Graves' This and That

  For the first time in many years, I have enjoyed reading through Leviticus.  I have skipped it several times and read on.  This go round, I have sought to focus on some thoughts, words, phrases, or practices that God had instituted for the Israelites and their physical and spiritual well-being.  The Ten Commandments and many of the laws have real practical value for society and the Christ follower today.  The Lord God gave them a standard, a commandment, which is applicable for today, "You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees.  I am the Lord (Jehovah) your God (Elohim).  Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them.  I am the LORD."  Leviticus 18:4-5   My concluding thought from Leviticus is this admonition or commandment:  " You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."  Leviticus 20:26.  Even though spo...

Father, I come into Your presence today boldly by the blood of Jesus because You were willing to give Him to rescue me from the domain of darkness.   You have brought me into the kingdom of Your dear Son.   It is through Him that I have redemption, through His blood, even the forgiveness of sin.   Once I was far away, but I have been brought near to You through His blood sacrifice. Thank You, Father that Jesus, by His own blood, shed on Calvary obtained eternal redemption for me.   As one of Your Christ followers, I walk in the light because You are the Light.   I have fellowship with other Christ followers and Your blood cleanses me from all unrighteousness.   Cleansed and forgiven!   Father, You said it is the blood of the Lord Jesus which makes me holy.   I have been made holy, set apart, separated for your good pleasure, purpose, and plan.   I praise You that Your blood purges my conscience from dead works to serve you,...

Reading Leviticus 5-7 about the sacrifices, I again am so very grateful that I don't have to drag a goat, a lamb, ram, bull, or birds to "atone" pay for my sins when I go to church.  Imagine the role of the priest, he had to kill the animal and then sprinkle the blood in designated places.  As I read these chapters, I easily recall many of the hymns celebrating the blood of Jesus and its efficacy for my sin.  Read with me, Hebrews 9:12, "He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but He entered the Most Holy Place ONCE AND FOR ALL by HIS own blood, having obtained eternal redemption."  Hallelujah,  another reminder of the security of the believer in salvation and the power of the blood shed in your behalf and mine.   Rejoice with me...there is no other sacrifice that can or will be offered for our sin, past, present, or future.  As a Christ follower, I will not  allow the spirit of presumption to prevail. I will sin, more than ...

  Today,  I enter the book of Leviticus.  I am not always fulling appreciative of the book with its laborious details, however, this year, I want to hear what the Spirit is speaking. The book has several megathemes: sacrificial offering, worship, health, holiness, and the Levites/Priests. NACL is the chemical compound for salt, sodium chloride...that is about the limit of my knowledge of the Chart of Elements from chemistry! As offerings were presented, I came away so grateful that I did not have to take a lamb, goat, bird, or grains to church!  I did note that only the grain offering was seasoned with salt.  In fact, the directive was: "Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings;  add salt to all your offerings."  I come away wondering why the grain offering was the only one seasoned with salt? (I won't start that rabbit trail.  I move on.) During these ancient times, salt was valued as a preservative and fo...

All of the objects for the "Tent of Meeting" have been brought before Moses.  It is his assignment to inspect the objects and the work that that has been done.  Exodus 39 closes with Moses' approval of the work. "So Moses blessed them."  The blessing, barak in the Hebrew, is the word kneel or to praise.  No record of any feuding, fussing, or fighting among the Israelites during the six month project, and that would certainly be grounds for blessing form Moses and the Lord! The Tabernacle is set up with all the articles in place  as directed by God to Moses. Each article and the priests have been anointed with oil, symbolic of the Holy Spirit, and consecrated, set apart unto the Lord for His use and purpose.  The Tabernacle and all its articles are a foreshadowing of Calvary and Jesus' completed work when He ascends to God's right hand as the atonement/sacrifice for your sins and mine.  When the articles are all in place, the work is finished.  T...

  My standard reply to creativity is that my youngest creative project is now 45 years old.  Come to think of it, the only part I had in his creation is a safe place to allow him to grow and some DNA...which I can identify mostly from his father!  I always marvel at other's creative abilities.  I marvel today as I read Exodus 36 and 37.   God has assigned two men Bezalel and Oholiab who are highly skilled in wood-working, designs for gold, silver, and bronze, and using precious stones in their crafts.  I have always glibly read of the furnishings of the Tabernacle, the making of the curtains, and creating the priestly garments.  As I read today, I wondered if most of their skills were not put to use as slaves in serving the Pharaoh?  I marvel this time at their ability. Even though the Israelites have a tendency to be pain-in-the-neck with their stubborn almost recalcitrant  spirits, I love reading a positive about them.  They h...

Moses has been in the mountain with God receiving the laws for the Israelites by which they are to govern and conduct themselves.  He has been gone for some 40 days.  Full of wonder about Moses and his whereabouts, some of the people go to Aaron, the brother of Moses, who is assigned to help keep order while Moses is not present, and they request of Aaron, "Come, make us gods who will go before us.  As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."  Aaron gives heed to their request and creates a golden calf for them to worship.  What a leader he is, so compliant! In worship the next day, the crowd is "eating, drinking, and indulging in revelry".  (Relvelry, to make sport, to mock, to laugh at) Of course, you can imagine of WHOM they are mocking.  I guess that the Israelites have forgotten that God is Sovereign Omniscience, Sovereign Omnipotent, and Sovereign in presence.  He speaks to Moses, "Go d...