Tag Archives: Jesus

Numbers 28-30; Old Testament Sacrifices and Jesus

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I’m sure I say this every time I read passages describing the required Old Testament sacrifices but… there was so much blood! Thirteen bulls one day, twelve the next, then eleven, etc. Not to mention two rams and four lambs a day for a week. Oh, and don’t forget the daily goat sacrifice.

That’s a lot of blood being shed there at the temple.

We talked about the cross yesterday in Sunday School. Jesus did what the blood of millions of bulls could not do. His precious blood was shed once and for all. He laid down his life willingly, intentionally, painfully, and gloriously for the forgiveness of every sin every person has ever committed or will commit.

“It is finished,” He cried. Debt paid. Period.

All the requirements of Old Testament sacrifices were fulfilled in that one amazing act. The Old Testament sacrifices paint a picture of what Jesus did there on the cross. Sin is serious business. The consequence for sin is death, and without the shedding of blood God cannot forgive sin.

Praise Jesus! His blood was shed so that you and I can know the freedom that comes from accepting His grace, receiving the forgiveness He bought, and walking with the God of Creation, having Him living right in us.

Thanking God for the cross today.

 

Numbers 19-20; No One Gets A Free Pass

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Not even Moses. You remember Moses, the one God used to deliver an entire nation from slavery, the one who performed miracles, the one with whom God entrusted His Law, the man who could be in God’s Holy Presence and live. Who in all of history has done more, seen more, had conversations with God more than Moses?

Yet when God told Moses to speak to the rock and water would come rushing out of it, then Moses tapped the rock instead, God didn’t look at all the good Moses had done and balance that against his sin and say, “The scale tips toward good so you get a free pass.” Even Moses had to suffer the consequences for his sin.

Even Moses.

The Bible is clear that every sin comes with a death sentence. (Romans 3:23; 6:23) Every sin.

I hope you are busy doing good things in our world. I hope you are honest and kind, that you are involved in a Bible believing church, that you volunteer at the homeless shelter, recycle, and support a child in Africa.

But don’t think that any of that can substitute for accepting Jesus as your Savior, for admitting and repenting of every sin God reveals in your life. The sin you commit will be repaid with death. That’s why Jesus died.

Because no one gets a free pass.

Leviticus 23; Jewish Feasts and Jesus (Part 2)

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I shared earlier that I have been looking at the feasts God instructed the Israelites to observe, and seeing Jesus. It’s been a study that has blessed my heart and made me realize how intentional God is. Like my last post, this is not an extensive study on the subject. But I’d like to share what God has laid on my heart, beginning with the fourth feast.

4. The Feast of Weeks (Rejoice). This feast is also known as Pentecost because it was to be observed seven weeks after the feast of First Fruits. That feast was held after the first barley harvest, and not only reminded them how blessed they were by God, it pointed to the risen Savior. Now, seven weeks later, the Jews were instructed to observe a feast to celebrate a second harvest, this time of wheat. Bread was made with new grain and yeast (yeast rises), then two of the loaves were waved before God. Some have suggested that the two loaves represent the Jewish nation AND the Gentile world after Jesus was raised from the dead. I like it! Because Jesus died once and for all, and that means me! Anyway, Jewish men would come to Jerusalem from all over the known world to celebrate. But it is also recorded that the Feast of Weeks was a time to celebrate the giving of the Law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. In a sense, it was celebrating the beginning of the Jewish nation. What I find so exciting is that the time frame between The Feast of First Fruits and the Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament, is the same time frame that occurred between Calvary and Pentecost, ushering in the beginning of the Church. Coincidence? I think not!

5. The Feast of Trumpets (Resolve). Trumpets were used to call people to worship. This feast was held to celebrate the Jewish New Year. It was announced by the blowing of a trumpet, a time to reflect on past sins and to decide to make changes in the coming year. A new beginning, so to speak. And isn’t that what we receive when we accept Jesus as our Savior? Old things pass away. All things become new. This feast is also said to look ahead to the second coming of Christ. At the sound of the trumpet, in the twinkling of an eye, Jesus will descend from the heavens to gather up His children. Even so, Lord Jesus, come.

6) The Day of Atonement (Repent). This feast was held the day after the Feast of Trumpets. This was a very solemn day for the Jews. They fasted and repented of sin. This was the day the High Priest dared to enter the Holy of Holies, the day the scapegoat would take on all the sins of the people and remove them from their midst. You don’t have to look very hard to see Jesus here. Jesus became our scapegoat when He took our sins to the cross. He died so we can be forgiven. Then, He ripped open the Holy of Holies and granted us access to the Father.

