When we see the book of Chronicles in the Old Testament, our eyes may be tempted to gloss over this Old Testament text. Trying to read the first couple of chapters does not make it easier, as these are mostly family records that could seem as if they have no relevance today, but I would argue otherwise. Human societies and cultures have often wrestled with two equally important questions: Where have we come from and where are we going? When you are living in exile, in a foreign land not your own, these questions become even more vital to answer. Israel as a country and a people were only starting to rebuild their civilization when Chronicles was authored, and so these questions had to have answers, which also help us understand our place as God’s people today. Chronicles gives us these answers.  

1 Chronicles looks at the very beginning of humanity, Adam, and “chronicles” or tells the story of Israel all the way up until King David’s death, but this is not the focus. Rather this is happening in the background as the book transitions from 1 to 2 Chronicles (they were once one book). As 2 Chronicles begins, jubilation is the attitude of the day, for David’s son Solomon is crowned king, and Solomon represents the ideal: he is God’s choice ruling over God’s people in peace. Yet, this event is coupled alongside the other high point of the book: the dedication and building of the Temple. At its completion, God’s very presence is dwelling in the Temple, and the entire picture is beautiful! The entire purpose for God’s creation of a people to call His own has hit its crescendo! God is dwelling with His chosen people, ruled by His chosen king, and purposed for being a light for all nations to see what it means to be ruled by the Lord on earth as it is in heaven, the kingdom of God (sound familiar?). It all starts at the center with God and builds outward. God is to be worshipped. The king and the levites serve as ministers to the people, providing both spiritual and material needs, who in turn, act as ministers and “priests” bringing God to the world and the world to God. This is a beautiful picture of what the Kingdom of God looked like at one point, and points the way to what it will look like in the future.

While this is the peak of Israel’s glory days, it doesn’t last forever. The nation is soon torn asunder by pride, anger, and overall turning away from Him. The rest of 2 Chronicles tells the story of different kings, some of whom came very close to this ideal, and others who strayed far from it. Eventually, the now-two different kingdoms of Israel and Judah each were invaded, the temple destroyed, the kings overthrown, and the people sent into exile, but just like the book of Kings, Chronicles ends on a note of hope. Cyrus, king of Persia allows the Jews (from the kingdom of Judah) to return to the Promised Land! Despite wickedness, despite exile, despite seeming as though all hope is lost, God’s promises are always faithful as He carefully orchestrates this return of His people so that a new Davidic King can come from them who will be the King of Kings, our Lord Jesus. God’s purpose to redeem humanity continues. For us as Christians, it is important to know this history of Israel as it relates to us in our faith. For God dwelt in another temple, not made of brick and mortar, but flesh and blood, and like Solomon, He is a King. Solomon was called “son of God” but this was a metaphor, yet for this King, it is a very literal term. 

Chronicles also answers one more vital question: who are really God’s people? Is it ethnic Jews only? Those who are circumcised? Or is the tent a bit wider? Turns out, God’s people are any and all who call upon His name for redemption, which is a pretty wide net. His mission is to the entire world, and now We are His ministers, serving in His kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven” until one day when the two finally meet. 

Your Brother,

Craig.

As we continue our journey through Scripture, we now arrive at the book of 1 Kings, which along with 2 Kings originally comprised of one book. Although this seems like ancient history, the significance lessons about God and His people have something to teach us today, especially when we read it as part of “theological storytelling”. 

Being God’s chosen people, Israel had a special purpose, and to appreciate just how important it was, we must go back to the beginning. God created humanity simply out of His desire to share that relational love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with them. In other words, God is Trinity, and by creating humanity, invites us to experience that relationship of complete love and trust. Sadly, humanity walked away from that love and so were “exiled” out of the Lord’s presence. From Genesis 3-11, we see the results of that downward spiral, and from Gen 12 all the way through the end of the Bible, we read of God’s plan of rescue to right the wrongs and bring humanity out of exile and back to Him. He would use a people, Israel, redeem them from an “exile” in Egypt and bring them to the Promised Land. They would be His special nation, a chosen people to show the world what it meant to belong to God. 

