Restrictions in Sacrifices

Tu. 5/28/13: Leviticus 2:11            What was never burnt?

‘No grain offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the Lord made by fire.

What was never burnt? Neither leaven nor honey was burnt.

We. 5/29/13: Leviticus 2:13            What was never to be lacking?

And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.

What was never to be lacking? Salt was never to be lacking.

Th. 5/30/13: Leviticus 3:17            What was never to be eaten?

‘This shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwellings: you shall eat neither fat nor blood.’”

What was never to be eaten? Neither fat nor blood was to be eaten.

Fr. 5/31/13: Isaiah 53:3 – 5            What were the limits a picture of?

He is despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

What were the limits a picture of? These limits are a picture of Jesus Christ. No sin, no pleasure, no ease, just a perfect sacrifice.

Blood

Mo. 5/20/13: Leviticus 17:3 – 4                    Is there guilt in killing animals?

“Whatever man of the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, and does not bring it to the door of the tabernacle of meeting to offer an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, the guilt of bloodshed shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people …

Is there guilt in killing animals? Yes, if the blood was shed was not offered to the Lord.

Tu. 5/21/13: Leviticus 17:5                  What purpose was there in this?

…to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they offer in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, to the priest, and offer them as peace offerings to the Lord.

What purpose was there in this? No more offerings in the fields.

We. 5/22/13: Leviticus 17:6 – 7                  Why was this important?

And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet aroma to the Lord. They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.”’

Why was this important? No more offerings to demons.

Th. 5/23/13: Leviticus 17:11                  What is blood?

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’

What is blood? Blood is the life of the flesh: it atones or covers sin.

Fr. 5/24/13: Colossians 1:19 – 20                  What is the reconciliation?

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

What is the reconciliation? Peace with God is only through the blood of Christ’s cross.

Priests begin serving

Mo. 5/13/13: Leviticus 9:1 – 4                  What was the reason for the sacrifices?

¹It came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.²And he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull as a sin offering and a ram as a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord.

³And to the children of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a kid of the goats as a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both of the first year, without blemish, as a burnt offering, ⁴also a bull and a ram as peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.’”

What was the reason for the sacrifices? God would appear there.

Tu. 5/14/13: Leviticus 9:23 – 24                  Did the people see God?

²³And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of meeting, and came out and blessed the people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people, ²⁴and fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

Did the people see God? God’s glory appeared: all worshipped!

We. 5/15/13: Leviticus 10:1 – 3                  Why did the priests die?

¹Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them. ²So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. ³And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying:

      ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy;

      And before all the people I must be glorified.’”

So Aaron held his peace.

Why did the priests die? They did things their way, not God’s way.

Th. 5/16/13: Leviticus 10:6 – 7                  Why did the relatives not mourn?

And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled.

You shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses.

Why did the relatives not mourn? They were priests before God.

Fr. 5/17/13: Proverbs 14:12 & John 14:6                  What is the way?

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 

What is the way? Not really: who is the way? Jesus Christ, and none else.

Acceptable Sacrifice

Mo. 5/6/13: Numbers 7:10                  What was the dedication offering?

Now the leaders offered the dedication offering for the altar when it was anointed; so the leaders offered their offering before the altar.

What was the dedication offering? This was the offering of each of the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel for the dedication of the altar of sacrifice in the tabernacle court.

Tu. 5/7/13: Numbers 7:13                  What was the grain offering?

His (Nahshon the son of Amminadab, from the tribe of Judah) offering was one silver platter, the weight of which was one hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl of seventy shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mixed with oil as a grain offering

What was the grain offering? The bloodless grain offering was fine flour mixed with oil.

We. 5/8/13: Numbers 7:14 – 16                  What was the incense and sin offering?

One gold pan of ten shekels, full of incense (offering)

One young bull, one ram, and one male lamb in its first year, as a burnt offering; one kid of the goats as a sin offering

What was the incense and sin offering? Specially formulated incense for a sweet smell and a blood offering were the incense and sin offering respectively.

Th. 5/9/13: Numbers 7:17                  What was the sacrifice of peace offering?

For the sacrifice of peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, and five male lambs in their first year. This was the offering of Nahshon the son of Amminadab.

What was the sacrifice of peace offering? This was a blood offering.

Fr. 5/10/13: Hebrews 10:11 – 14                  What was Jesus Christ’s offering?

And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.

But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

What was Jesus Christ’s offering? Unlike all offerings of the Old Testament, which were shadows of the good things to come, Christ offered Himself once for all sins.

Building the Church

Mo. 4/29/13: Eph. 4:11–12            What did Christ give the Church?

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ

What did Christ give the Church? Christ gave men to each church to build the body.

Tu. 4/30/13: Eph.4:16            What edifies the body?

Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

What edifies the body? Do your share: don’t worry if another does not.

We. 5/1/13: Eph.4:29            What should each member say?

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

What should each member say? Nothing corrupt, only words that build up. Do we speak in this way?

Th. 5/2/13: Eph.4:31            What should each member put away?

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

What should each member put away? Bitterness, anger, etc. should be put away.

Fr. 5/3/13: Eph.4:32            What should each member practice?

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

What should each member practice? Each is to be kind and forgiving towards the other.

Temples: Old and New

Mo. 4/22/13: 2 Chronicles 6:18            Can God live with men?

¹⁸“But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!

Can God live with men? Solomon recognized that God is greater than the atmosphere and the universe.

Tu. 4/23/13: 2 Chronicles 7:1-2            Why could none enter the temple?

¹When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. ²And the priests could not enter the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord’s house.

Why could none enter the temple? The glory of the Lord filled the entire temple, not just the holiest place.

We. 4/24/13: Ezra 6:15-16            Which temple was this?

¹⁵Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. ¹⁶Then the children of Israel, the priests and the Levites and the rest of the descendants of the captivity, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy.

Which temple was this? This was the second temple.

Th. 4/25/13: Ezekiel 10:18            What occurred because of idolatry?

¹⁸Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.

What occurred because of idolatry? The shekina glory departed the temple forever.

Fr. 4/26/13: 1 Corinthians 12:16-17            Does a third temple exist?

¹⁶Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Does a third temple exist? Yes, it does, in every believer.

Faith, Hope and Love

Mo. 4/15/13: 1 Cor. 11:13            What does ‘abide’ mean?

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

What does ‘abide’ mean? Abide means stay. The verse has always intrigued me: why is it worded so?

Tu. 4/16/13: 1 Cor. 11:11            What does ‘put away’ imply?

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

What does ‘put away’ imply? Putting away has finality to it. A point of no return; like Santa Claus, it’s gone.

We. 4/17/13: 1 Cor. 11:12            Is a mirror really dim?

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

Is a mirror really dim? When the words were written, flat, polished metal reflected an imperfect image.

Th. 4/18/13: 1 Cor. 11:10            When will perfection come?

But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

When will perfection come? Like adulthood, this is what will become of us in our incorruptible, heavenly bodies.

Fr. 4/19/13: 1 Cor. 11:8-9            Back again: what is ‘abide’?

Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

Back again: what is ‘abide’? Love will last eternally. Speech, prophecies and knowledge will evaporate!