Saturday, November 28, 2020
Leviticus 19:2
Saturday, November 28, 2020 |
Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.
For further reading – Leviticus 16:1-34
As I mentioned in our last devotional, the book of Leviticus presents the “system of sacrifice” for the Jewish people in the first seven chapters, and it gives us a “standard for priests” who are to perform these sacrifices in chapters 8-11. The last part of the book, chapters 12-27 reveals a “system of worship” in a Tabernacle or a Temple.
The “technical interpretation” of Leviticus is for the Jewish people, those in Biblical times and those in the Kingdom to come. The sacrificial system, or at least a portion of it, will be reinstated in Messiah's Temple, located in Jerusalem, in His 1,000 year Kingdom, Ezekiel 45. These future sacrifices will be done in “memorial” as the Jews look back to what Jesus did for them as the “sacrificial Lamb”.
In addition to the technical interpretation of Leviticus for the Jewish people past and prophetic, future, there is also the “spiritual application” for all others reading the book of Leviticus today. There are several examples that I should mention.
The word "holiness" is used 87 times in Leviticus. If you want to understand the “holiness of God” you would study the book of Leviticus. The word “redemption” is used 45 times in the book and a student of the Word can better understand “redemption” after a closer study of this great book.
I will look at Leviticus 23 in our next devotional but before I conclude this time together I want to give you the over-all picture of the entire book. I’m not suggesting that you read all twenty-seven chapters for a devotional time, however, I do recommend that you spend time in the entire book sometime in the future.
The first seven chapters are the five sacrifices that the Lord introduced to Moses and his brother, Aaron, the “high priest”. This system for “sacrifices” is great insight to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus would make for each of us.
These sacrifices were to be performed by the “priest” and Leviticus 8-11 reveals to the reader the “standards for the priest”. These passages discuss the consecration of the priest and even their diet, chapter 11.
Leviticus 12-27 is the “system for worship” as it relates to the “place”, the “procedure” and the “priest”. In chapter 23 I’ll pause to discuss the seven Jewish “feast days” and their importance in the life of the Jewish people, yesterday and tomorrow.
Chapters 24 to 27 discuss the “land” that God has given the Jewish people, today only 10% of what He has promised to give them in the future, and the actual owner of this land. When we come to the “true owner” of the “land” it will amaze you with the Lord’s method of operation.
The book of Leviticus is key to understanding God’s plan for the relationship that He wants to have with the Jews, but also with you and me. This book is essential for any of your plans to study the entire Word of God.
The study of the chapters in Leviticus, 23 and 25, will reveal a prophetic prospective for the student and reader of this great book. Both the “Jewish feast days”, Leviticus 23 and the true ownership of the land, Leviticus 25 will reveal a prophetic scenario that will alert each of us to the nearness of the Lord’s shout for us to join Him in the heavens.
It could be today…………..Keep looking up.
PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank you Lord for the book of Leviticus and the time given to study this important book. Help me to understand the book and make it cause me to look to your shout with great expectation.