The beginning of 1 Kings starts with such hope and enthusiasm. Israel was no longer fighting, David’s son King Solomon the wise was on the throne ruling, and best of all, the Temple was complete and God’s presence was dwelling within it. This was “the best of times” in Israel’s history. Sadly, they would not last long. Solomon turned away from God, his son was even worse, Israel eventually split into two different countries, and both, despite God sending warning after warning and prophet after prophet, went into exile away from the Promised Land. As the king goes, so goes the nation

Admittedly 1 and 2 Kings can be a hard book to read, and there seems to be no hope in sight, yet at the very end of 2 Kings there emerges a glimpse of good news. Exile and death never have the last word in God’s eyes, not for Israel and not for the world. 2 Kings concludes with the Judean King Jehoiachin being released from prison. Plus, even in exile in Babylon (modern-day Iraq) there would be a faithful Jewish remnant who would return to the Promised Land someday. Judgment has come, but God’s grace and mercy is still there, and it would soon come to a crescendo. 

Not only has God’s grace undone the exile of His people Israel in Babylon by returning them to the Promised Land later on in Scripture, but this story also points us to the larger story of our exile as humanity. We too have gone astray and so Israel’s story is a reflection of our story. Sin is the ultimate con. We think it promises something for nothing, but it delivers nothing for something (our very lives).

Within God’s people there would come the One who Himself would suffer an exile by leaving the unhindered presence of God the Father. God the Son would leave the comfort of heaven, take on flesh and dwell among us. He would be a king, but not one who ruled in luxury. Rather, his kingship would involve servanthood, He would always be faithful to God, and He would be the one to take us from our state of exile in sin and into the kingdom and presence of God, because He is the presence of God. He is able to redeem us from exile because He experienced exile and, now through the cross and resurrection, has destroyed any barrier of exile. God has cleared the way for us to return to Him as His chosen people, His holy nation, set apart and made holy by the blood of His Son Jesus. As you read 1 and 2 Kings, contemplate the patience of God through the prophets as they warn Israel with the beckoning love of a father to his wayward children, and although all hope may seem lost, with God there is always life because in Jesus Christ, He has made the way clear for us to be brought out of exile and death and into eternal life in Him, where we belong. 

Your Brother,

Craig

We turn from 1 Samuel to 2 Samuel and pick up the narrative as we continue our look through the Scriptures. 1 Samuel left us on a bit of a down note: Saul and Jonathan are gone, and the transition to a new king will not come easily. After the craziness in the book of Judges, the hope portrayed to us in Ruth, and the beginnings of this shepherd that would one day be king that is introduced to us in 1 Samuel, we cannot help but long and hope that soon this shepherd will be on the throne as Israel’s rightful king and that the land would at last have peace. The same hope and longing floods our souls as Christians. Our world and our hearts have hurt, there has been spoken of a King of Kings long ago, and He is the Shepherd of our souls. Jesus is that rightful King who is reigning now and will continue until all things are accomplished and the earth will at last have peace. 

2 Samuel continues the tale and opens up with David being anointed king over one of the twelve tribes, his home tribe Judah, but the questions hangs in the air if the rest of Israel will accept his kingship. This is made more complicated in the fact the rest of Israel has one of Saul’s sons who is competing for the throne. Eventually, Israel is united under King David and the situation for God’s people finally start looking up. Jerusalem is chosen as the legitimate location for worship and the ark is brought there. 

Sadly, as so often happens when someone gains power, David has his struggles and his moral failings too. 2 Samuel does not shy away from this and at his lowest, even the great King David is shown to be a sinner and a human being just like everyone else. Yet, even in this we see valuable lessons that we can glean from the text as well as signs pointing us to our great King Jesus

As great as David was, he cannot replace God as the ultimate King-Often we too are tempted to place our trust in what is right in front of us rather than in what is secure and true: we must never forget who our rightful King is.

The Ark parallels Jesus-The Ark of the Covenant was a chest containing the Ten Commandments, and it was believed the presence of God dwelt between the two angels that sat atop its lid. The ark was brought to Jerusalem for the people to worship and they rejoiced. Yet, the presence of God would also visit Jerusalem much later on in history, but sadly this time, He would be met with jubilation only temporarily. Once He did what the presence of God always does: purifies what it touches (in this case the Temple when He threw out the money-changers), He was rejected and crucified outside Jerusalem’s walls.  

