tribute offerings and brother love

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (22)

Leviticus 2:4-6

Lev 2:4 “When you bring a tribute offering baked in the oven as an offering, it will be unleavened rolls of fine flour mixed with oil or unleavened crackers coated with oil.
Lev 2:5 And if your offering is a tribute offering baked with a skillet, it will be of fine flour unleavened, mixed with oil.
Lev 2:6 You will break it in pieces and pour oil over it; it is a tribute offering.

tribute offerings and brother love

Cain and Abel each brought Yahveh a tribute offering. Yahveh had regard for Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s (Genesis 4:3-5). Cain’s envy of his brother’s acceptance — and his own rejection– led to the first murder in human history. This is just one of the incidents recorded in scripture which give us some idea of the purpose of a tribute offering. It is given by an inferior, with hopes of pleasing a superior, and gaining favour in the sight of the superior. It is something valuable, and must be chosen wisely. The idea is that this offering represents the worshipper’s respect for God, rather than his need for forgiveness or reconciliation. But God looks upon the heart. So, Jesus tells us that if we are about to present a gift to God, but remember that our brother has something against us, we should first seek to reconcile with our brother, then give our gift (Matthew 5:23-24). We show our greatest respect for God when we live in peace with our brothers.

LORD, show us how to give our best to you, while loving the brothers and sisters you have given us.

Posted in Cain & Abel, consideration of others, worship | Tagged | 1 Comment

oil and incense

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (21)

Leviticus 2:1-3

Lev 2:1 “When any soul brings a tribute offering as an offering to Yahveh, his offering will be of fine flour. He will pour oil over it and include frankincense with it
Lev 2:2 and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. And he will take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest will burn this as its reminiscence on the altar, a fire offering to Yahveh with a soothing aroma.
Lev 2:3 But the rest of the tribute offering will be for Aaron and his sons; that will be a most holy part of Yahveh’s fire offerings.

oil and incense

When my wife and I visited Singapore, it was an amazing experience. It was interesting to see such a place where so many different ethnic groups lived, side by side, in different communities, all within walking distance, yet keeping their distinct taste in clothing, food, architecture, etc. In fact, you could tell which sub-community you were in even without opening your eyes. The smell of the food cooking, or the incense would give it away.

Both the oil and the incense emitted a sweet aroma. It was a way of making the tribute offering a special memory, a reminiscence of the special event — contact with God, and expression of his worthiness.

LORD, thank you for access to your presence. We will cherish this gift.

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not divided completely

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (20)

Leviticus 1:14-17

Lev 1:14 “If his offering to Yahveh is an ascending offering of birds, then he will bring his offering of turtledoves or pigeons.
Lev 1:15 And the priest will bring it to the altar and wring off its head and burn it on the altar. Its blood will be pressed out on the wall of the altar.
Lev 1:16 He will remove its crop with its contents and toss it beside the altar on the east side, in the place for ashes.
Lev 1:17 He will tear it open by its wings, but will not divide it completely. And the priest will burn it on the altar, on the wood that is on the fire. It is an ascending offering, a fire offering to Yahveh with a soothing aroma.

not divided completely

The mystery of the sacrifice of Christ is made even more mysterious by Christ’s unique nature. He was a union of the human and the divine. This union continued even as he died on the cross, calling out his Father to forgive his executioners. The fact that Christ retained his complete nature even while being sacrificed for us was symbolised by the tearing open of the turtledoves’ wings. Just as the bird retained its wholeness through the process, so Christ kept his wholeness — while making it possible for us to become whole again.

LORD, thank you for your amazing sacrifice for our restoration.

Posted in Jesus Christ, the cross, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

a soothing aroma

Posted on June 19, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (19)

Leviticus 1:10-13

Lev 1:10 “If his gift for an ascending offering is from the flock, from the sheep or goats, he will bring a perfect male,
Lev 1:11 and he will kill it on the north side of the altar in Yahveh’s sight, and Aaron’s sons the priests will coat the sides of the altar with its blood.
Lev 1:12 And he will cut it into pieces, with its head and its fat, and the priest will place them on the wood that is on the fire on the altar,
Lev 1:13 but the entrails and the legs he will wash with water. And the priest will offer all of it and burn it on the altar; it is an ascending offering, a fire offering to Yahveh with a soothing aroma.

a soothing aroma

We will see these words often describing the result of offerings burnt upon the altar in the tabernacle. They speak  of the change that comes over a person when they smell a nice aroma: a calming change to the disposition.

The ascending offering is called that because it is intended to reach God’s throne, and change his disposition toward the worshipper. Christ did that for us. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, the Father can once more be pleased with humanity. Christ has turned human beings — particularly believers in Christ — into something that makes God feel good.

LORD, thank you for reversing the enmity between the Father and us.

Posted in atonement, Jesus Christ | Tagged | 2 Comments

Leviticus as Christology

Posted on June 18, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (18)

Leviticus 1:4-9

Lev 1:4 He will lay his hand on the head of the ascending offering, and it will be accepted for him to provide reconciliation for him.
Lev 1:5 Then he will kill the bull in Yahveh’s sight, and Aaron’s sons the priests will bring the blood and coat the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the conference tent with the blood.
Lev 1:6 Then he will chop the ascending offering cutting it in pieces,
Lev 1:7 and the sons of Aaron the priest will set fire to the altar and place wood on the fire.
Lev 1:8 And Aaron’s sons the priests will place the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar;
Lev 1:9 but he will first wash its entrails and its legs with water. And the priest will burn all of it on the altar, as an ascending offering, which is a fire offering to Yahveh with a soothing aroma.

