Leviticus 22-23

“These are the Lord’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times” (23:4). In addition to the weekly Sabbath, the Israelites were instructed to celebrate at least five major festivals and one solemn “Day of Atonement” every year. This involved ceasing their ordinary daily work and, in the case of Passover, remembering how God rescued them from Egypt. Through many “sacred assemblies” (23:37), the Israelites renewed the covenant,

Leviticus 20-21

“No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord” (21:21). The instructions for priests (such as who, when, and how they could offer sacrifices) were ways of symbolizing the distance between a polluted, distorted world and a completely holy God. God made a way for the Israelites to temporarily approach him, never forgetting this gap, yet his plan was always to send the Messiah to heal them at the source.

“They

Leviticus 19

“Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy” (v1). God’s law defined “holiness” in terms of relationships. Israelites were to relate to God in specific ways, for example: “Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourself” (v4). In relationships with everyone, they were forbidden to lie, steal, deceive, or seek revenge (v11-18). With the poor, they were to be merciful and to leave extra in the fields (v9,10,13). With foreigners, Israelites were to love them and trea

Leviticus 17-18

“This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields” (17:5). God’s law instructed the Israelites to stop making sacrifices in “open fields” and instead bring them to the priests at the tabernacle, to be offered “to the Lord” (17:1-9). Individuals who sacrificed elsewhere were likely mixing worship of God with the familiar traditional religions of Egypt and Canaan, characterized by goat idols (v7), and sexual immorality,

Matthew 28:11-20

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (v18). The risen Jesus declared that his death and resurrection had won a new “authority”. It was not the worldly authority of weapons, political power, wealth, or force. The guards and others could still lie about Jesus and disregard him (v11-17). Instead, Jesus’ power conquered the source of humanity’s problems - sin and death - and enabled individuals to live differently, one by one, by faith in his name.

“Ther

Matthew 28:1-10

“He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you ...” (v15). On the “first day of the week”, the two Marys went to Jesus’ tomb. Luke’s gospel tells us that they carried spices to add to his burial. But rather than this being the tragic end of the story, they were confronted by new instructions. Jesus had defeated death, was alive, and was “going ahead” of them. Both the angels and Jesus himself gave them new commands: “Go and tell ...” (v7,10).

“Do not be afraid; go .

Psalm 19

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” (v1). The skies witness daily to God’s glory and power. The psalmist tells us that the beauty of this physical creation – their wordless message about God (v3-4) - should lead us to value the words of this same awesome Creator. “The commands of the Lord are radiant ... more precious than gold” (8-10). God’s Word is “trustworthy” (7), it makes us wise, it warns us, and it teaches discernment (

Leviticus 15-16

“Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil … so that he may not die” (16:2).  Even Aaron, the original high priest of Israel, was not allowed to randomly or spontaneously enter the Holy Place of God’s presence.  His blazingly pure, powerful holiness was not something to be treated lightly.  Aaron and later priests were instructed to enter only once a year, after making atonement through sacrifices (16:16).

“For on this day shall at

Leviticus 14

“This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing" (v32).  Ancient people didn’t divide the world or their lives into secular and sacred categories like we do; the sacred (or supernatural) pervaded everything.  Therefore, when someone with a disease got physically well, they offered a sacrifice in the temple and presented themselves to a priest to be pronounced ritually clean/whole. Everyone participated, and

Leviticus 12-13

“When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot …” (13:1).  Without antibiotics, surgery, or hospitals, ancient people were always at risk of a disease quickly spreading through an entire community.  In this case, the Israelites had regulations about different kinds of rashes, white spots, sores, etc, focusing on identifying the worst kinds (including leprosy) and isolating the person in order to prevent a group outbreak.  Only a priest coul

Leviticus 11

“For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy” (v44).  Though the Israelite dietary restrictions are hard for us to understand in terms of why certain foods were forbidden, the goal was clear:  God wanted the Israelites to be a community set apart as belonging completely to Him. By including daily food choices in loyalty to God’s Law, the Israelites learned that they were to honor God with their entire lives, every day and hour.

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Matthew 27

“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (v50). The shocking reality of the innocent Son of God bearing the weight of our sins, experiencing our distance from the Father (v46), and undergoing death itself caused the world to fundamentally change. The curtain of the temple – symbol of our separation from a holy God – split in two, opening the way into God’s presence fo

Matthew 26

“Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (v28). Jesus’ disciples struggled to understand how the powerful Messiah could face betrayal and death. Despite Jesus’ warnings (v2) and sorrowful preparation, one of his disciples still tried to defend him with a sword (v51-52). Yet “the blood of the covenant” – Jesus’ voluntary death – was the only way to bring about forgiveness of sins and new life.

Psalm 18

“I love you, O Lord, my strength” (v1). The psalmist’s heart-felt declaration was born out of his experience with the Lord. When he was in desperate trouble and cried out, God heard him and came to rescue him. “He sent from on high; he took me, he drew me out of many waters” (v16). Over and over, the psalmist experienced God’s faithfulness in dark times. “The LORD my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall” (v28

Leviticus 9-10

“Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering ... And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown” (9:24). Far from being an empty ritual, when the Israelites offered sacrifices by faith, according to God’s instructions, he was truly present in their midst. However, when Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu offered “unauthorized” incense to the Lord, as if they could control spiritual power, “they died before the Lord” (10:2).