David’s life parallels Jesus-David struggled in taking his rightful place as king, yet he trusted God and was eventually crowned. Jesus was the true King of Kings his whole life, yet struggled not because of His own shortcomings, but because He chose to identify with us in our struggles. Yet, He too trusted His Father, and as such was given the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Hallelujah

Your Brother,

Craig 

As we continue our journey through the Scriptures, now we turn to the 1 Samuel. The books of 1-2 Samuel were originally one book, and there are three main themes that permeate it:

1) Who is really in charge in Israel?

2) where will they build a place for worship?

3) And God exalts the weak and humbles the proud.

These texts may seem like they took place in a completely different world, but we can still appreciate the concern of traditionalism vs. relevance that every worshipping community must ask. For Israel they seemed to be at cross purposes. The Judges would rescue them, but it was never long-term and soon their sin would once again lead them into oppression, but to have a human king would run the risk of Israel becoming “a nation just like every other nation” rather than uniquely God’s. Under the Judges, Israel was not acting unified and they were even fighting against each other (they were extended family!) Yet, Samuel warns them that having a human king will not solve all of their problems. There is a third option, and it is the one that is both traditional and relevant: God is to be their King! This speaks to us even today as we wrestle with the same question, whether the direction of our church or our country’s elections: No matter what happens, we must remember God is our King!

The other main question that Israel wrestled with is where would they build a place for worship? Again, we can appreciate the challenge. When you have wondered a desert with a portable church for 40 years and then arrive in the land only to have the location changed (and your ark of the covenant stolen for awhile!), you start wondering what to do next. Would the twelve tribes of Israel all agree on one location? If so where? And who would do the choosing? The people? The King? Yet once again, the answer is plain to see as one reads the text: God will make the location known, just as He promised in Deut. 16:5-6.

Eventually God gave His answer to both of these questions, and in doing so, continues to show grace and mercy to His people: Even though they have rejected Him in favor of a human king, He would still provide a righteous king that He would chose: David. Unfortunately, this would only happen after they would experience the struggle and hurt of having a human king who was ungodly: Saul. Secondly, He would choose a city for His own and there His glory would dwell: Jerusalem.

This second question also speaks to us today but in a different way. We too must ask where will we worship God? Yet, the question is not the same. God makes His dwelling in the hearts of those who receive Jesus Christ by trusting Him. We do not need a temple or a building, because each believer is a temple of God! We do not need a church building because we are the church, the body of Christ. The question we must ask ourselves is are we welcoming God in our lives daily by living for Him? God does not regard brick and mortar as highly as He regards the human heart.

This leads us to the third theme of 1 Samuel: God exalts the weak and humbles the proud. We open up with Hannah, a childless woman, who cries out to God and is blessed with Samuel. We continue to see Samuel, who humbles himself and is used by God. We turn to Saul, who may have started out “in the least of the least” yet becomes Israel’s first king, but who later becomes prideful and is brought down from honor. Finally, David who begins as merely the youngest of his brothers and a shepherd boy but who would one day be the greatest king Israel would know.

This also teaches us something about Jesus. Although He is God, He humbled and lowered Himself so completely that it brought Him to death on a cross, yet now He has been exalted to the highest so that every knee will bow and every tongue confess one day that He is LORD! This shows us that though we may suffer for being humble in this life, God is already at work in us and through us so that He will do great through us!
Your Brother,
Craig

Last blog post, I touched on the story of God’s people found in the book of Judges, which contains a tragic but grace-filled pattern of Israel wandering away from God, falling into sinful & destructive behavior, being oppressed by other kingdoms, turning to God for forgiveness and deliverance, and God showing His love by sending a deliverer (“judge”) before the pattern would start over again. The next book, Ruth is an interesting episode of hope, positivity, and redemption in the midst of the Judges story as the two books take place at the same time. 

