Thursday, February 16, 2012

February 16

Today's Reading

We begin reading the book of Leviticus today. Leviticus was primarily written to clarify God's law of worship and sacrifices. The priestly tribe in the Old Testament was Levi and the name is derived from their family name. Notice the number of different types of offerings and sacrifices. Each had special significance. Each, in its own way pictured the ministry of Jesus. His blood cleanses our sins. He is the bread of life. He is our peace.

Mark. "Good is the enemy of great!" So goes the popular slogan. Jesus shows us today how to choose the very best, even when it means leaving many good things behind. One of the costs of responsibility is that we are often left with choices that will end up disappointing someone. Can you imagine how many people were disappointed when Jesus left their town to go to another?

I love the story of the four friends. What persistence! I have some friends like that and I am ever grateful for them.

Psalms. David seems to have the same insecurities as the rest of us. When trouble comes, it can be easy to immediately believe we're being punished for doing wrong. Often it's just because we live in a broken world. Our spiritual enemies clap their hands with glee when we face troubles. We must cry out to God regularly and constantly.

How many of our movies justify the very behavior Proverbs warns us against in today's passage?

Are you behind? Pick right up with us along the trail! Please write your questions and comments!

3 comments:

  1. Why, do you think, God gave the Israelites so many precise details in his instructions? Why did it have to be so complicated?

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  2. If you are taking about the sacrifices, each of them reflects upon what would come in Jesus. He is the fulfillment of all those offerings and it took all of them to properly reflect all He would do for humans. If you are talking about all the rules, I think it's because they had lived controlled lives under taskmasters and now they were free. They were also confined to travel together through a desert. Condktions were ripe for graft, corruption and survival of the fittest (as well as the meanest).

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  3. It's interesting to think about how Jesus' death must have impacted Jewish Christians even more because this one sacrifice was able to replace such a complicated system of sacrifices...

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