Pastor Billington's Blog

Leviticus 27

Leviticus 27 is not really a way to get out of your vow to the Lord. It’s a reminder to not make hasty vows that you can’t or have no intention of honoring. There is cost and sometimes a penalty that must be paid.

Much has been made about tithing, but there is something here that isn’t often talked about. The temple dealt in commodities that could be used immediately. If you brought money instead of grain, that was inconvenient, because it would have to be turned into a commodity. So a “tithe” of money instead of grain became 12%!

Thought for the day: Jesus warns us about the misuse of vows and the importance of truthfulness:

Matthew 5:33-37 (WEB) ” ‘Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, “You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,” but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can’t make one hair white or black. But let your “Yes’” be “Yes” and your “No” be “No.” Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.’ “

Leviticus 26

Here we see a further explanation of the purpose of discipline: it’s corrective (Leviticus 26:40-42). God will continue to bring calamity on His people until they understand that they need to return to Him. God uses discipline in our lives the same way (Hebrews 12:5-9), but His words to Israel remind us that, once we know Him, we are His forever. We should never forget that.

Leviticus 26:44-45 (WEB) “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly and to break my covenant with them; for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sake remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the LORD.”

Hebrews 13:5 (NLT) “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ’I will never leave you nor forsake you.”’

Thought for the day: Obedience should be a natural result of our walk with God.

1 John 2:3-4 (WEB) “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments. One who says, ‘I know him,’ and doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him.”

Leviticus 25

We know agriculturally how important it is for the land to rest. Today the same principle is done through crop rotation. It’s amazing how much of the law was practical! And if it’s practical regarding things like discharges, mold, crops and the like, we can assume that the moral laws are practical as well.

The year of Jubilee brought redemption for both property and people. It emphasized the fact that the land was God’s (Leviticus 25:23) and also points forward to the freedom we have through Jesus Christ. We’ve been forgiven of our debts and set free from slavery to sin, all because Jesus is our Jubilee!

Thought for the day: Jesus even pointed to His ministry as the fulfillment of the year of Jubilee!

Luke 4:16-21 (WEB) “He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. He entered, as was his custom, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. The book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He opened the book, and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began to tell them, ‘Today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ “

Leviticus 24

We can easily see Jesus as the “light of the world” and the “bread of life,” represented by the lamps and the bread in the temple. We also see here an instance of blasphemy and the corresponding punishment. Why include it here? It serves as instruction for how to handle such situations in the future. There is an emphasis on appropriate punishment, as well as the importance of treating everyone the same: “You shall have one kind of law for the foreigner as well as the native-born; for I am Yahweh your God.”

Thought for the day: Blasphemy is being irreverent towards God, His name, His attributes, or His works. It’s still wrong today, but the penalty isn’t the same! It seems that intentionally avoiding and excluding from fellowship is the preferred method of dealing with those who badmouth the God they say they serve.

1 Timothy 1:19-20 (WEB) “which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they might be taught not to blaspheme.”

Leviticus 23

The various feasts and festivals can also be seen as foreshadowing the ministry of Jesus Christ. Passover looks to the crucifixion and Jesus as our Passover lamb. The Festival of Unleavened Bread signifies Jesus’ sinless life and points to His burial. Firstfruits looks to the resurrection since Jesus is the “first fruits of those who are asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). And Pentecost foreshadows the giving of the Holy Spirit. These are the spring and early summer feasts. Some believe that the fall feasts (Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Booths) refer to yet future events, but they don’t have to. Hebrews 9:12 points to Jesus as the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, and the Festival of Booths could easily speak to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The point being that, even in giving these festivals to Israel, God was showing us what He was going to do to secure our salvation!

Thought for the day: While some would like to continue to observe the feasts and festivals with a Christological emphasis, Paul reminds us that it isn’t necessary. They are the foreshadowing. We have the reality!

Romans 14:5-6 (WEB) “One man esteems one day as more important. Another esteems every day alike. Let each man be fully assured in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.”

