the second bird

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (6)

Leviticus 5:7-10

Lev 5:7 “But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he will bring to Yahveh as his reparation for the mistake that he has made two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a mistake offering and the other for an ascending offering.
Lev 5:8 He will bring them to the priest, who will offer first the one for the mistake offering. He will wring its head from its neck but will not divide it completely,
Lev 5:9 and he will spritz some of the blood of the mistake offering on the wall of the altar, while the remainder of the blood will be pressed out at the base of the altar; it is a mistake offering.
Lev 5:10 Then he will offer the second for an ascending offering according to the rule. And the priest will provide reconciliation for him for the mistake that he has made, and he will be forgiven.

the second bird

Why two separate offerings for the person who has made a mistake, but cannot afford a lamb? Well, the extra offering is an ascending offering. Perhaps this is a way of dealing with the poverty. One bird for the mistake, and the second to appeal for God’s blessing. This approach takes faith, because, even though two birds for the offerings is still a less expensive price than the lamb, it is giving in expectation of a blessing. That is why we are wrong to teach people that God does not want them to give if they are poor. Stewardship of existing resources is always appropriate, and sometimes God is looking for the widow to give her mite, so that he can be glorified by the gift.

LORD, thank you for giving us the dignity of giving, even when we have less to give.

Posted in faith, giving, tithing | Tagged | 1 Comment

reparation for failures

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (5)

Leviticus 5:1-6

Lev 5:1 “If any soul makes a mistake by hearing a public call to testify, and he is a witness, either seeing or coming to know the matter, yet does not speak, he will be responsible for his violation;
Lev 5:2 or if any soul touches a contaminated thing, whether a carcass of an contaminated wild animal or a carcass of contaminated livestock or a carcass of contaminated swarming things, and it is hidden from him and he has become contaminated, and he realises his offence;
Lev 5:3 or if he touches human contamination, of whatever sort the contamination may be with which one becomes contaminated, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and realises his offence;
Lev 5:4 or if any soul utters with his lips an overconfident oath to do evil or to do good, any sort of overconfident oath that a human swears, and it is hidden from him, when he comes to know it, and he realises his offence in any of these;
Lev 5:5 when he realises his offence in any of these and confesses the mistake he has made,
Lev 5:6 he will bring to Yahveh as his reparation for the mistake that he has made, a female from the flock, a lamb or a goat, for a mistake offering. And the priest will provide reconciliation for him for his mistake.

reparation for failures

This passage highlights three ways a person might make a mistake, not realising it at the time. Once it becomes clear that the worshipper has made a mistake, he must make reparation.

We have inherited a rebellious nature, and because of this we are capable of missing God’s perfection without even noticing. That does not excuse us from the violation. The law of Moses detailed a way of making reparation once it became evident that a mistake had been made. Reparation was not only essential to make up for the mistake, but also to avoid the spiral that would occur, if it was allowed to stand. God does not want to punish, but punishment is essential to reformation.

LORD, thank you for providing a way for us to make reparation for our failings.

Posted in forgiveness, reconciliation | Tagged | 1 Comment

lamb instead of goat

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (4)

Leviticus 4:32-35

Lev 4:32 “If he brings a lamb as his offering for a mistake offering, he will bring a perfect female
Lev 4:33 and lay his hand on the head of the mistake offering and kill it for a mistake offering in the place where they kill the ascending offering.
Lev 4:34 Then the priest will take some of the blood of the mistake offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of ascending offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
Lev 4:35 And all its fat he will remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice for healthy relationships, and the priest will burn it on the altar, on top of Yahveh’s fire offerings. And the priest will provide reconciliation for him for the mistake which he has made, and he will be forgiven.

lamb instead of goat

Not everyone would have been able to supply a lamb for their mistake offering. It was the more expensive of the options. It is also a reminder that those who have more, have more responsibility. All people make mistakes, but the mistakes of rich people have a way of hurting the community more. God does not “need” a goat or a lamb. What he wants is for us all — rich and poor — to seek forgiveness from him.

LORD, thank you for offering a way for us to correct our failures. Thank you for Christ, the perfect Lamb, offering reconciliation and deliverance for everyone through his shed blood.

