key to commitment

Posted on July 26, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (26)

Leviticus 8:18-21

Lev 8:18 Then he presented the ram of the ascending offering and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.
Lev 8:19 And he killed it, and Moses threw the blood against the sides of the altar.
Lev 8:20 He cut the ram into pieces, and Moses burned the head and the pieces and the fat.
Lev 8:21 He washed the entrails and the legs with water, and Moses burned the whole ram on the altar. It was an ascending offering with a soothing aroma, a fire offering for Yahveh, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

key to commitment

After having sacrificed the mistake offering, and receiving forgiveness for their personal failures, Aaron and his sons were now free to pursue the one thing that would be the key to their commitment for priestly service: a relationship with God. The ascending offering symbolised the connection with the transcendent LORD which is the only thing that would enable them to intercede for others.

There is no substitute for that connection. You can study the Bible until you have multiple PhDs in it, but if you do not have a relationship with God, you will not be equipped to help others find him. You can learn all the counselling tips and tricks of psychology, but you cannot help others with their spiritual problems if you are not connected to the LORD himself. Jesus is the way to the Father. Without him, we can memorise every kind of map in the world, and still be lost.

LORD, show us the Way, so that we can show others the Way.

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forgiveness before service

Posted on July 25, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (25)

Leviticus 8:14-17

Lev 8:14 Then he brought the bull of the mistake offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull of the mistake offering.
Lev 8:15 And he killed it, and Moses took the blood, and with his finger put it on the horns of the altar around it and purified the altar and poured out the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it to provide reconciliation upon it.
Lev 8:16 And he took all the fat that was on the entrails and the long lobe of the liver and the two kidneys with their fat, and Moses burned them on the altar.
Lev 8:17 But the bull and its skin and its flesh and its dung he burned up with fire outside the camp, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

forgiveness before service

Aaron and the tabernacle had been anointed, and all of the priests were clothed in their special priest uniforms. But there had to be a mistake offering at this point, before any of them could begin their service of worship and intercession. No one stopped to ask whether or not he had made a particular mistake and needed forgiving at that moment. No, God had made it clear that forgiveness was necessary, and in their hearts each of them knew it.

The Bible teaches that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We can believe that, or we can deceive ourselves into thinking that surely some people must be innocent. No, all our purity is filth compared to God’s holiness. So, before we dare to serve, we must seek forgiveness.

LORD, forgive us of our sins, and prepare us to serve you and others in your name.

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anointed place, anointed person

Posted on July 24, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (24)

Leviticus 8:10-13

Lev 8:10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them.
Lev 8:11 And he spritzed some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.
Lev 8:12 And he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him.
Lev 8:13 And Moses brought Aaron’s sons and clothed them with shirts and tied sashes around their waists and wrapped headbands around them, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

anointed place, anointed person

As Moses began the installation service for Aaron and his sons, he first anointed the tabernacle and Aaron with the holy oil. Oil was used regularly in the ancient near east for keeping people and animals clean, protecting them from parasites. Over time, the anointing of people with oil took of a symbolic significance. It represented purity, protection and dedication for the task one had to perform. So, it was appropriate for Moses to anoint both the holy place (the tabernacle and its furnishings) and the holy person (Aaron, as high priest).

LORD, separate us for the task you are calling us to perform. Sanctify the place where you want us to serve.

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fashion statement

Posted on July 23, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (23)

Leviticus 8:6-9

Lev 8:6 And Moses brought Aaron and his sons and washed them with water.
Lev 8:7 And he put the shirt on him and tied the sash around his waist and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him and tied the skilfully woven band of the ephod around him, binding it to him with the band.
Lev 8:8 And he placed the breast piece on him, and in the breast piece he put the Lights and the Darks.
Lev 8:9 And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden plate, the holy badge, as Yahveh commanded Moses.

fashion statement

How Aaron was dressed symbolised his complete dedication to the LORD. His turban had a badge on it that said “Holy to Yahveh.” His breastpiece contained the Lights and Darks, a means of determining God’s will in difficult questions. His shirt was a long shirt — often called a tunic. Every aspect of his uniform spoke of his unique position as high priest of the tabernacle. God wanted him to dress that way to remind him of his important role and his significant relationship.

