the faithfulness that Nadab and Abihu had neglected. I am only grateful that God does not choose to strike ever one of his servants down with fire when they stray from his directions. If he did, I would not be here to write this. God is merciful to us, but he is capable of judging us fairly. We should never ask for fair judgement, because that is what Nadab and Abihu got.

LORD, when the challenge to run away from our responsibility to you comes, help us to remain faithful, and stay at our post.

Posted in Aaron, faithfulness, ministry, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

stillness in crisis

Posted on August 4, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

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Leviticus 10:1-3

Lev 10:1 But Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorised fire in Yahveh’s sight, which he had not commanded them.
Lev 10:2 And fire came out from Yahveh’s sight and consumed them, and they died in Yahveh’s sight.
Lev 10:3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what Yahveh spoke when he said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.'” And Aaron kept still.

stillness in crisis

The wonder of the day when God’s glory appeared suddenly took on the nature of surreal terror. Aaron had expected a spectacular display of God’s glory, but he certainly did not expect it to cost the lives of two of his sons. He stood still, in shock, not knowing how to react. Moses explained to him that Yahveh had warned of this incident. Who knows what raced through the mind of Aaron at this time. We only know that Aaron went on to serve the LORD faithfully, in spite of his loss.

When disaster strikes, and we are tempted to lash out at God, or despair and give up our faith, perhaps we should remember the stillness of Aaron on that day of crisis.

LORD, give us faith enough to endure the disasters we face, with quiet confidence in you.

Posted in Aaron, crisis, faithfulness | Tagged | 1 Comment