Jon Price, Associate Pastor

After Israel constructed the tabernacle, God’s presence came down to dwell among His people. He then laid down a “few” laws for the people to survive and enjoy His glory among them.
God gave these laws for three specific reasons:

1. To separate His people from the World
2. To reveal God’s standard for righteousness 
3. To move people to redemption and the cross, because no one can meet God’s standard.

Leviticus is where these laws get specific relating to priestly duties, worship, healthy living, holy living, and finding forgiveness. The laws are tough, but they reflect a way of life that assures God’s blessing and represents His relationship with humanity.

Many people mention the dread of reading this book. Yet, imagine a world where God did not tell us what He expects nor separate a people to Himself. So, Leviticus is paramount to understanding God’s expectations for righteousness and the offering for forgiveness. In His love, God lets the world know in detail what He is thinking.

Even more, God reveals a divine plan in Leviticus that Hebrews correlates to the atonement of Jesus Christ. J. Vernon McGee sums up the theme well when he says, “The message is twofold: 1. Leviticus teaches that the way to God is by sacrifice. The word “atonement” occurs 45 times. 2. Leviticus teaches that the walk with God is by sanctification. The word “holiness” occurs 87 times. 

And finally, surrounding nations could see God’s power, longsuffering, wrath, and providence through Israel. Why? Because God set them apart to be His. So, Leviticus details the requirements for that life.

original photo by Kent Banes on Unsplash

When my children were very small, some friends gave us a week of their timeshare in Destin, Florida. It was a beautiful facility with an incredible staff. The friends who gifted this fabulous treasure always addressed me as Brother Jim. It didn’t take long to realize that there had been a meeting among the staff, and they had been informed that a minister was arriving for a week in this paradise. To the front desk, I was Pastor Sellers; to the beach attendant, I was Reverend Sellers, to the pool attendant I was Father Sellers, and to my room attendant, I was Bishop Sellers. Each addressing me from their own experience.

I Peter 2:9 makes the statement: “But you are a chosen generation (God chose us through His grace), a royal priesthood (God has adopted us into his royal family), and a holy nation.” We were chosen and adopted so that those around us can see the difference this holy relationship can make. Realize who you are through what God has done.

After ministering at a funeral, I went to the hospital, where one of the music family was recovering from surgery. I was dressed in monochrome: black shoes, a black suit, black shirt, and black tie. Arriving at the nurse’s station for directions, I was told that my friend was at the other end of the hospital. I started my journey when the door hundreds of feet away opened and a very large Spanish speaking family began their walk in my direction. Soon they were pointing at me and engaged in some conversation that seemed to involve me. When I was just a few yards away, the family all stopped, bowed toward me, and made the sign of the cross. As I passed I said, “I pray you have a blessed day!” The patriarch of the family said “Thank you, Padre!” and we went our ways. Little did they know they were just blessed by a Southern Baptist Priest.

Through what God has done, may you find a priest in your mirror.

If you’re a baseball fan, you would have loved growing up in my hometown. South Florida is spring training mecca for the majors and Bradenton is host to the Pittsburg Pirates. I remember going to McKechnie Field to watch them play a couple times. I would sit in the stands and watch these athletes that were larger than life. I had a friend that was a batboy for the team and I considered him one of the luckiest guys I knew. He got to go into the dugout and the clubhouse with the team. To have behind the rope access to guys that had won the world series, guys I had baseball cards of, blew my young adolescent mind. They didn’t give just anybody that kind of access, my friend was breathing rarified air. 

So it was with the tabernacle and the presence of God. God purposely placed Himself in the middle of His people, but they were not to take that as an invitation to familiarity. There were three areas to the tabernacle – the outer court, the holy place, and the holy of holies. Each area was more exclusive than the next. Only the priests could enter from the courtyard to the holy place, and only the high priest could enter into the holy of holies once a year. As we discussed yesterday, after the Israelites settled into Jerusalem and the rest of the promised land, they built a more permanent but similarly patterned temple, and it was just as exclusive. These places of worship were a constant reminder to the Israelites that their God was present but set apart.

During Jesus’ earthly ministry, the standing temple was Herod’s or the 2nd temple. In rabbinical tradition, the entrance to the Courtyard was referred to as “the way,” the entrance to the holy place was called “the truth,” and as you might have guessed, the entrance to the holy of holies was called “the life.” So when Jesus was speaking to his disciples, and referring to Himself as the way, truth and life, He was describing access to the Father that had previously been unheard of. This radical claim was further corroborated when at the end of Jesus’ suffering on the cross, the huge curtain separating the holy of holies from the holy place tore in two from the top down. God was saying in a not so subtle way that the death of His Son had removed every barrier that had separated us from Him. Through Christ full access is available to anyone who would believe and step through the door. 

While using the HEAR method (see below) consider the following questions:

• Where is the balance between being God’s friend and yet maintaining the proper reverence?
• How would living daily in conscious awareness of God’s holy presence change your present lifestyle and habits?*

Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you? 

Explain – what does the passage mean? 

Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today? 

Respond – how is God leading you to respond?