God loves order and freedom, and freedom is found in order. The laws we read of today continue to deal with social issues and disputes, providing the Israelites a code of law to help them live in a just society. Every society strives for freedom and justice. But the human is prone to disorder and the importance of 'mine' blinds us to seeing what is right, so we soon enough fight each other over property, money, ownership, etc. But God’s Creation was not only about the human 'me.' God made us to enjoy community with Him and each other in peace. He helped the Israelites with laws on property, inheritance, loans, labor, relationships, etc. God promised them constantly that if they follow His regulations they will receive blessings. However, those blessings may not necessarily be mainly for you and me, but for the overall community. For example, we read today that God gave number of commands on caring for the poor in Israel. In order to receive God’s blessings they had to give away: cancel loans, not charge interest, and give freely to their countrymen. How hard this must have been? But the promise is blessings for all Israel:
However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. (Deut 15:4-5)
If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. (Deut 15:7-8)
God does not change. He still wants us to share the same peace and freedom with each other in our families, our nations and our world. He also still wants us to help the needy.
Praying that this week we all appreciate those just laws and freedoms we enjoy in our society today. But I also pray that God will place one thought of what each one of us can do, as small or as big a step it could be, to make a difference and make our society and our world better and more just - as God intends it to be. I know I should be doing more...
Monday, March 1, 2010
Sunday, February 28, 2010
February 28: Crimes Against Persons or Property
Today's passage covers important laws regarding respect for human life and for property. While laws or rules sometimes appear to bind us, in reality, these laws give freedom and security. The ultimate promise of justice -- that God will ultimately redeem His own and bring punishment on sin -- gives us hope in a world that often sees "bad things" happen to "good people." How else could we traverse through this life and see persecution, famine, hunger, earthquakes, disease, theft, murder, and abortion? Only when we recognize that God is ultimately sovereign and His truth will ultimately live forever may we move forward in strength. As Paul writes in Romans 3:19,20, the law points to our desperate need for the living God: "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin."
Please find some brief observations from today's passage:
1. The value and sanctity of life.
2. The differentiation between "with malice aforethought" and "unintentional." God clearly condemns premeditated violence against other people, but He offers provisions to protect those who have accidentally harmed another. In such times, heated emotions of an "avenger of blood" may have led to mob justice and poor decisionmaking. God desires that the people sort through the facts (from multiple witnesses) and determine a proper penalty.
As an aside, God is terribly concerned with our motivations. As we grow in spiritual maturity, we often find ourselves checking our motivations. We may have "trained" ourselves to "do the right thing," but are we doing so with the proper motivations? Do we seek to serve others out of love for them and for God or as a means of elevating our standing?
3. Why promote "eye for eye"? You may have heard a famous quote from the Indian spiritual and political leader Mohandas K. Gandhi: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." While this pithy statement makes some sense, the "eye for eye" language puts punishment in proper perspective. God's point in speaking these words was to bring about the idea that "the punishment should fit the crime." Imagine, for example, if God had declared that any crime would demand the life of the perpetrator. Any speeding ticket or moving violation would bring on the death penalty. If this were the case, we would either have far fewer people or far fewer drivers. God declared the principle of restitution, that people's justice should match their crime. The wronged person would ultimately be repaid. Purity and uprightness are the standard that God has set.
4. Why have a death penalty? The passage explains clearly that life is worthy of great value. The unspoken justification for the value lies in Genesis 1:26: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'" Indeed, God instructed Noah of this motivation in Genesis 9:6.
Because of God's creative commandment, human beings have a similar character to God; they have a rational mind, emotions, and a will. If we strike against another human, we are destroying the image of God in that person, a grave offense against God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus extends murderous actions to even hate against others (Matthew 5:21,22); in a similar way, Christ declares that lustful thoughts are equivalent to adulterous behavior (vv. 27-30).
In Numbers 35:33,34, we read: "'Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.'" Again, we see that God appeals to His own value and the value of the land He was to grant to the Israelites. His holiness demands the shedding of blood for forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).