What is remarkable about the book of Ruth is that it features the most unlikely duo of characters: a poor Jewish widow Naomi, and her Gentile, also-widowed daughter-in-law Ruth. With all of the men and caretakers in their lives gone and against all odds, the women are left with a choice: Will Naomi despair and lose all hope? Will Ruth return to her home country and maybe a more comfortable life? Or will both cling to God and each other and move forward. The rest of the book shows us the answer, displaying God’s promises to those who trust in Him. Even the downtrodden, the “least of these” whom the world has abandoned; they hold a special place in God’s heart. The book of Ruth can teach us a few insights. Although I will only go over them briefly, my prayer is that you would read this book for yourself. It is only four chapters long but contains a story rich in courage, loyalty, and God’s faithfulness. 

Loyalty-One of the verses many know from the book of Ruth is 1:16. After both of their husbands have died, Naomi offers her daughter-in-law Ruth a chance to return home since her future will be bleak if she stays with Naomi. Ruth understands the path ahead of both of them will be tough, yet somehow God has made himself known to this woman who was not even born an Israelite. This “outsider” has such confidence that she declares to Naomi, “Your people are my people. Your God is my God!” Ruth displays her loyalty to Naomi, and by extension, God’s people and further to God Himself. The chips may be down, but Naomi and Ruth cling to the only Rock of salvation. Yet, this also shows us something about God’s loyalty to us. Even when we are faithless, He is faithful, promising to be loyal to us because of His great love. 

Redemption-Boaz became Ruth’s “kinsman redeemer”. Whereas Ruth was not born Jewish and was therefore looked at as an “outsider”, her love and faithfulness touched Boaz who upheld his duty to preserve the family line and so married Ruth. God’s grace was behind all of this the entire time. Similarly, that grace shone brightest when Jesus Christ, our “kinsman redeemer” saw us when we were “outsiders” not because of any ethnicity, but because of sin. Jesus, through His death on the cross, took us the church as His bride and married us, redeeming us to new life. In Naomi, we find her in the beginning of the book aching for God’s redemption and by the end, she is singing because the ache has been met by His grace, and the baby Ruth has is evidence.

The Least of These-Naomi and Ruth had many factors working against them. They were both widows, both women, Naomi was elderly, and Ruth began the book without any children. If we were trying to write a good heroic story, this probably would not be where we would want to start. Yet, even here, we can see God’s protection over those the world neglects. From this protection, God would bless Ruth with a son, who was the ancestor of King David, and was an ancient ancestor of Jesus Christ Himself! Ruth is in Jesus’ family tree! God does not regard a person’s age, gender, or family status. The only question that matters is are we going to respond to His offer of grace. He can use anybody to accomplish His purposes, and it is not those who are born into a certain people, a certain time, or a certain place who make up His people. All throughout the Old and New Testaments, it is “any who call on the name of the Lord will be saved”. The only question that matters is, “Do you and I have a relationship with this God based on His mercy and grace.”

May the God of Naomi, Ruth, and all who call on His name bless you and keep you in perfect peace.

Your Brother, 

Craig

Judges. That is the next text in our continuing look of going through each book of the Bible through our newsletter series. The book of Judges covers a time between the death of Joshua to the emergence of the prophet Samuel and King Saul and later, David. Although the book calls them “Judges”, these leaders not only solved legal disputes, but more often than not, led different tribes of Israel as the struggled in the Promised Land.

Interestingly enough there are some parallels between this book and the celebration of Easter that we can see, most of all in the overarching pattern of the book of Judges because it is similar to our journey of faith: God rescues us from sin, sets us to right, then we wander away being drawn and enticed by temptation, we then reach a point of being ensnared, then we cry out to the Lord in repentance, and he mercifully rescues us because He is faithful. It reminds me of a question that I still am challenged with today: Is your faith in your circumstances or is it in God who is more powerful?
Although starting on a positive note and displaying the actions of faithful men and women of God as they led His people, the deeper into Judges you read, often this a book about what not to do. Many of the Judges had human failings just like us. They were arrogant, prideful, angry, and so much more. Yet, even in this, God is showing us something beautiful: He uses us, even in our shortcomings, to accomplish His purposes. Although the book of Judges does not shy away from the times that they were not “at their finest hour”, both Judges and the book of Hebrews lists many of them as heroes of faith in chapter 11. The lesson is simple: Often we only see where we fall short, and sometimes that realization can discourage us from ever thinking God could use us to accomplish His purposes. Yet, where we only see our flaws, He sees so much deeper: to our potential that He gave to us because He made us. With that in mind, He gives a simple message: Follow me and I will sharpen and draw forth that potential so that you will do works the likes of which you could not even imagine before!

