Be Clean - Leviticus 13-15

Leviticus 15:19-24 (ESV)

“When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening. And everything on which she lies during her menstrual impurity shall be unclean. Everything also on which she sits shall be unclean. And whoever touches her bed shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. And whoever touches anything on which she sits shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening. Whether it is the bed or anything on which she sits, when he touches it he shall be unclean until the evening. And if any man lies with her and her menstrual impurity comes upon him, he shall be unclean seven days, and every bed on which he lies shall be unclean.

It is amazing that the above subject is addressed in the Bible, let alone in the book of Leviticus, since it is a book of instructions for the priest.  But cleanliness and impurity were all part of the priestly duty for the nation of Israel. Remember, there were no med-centers available in those days.  There were no official doctor offices. The priest was all that to over one million people leaving in tents and wandering in the wilderness.   The reason for the above rules and laws was to keep everyone clean.  Illness would travel fast in this setting and God’s goal was to keep the nation alive to be a witness for Him.   An interesting story about this law protected  Rachel from her uncle searching for his idols among her things.  He was dissuaded about being unclean due to her menstrual cycle.  

Genesis 31:34-35 (ESV)

Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them in the camel’s saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but did not find them. And she said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the way of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household gods.

God is concerned with all aspects of our lives.  He is concerned about our cleanliness and heath.  Nothing falls out of the domain of His love for us.  

Rejoice! - Philippians 3-4

Philippians 4:4 (ESV)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

The word rejoice is an important word to Paul as he writes to the Philippians believers.  Note:

Philippians 1:18 (ESV)

What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Yes, and I will rejoice,

Philippians 2:17 (ESV)

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.

Philippians 2:28 (ESV)

I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.

Philippians 3:1 (ESV)

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you is no trouble to me and is safe for you.

Philippians 4:10 (ESV)

I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.

The word is the Greek word chairō.  It is translated in the New Testament the following ways:

• Rejoice 42, 
• be glad 14, 
• joy 5, 
• hail 5, 
• greeting 3, 
• God speed 2, 
• all hail 1, 
• joyfully 1, 
• farewell 1;

Paul believes that those who have been saved by the power of God’s love and the substitutionary atonement of Christ’s blood, who are filled with the power of the Spirit, should rejoice, no matter the circumstances they face.   What makes this thought even more powerful is that Paul is writing this letter while in prison in Rome.   Paul is practicing his preaching.   Despite our struggling, God is calling us to rejoice in Him and in what He has done for us vs. what might be happening to us.   Rejoice!

Return Daily To Say Thanks - Luke 17-18

Luke 17:11-19 (ESV)

Jesus Cleanses Ten Lepers

On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Isn’t this the case with most of us.  God has abundantly paid for our sins by sacrificing His Son on the most wicked of death mechanisms.   He laid His Son on the cross for us to and poured the wrath due us onto His Son, instead of us.   We certainly, at times, say thanks to Him.  Mostly on Sunday mornings, during praise and worship at our local church.    But through the week we go on our way and fret and worry about our daily bread, earthly wants and precious cravings.   We should have a continuous song of praise on our lips for the goodness God has done for us.   Return to where you were forgiven and praise Him, daily!!

Psalms 34:1 (ESV)

I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

God Honors His Word, Even When We Don’t - Ezekiel 19-24

Ezekiel 20:12 (ESV)

Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

In this section of Ezekiel, the prophet is telling us why God is bringing another nation to carry Judah off into captivity.   The main reason is the nations continuous disobedience to God’s word.  One specific area was their failure to observe the Sabbath years.   The nation was commanded to allow the land to rest every seven years.  God had promised to give them enough in the sixth year to carry them through the seventh.   But they refused.   The above passage is a quote from this passage in Exodus:

Exodus 31:13 (ESV) “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.

Keeping the Sabbath was a command given to the priests.  It was their job to instruct the people:

Leviticus 19:3 (ESV) Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.

Leviticus 19:30 (ESV) You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.