5. A comparison to the U.S. Constitution. These laws appear in our Constitution, where "due process" offers promise for fairness in criminal dealings. Please take a look at the following amendments:
a. Fourth Amendment: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
b. Fifth Amendment: "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."
c. Sixth Amendment: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence."
d. Eighth Amendment: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
e. 14th Amendment (Part No. 1): "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
QUESTIONS
1. Has your view of the law changed in recent days?
2. How does the law point out both God's justice and His mercy?
Please find some brief observations from today's passage:
1. The value and sanctity of life.
2. The differentiation between "with malice aforethought" and "unintentional." God clearly condemns premeditated violence against other people, but He offers provisions to protect those who have accidentally harmed another. In such times, heated emotions of an "avenger of blood" may have led to mob justice and poor decisionmaking. God desires that the people sort through the facts (from multiple witnesses) and determine a proper penalty.
As an aside, God is terribly concerned with our motivations. As we grow in spiritual maturity, we often find ourselves checking our motivations. We may have "trained" ourselves to "do the right thing," but are we doing so with the proper motivations? Do we seek to serve others out of love for them and for God or as a means of elevating our standing?
3. Why promote "eye for eye"? You may have heard a famous quote from the Indian spiritual and political leader Mohandas K. Gandhi: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." While this pithy statement makes some sense, the "eye for eye" language puts punishment in proper perspective. God's point in speaking these words was to bring about the idea that "the punishment should fit the crime." Imagine, for example, if God had declared that any crime would demand the life of the perpetrator. Any speeding ticket or moving violation would bring on the death penalty. If this were the case, we would either have far fewer people or far fewer drivers. God declared the principle of restitution, that people's justice should match their crime. The wronged person would ultimately be repaid. Purity and uprightness are the standard that God has set.
4. Why have a death penalty? The passage explains clearly that life is worthy of great value. The unspoken justification for the value lies in Genesis 1:26: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'" Indeed, God instructed Noah of this motivation in Genesis 9:6.
Because of God's creative commandment, human beings have a similar character to God; they have a rational mind, emotions, and a will. If we strike against another human, we are destroying the image of God in that person, a grave offense against God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus extends murderous actions to even hate against others (Matthew 5:21,22); in a similar way, Christ declares that lustful thoughts are equivalent to adulterous behavior (vv. 27-30).
In Numbers 35:33,34, we read: "'Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it. Do not defile the land where you live and where I dwell, for I, the LORD, dwell among the Israelites.'" Again, we see that God appeals to His own value and the value of the land He was to grant to the Israelites. His holiness demands the shedding of blood for forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).
5. A comparison to the U.S. Constitution. These laws appear in our Constitution, where "due process" offers promise for fairness in criminal dealings. Please take a look at the following amendments:
a. Fourth Amendment: "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
b. Fifth Amendment: "No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."
c. Sixth Amendment: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence."
d. Eighth Amendment: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
e. 14th Amendment (Part No. 1): "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
QUESTIONS
1. Has your view of the law changed in recent days?
2. How does the law point out both God's justice and His mercy?
February 27
Deut 17 His-Story of the coming Kings
Deut. 17:14-15 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," 15be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.
What an incredible truth is being revealed here. The year is 1400 BC and the nation still is in the desert. They are physically out of Egypt but God wants to make sure Egypt is out of them. God has given the nation new laws so they can know what is right and wrong but a whole generation has been buried in the desert because they were slow learners. Now as they are on the brink of entering the land God looks forward 400 years and sees that they will eventually need a king so they can learn the next lesson in their growth. He has repeatedly warned them against desiring a king, yet here he makes provision for one. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?
