Leviticus - Chapter 19 - Golden Morsels from the Living Word!

”You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.” Leviticus 19:16-17

“Tale-bearing emits a threefold poison; for it injures the teller, the hearer, and the person concerning whom the tale is told. Whether the report be true or false, we are by this precept of God's Word forbidden to spread it.” C.H. Spurgeon 

The unbridled tongue delights in spreading rumors and takes pleasure in bringing others to shame. Sadly, local churches are are not free from men and women with uncontrollable tongues. Congregants whose hearts and TONGUES thrive when others fail. Such people are slandering and gossiping on a daily basis. If they only knew the demise they bring upon themselves. 

God will not tolerate slander. Noah, also known as the herald of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), fell into the sin of drunkenness. Rather than covering Noah’s nakedness, Canaan dishonored his father by exposing his shortcoming to his siblings. In the following passage we read the dreadful story of Canaan. 

“Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness. When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.’ He also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” Genesis 9:20-27 

Many so-called ‘Christians’ fall into the sin of Canaan. They find pleasure in spreading gossip at the cost of destroying the character of others; meanwhile, unlike Ham and Japheth, the listener(s) stands as an accomplice to their untamed slanderous tongue. In Proverbs 18:8 we read, “The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.”  Still others hold grudges against family or church members for years. With unforgiving hearts and deep-rooted hatred, such people seek vengeance by destroying the character of those who have hurt them. 

“Be this our family rule, and our personal bond--Speak evil of no man. The Holy Spirit, however, permits us to censure sin, and prescribes the way in which we are to do it. It must be done by rebuking our brother to his face, not by railing behind his back.” C.H. Spurgeon

Leviticus - Chapter 18 - Golden Morsels from the Living Word!

“You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 18:4

One of the main reasons why we must obey God is because He is Lord! When Jesus is Lord of our lives, we are required to follow His rules, keep His statues, and walk in them. If we have truly been saved, He is Lord of our life. In Romans 10:9 we read,  “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” One cannot confess Christ as Savior and at the same time deny Him as Lord.

The word ‘Lord’ is defined as ‘a master; a person possessing supreme power and authority; a ruler; a governor.’ [Noah Webster’s Dictionary - 1828]  If God is Lord of one’s life, the person acknowledges His supreme power and authority and rule over his/her life. 

Sadly, many are deceived by thinking they are saved. They behave as believers on the outside, but deep down they are unrepentant sinners who seek to please themselves rather than God. In Luke 6:46-48 Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears My words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” 

Obedience is a clear sign of God’s Lordship over the lives of believers. Lawlessness characterizes the unbeliever, whereas obedience is the fruit of one who is saved. In Matthew 7:20-23 we read, “Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”

Is God the supreme authority in all areas of your life? Is He the Master of your thoughts and actions? In calling Him ‘Lord’, may we always be mindful and aware of His supremacy and rule over our lives. 

Leviticus Chapter 17 - Golden Morsels from the Living Word

“For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life.” Leviticus 17:14

God created all things purposefully. In creating man and beast, He chose to sustain physical life through blood. It was not a random act, but rather, a purposeful plan that would be unveiled as God Himself became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. Fully God and fully man, Jesus gave up His life, and shed His blood on the cross to make atonement for sins.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“In Christ alone, our hope is found…” The words of this beautiful hymn are so true! Without the work of Jesus Christ we would be hopeless!  Fully God and fully man, Christ lived a sinless life; then, He sacrificed His life shedding His blood on the cross in atonement for our sins. In Hebrews 9:22 we read, “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” 

Oh, how blessed are those whose sins are atoned for! It is only through Christ’s wonderful work of redemption that we have access to the Father. In Ephesians 2:13 we read, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” He gave His life so that we may be restored from spiritual death to spiritual life. May we always remember the price He paid for us and live a life worthy of our calling. 

“…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Hebrews 9:14

Leviticus Chapter 16 - Golden Morsels from the Living Word

“The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.” Leviticus 16:22

The ceremonial law was a shadow of the true Messiah who was to come to free His people from their sins. One of the two goats was to bear all the iniquities of the people and was then to be released into the wilderness. The laying of hands on the animal was a representation of the transferring of sins. Christ did just that for us. He took ALL the sins of His people upon Himself, and thus took away our guilt and sin.

“…as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103:12

Christ fulfilled the law when he atoned for the sins of His people. As a Great High Priest, He made atonement for ALL the sins of ALL His people once and for all. In Hebrews 9:11-12 we read, “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”  

The fulfillment of the Law was in Christ and through Christ. How blessed are those whose sins are atoned for!

Leviticus - Chapter 15 - Golden Morsels from the Living Word!

Leviticus - Chapter 15

“Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them.” Leviticus 15:31 - NASB)

In this chapter the word unclean is the obvious key word as it is being repeated 32 times throughout the passage.  All references to uncleanliness in this chapter refer to bodily discharges. Although all the mentioned discharges were common (or natural), not sinful, it was still necessary that a person with such discharges be cleansed before entering the presence of the Lord for worship. 