7) The Feast of Tabernacles (Revival). This was the feast where people took time to reflect on all God had done, how He provided. There was a water ceremony to thank Him for nourishing the ground the past year, and praying for rain for the next growing season. Jesus told us, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” He told the woman at the well that whoever drank the water He gives will never thirst again. This feast was a time of rest and refreshing, to get strength to get out there and do the work God had for them to do. The same can be said when we allow Jesus to fill us, then we get out there to share the Gospel.

I know that my overview of the feasts doesn’t make a dent. But as I studied these from various sources, I was reminded that the Bible, all of creation, life itself is about Jesus. God does not want us to miss Him. You can find Him everywhere, including on every page of this precious book we call the Bible.

 

Leviticus 23; Jewish Feasts and Jesus

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Wow! I’ve enjoyed looking into the feasts that God instructed Old Testament Jews to observe. Nothing God commanded His people to do didn’t point to Jesus. He is in every moment of every one of these feasts. And it’s so beautiful! I want to give you a little taste of the feasts (pun intended). What I am going to share is just a fraction of the truths that are connected with them.

Instructions concerning the Sabbath, although it isn’t usually counted as one of the feasts, begins this chapter. It was a day of Rest, like God modeled for us after six days of creating the universe. John tells us Jesus was with God before creation and, in fact, IS the Creator Himself. Jesus used the words, “I AM” (the name of God) in reference to Himself, like in John 8 when he said, “before Abraham was even born, I AM.” Then in Matthew 11 He clearly says, “I will give you rest.” Yes, Jesus is seen in the Sabbath.

  1. The Feast of Passover (Redeemed). Remember the blood of the perfect lamb protected the Jews from certain death. That lamb’s death bought the Israelites their freedom. And it’s Jesus’ blood, our own Perfect Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, that purchased our redemption, our freedom from the chains of sin. Jesus is seen in the picture of the lamb, it’s blood painted on the doorposts. When I look at the blood dripping down that wooden cross, I see my Redeemer.
  2. Feast of Unleavened Bread (Remember). This feast started the day after the Feast of Passover. They were to eat bread with no yeast and remember how God had provided the mana to His children in the desert. Didn’t Jesus tell us He is the Bread of Life? We who are His children by accepting His work on the cross, are provided with our daily bread. When He gave the bread to His disciples there the night before He died, Jesus said, “Take. Eat in remembrance of me.” We remember.
  3. Feast of First Grain or First Fruits (Risen!) This feast was to be held at the beginning of the harvest. They were to bring the first of what they reaped and give it to the Lord. Jesus said “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24) Jesus died, and lives again! His resurrection is still producing fruit today. The Old Testament Jews were blessed by the harvest. We are blessed by the risen Lord!

Ok. That’s enough for today. I’m going to keep looking into the remaining Feasts and share later. This is good stuff, y’all (to quote my dear pastor.)

Leviticus 21-22; No Fear Of Death

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It was a very big deal how the Old Testament priests handled death. They were not permitted to be in the vicinity of a dead person unless it was a close biological family member. Even then, they were considered unclean, and had to go through the requirements of cleansing in order to regain their position as priest. Plus, they had to control their outward expression of mourning.

What does that have to do with the 21st century kingdom of priests? It gives us reason to rejoice!

More than once, Jesus raised a dead person by touching them. In Matthew 5 he took Tabitha’s hand. In Luke 7 He touched a coffin. The Jews must have been horrified! That just was not done.

But Jesus was demonstrating that He has dominion even over death. I Corinthians 15:54-57:

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:”Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where O death, is your victory?
 Where O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Next week we will celebrate Jesus’ victory over death. He’s alive! We don’t need to fear death. Death has no power over us who know Christ.

Dead in sin, alive in Christ. Absent from the body, present with the Lord.

Yes, Jesus is alive. And because He lives all fear is gone! We don’t mourn like those who have no hope. We have hope!

Thank you, dear Jesus!

Leviticus 13-14; Free To Fly

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You don’t have to dig very deep in order to see Jesus through the laws God gave Moses for the children of Israel. He’s in there!

One of my favorite pictures of Christ within the Old Testament Law is found in Leviticus 14:1-7. It’s actually about how a person healed from a disease is able to be pronounced clean. If you read this you’ll find water and blood, wood, hyssop and scarlet yarn, life and death… and life.

It’s about two birds. One bird is killed and its blood dripped into fresh water. The other bird is kept alive, tied to cedar wood with hyssop and red thread, then dipped seven times into the mixture of water and blood.

Then (and this should make your heart soar) the bird still dripping with the bloody water, is released, free to fly the heavens once again.

We know Jesus died on a wooden cross, His blood shed, water poured out of His side. We know He took our sins on Himself, the perfect sacrifice… and then He flew! With Him He took my sin away as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered ever again.

It’s a picture of me: dead in sin, alive in Christ, free from the chains of sin, free to fly.