Because they did not keep the Sabbath and give the land rest, God would remove them from the land for the number of Sabbath years they failed to honor His command:

Leviticus 26:34-35 (ESV) “Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths as long as it lies desolate, while you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest, and enjoy its Sabbaths. As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, the rest that it did not have on your Sabbaths when you were dwelling in it.

2 Chronicles 36:20-21 (ESV) He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

They failed to honor Him and trust Him for seventy years of Sabbath rest, so their captivity would be for seventy years.   God gave them to the Sabbath as a sign of His covenant blessing and to make the difference than the world.   When God’s people fail to keep God’s word, God will make sure God’s word is still honored in the end.  

Taking Correction - Proverbs 8-9

Proverbs 9:7-8 (ESV)

Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,

and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;

reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

When you work with, lead or are in a position where you have to have a relationship with a scoffer, you are in a hard spot.   Scoffing in our society is often defined as an act of jeering or mocking something.   And, even though the Old Testament uses a similar meaning Solomon carries an additional aspect of the scoffer's life in that he/she is often tied to the rejection of wisdom, sound advice, or correct counsel.   The scoffer DOES mock and jeer, but the reason they mock or jeer is because they reject the truth being spoken.   Scoffers are like fools in that they reject truth, but the scoffer is the outward, verbal or aggressor of this rejection.    The scoffer has passed the point of the fool and is certainly far more advanced than the naive one.   The scoffer not only can't handle the truth and doesn't like the truth, they want to attack and ridicule the truth, thinking that promotes them.  In the above two proverbs the scoffer is seen as a the one who attacks the one correcting him and actually brings dishonor on the person speaking the truth.  You WON'T win an argument with a scoffer.   He will hate you in the end.   In contrast, a wise man looks for and desires correction.    You can tell if you are talking to a wise man or scoffer by how they handle correction.   You will walk away with honor or dishonor depending on the person you are talking to, not the truth you are talking.   Odd, but true.

Every day we come across those who make fun of God or of Christ's resurrection or of belief in general. They "scoff" at God's sovereign rule as though they are in charge and have their own destiny in their hand. It is not humorous but we might see how funny it is when they are faced with death or pain or suffering or troubles. The same people who scoff at God's rule and believe they are "in charge" have no hope when things turn tough. The typically blame others ... still not taking personal responsibility for anything. Our temptation is to correct them; to bring them to the knowledge of the truth. But, Solomon, probably surrounded by his own lot of scoffers, warns us that if we try to correct one we will in turn become someone we don't want to be. Dishonor and insults are in line for those who try to correct a scoffer. Solomon gives very little hope to correct a scoffer. Don't expect them to change if you try ... rather it will come back upon you.

We Keep On Sinning - Psalms 78-80

Psalms 78:32 (ESV)

In spite of all this, they still sinned;

despite his wonders, they did not believe.

It is amazing how many times God can save us, rescue us, forgive us and shine down on us and we still continue to sin.   The nation of Israel is the prime example God uses to teach us this truth.  But it really does not have to be taught.  We see it in our own lives.   Despite our redemption we sill have this battle of sin within us. Paul said it this way:

Romans 7:17-20 (ESV)

So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

We can see all the blessings of God around us and we still sin.  We can know and believe the position God gave us and we sill sin.   It is only until we are fully redeemed in glory that this cycle will cease.  He does give us power to fight sin now, but the presence of it and the fight against is ongoing.  

Our Big Things Are Light Things For God - 2 Kings 1-5

2 Kings 3:18 (ESV)

This is a light thing in the sight of the LORD. He will also give the Moabites into your hand, 

The Big things God does for us is but a slight thing for Him.  When the kings of Israel and Judah needed water Elisha told them God will supply it and that would be a little thing for God.  And it was.  When God does great miracles for us they are but little things to Him.  We tend to think in our human terms because we try to understand God in human confinements.  But God has no confinement. He is God.  So, there is nothing to big for Him. Our prayer life would be filled with much more fruit if we would take to heart that the thing we are asking is not “too large” for Him. It is but a little thing