According to Levitical law, even the slightest touch of an unclean object, which was not necessarily sinful, still had to go through a process of cleansing. Nevertheless, it is important to note that such laws were merely a shadow of greater things to come. They were given as object lessons so that we could understand the deeper implication.  In Hebrews 10:1a we read that “… the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never… make perfect those who draw near.” 

What then makes perfect those who draw near? It is only through Jesus that we are made perfect. In Hebrews 10:19-22, we read that Christ cleanses us from an evil conscience and washes our bodies with pure water. This does not mean that we are sinless, yet it does mean that we are positionally made perfect; thus, we must daily cleanse ourselves from such uncleanliness. 

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” 

(Hebrews 10:19-22 - NASB)

God’s Word is the pure water that cleanses us daily from all impurities.  What are these impurities? They are all the things that come out from within a man... the unpleasant, unclean discharge that comes out from within the heart. Jesus spoke to a crowd of Pharisees saying, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man…For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” (Mark 7:14-15; 21-23 - NASB)   May God’s Word shed its light upon our lives and expose all our uncleanliness. My we confess such sins and turn to our holy God and worship Him with awe and reverence. 

Leviticus - Chapter 14 - Golden Morsels from the Living Word!

Leviticus - Chapter 14

“When the infection of leprosy is on a man, then he shall be brought to the priest.” Leviticus 14: 9 (NASB)

Lepers were banned from living inside the city walls; rather, they were required to live outside the walls of the city, separated from those who were not infected. Not only were they to live outside the city walls, but also, they were not allowed to enter the city AT ALL. What clear correlation we see here in regards to sinners. As sinners, we are all separated from any sort of fellowship with God until we are brought to the High Priest, who is Jesus Christ, and thus we are cleansed from our sins. In Romans 3:10-12 were read, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands,there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, there is not even one.”

Figuratively, we can say that Jesus Christ bore ‘leprosy’ (our sin and shame) upon Himself and was crucified outside the city gate, a place of rejection and abandonment. In 2 Corinthians 5:21 we read that, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” One must be born of the Spirit and led by the Spirit Himself to the ultimate High Priest, to be reconciled to the Father.

Neither the carrying out of good deeds nor the keeping of the law was sufficient to lead a leper to the priest for healing. It was solely based upon the priest who was willing to go outside the city gates and heal the leper; furthermore, this was only possible because of the power given to the priest by God. Thus, a sinner is healed solely by the will of God and His sovereign grace.  

Those who die in their sinful state will be eternally be banned from the glorious presence of God. In Revelation 21:25-27 we read: “In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it; and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Oh dear friend, is your name written in the Lamb’s book of life? Has the Spirit of God led you to repentance to the cross? Have your sins been cleansed through Jesus Christ, the ultimate High Priest? “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins have been covered.” (Romans 4:7 - NASB) 

Oh, unsaved sinner, if you continue in your sins and shame, call upon the name of the Lord and shout to the top of your lungs, ‘Unclean, Unclean!”  Beg for mercy and He will hear you.“…for whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13 - NASB)

Leviticus - Chapter 13 - Golden Morsels from the Living Word!

Leviticus - Chapter 13

“As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” Leviticus 13:45-46 - NASB)

Lepers had no choice but to live in seclusion outside the camp. Sin, like leprosy, is contagious, deadly and repulsive. In Romans 3:23 we read, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”   Sin has infected all men as a result of Adam’s sin. In Romans 5:12 we read, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Thus, no one is exempt from this deadly malady. After sinning, Adam was cast out of the garden of Eden, away from the constant fellowship he once had with God. Likewise, this disease keeps us separated from God leaving us outside the ‘camp’. “… For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23 - NASB)  This death means that we are totally separated from from God, as we read in Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”

All men are born sinners, eternally separated from God. Unless a person is granted the miracle of new birth, he/she is an enemy of God, alienated from Him. “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isaiah 64:6 - NASB) One can do nothing to be healed unless he/she is washed by the blood of Jesus. In 1 Peter 2:24 “…He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”  

The leprous man was required to shout, “Unclean! Unclean!” The sinner’s life shouts the same. In Galatians 5:19-21 we read that the signs of the sinful nature are obvious. “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”   Are you still outside the camp? Only a true conviction of sin brings about true restoration. When the Holy Spirit enlightens a person showing them the gravity of their sinful state, repentance must follow. After repentance, the person is cleansed and thus restored. 

Although saved by God's grace, believers still have traces of the old nature. In Romans 12:9b we read God’s clear command to, “… abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. Thus, when temptation comes knocking at our door, we must shut out, “Cleansed! Cleansed! Cleansed by the blood of the Lamb!’ Our stand against sin must be bold! May we find sin repulsive and live a holy life, set apart as a vessel of honor to bring glory and honor to our Father in heaven.