LORD, show us how we can express ourselves in such a way that we never forget our relationship with you, and your purpose for our lives.

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everybody watch

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (22)

Leviticus 8:1-5

Lev 8:1 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,
Lev 8:2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the clothes and the anointing oil and the bull of the mistake offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread.
Lev 8:3 And collect all the congregation at the entrance of the conference tent.”
Lev 8:4 And Moses did as Yahveh commanded him, and the congregation was collected at the entrance of the conference tent.
Lev 8:5 And Moses said to the congregation, “This is the thing that Yahveh has commanded to be done.”

everybody watch

The ordination ceremony for Aaron and his sons was intended to be a public celebration. It was to remind the children of Israel that God had called some of them to a life of dedication and intercession. There was to be no secret priest — no one who served God without also displaying that service openly.

Like the things they did as part of their jobs as priests, their ordination ceremony was prescribed by the LORD himself. Everyone was to watch and mentally tick off the procedures on the list. There was to be no slacking, no shirking of responsibility. Everything had to be done according to what had been commanded. Then, as each priest approached his daily task, he would remember that he started out doing this biblically, and that is the way he must proceed.

LORD, we dedicate ourselves to serving you as you prescribed — serving you biblically.

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the Sinai six

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (21)

Leviticus 7:35-38

Lev 7:35 This is the portion of Aaron and of his sons from Yahveh’s fire offerings, from the day they were presented to serve as priests of Yahveh.
Lev 7:36 Yahveh commanded this to be given them by the people of Israel, from the day that he anointed them. It is a permanent prescription throughout their generations.”
Lev 7:37 This is the law of the ascending offering, of the tribute offering, of the mistake offering, of the reparation offering, of the ordination offering, and of the offering for healthy relationships.
Lev 7:38 which Yahveh commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to Yahveh, in the wilderness of Sinai.

the Sinai six

Six offerings commanded by the LORD to Moses on Mount Sinai are mentioned here. Each offering communicates something about who God is, and what he expects of those who take his name.

  • ascending – God is exalted – we must seek his presence
  • tribute – God is king – we must seek his favour
  • mistake – God is perfect – we must seek his forgiveness
  • reparation – God is saviour – we must honour his grace
  • ordination – God is holy – we must honour his servants
  • healthy relationships – God is one – we must honour his community

We can also see a transition of sorts in the offerings as listed here. The first three emphasise the covenant community’s responsibility to Love God, while the second three emphasise the covenant community’s responsibility to love each other. A similar two-fold emphasis is seen in the ten commandments.

LORD, show us how to seek you, and to honour those around us who are seeking you as well.

Posted in forgiveness, grace, love, relationship with God | Tagged | 1 Comment

the portion for the priests

Posted on July 20, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (20)

Leviticus 7:28-34

Lev 7:28 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,
Lev 7:29 “Speak to the people of Israel, and this is what you should say, whoever offers the sacrifice of his healthy relationships offering to Yahveh will bring his offering to Yahveh from the sacrifice of his healthy relationships offering.
Lev 7:30 His own hands will bring Yahveh’s fire offerings. He will bring the fat with the breast, that the breast may be waved as a wave offering in Yahveh’s sight.
Lev 7:31 The priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will be for Aaron and his sons.
Lev 7:32 And the right thigh you will give to the priest as a contribution from the sacrifice of your healthy relationships offering.
Lev 7:33 Whoever among the sons of Aaron offers the blood of the healthy relationships offering and the fat will have the right thigh for a portion.
Lev 7:34 Because the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed I have taken from the people of Israel, out of the sacrifices of their healthy relationships offerings, and have given them to Aaron the priest and to his sons, as a permanent prescription from the people of Israel.

the portion for the priests

The healthy relationships offering was all about ensuring a wholeness among the members of the old covenant community. A portion (in this case, the right thigh) was set aside to be eaten by the priests alone. By doing this, the worshippers indicated that they recognised the importance of the priests, as the LORD’s chosen mediators. They ministered to the LORD by making reconciliation between others possible.

As priests under the new covenant, we serve the LORD by encouraging unity and reconciliation among all the members of the body. When their is discord, we are to facilitate harmony. This is a valuable ministry for all of us, no matter what title we have in the church.