There is one final parallel that I can see with this Easter season that emerges from the book of Judges: God is the only true King of Kings. So many times throughout Judges, the people put their trust in their human leader as a type of a king, but it is God who is always the hero of the narrative. Ironically enough, the true King of Kings never led a military campaign, never drove the enemy out of Israel, and never celebrated an earthly victory. Yet, this King fought a spiritual war that was waged with weapons of love, peace, grace, truth, faith, and hope, drove out the bigger enemy of sin from the hearts of men, and is now celebrated constantly throughout heaven and earth for what His heavenly (and one day, completed earthly) victory. The lesson in the book of Judges is really the lesson of the whole Bible: God is the one King who will never fail because He is faithful, and our ultimate proof is that this King entered His kingdom by becoming like one of us, the servants who had wronged Him, and He puts to right all things, changing corruption to incorruption, and death to life.
Hallelujah and Happy Easter!!! He Is Risen INDEED!!

Your Brother,

Craig

The sixth book of Scripture seems to bring to a conclusion what the first book started. In Genesis we see the beginning of God’s chosen people through the Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and God’s promise to them and their descendants of a land “flowing with milk and honey”. We follow the story in the books of Exodus through Deuteronomy where God frees this chosen people from slavery in Egypt, gives them the Law, leads them through the wilderness, reminds them of His goodness and their responsibility, and brings them to the boundary of this Promised Land. Moses has died and Joshua is now leading the nation. The book of Joshua hits the high note by God fulfilling His promise to give it to Israel and them seeing that fulfillment. 

Yet, the book of Joshua is “holy history” meaning that the story is meant to teach us more about God and His ways as well as our walk with Him. God has shown his faithfulness in the past to Israel and continues to do so in the book of Joshua. He wins them decisive battles against forces much stronger, and under His leadership through Joshua, Israel is a united front. They move as one people under one God and have success in their mission to settle in the land. However, the second half of the book presents each of the twelve tribes going on their own, and because some tribes wandered away from obeying God, many of the inhabitants of Canaan who were wicked were not driven out of the land. Perhaps this was God’s plan all along. Even in Israel’s failure, God is still working and this meant that the Canaanites, the people who were to be driven out because of their wickedness, are being shown mercy by God and being invited to know Him by living with His people Israel. Because God is the only God of all people, there are different “non-Israelites” in Joshua who come to know Him: Rahab and the Gibeonites. The choice for everyone is stark but simple: life or death. The message of Deuteronomy (as we have seen) and all of Scripture is that God loves humanity (that means you!) and is inviting them to choose Him and find life. 

Like Israel, God has shown us His goodness and faithfulness despite our “wanderings”. It is because God has been faithful in the past that He asks us to trust and obey Him in the present and future. He asks us to trust Him because He is trustworthy. God does not simply drop obscure and confusing teachings from the sky and says, “obey me now!” He acts and shows us who He is. He asks us to put our faith in Him, but He also gives us the Bible which is a record of His actions and proof that He is good. God has already acted, made the first move, then looks back at us and invites us to take His hand and follow. Like Israel, our responsibility is not simply to say we believe with our words, but also prove we trust Him by our actions. When we act in faithful response to God’s offer of grace, we show the world our faith is true and genuine, which brings honor and glory to Him. Like Israel, we in the church are called to be a united, holy community that faithfully obeys God wherever He leads us, even if it is to face some uncertain trials and enter “lands” we have never traversed. And like Israel, God desires to use us to invite all people to know Him and experience His love and grace. Brothers and sisters, do not fear, for even if God leads us into unfamiliar territory, rest assured He has already done the work and paved the way. All He asks us to do in return is be faithful and trust Him day-by-day and step-by-step. 

Your Brother in the Lord,

Craig

Continuing our journey through the Scriptures throughout these articles, we now turn to one of my personal favorites: Deuteronomy. This fifth book of the Bible means “second law”, and it contains much of the same content as Exodus through Numbers as it retells the story of God saving Israel and then the giving of His law to the people. Deuteronomy was considered to be so important that some scholars believe a copy of it was to be personally kept and read by each King of Israel to help them rule.

