Every Member a Minister

Israel had a tribe, the Levites, who substituted for the first born sons of all the people. They were dedicated to the Lord (Num 3:12-13). They did not inherit a share of the land. The Lord was their portion (Josh 18:7). They were the only ones allowed to come close to the tabernacle. All other risked death if they came too close (Num 3:38). The church, on the other hand, is a kingdom of priests (1Pe 2:5, Rev 1:6). We are all dedicated to the Lord. We all seek first His kingdom and trust Him for our provision (Mat 6:33). He is our portion and we are as close to the Lord as we chose to be.

Grudging Givers

We often find it difficult to tithe. We just don’t see how we can get by minus 10% dedicated to the Lord. Actually, in the Law of Moses the people were required to give much more than 10% mentioned in Leviticus 27:34. They had to redeem their first born children and animals. There were sin offerings, peace offerings, freewill offerings and obligatory festival offerings. I think that the principle is: Don’t get attached to stuff. All resources belong to the Lord. He distributes them according to His will. Many attempt to make the tithe a mandatory part of “Christian Law” (an oxymoron). But if you want to be legalistic, you should give much more than 10%. The New Testament principle of giving is, “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2Co 9:6-7)

He knows the end from the beginning

God declared the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). Israel’s history was predicted from her inception. At Sinai God told Moses that the people would rebel and be exiled. He also told him that Israel would eventually come to her senses, confess her sin and return to him. God will remember the ancient covenant and will restore His people (Lev 26:40-46). We are seeing the regathering and restoration begin in our day (Ezek 37:11, 12, 23). God has not given up on Israel. They have been partially hardened until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in (Rom 11:25). Even so, Lord, bring in the Gentiles and restore your people, Israel!

Faith to rest

God commanded the Israelites to program rest periods into their lives. They were to rest for a day every seventh day (Lev 23:3) in addition to the obligatory festivals. They were to rest for a year every seventh year (Lev 25:2). The land was to be given a rest and in an agrarian society that implies that the people (farmers) also rest. In order to rest they had to have faith that God would provide (Lev 25:21). If you trust in your own ability to provide for yourself, you will not rest. You’ll be open 24/7 trying to make a buck. You will be used up and burnt out. Jesus said come unto me and I will give you rest (Mat 11:28). Do you have the faith to rest in Jesus?

Retrain your brain

The concepts of honor and shame are important in God’s law. Anyone who dishonored his parents was to be put to death (Lev 20:9). The purpose of the whole law was to prevent behavior that would bring shame to God’s holy name (Lev 22:31). The sense of honor and shame are instinctive. It is the law written on our hearts (Rom 2:14-16). Though we have corrupted this sense through years of justification, rationalization and “group think,” the conscience is still a good tool to warn of shameful behavior and affirm honorable behavior. We must “retrain” our instinct through Scripture and discipline if we desire the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb 12:11).

Take Heed, America

God used Israel to judge the people who occupied the Promised Land. The land “vomited them out” because of their sin (Lev 18:24). Three types of transgression were particularly heinous. Idolatry, sexual sin (incest and homosexuality), and sacrificing children. For this reason the Lord gave Israel such specific instructions about religious and civil law. He was protecting them from going the way of the Canaanites. Israel eventually fell into all of these sinful practices and the land vomited them out too. The Assyrians and Babylonians dispossessed them. If God judged the Canaanites and his people Israel for these sins, how long will the Lord bear with America as she tramples the grace of God underfoot?

A different kind of sin

The Lord ordained one day in fall for the high priest to enter the Holy of Holies and present the blood of a bull and a goat to atone for the people’s “rebellion, wickedness and defiling sin” (Lev 16:16,22). It seems to me that these sins are in a different category than the “unintentional” sins covered by the regular sin offerings. The conscious sins of choice required a special ceremony once annually. Of course the Day of Atonement points to the cross of Christ. It is very gracious of God to make provision not only for mistakes, but for deliberate rebellion. Regardless of the motive, as long as there is confession and repentance there is atonement and forgiveness (Col 2:13-14).