No, this is what is called “The Story of Redemption” or in theological terms “Redemptive History.” It refers to the increasing manifestation of God's plan of salvation through His acts of redemption. God couldn’t dump the lessons of algebra and trigonometry on the nation in kindergarten. He needed to work on the simple mathematical processes first.... addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
It is like a child growing up. You have to teach your children that it is wrong to hit your friends or steal their toys. It is also healthy to eat clean food and not the dirt in the sandbox. And washing your hands will give you a better life than keeping a dirt pile under your fingernails. These childhood rules are like the first laws that were given to the nation at Sinai. But eventually that child must be sent off to college. You are training them every day to prepare them for the time when they will make adult decisions. They need to learn how to live under God’s authority and not yours.
For adult decisions to be made for the nation, the Israelites would have to learn how to respond to the kingship of God. For them to learn this lesson it would be necessary to have an earthly king over them. Without bad kings how would people appreciate good kings – especially the righteous King of Kings? God, in his omniscience, proclaims there will be a time when kings will govern them.
The final lesson of this growing up process will include living under the guidance of a Messiah. The redemption story reaches its climax with the shedding of the blood of the Son of God on the cross and his new kingdom ethics. All of this is the process of an unfolding story of redemption.
The fascinating question for us today: Does God ever allow me to act against his will in order to bring me within his will?
Deut. 17:14-15 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us," 15be sure to appoint over you the king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your own brothers. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not a brother Israelite.
What an incredible truth is being revealed here. The year is 1400 BC and the nation still is in the desert. They are physically out of Egypt but God wants to make sure Egypt is out of them. God has given the nation new laws so they can know what is right and wrong but a whole generation has been buried in the desert because they were slow learners. Now as they are on the brink of entering the land God looks forward 400 years and sees that they will eventually need a king so they can learn the next lesson in their growth. He has repeatedly warned them against desiring a king, yet here he makes provision for one. Is this a contradiction in the Bible?
No, this is what is called “The Story of Redemption” or in theological terms “Redemptive History.” It refers to the increasing manifestation of God's plan of salvation through His acts of redemption. God couldn’t dump the lessons of algebra and trigonometry on the nation in kindergarten. He needed to work on the simple mathematical processes first.... addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
It is like a child growing up. You have to teach your children that it is wrong to hit your friends or steal their toys. It is also healthy to eat clean food and not the dirt in the sandbox. And washing your hands will give you a better life than keeping a dirt pile under your fingernails. These childhood rules are like the first laws that were given to the nation at Sinai. But eventually that child must be sent off to college. You are training them every day to prepare them for the time when they will make adult decisions. They need to learn how to live under God’s authority and not yours.
For adult decisions to be made for the nation, the Israelites would have to learn how to respond to the kingship of God. For them to learn this lesson it would be necessary to have an earthly king over them. Without bad kings how would people appreciate good kings – especially the righteous King of Kings? God, in his omniscience, proclaims there will be a time when kings will govern them.
The final lesson of this growing up process will include living under the guidance of a Messiah. The redemption story reaches its climax with the shedding of the blood of the Son of God on the cross and his new kingdom ethics. All of this is the process of an unfolding story of redemption.
The fascinating question for us today: Does God ever allow me to act against his will in order to bring me within his will?
Friday, February 26, 2010
February 26
Another snowy accountability day and it is time to check in with mission control.
I want to encourage you. We are almost through the law. Keep your hopes high because destructive mildew instructions are just around the bend. Today’s focus in on being a person of your word
Deut. 23:23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.
In ancient Israel it was the practice of the people of God to make vows to God and to each other. What God wanted to get across to us in our reading is the seriousness of fulfilling that vow. The importance of being a person of your word is seriously lacking in our culture. Whether it is in a marriage, the marketplace, a financial agreement, or simply to show up to an agreed upon plan, people today very rarely keep their word.
Integrity is a word widely used in our language but few people know what it means. The origin of the word comes from the Latin “integer” which means “whole” or “complete.” In mathematics, an integer is a positive or negative whole number of zero – a number without any fractional part.
One synonym for integrity is sincerity – the state of being truthful, genuine and free from deception or duplicity. This is a word Bernie Madoff and most politicians do not include in their vocabulary.
The word “sincerity” comes from the Latin “sincerus” meaning clean and pure through and through. It is the result of two Latin root words sine (without) and cera (wax).