Deuteronomy’s themes have their foundation on the most important verse of the book and this verse is still recited by many Jews daily, “Hear, Oh Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one” and the following verse, “Love the LORD your God with all heart and with all your soul and with all your strength”. This most important verse was cited by our Lord Jesus Christ as one of the two most important commandments.

Throughout Deuteronomy, we see that God alone is to be worshipped, and although we may take this fact for granted, the book also answers that all important question, why. Idols are just as prevalent today as they were back then, and these idols surround pride, power, and pleasure. These “idols” that compete for our attention seem more real that God because we can see them and touch them in our hands, so that is why Deuteronomy (and this applies to the Bible as a whole) is a story about how God has done for Israel (and for us) something that no idol ever could: Love us enough to save us and set us free from sin. Deuteronomy is a reminder to the people that they are to love God because God first loved them. All throughout the text, we see God’s grace and mercy making the first move to bring His people out of slavery. He gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law so that they would live out that new, free identity, and so that they would always remember they belong to Him not any human being. God’s grace and mercy also makes the first move on our behalf. God saw we the human race in slavery to sin and therefore He himself took on flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ, and when He died on the cross, He gave us our freedom. The whole Bible and especially the New Testament is our law so that we too would live out that new, free identity and so that we would always remember we belong to Him and not those former idols that enslaved us.

Deuteronomy also contains ten sections that takes each of the ten commandments and expounds on them, giving depth to each one of their teachings. We may know the ten commandments by heart, but these sections add breadth to each of them. This was written so that when Israel crossed into the promised land under Joshua (more on that in the next newsletter!) and become wealthy and prosperous, they would not forget about God. These teachings were to be how they lived in holy community with one another. Although I am thankful to God to live in a country so prosperous, we must never forget Who is ultimately responsible for making us that way. We in the church are also a holy community called to live lives that reflect God in all we do.

I leave you with the same last words Moses spoke as Deuteronomy came to a close and he offered the people of Israel a choice whether they would choose God and life or sin and death: “Choose life that you might live!”
Your Brother,

Craig

As I pen these words, I pray that all who read this had a blessed Christmas and joyful New Year’s celebration. The beginning of a new year brings with it hope and optimism and with Jesus Christ, we as believers have both in abundance. As we continue through our journey to hit every book in the Bible in this newsletter series, we come upon the book of Numbers. Although Numbers is a book with which many of us may not be familiar, it is important as both “holy history” and (as I heard it once put) “theology in the trenches”. In other words, similar to how viewing a painting or piece of art may teach us something about ourslves while we enjoy its beauty, Numbers tells a story that is meant to show us something about ourselves in the process. It shows us what it means to take our belief and live it out in our daily lives. 

My personal study Bible writes, “When Numbers opens, the Israelites are camped in the wilderness of Sinai, where they have been since Moses led them out of Egypt. Exodus revealed how God brought them to Sinai to instruct them on becoming a treasured possession, a priestly kingdom, and a holy nation. These instructions continue through Leviticus and into Numbers, which also narrates the journey after they break camp. Numbers demonstrates that, within the framework of God’s plans for further provision, guidance, and blessing, Israel must choose to proceed faithfully or retreat fearfully”. Unfortunately, when the people arrived at the Promised Land the first time, they chose fear over faith. Out of the twelve spies sent to investigate the land, only Joshua and Caleb encouraged the people to trust God rather than cower in the face of their enemies. Joshua and Caleb tried to remind the people of God’s power and faithfulness and how He promised to take care of them. Sadly, the people refused to listen and a wilderness journey that should only have taken a matter of days or weeks stretched out to forty years! However, Numbers ends on a good note as the new generation of Israelites finally make it to the border and are ready to cross and finally experience the freedom and new life God has been promising them since He made a covenant with their ancestor, Abraham. 

