Gary Gleans

The Day of Atonement was the most important day in the Jewish calendar because it was the day in which the sins of Israel were dealt with in their most complete manner.  It was the only day of the entire year that the high priest could enter the holy of holies and present the sacrifices for himself and for the people before God.   It is important to note that this chapter begins with a reminder of Aaron’s sons who were killed for treating the sacrifices of God in a flippant manner.  Entering the holy of holies in this manner would certainly result in death.  The priest could only go in on this one day of the year and he could only go in with the correct procedure or he, like Aaron’s sons, would be struck down by God.  We too must recognize that we will only be admitted into the presence of God for all of eternity if we enter through the purification of sin that is offered to us by faith in the cross of Christ.  Attempts to enter God’s presence by any other means will result in death

The children of Israel were to remain ceremonially clean in order to go into the tabernacle and participate in the corporate worship held there.  Failure to recognize this and act accordingly would be displeasing to God and could result in death.  God wants His children to realize that coming before Him and being in His presence is an honor that should not be taken lightly.  He is holy and wants us to be holy as well. MEN WERE DECLARED UNCLEAN BY BODILY DISCHARGE: When a man had a discharge from his body in the form of seamen or as a result of some sort of infection, he was unclean and not permitted to enter the tabernacle during that period of time.  He was also to be avoided by other people as others could be made unclean by touching him or the objects on which he sat or things that he touched.  This reality was to be taken seriously and was symbolic of God’s holiness.  Men must realize that God is pure and holy and that our only hope of being welcomed into His presence is to b

Hope is a vital part of every man’s life.  Without hope we would all have a very hard time living and joy would certainly be most illusive.  A person who had leprosy was required to live apart from the fellowship of the congregation and to warn all people who came near him that he had leprosy.  It would have been a terrible way to live and in many ways it would seem utterly hopeless.  However, there was hope.  This chapter describes how a person with leprosy could be cleansed if the disease cleared up.  This teaching provided a source of hope for all who were inflicted by this disease.  In reading these last two chapters I have been struck with the similarity between leprosy and sin.  Both are absolutely devastating, dangerous, isolating, contagious and can be fatal.  However, there is hope for both the leper and the sinner.  The leper can hope for physical healing and restoration.  The sinner can hope for forgiveness and redemption through the sacrifice of Christ. A PERSON WITH

God cares about the health of His people and gave clear instructions as to how those who were suspected of having leprosy should proceed.  Unfortunately, disease is a reality in this world that is cursed by sin and its consequences.  All disease is a result of sin in general, but should not be considered as a result of personal sin.  Certainly God can afflict a person with disease or even death as a result of personal sin; but it must not be assumed that all disease is some sort of punishment for the sin of a person afflicted.  However, whether the leprosy was the result of personal sin or not, it still caused the person to be considered unclean and he was required to live alone away from the rest of the congregation in order to prevent the spread of the disease to others.  This would certainly have been a devastating problem for both the person and his family, but was considered as necessary for the greater good of the entire nation.  There are times when individuals must make sacri

God has a zeal for the cleansing of His people and the holiness of sacred places and articles that had been set aside for worship.  Sin has polluted and infected humanity to the point that entering the presence of God would be impossible apart from the sacrifice of Christ.  It is important to remember that the Law was given in order to help man have an understanding of his own sinfulness and God’s holiness.  The fall of man was so severe that even the glorious event of child birth was tainted by it. THE CONSECRATION OF CHILDREN: The act of bringing a child into the world is a wonderful miracle that God ordained.  The mother was considered ceremonially unclean meaning that she could not participate in the public ceremonies at the tabernacle.  Every child that has been born since the fall was born in sin, with the exception of Jesus.  Mothers were required to stay home during the first weeks of the child’s life.  This was a means of her being able to provide special care for her ch

God’s desire for His people was that they be holy just as He is holy.  This continues to be the will of God for all men to this day.  We often think that holiness is a synonym of boring or even painful.  However, God has made us to bear His image and we will only be truly fulfilled and experience true joy when we live in accordance with His will and the purpose for which we were created.  Since God is holy; He has created us to be holy.  Our satisfaction depends on this holiness that has been made available to us through the cross of Christ.  This chapter deals with the types of animals that were permissible to eat for the children of Israel.  Certain animals were clean while others were unclean.  Israel was only permitted to eat those animals which were clean.  God always makes a clear distinction between right and wrong and clean and unclean.  Unfortunately we live in a relativistic world which does not recognize absolute values and therefore has no ability to distinguish between r