LORD, make us mediators and reconcilers, bringing harmony and unity within the community of faith.

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dependence diet

Posted on July 19, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (19)

Leviticus 7:22-27

Lev 7:22 Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,
Lev 7:23 “Speak to the people of Israel, and this is what you should say, you will eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat.
Lev 7:24 The fat of an animal that dies of itself and the fat of one that is torn by beasts may be put to any other use, but on no account will you eat it.
Lev 7:25 Because every soul who eats of the fat of an animal of which a fire offering may be made to Yahveh will be eliminated from his people.
Lev 7:26 Moreover, you will eat no blood whatever, whether of fowl or of animal, wherever you stay.
Lev 7:27 Whatever soul eats any blood, that soul will be eliminated from his people.”

dependence diet

Both the fat of the animal and its blood were essential to the health and life of it as an organism. The fat was its protection, and the blood was its source of inner cleansing, renewal and preservation. The LORD did not allow consumption of these essential elements because they symbolised dependence upon him for protection and preservation.

When Daniel and his friends were taken as captives into Babylon, they were given the choice foods of the king to protect them from illness, and to preserve their health. But they realised that if they ate of these foods, they would be admitting that they depended on Nebuchadnezzar, not the LORD. They had the courage to reject these choice foods and rely on a dependence diet. God made them the healthiest of all the captives because they displayed loyalty to him.

Under the new covenant, there are dietary restrictions as well. Whatever we do, it must be unto the Lord, not for men (Col. 3:23). Like the old covenant restrictions, it is the purpose that is the reason for restricting the product.

LORD, give us eating habits which display our dependence on you, and gratitude for your protection and preservation.

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spoiled gifts

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (18)

Leviticus 7:16-21

Lev 7:16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a solemn pledge offering or a spontaneous voluntary offering, it will be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it will be eaten.
Lev 7:17 But on the third day what remains of the meat of the sacrifice will be burned up with fire.
Lev 7:18 If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his healthy relationships offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it will not be accepted, neither will it be recognised in his behalf. It is tainted, and the soul who eats of it will be responsible for his violation.
Lev 7:19 “Meat that touches any contaminated thing will not be eaten. It will be burned up with fire. All who are pure may eat meat,
Lev 7:20 but the soul who eats from the meat of the sacrifice of Yahveh’s healthy relationships offering while a contamination is on him, that soul will be eliminated from his people.
Lev 7:21 And if any soul touches a contaminated thing, whether human contamination or an contaminated beast or any contaminated detestable creature, and then eats some meat from the sacrifice of Yahveh’s healthy relationships offering, that soul will be eliminated from his people.”

spoiled gifts

No matter how rich you were, there were two things that would make your voluntary offering unacceptable. Contamination, of course, but also time. A gift could be enjoyed by those ministering at the tabernacle for two days, but not for three. No matter how generous your gift, it would spoil with time, and it would become necessary for it to be destroyed.

When it comes to serving the LORD, a similar principle applies. We need to re-evaluate our lives if we find we are thinking too much about what we have done for him, instead of what steps he wants for us to take now.

LORD, keep our service to you fresh.

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thanking God for each other

Posted on July 17, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (17)

Leviticus 7:11-15

Lev 7:11 “And this is the law of the sacrifice for healthy relationships that one may offer to Yahveh.
Lev 7:12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he will offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil.
Lev 7:13 With the sacrifice for his healthy relationships for thanksgiving he will bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread.
Lev 7:14 And from it he will offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to Yahveh. It will belong to the priest who throws the blood of the healthy relationships offering.
Lev 7:15 And the meat of the sacrifice of his healthy relationships offering for thanksgiving will be eaten on the day of his offering. He will not leave any of it until the morning.

thanking God for each other

The pagans performed their sacrifices so that they could get the advantage over one another. But the Mosaic sacrifices has to do with appreciation for the reconciliation and forgiveness that God offered. And, the sacrifice for healthy relationship could be a way of appealing for community peace and wholeness, or (in this case) it could be a way of expressing gratitude to God for the others in your community.

One of the marks of true holiness is the ability to see those around us as gifts from God, and worship God not only with others, but also because of others.

LORD, thank you for those you have placed among us, as signs of your love to us.

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