Feb.4 - Leviticus 15 - 17

To understand the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, you really need to understand the text you are reading today! Here are some Power Points from your reading today:

1) God demands that our bodies (His Tabernacle) be clean before Him! As you read God's commands on ceremonial cleansing in Leviticus 15 concerning bodily discharges, sexual intercourse, etc., He states why these things are so important to Him: (15:11) - "This is how you will guard the people of Israel from ceremonial uncleanness. Otherwise they would die, for their impurity would defile my Tabernacle that stands among them." God, above all else, is Holy! He demands holiness and purity from His people...just as He is pure and holy. That's why Paul said in Romans 12:1, "that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God..." and also in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, "What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own? Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are Gods."

2) Without the shedding of blood there is no remedy for sin! In Leviticus 16 and 17, we read about the the sprinkling of blood on the Ark of the Covenant, the scapegoat and the sacrificial goat, and how important the shedding of blood is in regard to the remission of the people's sins. All of this points to Christ and His death on the cross! Hebrews 9 and 10 are the two chapters that explain these chapters in Leviticus! The system God commanded Moses to set up in the desert of Mount Sinai was "only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves" (Heb.10:1). It was a foreshadowing of the coming Messiah who would shed His blood on a cross for the remission of the sins of the world! The sacrifices under the old, Mosaic system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide a perfect cleansing for those who came to worship God and offer sacrifices at the door of the Tabernacle. As Hebrews 10:4-7 says, "For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, 'You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin. Then I said, 'Look, I have come to do your will O God - as it is written about me in the Scriptures."

The book of Hebrews is an explanation of these chapters. Take some time to read them, it will give you a greater understanding of what is going on in Leviticus!

May the Lord cause His countenance to shine upon you!