Tradition tells us that dishonest Roman sculptors would cover up nicks and flaws in their statues with wax filler. The deception would last only until a hot summer sun melted the wax away and exposed the flaws. A sculpture that was pure and flawless was said to be “sine cera” without wax.
In the same way, a human life that is pure and whole is “sine cera” without wax. The person who lacks integrity has hidden flaws that will be revealed in their character when exposed to the heat of trials and adversity. The most prevalent test we have for sincerity is the examination of how much do we keep our word.
Here are some practical ways to becoming a person of your word.
1. Picture every promise as a promise made before God. This is actually true!!
2. Make very few promises.
3. When you make a promise write it down so you remember your commitments.
4. Remember you are building or tearing down trust with your fulfillment of this promise.
5. If you don’t keep your word ask for forgiveness. This includes your promises to your children.
6. The little things count.
7. Always tell the truth..... Always!!
8. Create a culture of truth in your family.
9. Keep your word even when it hurts.
Thought for today: “When people think of you do they see a promise keeper or a promise breaker?”
“Semper fidelis” the promise to always be faithful. May that be the label people place on us.
I want to encourage you. We are almost through the law. Keep your hopes high because destructive mildew instructions are just around the bend. Today’s focus in on being a person of your word
Deut. 23:23 Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.
In ancient Israel it was the practice of the people of God to make vows to God and to each other. What God wanted to get across to us in our reading is the seriousness of fulfilling that vow. The importance of being a person of your word is seriously lacking in our culture. Whether it is in a marriage, the marketplace, a financial agreement, or simply to show up to an agreed upon plan, people today very rarely keep their word.
Integrity is a word widely used in our language but few people know what it means. The origin of the word comes from the Latin “integer” which means “whole” or “complete.” In mathematics, an integer is a positive or negative whole number of zero – a number without any fractional part.
One synonym for integrity is sincerity – the state of being truthful, genuine and free from deception or duplicity. This is a word Bernie Madoff and most politicians do not include in their vocabulary.
The word “sincerity” comes from the Latin “sincerus” meaning clean and pure through and through. It is the result of two Latin root words sine (without) and cera (wax).
Tradition tells us that dishonest Roman sculptors would cover up nicks and flaws in their statues with wax filler. The deception would last only until a hot summer sun melted the wax away and exposed the flaws. A sculpture that was pure and flawless was said to be “sine cera” without wax.
In the same way, a human life that is pure and whole is “sine cera” without wax. The person who lacks integrity has hidden flaws that will be revealed in their character when exposed to the heat of trials and adversity. The most prevalent test we have for sincerity is the examination of how much do we keep our word.
Here are some practical ways to becoming a person of your word.
1. Picture every promise as a promise made before God. This is actually true!!
2. Make very few promises.
3. When you make a promise write it down so you remember your commitments.
4. Remember you are building or tearing down trust with your fulfillment of this promise.
5. If you don’t keep your word ask for forgiveness. This includes your promises to your children.
6. The little things count.
7. Always tell the truth..... Always!!
8. Create a culture of truth in your family.
9. Keep your word even when it hurts.
Thought for today: “When people think of you do they see a promise keeper or a promise breaker?”
“Semper fidelis” the promise to always be faithful. May that be the label people place on us.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
February 25
Dusting off the Old Books
Leviticus 14 What we have in this passage is a glimpse of the first seminary training. Now if you think it is boring to read about this, just think about learning how to do it. I am sure there was a class in seminary called Leprosy 101, and the most frequent question in that class was, “why do we have to learn all this stuff.” No one was ever healed from leprosy.
Think about the procedures they would have to go through...