Leviticus 2-4; Many To One

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Maybe it’s because we are approaching Easter. But I can’t help but think of Jesus as I read the instructions for the Old Testament Jews’ sacrifices for sins. The yeast, the oil, the lamb without defect, the blood.

So much blood.

The sinner had to lay his own sacrifice on the altar. And so do I. My godly mother’s faith couldn’t save me. I had to obey God myself.

The dear people in the Old Testament had to repeat those sacrifices year after year. There were many, many sacrifices made on those altars. But Jesus fulfilled the requirements for the forgiveness of sin with His own precious blood.

Jesus became my sacrifice that day He hung on the cross.  One perfect sacrifice.

I am overcome with love and gratitude for my Savior.

Leviticus 1; Smelling Like Jesus

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There is a restaurant on this island that serves the best steaks. It’s not a fancy restaurant. It looks like an old barn. The interior is rustic, the tables worn. But, oh that food!

This restaurant happens to be on the only road going north/south on the island. So any time I want to go anywhere, I pass Bennie’s Red Barn.

When I read, “…an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord,” I get it. I’ve been known to slow down and roll down my window when I pass Bennie’s just to get a whiff of that meat on the grill. That is a pleasing aroma to me.

The Old Testament sacrifices hold so many precious reminders of Jesus, the fire of God’s holiness, the Blood, the Sacrifice of the Spotless Lamb. Jesus’ work on the cross was and is a pleasing aroma to the Father.

Paul says, in 2 Corinthians 2:15:

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

I’m wondering if that’s true of me. Am I the pleasing aroma to God that Jesus is?

I have a friend whose husband absolutely demands that she never, ever eat garlic. I’ve never met anyone who can eat a bite of food with garlic in it, then reek of garlic afterward like she can. Not just on her breath. It pours out her pores like a garlic diffuser.

That has me thinking this morning. Is what I am ingesting coming out as a pleasing aroma to God, or not so much? Do I spend time with Him, read and think about His Word, communicate with Him, so that I give God the same pleasure His Son does? Does God want to roll down the windows of heaven to get that whiff of me? Or do the windows go up because I smell like the world?

I want to be a pleasing aroma to God. And I want to be a pleasing aroma to people around me, too. Because I want to spend so much time with my Savior, that they’ll be drawn to to the scent of Him pouring out of me.

I want to smell like Jesus.

 

Exodus 39-40; Not For Show

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The shewbread or “bread of the face,” or “bread of the Presence” has never really caught my attention before. But after doing a bit of research, I am thanking God for the precious truth that loaf represents.

Twelve loaves of bread, baked with the finest flour, were arranged every week on the table in the Tent of Meeting. It was there as a display, set out representing the Presence of God among the twelve tribes of Israel. The bread, however, was not to be eaten by anyone, no matter how hungry they might be.

Then, after a week, new loaves replaced the old ones, and the priests ate the week-old bread on the Sabbath. It serves as another example of Jesus.

Before the cross, God was accessible to only a few chosen people, and only periodically. Oh, His Presence was visible. Just not touched.

Then Jesus said, “I AM the Bread of Life,” and “Take, eat…” God is no longer out of reach to those who accept Him.

Fill me, Lord. Thank You for Jesus, the Bread of Life. Thank You for making Yourself accessible to us through Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for being everything I need for life and eternity. I want more of You. Fill me, Lord.

Exodus 35-38; The Prefect Tabernacle

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Since God inspired Moses to write down the intricate details of the building of the tabernacle, I figure it must be important. So, not being one who can picture it from the words, I went to Google.

Not all artists renderings are exactly the same, but I can see that structure was amazing. For one, the colors must have looked spectacular against the backdrop of the desert.

And all that gold!

I love how God inspired them to construct the courtyard around the tabernacle, to protect it and set it apart. And I love how the Israelites built their tent cities around the place where God lived on earth.

God took His dwelling place seriously, and so did the Jews. How could the neighbors not recognize it, too? It had to be quite a testimony.

The New Testament tells us Jesus dwelt, or tabernacled, among us. Hebrews talks about a more perfect tabernacle not made of hands. Every detail of the Old Testament tabernacle is realized in the person of Jesus Christ. Think of it. He is the Gate, the Door, the Sacrifice, the Atonement, the Bread, the Light, the One who cleanses and intercedes. And when Jesus died on the cross, the veil that up until that time separated us from the Holy of Holies was ripped in two, giving us access to God Himself any time, any day.

So I don’t want to gloss over the tiny details of the tabernacle Moses built. It’s a picture of my Jesus. I want to build my life, my city of tents so to speak, around Him. I want to honor Him, worship Him, and recognize what a truly awesome God He is. And I want to stand out as His follower as obviously as a colorful tent in the desert.