Like the Israelites, our lives are a journey, and often it can be a journey through what seems like barren wilderness. Yet, like the Israelites, God provides us with everything we need. He leads us through life, and all the while, asking us to trust Him and to display that trust by following Him daily. Every day, we too must make the choice of whether to move forward in faith and boldness or retreat backward in fear and mistrust. Forty years may seem like a long time, but it is only a series of days. All throughout Exodus and Numbers, there is rich symbolism pointing to Christ. Just as the people were instructed to use a passover lamb and spread the blood on their doorposts, Jesus Christ is the true Passover Lamb whose blood covers our sins, and He died so we would not. Just as Moses struck the rock and water came forth, so too Jesus the Rock of our salvation was struck for humanity’s sin and He is our Living water that gives us new life. Just as every journey begins with the first step, trust God for every step and move forward with boldness, humility, and persistence. One day, God will lead you and I into that promised land, His kingdom.

Craig’s Corner-September 22, 2018

Continuing our newsletter series through the Scriptures, we now come to the book of Leviticus. I know at first glance it seems that this book holds confusion for the Christian. Why do we read of all these sacrifices? These different foods? These odd and obscure laws? Well, it all boils down to one word that is just as important today as it was back in Israel’s day: holiness.

Holiness means that God has set apart someone or something to be used for his purposes. When He freed Israel from slavery in Egypt, it was for the purpose of showing them His love and they in turn was to show that love to all of the world by living in ways that mirrored God’s. As part of His grace, God not only granted Israel freedom but also gave them His laws. The purpose was so that they could learn these laws so completely that their behavior would display the power of God and would therefore attract peoples and nations to learn about Him and follow Him too!

Generally, I would categorize Leviticus into three sections: Sacrificial system, Moral Laws, and Celebration of Justice. Each of these can teach us about holiness. Yet, before we go further let me make one important point: Leviticus is not simply about ceremonial holiness, or “getting the ritual right”, rather it is about moral holiness and godly conduct.

Sacrificial System-God prescribes different animals to be sacrificed for different sins the people commit. While this may appear strange and bizarre to us, it is meant to show us some truths about God. First, God takes sin seriously. In an age where we are tempted to downplay our wrongs and the wrongs of others, God is perfectly just and holy, judging sin so seriously that something has to be punished. However and secondly, we also see God’s love. For rather than making every Israelite die for the sins they commit, God provides them a system where an animal is given so that they are spared. Sin still costs something, but God in His mercy provides them the animals needed so they may be spared and forgiven. This points us to the ultimate sacrifice God Himself provided (and in fact became): Jesus Christ, the sacrificial lamb of God that takes away all of our sins.

Moral Laws-God is the creator, and back in Genesis, He not only made the heavens and the earth but ordered them out of chaos. God sets out His order of holiness in Leviticus with the purpose of showing the world that there is another way of living. That our culture does not have “the final say” about what is good and evil and how we should be living our lives. These laws give us a glimpse into the heart and mind of the Lawgiver, showing us what are priorities in God’s sight. It also shows that the Bible is not simply a “rulebook” for how we ought to behave in church, but that God is concerned with every aspect of life. His desire is that each and every part of our lives would wholly reflect Him, so that we would be His holy people, attracting others by His grace and to His grace.

Celebration of Justice-Finally, Leviticus does not only deal with people as individuals, but also as a collective holy nation. It explains the festivals that the Israelites were to celebrate as a community to remember and enjoy the blessings they have received from God. They were to have joy in doing this! Additionally, Leviticus prescribes how economic fairness was to be achieved and preserved. Every so often, debts were to be cancelled, land was to be returned, and slaves were to go free. This was to teach the Israelites (and by extension us as Christians) that all good gifts come from God and we must use them responsibly, and that means using them for our neighbor’s good so that we can indeed, “Love our neighbor as ourselves” (Matt. 22:36-39, but Jesus quoted this from Lev. 19:18).

All ceremonies and offerings of Leviticus and the entire Old Testament are shadows and pictures of Jesus. He is in Leviticus but in symbol and signs so look carefully to see His image.

One final word must be said about holiness. Many believers think that to be holy, one must “shut oneself off completely from the world” and so holy people are often pictured as stuffy and uptight like somone dipped in vinegar and pickled. Yet Christ calls His followers to the opposite: we can and must live our lives of faith in the world, because Christ is our source of holiness and He dwells in our hearts wherever we go. I heard it once put like this, “Holiness simply says, ‘do what you see God doing.” Holiness means “wholeness”.

 

Your Brother,

 

Craig