1. Take an hour walk and go outside the camp. The tabernacle was at the center of the community.
2. Give the person a physical.
3. Put in an order at Costco for 2 live birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn and some hyssop (a branch)
4. Kill one bird over a clay pot
5. Take the remaining live bird and dip it in the blood with the wood, yarn and hyssop
6. Sprinkle the person 7 times and pronounce them clean
7. Release the bird.
8. Then go to the laundromat and clean his clothes
9. Shave his hair ... we are talking all the hair!!
10. Have him take a bath at the Desert Day Spa
11. Have him camp outside for 7 days.
12. Bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old with some flour and oil and one log of oil
13. Sacrifice one lamb as a guilt offering
14. Wave the offering before God
15. The other lamb is offered as a sin offering
16. Put blood on the lobe of the right ear
17. Then take oil and sprinkle it 7 times
18. Put oil on the right ear, the big toe of the right foot and on the head.
That is an elaborate ceremony!!!. As far as we know there were only two people cured on leprosy in the OT, one was Miriam and the other was General Naaman in 2 Kings 5. So the seminary guys learn this stuff and then their notes sit in their libraries for decades without use.
One day, many centuries later, there is a knock on the temple door. The person on the other side says, “I have been healed of leprosy.” All of a sudden the priests start scrambling around looking for the notes from that class. The next day 3 more appear. Then next week 10 guys show up. The priests start asking, “How were you healed?” The name Jesus comes up every time. I believe God put this in the law to give the priests in Jesus’ time overwhelming evidence that he was the Messiah.
In Matthew 8:4 Then Jesus said to a guy healed of leprosy, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
Wow, what a plan to show the world that Jesus is the Messiah.
Even in Leviticus 14, God has drawn up a plan to show the world the uniqueness of his one and only son. Do you appreciate the signs given by God to point us to Jesus? He is the Messiah.
Leviticus 14 What we have in this passage is a glimpse of the first seminary training. Now if you think it is boring to read about this, just think about learning how to do it. I am sure there was a class in seminary called Leprosy 101, and the most frequent question in that class was, “why do we have to learn all this stuff.” No one was ever healed from leprosy.
Think about the procedures they would have to go through...
1. Take an hour walk and go outside the camp. The tabernacle was at the center of the community.
2. Give the person a physical.
3. Put in an order at Costco for 2 live birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn and some hyssop (a branch)
4. Kill one bird over a clay pot
5. Take the remaining live bird and dip it in the blood with the wood, yarn and hyssop
6. Sprinkle the person 7 times and pronounce them clean
7. Release the bird.
8. Then go to the laundromat and clean his clothes
9. Shave his hair ... we are talking all the hair!!
10. Have him take a bath at the Desert Day Spa
11. Have him camp outside for 7 days.
12. Bring two male lambs and one ewe lamb a year old with some flour and oil and one log of oil
13. Sacrifice one lamb as a guilt offering
14. Wave the offering before God
15. The other lamb is offered as a sin offering
16. Put blood on the lobe of the right ear
17. Then take oil and sprinkle it 7 times
18. Put oil on the right ear, the big toe of the right foot and on the head.
That is an elaborate ceremony!!!. As far as we know there were only two people cured on leprosy in the OT, one was Miriam and the other was General Naaman in 2 Kings 5. So the seminary guys learn this stuff and then their notes sit in their libraries for decades without use.
One day, many centuries later, there is a knock on the temple door. The person on the other side says, “I have been healed of leprosy.” All of a sudden the priests start scrambling around looking for the notes from that class. The next day 3 more appear. Then next week 10 guys show up. The priests start asking, “How were you healed?” The name Jesus comes up every time. I believe God put this in the law to give the priests in Jesus’ time overwhelming evidence that he was the Messiah.
In Matthew 8:4 Then Jesus said to a guy healed of leprosy, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
Wow, what a plan to show the world that Jesus is the Messiah.
Even in Leviticus 14, God has drawn up a plan to show the world the uniqueness of his one and only son. Do you appreciate the signs given by God to point us to Jesus? He is the Messiah.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
February 24
Leviticus 25: Three Special Events on God’s Calendar
Sabbath: One day in 7 is given to God, one day each week to take off from work and enjoy God.
Sabbath Year: Divide up the land into seven sections and let one section lay fallow, unplowed each year.