Leviticus as Christology

God is timeless. He is not confined to history as we are. He walks through history with us, but he can also walk through it backwards — which we cannot do. when he instructs the Israelites on how to approach him through the tabernacle sacrifices — he does so with the full knowledge of how each of those offerings reflect the person and work of Christ.

We see in these first nine verses a reflection on…

  • Christ’s eternal value,
  • his perfection,
  • his role as a substitute to reconcile humanity to God,
  • his offering himself entirely to God’s purpose,
  • and his ascension back to the throne after completing the task.

It is all in there in the rules concerning the ascending offering.

LORD, show us Christ in all his significance and glory as we read and study Leviticus.

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Leviticus as scripture

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (17)

Leviticus 1:1-3

Lev 1:1 Yahveh called Moses and spoke to him from the conference tent, and this is what he said,
Lev 1:2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, when any human among you brings an offering to Yahveh, you will bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.
Lev 1:3 “If his offering is an ascending offering from the herd, he will offer a perfect male. He will bring it to the entrance of the conference tent, so that he may be accepted in Yahveh’s sight.

Leviticus as scripture

All of Genesis, and much of Exodus is narrative — stories reflecting God’s dealings in history. The hard part of exegeting narrative is putting it in its historical context — so that its words are understood as they would have been understood by the audience at the time. Even though Leviticus is not mostly narrative, the same challenge exists. But, added to that, we have to wrestle with Leviticus as scripture. We have to ask why God reached back into time, and gave his people these words. We need to grasp the eternal purpose of this book.

One clue that we get to this question in today’s text is that God is giving his people instructions on how to approach him.

LORD, teach us how to approach you today as we begin our study of these ancient instructions.

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

Marana Tha

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (16)

1 Corinthians 16:19-24

1Co 16:19 The churches of Asia say hello. Aquila and Prisca, along with the church that meets in their house, send you affectionate greetings in the Lord.
1Co 16:20 All the brothers say hello. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
1Co 16:21 I, Paul, sign this salutation with my own hand.
1Co 16:22 If anyone does not love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Marana Tha!
1Co 16:23 The grace of the Lord Jesus is with you.
1Co 16:24 My love is with all of you in Christ Jesus.

Marana Tha

It is a very old greeting. It is in Aramaic, and it expresses the expectation that the Lord will return to this planet, and set right its wrongs, redeeming the slaves, and restoring the kingdom. We have seen that there is much that is still wrong with this world as we reviewed this letter. There is still much wrong with the church as well. But the good news is that the Lord is coming. But we can deal with all the disappointments in the world and in the church if we keep looking up!

LORD, come!

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leaders left behind

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (15)

1 Corinthians 16:15-18

1Co 16:15 I am encouraging you, brothers — you know about Stephanas’ household — that they were the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to ministry to the holy ones.
1Co 16:16 You should also be subordinated to these, and to everyone who works and shares their burden.
1Co 16:17 I celebrate the presence of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence;
1Co 16:18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give special recognition to such people.

leaders left behind

Paul was especially appreciative of the three short-term missionaries from Corinth who visited him while he was working in Ephesus. But Stephanas told him that he did not expect the church people back in Corinth to adjust well to their absence. Paul encouraged the Corinthian Christians to show respect and submit to the leadership of those left in charge. This would be a way that they can show special recognition to the missionaries themselves.

LORD, you know what you are doing. Give us the wisdom to adjust to things as they are — not to complain and withhold our support when the leadership structure changes.

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obstinate Apollos

Posted on June 14, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (14)

1 Corinthians 16:12-14

1Co 16:12 Now about our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but he did not at all want to come now. He will come when he has the opportunity.
1Co 16:13 Keep watch, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
1Co 16:14 Stay in love — all of you.

obstinate Apollos

Apollos was a gifted missionary and theologian, and the Lord used him well. But Apollos was not at all easy to get along with. He apparently had a stubborn streak, as Paul discovered when he asked him to join the team going to Corinth. Apollos said no. Paul strongly urged him to go with the team, but Apollos said no. What was Paul’s response? He chose to respect Apollos’ decision. He chose to stay balanced. He told the Corinthians they needed the same kind of balance — the balance of a strong faith in the truth on one hand, and a strong love for each other on the other hand. Walking with that kind of balance is not easy, especially when we encounter people like Apollos.

LORD, give us a strong faith, balanced by a strong love.

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timid Timothy

Posted on June 13, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (13)

1 Corinthians 16:8-11

1Co 16:8 But I will stay on in Ephesus until the Pentecost celebration,
1Co 16:9 because Ephesus is proving to be like a large wide-open door, and I have many opponents.
1Co 16:10 When Timothy arrives, make sure that he feels comfortable working among you, because he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am;
1Co 16:11 So then, let no one treat him with disrespect. But send him on his way in peace so that he may come to me. Because I am expecting him to accompany the brothers.

timid Timothy

Corinth was not one of those places where ministry was easy, and Paul knew that Timothy dreaded the assignment. He requested that the Corinthians make sure that he feels comfortable working among them. Actually, his literal request is that the Corinthians allow him to work among them without fear. The NLT says “don’t intimitate him.” Paul realised that Timothy was a ministry asset, because he was doing the Lord’s work. But Paulk also realised that many who are called to do the Lord’s work are chased away from that work by people who have no consideration of them. All of us have our limits. We need to be considerate of those who minister among us.

LORD, we value those you send to minister among us. Help us to treat them well, and give them no reason to fear us.

Posted in consideration of others, fear, ministry, Timothy | Tagged | Leave a comment