Posted in deliverance, forgiveness, reconciliation | Tagged | 1 Comment

when I fail myself

Posted on July 3, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (3)

Leviticus 4:27-31

Lev 4:27 “If any one soul of the people in the land makes a mistake inadvertently in doing any one of the things that by Yahveh’s commandments ought not to be done, and realises his offence,
Lev 4:28 or the mistake which he has made is made known to him, he will bring for his offering a goat, a perfect female, for his mistake which he has made.
Lev 4:29 And he will lay his hand on the head of the mistake offering and kill the mistake offering in the place of the ascending offering.
Lev 4:30 And the priest will take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of ascending offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar.
Lev 4:31 And all its fat he will remove, as the fat is removed from the sacrifice for healthy relationships, and the priest will burn it on the altar for a soothing aroma to Yahveh. And the priest will provide reconciliation for him, and he will be forgiven.

when I fail myself

The prescriptions have been given for a mistake offering applied to the entire nation (4:13-21), and for a leader within the community (4:22-26). Now, the prescription is given for when an individual makes a mistake. One of the principle differences in this prescription is that the animal sacrificed must be female. This detail probably draws attention to and reflects the fact that the first individual among humans to make a mistake was our mother, Eve. When we remember that fact, we should also remember that her sin was only the beginning of a long history of failures and consequences. The LORD offers forgiveness for my failure, but it does not come cheap. The penalty for all our sin was ultimately paid by Christ on the cross: his life.

LORD, thank you for a way of escape from the consequences of our personal failures.

Posted in atonement, Eve, forgiveness, Jesus Christ, sin | Tagged | 2 Comments

when our leaders fail us

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (2)

Leviticus 4:22-26

Lev 4:22 “When a leader makes a mistake, doing inadvertently any one of all the things that by the commandments of Yahveh his God ought not to be done, and realises his offence,
Lev 4:23 or the mistake which he has made is made known to him, he will bring as his offering a goat, a perfect male,
Lev 4:24 and will lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the ascending offering in Yahveh’s sight; it is a mistake offering.
Lev 4:25 Then the priest will take some of the blood of the mistake offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of ascending offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of ascending offering.
Lev 4:26 And all its fat he will burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice for healthy relationships. So the priest will provide reconciliation for him for his mistake, and he will be forgiven.

when our leaders fail us

Leaders in the Israelite community gained prominence first in their families and clans. They were appointed to community leadership only after having proved themselves loyal to God, and considerate of those they represented before him. Yet, God knew that even these tried and faithful leaders would be tempted, and would inadvertently make mistakes. He provided a way for leaders to get back on track, so that their failures would not result in the loss of the wisdom that it takes to lead their people prudently and fairly. The LORD is the great shepherd, and he cares for all the sheep, providing for the under-shepherds as well.

LORD, thank you for godly leaders. Help our leaders stay true to you, and to us.

Posted in faithfulness, leadership, loyalty, restoration | Tagged | 1 Comment

when democracy fails us

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

marmsky devotions July 2016 (1)

Leviticus 4:13-21

Lev 4:13 “If the whole congregation of Israel makes a mistake inadvertently and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the collected assembly, and they do any one of the things that by Yahveh’s commandments ought not to be done, and they realise their offence,
Lev 4:14 when the mistake which they have made becomes known, the collected assembly will offer a bull from the herd for a mistake offering and bring it in front of the conference tent.
Lev 4:15 And the elders of the congregation will lay their hands on the head of the bull in Yahveh’s sight, and the bull will be killed in Yahveh’s sight.
Lev 4:16 Then the anointed priest will bring some of the blood of the bull into the conference tent,
Lev 4:17 and the priest will dip his finger in the blood and spritz it seven times in Yahveh’s sight in front of the veil.
Lev 4:18 And he will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is in the conference tent in Yahveh’s sight, and the rest of the blood he will pour out at the base of the altar of ascending offering that is at the entrance of the conference tent.
Lev 4:19 And all its fat he will take from it and burn on the altar.
Lev 4:20 Thus will he do with the bull. As he did with the bull of the mistake offering, so will he do with this. And the priest will provide reconciliation for them, and they will be forgiven.
Lev 4:21 And he will carry the bull outside the camp and burn it up as he burned the first bull; it is the mistake offering for the collected assembly.

when democracy fails us

In a democratic society, the will of the whole people is intended to protect the community from the avarice and corruption of the privileged few. But there are times when democracy fails us, because the will of the whole people leads the entire nation to fail God.

The mistake offering for the collected assembly was a provision for reconciling the entire nation of Israel when they had collectively gone astray. It was a way of dealing with the estrangement from God caused by collective sin. Without it, no revival could occur. Because once a nation rebels, the covenant has been breached. So, God lovingly provided a way to rescue his people from their own rebellion.

LORD, thank you for the gift of democracy. Thank you as well for a way to repent for democracy gone wrong.

Posted in deliverance, ethnic Israel, loyalty, reconciliation, repentance | Tagged | 1 Comment

ripple effect

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (30)

Leviticus 4:8-12

Lev 4:8 And all the fat of the bull of the mistake offering he will remove from it, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails
Lev 4:9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he will remove with the kidneys
Lev 4:10 (just as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice for healthy relationships); and the priest will burn them on the altar of the ascending offering.
Lev 4:11 But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung–
Lev 4:12 all the rest of the bull– he will carry outside the camp to a pure place, to the ash heap, and will burn it up on a fire of wood. On the ash heap it will be burned up.

ripple effect

This passage shows similarities between the sacrifice for healthy relationships and the mistake offering. By so doing, it highlights the fact that our individual mistakes (sins) affect all our relationships, not just our relationship with God. When we fail, it causes a ripple effect, like what happens when a stone is thrown into the water. The LORD wants to reconcile us to himself, and he also wants to restore our marriages, families, churches, communities and nations from the cumulative effect of all these failures.