God wants us to be good managers of the natural resources he has loaned to us. Christ followers are to be environmentally responsible. We are called to take care of the God’s planet.
The Year of Jubilee: Every 50 years a very special event occurs. All debts are cancelled. Servants are set free. The land goes back to original owners. It was a new start for poor people. For those who had lost out in life's race, for the weak, the outcast, the losers, they all get a chance to start over. This is God’s solution for class inequity. It is a way to prevent the rich from getting richer, and the poor from getting poorer. But even though God commanded this, there is no record of them ever celebrating a Jubilee.
Isaiah the prophet shows up around 700 years later and makes this startling prediction. When Messiah comes, Messiah will declare the Jubilee. You will know he is the Messiah by virtue of a declaration he makes.
Isaiah 61:1-2 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
Now fast forward to the year AD 30. Jesus is just beginning his ministry and his mom has arranged for her son to read the scriptures at First Avenue Synagogue of Nazareth. You know how mother's are. Everyone is there, Uncle Lou, Aunt Betty, grandma and grandpa. Mary has prepared a big shindig afterward. Now the tension grows, Jesus gets up to read. He opens to Isaiah 61 and everyone knows what is in the chapter. Everyone knows that whoever declares the Jubilee is declaring himself as the Messiah.
Luke 4:16-21 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
In case you didn't get it. Jesus just plugged the neon sign in, "I'm the Messiah." Now the synagogue is buzzing. Who does he think he is? Isn't this Joseph's and Mary’s son? They rise up in a mob action and intend to throw him off a cliff. You talk about a party getting off on the wrong foot!!!
Luke 4:30 says, “But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way”. No one lays a hand on him.
The Jubilee gives us our mission statement in 2010. Here are four components that we must all include in our “TO DO” list today.
1. Preach Good News to the poor
2. Proclaim freedom for people who are prisoners or in bondage
3. Healing of the sick
4. Deliverance of the oppressed
The Jubilee is all about our mission on earth. How can you adjust your “TO DO” list today to reflect these priorities?
Sabbath: One day in 7 is given to God, one day each week to take off from work and enjoy God.
Sabbath Year: Divide up the land into seven sections and let one section lay fallow, unplowed each year.
God wants us to be good managers of the natural resources he has loaned to us. Christ followers are to be environmentally responsible. We are called to take care of the God’s planet.
The Year of Jubilee: Every 50 years a very special event occurs. All debts are cancelled. Servants are set free. The land goes back to original owners. It was a new start for poor people. For those who had lost out in life's race, for the weak, the outcast, the losers, they all get a chance to start over. This is God’s solution for class inequity. It is a way to prevent the rich from getting richer, and the poor from getting poorer. But even though God commanded this, there is no record of them ever celebrating a Jubilee.
Isaiah the prophet shows up around 700 years later and makes this startling prediction. When Messiah comes, Messiah will declare the Jubilee. You will know he is the Messiah by virtue of a declaration he makes.
Isaiah 61:1-2 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.
Now fast forward to the year AD 30. Jesus is just beginning his ministry and his mom has arranged for her son to read the scriptures at First Avenue Synagogue of Nazareth. You know how mother's are. Everyone is there, Uncle Lou, Aunt Betty, grandma and grandpa. Mary has prepared a big shindig afterward. Now the tension grows, Jesus gets up to read. He opens to Isaiah 61 and everyone knows what is in the chapter. Everyone knows that whoever declares the Jubilee is declaring himself as the Messiah.
Luke 4:16-21 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
In case you didn't get it. Jesus just plugged the neon sign in, "I'm the Messiah." Now the synagogue is buzzing. Who does he think he is? Isn't this Joseph's and Mary’s son? They rise up in a mob action and intend to throw him off a cliff. You talk about a party getting off on the wrong foot!!!
Luke 4:30 says, “But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way”. No one lays a hand on him.
The Jubilee gives us our mission statement in 2010. Here are four components that we must all include in our “TO DO” list today.