There are constant reminders all through Scripture that leadership is a very dangerous blessing.  Certainly it is a great blessing to be given the opportunity to lead and serve others before the Lord.  However, it is a very dangerous position as James reminds us that leaders will face a greater judgment.  Leaders are given much opportunity therefore they are required to serve with a greater responsibility.  It is a very serious thing when anyone sins, but when a leader sins the consequences are usually very grave and far reaching.  All leaders must recognize this responsibility before the Lord. GOD STRIKES DOWN AARON’S IRREVERANT SONS: Two of Aaron’s sons burned incense before the Lord using what is called strange fire.  It is not readily clear what kind of fire this was, but the fire for burning this incense was to be taken from the altar.  They obviously did not follow the instructions that they were given in this task, rather they disobeyed and took their responsibility as pri

God blesses our obedience.  He had give Moses very clear instructions as to how to consecrate Aaron and his sons for the ministry of making sacrifices for His people.  Moses was very obedient to the instructions that God gave him and then Aaron was obedient to the instruction that He received.  God then responded be demonstrating His power and presence.  We have a tendency to complain about God not “showing up” in our lives in the way that we expect.  However, we often fail to act in obedience to His Word.  Those who disobey the Word of God should not wonder why God seems distant from them. MOSES GAVE CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS: God had revealed to Moses just exactly what was to be done in the process of consecrating Aaron and his sons for their ministry.  Moses communicated these instructions in a very precise and exact manner to Aaron.  There was no doubt about what God expected them to do.  Moses did not embellish the revelation of God or leave out any steps along the process.  Commun

The Lord had given Moses clear and specific instructions on how Aaron and his sons were to be separated for the office of priest and the ritual that had to be done in order to prepare them for that work which God had set them aside.  It is a very special thing to be set apart for the ministry.  Representing God before the people and the people before God is a task that should never be taken lightly. AARON WAS GIVEN SPECIAL CLOTHING: As I was reading about all of the special clothing that Aaron was given to wear I could not help but think how unworthy he was of this privilege.  Just a few months prior to this he had led the children of Israel in an idolatrous escapade that ended up costing many men their lives.  God’s grace truly is amazing and I am so thankful for it.  Clearly Aaron did not deserve the position that he was given.  However, it is just as clear that I do not deserve the position in ministry with which God had entrusted me.  All of us are given the honor of serving th

Offerings are sacred, as are those who care for these offerings.  God made provision for the priests who worked in the temple through the sacrifices that were brought to them.  This was certainly not a means of getting rich, but it was a way that these servants of the Lord could have their needs met since they could not work in fields in order to be able to grow their own food.  These same principles continue to hold true in some ways today.  Obviously there are different applications but the truths taught in this passage are the basis for many of our teachings on giving to support our ministers today. THE OFFERING WAS SHARED WITH THE PRIEST: There were certain kinds of offerings and certain portions of the offerings that God permitted the priest to eat.  This was a means of supporting the physical needs of the priests.  God is very considerate of His servants and made provision for each of their needs.  It seems that it can become common in our churches today to go to one extreme

Guilt is a reality in each of our lives and we must all learn how to deal with that guilt.  The children of Israel were required to bring a sacrifice in order to atone for their sin.  If they had means, they had to bring an animal from their herd.  If they were a poor family they could bring two birds or even an offering of flour prepared in a specific way.  The point is that they had to deal with the reality of guilt in their lives over the sin that they had committed.  I think that there are some helpful principles in this passage that can help us deal with our own guilt before God and others. RECOGNITION: Perhaps one of the hardest parts of guilt is simply recognizing that we are guilty.  We all have a tendency to justify or rationalize our actions or shift the blame for our sin to the circumstances of life or others.  As long as we fail to recognize the guilt of our sin we will not be able to resolve it.  Israel had to bring a sacrifice as an offering to cover their sin, but un

I find it very interesting that this chapter is dedicated to how all different levels of leaders and people are to deal with unintentional sins that they might commit.  There are many times in our lives when we sin without having the intention of sin.  We may have the tendency to think that unintentional sins are not as serious and therefore we often mistakenly think that we don’t need to deal with them.  Moses made it clear that this was not the case.  Sacrifices must be made even for unintentional sin.  We may sin out of ignorance or lack of ability or attention to something but it is still sin with which we must deal in our lives. UNINTENTIONAL SIN IS STILL SIN: Certainly motives and intentions are important to God and He knows them far better than we ourselves know them.  However, good intentions do not discount or erase sinful actions.  God has made provision for all of our sin through Christ, but all sin is damaging to us as well as our relationship to God.  All of us sin uni

Besides the burnt offerings and the grain offerings, there were also peace offerings that the children of Israel could bring.  These were to be spontaneous offerings given out of thanksgiving to God as an act of worship.  We have a tendency to think of the offering of sacrifices only as a means of dealing with sin, and that was certainly a major part of the sacrificial system.  However, there were many other types of sacrifices and offerings that were a part of their worship of God that were simply expressions of praise and thanksgiving.  When we come before God we must always be aware of our sin and confess our sin before the Lord, but we must also come before him with thankful hearts for his many provisions in our lives. THE PEACE OFFERINGS WERE PRESENTED: There is something about presenting the offering before the altar that was an important part of the expression of worship.  We may know in our hearts that we love the Lord and be very grateful for all that He has done; but we a

