Day 51 – Leviticus 22-23

Talking Points

• Now, God lays out various laws for priests in their special service to the Lord. They are also told to be holy in their service.
• Every part of the sacrificial system has been described with great care: the description of what sin is, the tabernacle and its furnishings, the priest, and now the animals that will be sacrificed. They are also to reflect reverence to God and the process. The animals are to have no defect or blemish. They are not to be expendable cast-offs, but perfect.
• All of this goes back to the reflection of God’s glory. God says, “You shall not profane My holy name” (22:32). Each piece is intended to glorify God as holy. To reduce or downgrade His name to normal or common is of utmost consequence.
• The festival days are defined and described. They include: Sabbath, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Wave Offering, Grain Offering, Feast of Booths, and the Day of Atonement. Each one holds profound meaning. God desires that His people are often reminded of who He is, what He has done, and what He will do. These days are acts of remembrance training His people in all three. They were to be carried out in obedience to Him. The meanings and obedience in these observances all honor God.

Thoughts

In the New Testament, we are told our “spiritual act of service” is not to continue these festivals, but to give ourselves as a “living sacrifice” to our Lord. (Romans 12). Our worship is the continual giving over of ourselves unto God as walking monuments to Him, remembering who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.

Here is the question: Do our lives exalt His name by our walking in holiness, or do they profane His name, making it common? As we read these accounts, surely, we are overwhelmed by the great care that had to be taken to get it exactly right! Surely, we see how each detail was meant to bring Him glory, down to the very animals that were sacrificed. Even the instruments that were used were pored over in preparation.

If our lives stand as “living stones,” literally walking monuments to our Savior Jesus, shouldn’t we take at least as much care in what they reflect? Christian, God still calls us to “be holy as He is holy.” He still says we are a “chosen people” unto Him. Shouldn’t He receive even more glory from His redeemed on this side of the Cross? May our lives point to who God is, what He has done, and what He is doing! All glory be to Christ!