#270 Death and Cloth

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, 2 except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother, 3 or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean. 4 He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,[a] and so defile himself.

5 “‘Priests must not shave their heads or shave off the edges of their beards or cut their bodies. 6 They must be holy to their God and must not profane the name of their God. Because they present the food offerings to the Lord, the food of their God, they are to be holy. Leviticus 21:1-5 NIV

Those who entered the tent of the dead were unclean for a week, and so the rule for the people would be even more stringent for spiritual leaders. They could only attend those funerals outlined here and could not wear the signs of morning nor the spectacle of a shaved head. Those rites of pagan, who believe in an after life, were not to be observed and one's sorrow was not his liberty. The priest was to remain sober minded and holy, knowing that such pain is inevitable  here, but that so much more is the hope of eternity. He is the leader, the example. 

Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

#269 Gague

10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.

11 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

14 “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.

15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you must kill the animal.

16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

17 “‘If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.

18 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.

19 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

20 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.

21 “‘If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.

22 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. 24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.

25 “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 26 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.

27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’”Leviticus 20: 10-27

It is a program corrupted, a master piece scratched and torn, seemingly beyond repair. How do these creatures now function in bondage, every day adding to the chains, embracing the delusion? It is amongst the greatest of decisions that a man makes, and the highest of earthly contracts, that he no longer be about himself only, but joined to another. It is the picture of Christ and His church, set apart for no other as verse 27 reiterates, no other gods. A medium's interpretation of the spiritual is a form of adultery to the Holy and a breach of faith in such word's as our Lord's in saying, " I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me." There is no other way, all others were thieves and robbers, politicians, ticklers of the ears. With every sin listed here there is a choice. Those that are set apart live differently. They no longer wish to be ruled by their flesh or in bondage to the popular culture of the land. I am broken, there is no denying that for me anymore. If I still want the pleasures of my sinful nature then I pray God forgive me and change my nature. I know though now that before I ever make that last decision toward the act of sin, that there were so many opportunities and decisions before it. Nothing here in this passage leaves room for excuse, or a pat on the back for doing the right thing. How dare I say it is the right thing? I don't decide what is right or wrong, but it is God who sets apart those things that are unclean. Most thankfully so, because for myself I could justify any manner of things.  For the want of some of these we would destroy life itself or redefine what life is. There is an accepted holocaust now for love of pleasure and hate of responsibility. I am told it is legal and society has decided such, and some very emotional and pulling stories have won the day. If it is society that decides right and wrong then there is no longer any high moral ground, only caught and not, only might over right. I would suggest that the majority can be wrong, that men make up societies and all by their very nature are corrupt. It may be why we have a Constitution here, but also why it is so attacked and dishonored by those who swear to uphold it. It is sad to hear our leaders defense of such as going backwards to stop killing or taking away women's rights and choice, as if it is such. Maybe Hitler's society was also upset when they had to go backwards from killing Jews to not killing Jews, or those poor slave owners who could no longer make the profit margins they would like when they were forced backwards from dealing in human life to not dealing in human life. They were forced if not in heart but by law to respect that these men too, were also made in the image of God, and none of us making ourselves and only pro creators. It's my body, my body, really? Did you make it? What about rape? Easy, it's wrong, but did the child rape you? Where is his or her "choice" in this? It is a poor defense for the murder of those who by science can be identified as individuals, to justify 1.2 million deaths in a year because a few may have come from rape.  

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.…Isaiah 53:5-7

The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

2Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts.

3To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

4An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin.

5The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

6The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.

7The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them; because they refuse to do judgment.

8The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.

9It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, than with a brawling woman in a wide house.

10The soul of the wicked desireth evil: his neighbour findeth no favour in his eyes.

11When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise: and when the wise is instructed, he receiveth knowledge.

12The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.

13Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

14A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.

15It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity. Proverbs 21:1-15

#268 Where it Leads

9 “‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head. Leviticus 20:9 NIV

Just as the law dictates that parents not sacrifice their children to Molech, nor provoke their children to wrath, it also holds and maintains that the child honor the parent. No one creates themselves and therefore the claims of the body fall back to the Creator, and the pro creator is to be respected as that authority between you and God. Parents are not here for the perpetual, life time care of those that would not show honor to father and mother by trying to support themselves. They are not here as easy targets, since all have sinned and have been weakened by such, to be mocked by their "enlightened" offspring. What does it gain a man to put down his father or his mother? Perhaps all this can be taken to an extreme, where we are expected as children to agree with what is logically and morally wrong, because the parent says so. This is not the case in Scripture, for above the parent is still God, and above that is no one. The other extreme is the one that America now embraces, a culture of disrespect. I have talked with parents who slam their counterpart while their children are present with us. Tell the truth, for there should be none else, but the malicious assaults that beg a child to hate one parent versus the other, you are teaching them break the laws of God. Surely we have broken both sides of this under this time of grace, and so it will be God as our judge. 

"For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 23so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. 24"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.…John 5:22-24

Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

9 They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human rules.’Matthew 15:1-9

For the sake of gain through gifts to the temple, the law of God is waived by those who stood to gain, whose allegiance to a building was greater than to the words of He, who made all things. The laws and interpretations of men must always be checked against the words and heart of God. Men are corruptible because we are born corrupted. Majority rule does not repair this, for the majority can often be corporately corrupt, and give way to mob rule. I prefer right over might, and here Christ is explaining to these Pharisees that a gift to the church did not release one from the care of their parents, but rather, their human law encouraged against the very spirit of God's law. He wasn't too popular with them.

#267 Crystal Clear

6 “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.

7 “‘Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy. Leviticus 20: 6&7 NIV

There are even those churches today that prefer a "fresh word" over the Word of God. How different do you really believe that to be, than the seeking out of mediums? There were always, in every day, far more false prophets and teachers, and men still seek them to have their ears tickled. The word faith may be thrown around in such circles, but it looks far more like the crystal balls and fortune telling that God has condemned.

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20

"Consecrate yourselves". Change your purpose, designate yourself as belonging to God, sacred and individual. 

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.…Philipians 2:12