Day 45 – Leviticus 5-7

Talking Points

• God lays out what constitutes sin and what makes a person unclean. Sin can be evidenced in actions, words, and even motivations. A huge point: God defines sin, not people, not the culture.
• God’s reasoning in laying out our boundaries is both practical and moral. Some things will hurt us physically, others emotionally, and all sin will hurt us spiritually. He is not binding us in legalism, but rather showing us great care and kindness in giving the boundaries. Even now, a desire to walk in obedience requires us to see this distinction. He loves us and wants what is best for us! It is a great thing to obey.
• In this section, God also tells us what to do when we sin. First, He says we are to confess the sin. (5:5) This means to admit it and take responsibility for it. In 1 John 1:9, the formula there also begins with confessing our sin. “Confess” in the Greek means to admit, to declare. More profoundly, it means to agree or voice the same conclusion. In confessing, we agree with God. We are admitting we have sinned, according to what He has called sin, and are therefore guilty before Him.
• After confessing, God instructed the Israelites to seek atonement for that sin. This was the payment that would set it back to even. After atonement was made, they were forgiven. Notice, there would be no motivation to seek the atonement, if you did not first recognize and confess your sin.
• In the discussion, God does not neglect to define the duties of and the care for the priests. Their service also provided their food and provisions. The details were worked out by God.

Thoughts

When Abraham looked up from his bound son and saw a ram caught in the thicket to be offered as a substitutionary sacrifice, he named the place “The LORD Will Provide” (Genesis 22). Reading this section of verses, that name kept coming back to mind.

Knowing people’s actions, words, and even our motivations, and knowing our rebelliousness, God gave the way for people to be forgiven of their sins. The LORD Will Provide.

When a person couldn’t afford an animal from the flock, God allowed him to bring a sacrifice of turtledoves or flour instead. The LORD Will Provide.

Infinitely wise and gracious, God knew the priests and their families would need provisions, since they had no land of their own and needed to be diligent in their service and ministry to Him. He worked out a way for them to have everything they needed. The LORD Will Provide.

All of the mighty deeds they had witnessed, God’s deliverance of His people, and all of these offerings and sacrifices ultimately trained people to look to God for their salvation. And, He provided. He is the God who provides.