LORD, restore us to you, and restore our relationships damaged by our mistakes. We rely on Christ’s sacrifice to reverse the effects of our sin.

Posted in dependence upon God, reconciliation, relationship with God, restoration, the cross | Tagged | 1 Comment

sin is a mistake

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (29)

Leviticus 4:1-7

Lev 4:1 And Yahveh spoke to Moses, and this is what he said,
Lev 4:2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and this is what you should say, if any soul makes a mistake inadvertently in any of Yahveh’s commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them,
Lev 4:3 if it is the anointed priest who makes a mistake, thus bringing the need for reparation on the people, then he will offer for the mistake that he has made a perfect bull from the herd to Yahveh for a mistake offering.
Lev 4:4 He will bring the bull to the entrance of the conference tent in Yahveh’s sight and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull in Yahveh’s sight.
Lev 4:5 And the anointed priest will take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the conference tent,
Lev 4:6 and the priest will dip his finger in the blood and spritz part of the blood seven times in Yahveh’s sight in front of the veil of the sanctuary.
Lev 4:7 And the priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense in Yahveh’s sight that is in the conference tent, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he will pour out at the base of the altar of ascending offering that is at the entrance of the conference tent.

sin is a mistake

I translate the word traditionally interpreted as sin as “mistake” and the sin offering as a “mistake offering.” I am not downplaying the severity of sin by doing this. It is just the opposite. God holds us to a standard that we consistently find hard to achieve. We need a saviour because we keep missing the mark. But God has provided a sacrifice for all our mistakes: Christ. The standard is high, but our God’s provision is sure and reliable. He never makes a mistake. He never misses the mark.

LORD, thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ, a saviour who can deliver us from all our mistakes.

Posted in deliverance, Jesus Christ, sin | Tagged | 1 Comment

protection comes from the LORD

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (28)

Leviticus 3:12-17

Lev 3:12 “If his offering is a goat, then he will offer it in Yahveh’s sight
Lev 3:13 and lay his hand on its head and kill it in front of the conference tent, and the sons of Aaron will throw its blood against the sides of the altar.
Lev 3:14 Then he will offer from it, as his offering for a fire offering to Yahveh, the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails
Lev 3:15 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he will remove with the kidneys.
Lev 3:16 And the priest will burn them on the altar as a fire offering with a soothing aroma. All fat is Yahveh’s.
Lev 3:17 It will be a permanent prescription throughout your generations, wherever you stay, that you eat neither fat nor blood.”

protection comes from the LORD

Fat gets a bad reputation today, but it serves a very important role in the body. It cushions and protects internal organs, keeping them from bumping up against each other, and causing damage to each other. Fat is the layer of protection provided by a loving creator. The reason all the fat is to be consumed by fire for this offering is to remind us that protection ultimately comes from him. Safety and security in our families and communities — even protection from one another — is the result of our LORD’s intervention and care.

LORD, thank you for the safety and security you know we need, and only you can provide.

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

community reconciliation

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (27)

Leviticus 3:6-11

Lev 3:6 “If his offering for a sacrifice for healthy relationships to Yahveh is an animal from the flock, male or female, he will offer it perfect.
Lev 3:7 If he offers a lamb for his offering, then he will offer it in Yahveh’s sight,
Lev 3:8 lay his hand on the head of his offering, and kill it in front of the conference tent; and Aaron’s sons will throw its blood against the sides of the altar.
Lev 3:9 Then from the sacrifice for healthy relationships he will offer as a fire offering to Yahveh its fat; he will remove the whole fat tail, cut off close to the backbone, and the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails
Lev 3:10 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he will remove with the kidneys.
Lev 3:11 And the priest will burn it on the altar as a fire offering to Yahveh.

community reconciliation

The fact that the worshipper must lay his hand on the head of the animal sacrificed for healthy relationships shows that we need reconciliation for more than our individual sins. Sin has affected all our relationships as well. Without the intervention of God, all our families and societies will fail miserably, because they are corrupted by sin.

But this offering reminds us that God is in the business of healing our relationships as well as our bodies. He is the glue that can hold us together — our marriages, families, churches, communities and nations.

LORD, show us how to stay together and grow into healthy families, communities, churches and nations. Heal our disintegrated lives.

Posted in cooperation, dependence upon God, family, teamwork | Tagged | 1 Comment