community relationships

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (26)

Leviticus 3:1-5

Lev 3:1 “If his offering is a sacrifice for healthy relationships, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he will offer it perfect in Yahveh’s sight.
Lev 3:2 And he will lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the conference tent, and Aaron’s sons the priests will throw the blood against the sides of the altar.
Lev 3:3 And from the sacrifice for healthy relationships, as a fire offering to Yahveh, he will offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,
Lev 3:4 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 3:5 Then Aaron’s sons will burn it on the altar on top of the ascending offering which is on the wood on the fire; it is a fire offering with a soothing aroma to Yahveh.

community relationships

Many of the other offerings focus on the worshipper’s relationship with the LORD, but the sacrifice for healthy relationships is to maintain the glue that holds the community together. This is symbolised by the offering of the internal organs of the animal, along with the fat surrounding them. The LORD knows that we humans need more than just reconciliation to him to live healthy and happy lives. We need solid community relationships as well.

LORD, thank you for caring about our families and communities as well as us as individuals. Show us how to get along with each other.

Posted in consideration of others, reconciliation | Tagged | 1 Comment

gratitude up the line

Posted on June 25, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (25)

Leviticus 2:14-16

Lev 2:14 “If you offer a tribute offering of firstfruits to Yahveh, you will offer for the tribute offering of your firstfruits fresh ears, roasted by fire, crushed new grain.
Lev 2:15 And you will put oil over it and include frankincense with it; it is a tribute offering.
Lev 2:16 And the priest will burn as its reminiscence some of the crushed grain and some of the oil with all of its frankincense; it is a fire offering to Yahveh.

gratitude up the line

The firstfruits offering gave the worshipper a chance to express appreciation to those up the line. That is, while the offering was given to God, the priests ate most of it, as a way of thanking them for keeping the line of access open through their ministry at the tabernacle. The priests took some of that delicious fire-roasted grain, and burned it as a reminiscence. It was a way of remembering that all the harvest came from the LORD.

LORD, thank you for your provision in our lives, even those things that we worked hard for, because everything comes from you. Show us how to display our gratitude up the line.

Posted in thanksgiving, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

pure, protected and pleasing

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (24)

Leviticus 2:11-13

Lev 2:11 No tribute offering that you bring to Yahveh will be made with yeast, because you will burn no yeast nor any honey as a fire offering to Yahveh.
Lev 2:12 You may bring them to Yahveh as a firstfruits offering, but they cannot serve as a soothing aroma offering on the altar.
Lev 2:13 You will season all your tribute offerings with salt. You will not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your tribute offering; accompanying all your offerings you will offer salt.

pure, protected and pleasing

Getting the right ingredients in your tribute offering, and keeping the wrong ingredients out — was a way of showing consideration for those who would be eating it. Salt is a preservative, and it also made eating the food a more pleasant experience. Yeast would have contaminated the priests who ate it, making them unfit for service in the temple. The LORD built into the offering regulations a way of protecting those who assist in the worship experience. He cares about those who serve him.

LORD, thank you for caring about those who minister in your name

Posted in giving, holiness, ministry, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

tribute offerings and provision in ministry

Posted on June 23, 2016 by Jefferson Vann

June 2016 (23)

Leviticus 2:7-10

Lev 2:7 And if your offering is a tribute offering cooked in a pan, it will be made of fine flour with oil.
Lev 2:8 And you will bring the tribute offering that is made of these ingredients to Yahveh, and when it is presented to the priest, he will bring it to the altar.
Lev 2:9 And the priest will take from the tribute offering its reminiscence and burn this on the altar, a fire offering to Yahveh with a soothing aroma.
Lev 2:10 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.

tribute offerings and provision in ministry

A portion of the tribute offering was to be consumed by the fire, a sign of God’s acceptance of the gift. The rest was to be eaten by the priests, as part of God’s provision for their ministry. Every time I give my tithe, I should remember this. Nowadays, I give my tithe by a click of a button, and 10% is automatically deducted from my bank account, and goes to the church. But the principle is still the same. I give my gift as part of my worship of God, but part of that gift goes to provide for those who minister in my church. So, my gift is also a way of showing appreciation for them.

LORD, thank you for loving me so much that you provide for those who minister to me at church.

Posted in church, ministry, tithing | Tagged | 1 Comment

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.

Posted in prayer, presence of God | Tagged | 1 Comment

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.

Posted in Jesus Christ | Tagged | 1 Comment

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