1. Preach Good News to the poor
2. Proclaim freedom for people who are prisoners or in bondage
3. Healing of the sick
4. Deliverance of the oppressed
The Jubilee is all about our mission on earth. How can you adjust your “TO DO” list today to reflect these priorities?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Feb 23
Various verses from Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy dealing with Offerings.
These verses outline the proper procedures for presenting offerings to the Lord. The idea of cost came to mind as I read. When we sin, we commit cosmic treason against a holy and perfect God. In order to make our relationship right with Him, there is a cost or a penalty that must be paid in the form of an offering.
1) Lev 6:1-7
The LORD said to Moses: "If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving his neighbor about something entrusted to him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him, or if he finds lost property and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that people may do- when he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to him, or the lost property he found, or whatever it was he swore falsely about. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt offering. And as a penalty he must bring to the priest, that is, to the LORD, his guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for any of these things he did that made him guilty."
In the case of fraud or theft, a person who cheats another out of their property, not only were required to return the item, they had to pay restitution. This means they had to pay back over and above what was stolen. This punishment clearly shows that sin is costly.
2) Deut 21:1-9
If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke and lead her down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer's neck. The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall declare: "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O LORD, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man." And the bloodshed will be atoned for. So you will purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
Sin is costly, even if it is not known who committed it. The excuse "But I didn't do it" is not good enough in God's eyes. He still wants it to be made right.
Sometimes we can have the wrong attitude toward sin by acting like it's no big deal. But this could not be further from the truth. The Israelites should have fully understood the concept of cost, because every sin they committed had to be paid for by making an offering to God. Today, we should fully understand it because Jesus, God Himself, had to pay the ultimate price for our sin by dying on the cross. His sacrifice sufficiently paid the cost of all our sins, so we could have a right relationship with God. Next time you are tempted to think that sin is no big deal, remember what Jesus did and thank Him for paying the price for us.
These verses outline the proper procedures for presenting offerings to the Lord. The idea of cost came to mind as I read. When we sin, we commit cosmic treason against a holy and perfect God. In order to make our relationship right with Him, there is a cost or a penalty that must be paid in the form of an offering.
1) Lev 6:1-7
The LORD said to Moses: "If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving his neighbor about something entrusted to him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him, or if he finds lost property and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or if he commits any such sin that people may do- when he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to him, or the lost property he found, or whatever it was he swore falsely about. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt offering. And as a penalty he must bring to the priest, that is, to the LORD, his guilt offering, a ram from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value. In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the LORD, and he will be forgiven for any of these things he did that made him guilty."
In the case of fraud or theft, a person who cheats another out of their property, not only were required to return the item, they had to pay restitution. This means they had to pay back over and above what was stolen. This punishment clearly shows that sin is costly.
2) Deut 21:1-9
If a man is found slain, lying in a field in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, your elders and judges shall go out and measure the distance from the body to the neighboring towns. Then the elders of the town nearest the body shall take a heifer that has never been worked and has never worn a yoke and lead her down to a valley that has not been plowed or planted and where there is a flowing stream. There in the valley they are to break the heifer's neck. The priests, the sons of Levi, shall step forward, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the LORD and to decide all cases of dispute and assault. Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall declare: "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done. Accept this atonement for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O LORD, and do not hold your people guilty of the blood of an innocent man." And the bloodshed will be atoned for. So you will purge from yourselves the guilt of shedding innocent blood, since you have done what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
Sin is costly, even if it is not known who committed it. The excuse "But I didn't do it" is not good enough in God's eyes. He still wants it to be made right.
Sometimes we can have the wrong attitude toward sin by acting like it's no big deal. But this could not be further from the truth. The Israelites should have fully understood the concept of cost, because every sin they committed had to be paid for by making an offering to God. Today, we should fully understand it because Jesus, God Himself, had to pay the ultimate price for our sin by dying on the cross. His sacrifice sufficiently paid the cost of all our sins, so we could have a right relationship with God. Next time you are tempted to think that sin is no big deal, remember what Jesus did and thank Him for paying the price for us.
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