Offerings were an integral part of life and worship for the children of Israel.   God gave them very clear instructions as to how they should prepare and make these offerings.   We must recognize that while we are not required to make burnt offerings today since Christ has paid the price for our sin; we must still worship God in the manner that He prescribes and not just according to our own bent.   There are several correlations between the grain offerings and our own offerings that are interesting to consider. THE GRAIN OFFERINGS WERE WITHOUT YEAST: There were several different types of grain offerings that were prepared to bring to the altar.   They were baked or fried or prepared in a vast variety of manners.   However, one thing that they all had in common was that they were prepared without yeast.   Yeast is symbolic of sin and so it was vital for the offerings to be made without yeast in them.   I think that this is very significant for us to keep in mind today.   We have

The book of Leviticus begins with a set of instructions concerning how to make sacrifices in the tabernacle that the children of Israel had just finished building.  The tabernacle was much more than a beautiful and intricate structure; it was a place where the children of Israel would go to seek forgiveness of their sins and commune with God.  Too often, churches become all about the building or even about the people in the building, but God is often left out of the picture.  We go to church in order to be confronted with the reality of our sinful hearts and to be reminded of the atonement made on our behalf in the person of Christ.  We no longer need to bring animals to slaughter on the steps of our churches, but we must most certainly recognize and remember our sin and the fact that Christ was slaughtered on our behalf. THE SACRIFICE WAS SPECIAL: The sacrifices that were brought to the tabernacle had to be special sacrifices.  They were to be the best of the herd.  A lamb without

The book of Exodus closes with the final steps of the construction of the tabernacle.  The Lord had delivered the people from Egypt, provided for their physical needs, revealed His moral standard and now established the means of worship in the new nation.  Through this process the people have been given an identity and the nation Israel has been formed.  God is so faithful to keep His promises.  Despite the disobedience of the people, God has fulfilled the promises that were made to Abraham four hundred years earlier.  God’s holiness, grace, justice, goodness, love and faithfulness have clearly been demonstrated throughout this narrative.  He has revealed who He is to the people and to us.  The natural response that all men must have to this revelation is to bow before Him and worship. THE CONSTRUCTION IS COMPLETE: The final stage of the construction process was completed with the making of clothing for the priests.  Every single detail that the Lord reveled was followed and the re

Once again we see the children of Israel in a moment of greatness.  They are being obedient and doing the will of God from their heart.  This brings them great fulfillment and joy as well as reward from God.  This is how God intends for us to live our lives; in submission to His will and with the joy of knowing that we are walking with Him and living according to His plan.  When we rebel against God and seek to do our own thing and follow our own agenda we bring heartache, stress, pain, frustration and hardship upon ourselves.  The path to peace and joy is marked by service and obedience.  The path to pain is marked by rebellion and selfishness. ISRAEL EXPERIENCES THE JOY OF GIVING: Moses called the people to give and they truly gave with joy from their hearts.  When the workmen started to use the materials for their intended purpose it became obvious to them that they had too much already and the gifts were still coming in.  The people were thrilled with the opportunity to contrib

The time had come to build the tabernacle that God had designed and told Moses about.  This would take the cooperation of the entire nation.  There have been very few moments along the way where the children of Israel shine forth, but this was one of them.  When God has a job that needs to be accomplished, He moves in the lives of His people and accomplishes that task through them.  God continues to work in the same way today in our lives to accomplish the tasks to which He has called us. GOD WORKS IN HIS PEOPLE THROUGH GENEROSITY: The building of the tabernacle would require many contributions from the children of Israel.  The passage makes it very clear that these were voluntary offerings and that they people would give according to the desire of their hearts.  God moved in their hearts and they responded by bringing all the things that were needed.  We must always realize that all of our possessions come to us from God and that they belong to Him.  When we contribute from those

Despite the sin of Israel, God continues to show His grace, and He calls Moses to come back up on the mountain where He will renew His promises to the children of Israel.  God is so great and gracious that He is able to even use the greatest of sins for His own glory and the good of His people.  It is such a blessing to serve a forgiving God, because we truly are a sinful people.  We must always be careful not to consider sin flippantly in light of God’s forgiveness.  He does take sin very seriously and will not leave the guilty and unrepentant unpunished. GOD REMINDS MOSES OF HIS FORGIVENESS: God invites Moses to come back up to the mountain with new tablets of stone so that the commandments can be rewritten on them.  In a sense God is allowing the children of Israel to start over.  God is willing to forgive the idolatry and sin that Israel had just committed in order to demonstrate His goodness and His grace.  God does not take sin lightly, but He is loving, kind and gracious.  G