Leviticus 22

We have instructions regarding who can eat the offering (only those who are ceremonially clean and members of the priest’s household), and a reminder that the offerings themselves had to be perfect. The symbolism is important again. The perfect is sacrificed for the imperfect, which is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. He is both the perfect sacrifice and the perfect sacrificer!

Thought for the day: Where would we be without Jesus?!?!

Hebrews 7:26-27 (WEB) “For such a high priest was fitting for us: holy, guiltless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who doesn’t need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. For he did this once for all, when he offered up himself.”

Leviticus 21

In a nation where the people themselves were to be distinguished from all other nations, the priests were in their own category. We might think some of this is rather harsh. No broken bones? No disabilities? But we need to remember that there is a lot of symbolism involved. The physical nature of the priests was supposed to be a reflection of their spiritual nature, and to provide an illustration to the nation. God wants us at our best! Unfortunately, the priests themselves sometimes forgot that important lesson!

Thought for the day: Could this passage speak to the nature of full-time ministry in our day and age as well?

1 Timothy 3:1-5 (WEB) “This is a faithful saying: someone who seeks to be an overseer desires a good work. The overseer therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, modest, hospitable, good at teaching; not a drinker, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having children in subjection with all reverence; (for how could someone who doesn’t know how to rule his own house take care of God’s assembly?) not a new convert, lest being puffed up he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have good testimony from those who are outside, to avoid falling into reproach and the snare of the devil.”

Leviticus 20

So, what were the “customs of the nation” that the Israelites weren’t supposed to practice (Leviticus 20:23)? The sacrifice of children, witchcraft, dishonoring parents, and a myriad of sexual sins. The penalties for the offenses ranged from isolation, to excommunication, to death. Why don’t we read about more deaths from these issues? Well, first of all, the offense needed to be proven beyond a doubt, with multiple witnesses willing to testify (Deuteronomy 17:6). It’s also likely that the leadership made judgments in some cases that would bypass the death penalty. For example, it seems that “an eye for an eye” wasn’t taken literally, but instead monetarily.

Thought for the day: In some ways, this is a continuation of “You shall be holy; for I, Yahweh your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:1, WEB). We find many of these same sins condemned in the New Testament, along with the same injunction:

1 Peter 1:15 (WEB) “but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior”

Leviticus 19

God is holy, so we must be holy. Holiness is tied to obedience in our chapter today. The Israelites are reminded to engage in certain practices and behaviors, and the categories are illustrative for us today. They (and we) should:

• Respect parents
• Respect the sanctity of worship
• Respect other’s property
• Respect the truth
• Respect the land
• Respect people in general
• Respect workers and slaves
• Respect the elderly
• Respect foreigners
• Respect the poor
• Care for the poor
• Do business properly
• Refuse to engage in pagan practices

Fortune telling, witchcraft, and mediums continue to be a problem today. Wicca, the tarot, and astrology claim countless adherents. In addition to the absolute denial of God (idolatry), these also look to fate, spirits, and forces as entities that shape and direct our lives. The problem? God’s people should look to God, His Spirit, and His Word for direction.

Thought for the day: God’s Word sets the standard for our lives. Anything else is a cheap and useless imitation.

Psalm 19:7-11 (WEB) “The LORD’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. The LORD’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple. The LORD’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. The LORD’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever. The LORD’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether. They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb. Moreover your servant is warned by them. In keeping them there is great reward.”

Leviticus 18

Sexual sin has been a problem for mankind from the very beginning. It’s even celebrated in certain religions and in the world at large. God’s people were to live differently. Have God’s standards changed?

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (WEB) “Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom. Some of you were such, but you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.”

We also have a reminder in our passage that children are precious and should be protected.

Leviticus 18:21 (WEB) “You shall not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech. You shall not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.”

Thought for the day: “Some of you were such” implies that we shouldn’t engage in those types of behavior anymore. We are to be different from the world!

Romans 12:2 (WEB) “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.”