47 - Atonement for sins

Kathleen's thoughts

First I want to apologize for not being on the blog for the past 3 days I have been away but at the same time have done my readings and put pen to paper the old fashion way.

Leviticus 4,5,6,7,10

1. Sin offering for the congregation
2. Sin offering for the ruler and for any of the people
3. Concerning sin offering - This offering is Most Holy
4. Concerning various sins
5. Concerning Sins against the Lord - is a Restoration offering
6. Concerning Sins against the neighbour
7. Concerning guilt offering - No this is the law of the Restitution offering - it is especially Holy
8. Instructions to Aaron and his sons about offerings. You and your sons are not to drink wine or beer when you enter the tent of meeting.

1 Peter 3:18 "For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm"

Blessings

47 - They shall be Forgiven

Chareen's Thoughts:

Jews praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur
by Maurycy Gottlieb in 1878
Tel Aviv Museum of Art

• Lev 4:17 And shall dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord, before the veil [which screens the ark of the covenant]. The number seven appears again.
• Leviticus 5:13, Leviticus 4:26, Leviticus 4:35, Leviticus 4:31 & Leviticus 4:20 ... and the priest shall make atonement for [the people], and they shall be forgiven. This made me think of 1 Corinthians 6:11 And such some of you were [once]. But you were washed clean (purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), and you were consecrated (set apart, hallowed), and you were justified [pronounced righteous, by trusting] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God. 
• Lev 6:1-7 is about sinning against your neighbour. Lev 6:5 he shall not only restore it in full, but shall add to it one fifth more and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day of his trespass or guilt offering. Restitution is not only about returning what what was taken but returning it with positive interest.
• Lev 10:9 Do not drink wine or strong drink, you or your sons, when you go into the Tent of Meeting, lest you die; it shall be a statute forever in all your generations. Interesting verse considering we use wine in some of our places of meeting when we pass the cup around ?? Yes I know this statute was given to Aaron and his sons but what are the implications for us today ?

For Christ [the Messiah Himself] died for sins once [a]for all, the Righteous for the unrighteous (the Just for the unjust, the Innocent for the guilty), that He might bring us to God. In His human body He was put to death, but He was made alive in the spirit, 1 Peter 3:18

Blessings
Chareen
 
For Further Reading

• A pictorial step by step of The Day of Atonement over at The Desert Tabernacle.
• Day of Atonement (Yomha-Kippurim) over at Jewish Encyclopedia.
• Word definition: YOM KIPPUR: The Day of Atonement over at My Jewish Learning.
• Yom Kippur Theology and Themes over at My Jewish Learning.
• History of Yom Kippur over at My Jewish Learning. over at My Jewish Learning.
• Yom Kippur 101 over at My Jewish Learning.
• Yom Kippur at Home over at My Jewish Learning.
• Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement over at Hebrew 4 Christians.
• Yom Kippur at Wikipedia
• Atonement over at Theopedia

46 - Be seasoned with Salt

Chareen's Thoughts:

• Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings Leviticus 2:13 Salt a symbol and part of a covenant 
• The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, offered by fire, for a sweet and satisfying fragrance. All the fat is the Lord's. It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood. Leviticus 3:16-17 I found this verse interesting in that the LORD says All the fat is His. It made me think about the health issues we face in relation to fat in our diets.  A few years back I remember reading What the Bible says about Healthy Living and in there Dr Rex Russel sites some interesting research on the fat of animals.  He shared that all the pesticides and chemicals are stored in the fat of meat and not the flesh. This is an excellent read for anyone wanting a better understanding of the medical background on the food injunctions given by the Lord.

Salt in Scripture:

• Jesus says of salt in Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltiness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.
• Everyone will be salted with fire. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” Mark 9:49-50
• Let your speech at all times be gracious (pleasant and winsome), seasoned [as it were] with salt, [so that you may never be at a loss] to know how you ought to answer anyone [who puts a question to you]. Colossians 4:6
• Salt is used in the bible in covenants:  Example II Chronicles 13:5

Did you know that in the days of Jesus salt was as valuable as gold?  Roman soldiers used to be paid in salt. Based on this, we have the familiar phrase that a person is "worth their salt", meaning worth the wages they receive.

Reading about the sacrifices and all the regulations to be followed I felt rather overwhelmed for the Israelites and was wondering what it all means for me today ? 

I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship Romans 12:1 (Amplified Bible)
Blessings
Chareen

45 - It must not go out

Chareen's Thoughts

• Today's reading starts with The LORD said to Moses: "Tell your brother Aaron that he may not come whenever he wants into the holy place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. Leviticus 16:2 as I read these words I realised the privilege we have living in New Testament times where it says Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].Hebrews 4:16
• Atonement (the doctrine concerning the reconciliation of God and humankind, especially as accomplished through the life, suffering, and death of Christ. ) Once a year Aaron was to make an atonement sacrifice. There is a specific day once a year set aside for atonement Lev 23: 26-28
• Lev 16:27 The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up and this is what it says in explanation for us in the New Testament: For when the blood of animals is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin, the victims' bodies are burned outside the limits of the camp. Therefore Jesus also suffered and died outside the [city's] gate in order that He might purify and consecrate the people through [the shedding of] His own blood and set them apart as holy [for God]. Let us then go forth [from all that would prevent us] to Him outside the camp [at Calvary], bearing the contempt and abuse and shame with Him. Heb 13: 11-13
• Lev 16: 29 This is to be a permanent statute for you: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month you are to practice self-denial and do no work, ...  practice self denial, much to think about.  What do we do to practice self denial ??
• Why blood for atonement ? Leviticus 17:11 For the life (the animal soul) is in the blood, and I have given it for you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life [which it represents]. 
•  The Lord required: burnt offerings Lev 1, grain offerings Lev 2, sin offerings Lev 3, Sin Offering Lev 4, restitution offering Lev 5, ordination offering and fellowship sacrifice.

Lev 1:12-13 The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. Fire must be kept burning on the altar continually; it must not go out.The fire of fellowship and restitution must not go out.  Fellowship is an important part of our Christian walk with our Heavenly Father.  As I read this I realised the importance of daily fellowship with the Father.  It needs to continually burn within us. 
Blessings
Chareen

For Further Reading:

• One Year Bible Blog
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