#276 Temporary Dwellings

33 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

34 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, The fifteenth day of this seventh month shall be the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto the Lord.

35 On the first day shall be an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

36 Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: on the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a solemn assembly; and ye shall do no servile work therein.

37 These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day:

38 Beside the sabbaths of the Lord, and beside your gifts, and beside all your vows, and beside all your freewill offerings, which ye give unto the Lord.

39 Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruit of the land, ye shall keep a feast unto the Lord seven days: on the first day shall be a sabbath, and on the eighth day shall be a sabbath.

40 And ye shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm trees, and the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.

41 And ye shall keep it a feast unto the Lord seven days in the year. It shall be a statute for ever in your generations: ye shall celebrate it in the seventh month.

42 Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths:

43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord. Leviticus 23: 33-44 KJV

What did we learn in the wilderness? They would relive or reenact the time of living in tents, wandering as strangers in a land that would not greet them with open arms. Can we acknowledge the sense of softness, the seduction of ease, and the pettiness of entitlement to which we all fall "victim". Victim is probably a stretch in these matters. A tent provides shelter, the manna was bread and the quail were meat. There was a cloud that protected from the full wrath of the sun, and fire by night to keep their enemies at bay. They had everything they physically needed, but there was still this spiritual problem. We would remain strangers there until the time of Christ and then we become more and more like stranger here, to our friends, our neighbors. It is from the spiritual that we come to realize that this time in tents is only temporary, not worth worry, no room for hate, and preciously short. 

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and exiles, to abstainfrom the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. 12Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.… 1 Peter 2:10-12

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#275 Remember the Sound

23 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

24 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy convocation.

25 Ye shall do no servile work therein: but ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

26 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.

28 And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God.

29 For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people.

30 And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.

31 Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

32 It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. Leviticus 23: 23-32 KJV

The blowing of trumpets is a memorial, and some scholars offer what I believe to be a good interpretation based upon the present audience. They have witnessed God on the mount, received the ten commandments and entered into a covenant. 

18Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke because the LORD descended upon it in fire; and its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 19When the soundof the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him with thunder. 20The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.…Exodus 19: 18-20

See From #170 Caution

It is a reminder of the covenant and a call to repent, as we see it moves in to a feast of atonement, a humble and holy convocation, that requires something from the participant that cannot be over stated. The Lord looks for those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. This is a call to sincere affliction, for whatever soul is not found that way, has like Annanias and Saphira or the sons of Aaron, leaned upon their own way and such strange fire. The call to approach is the call to repent and the same for Christians in this day. It is not a call to arrogance or a comparison with your neighbor, but rather a humble appeal to mercy, an approach made in the blood of One who could only approach. It is no mere holiday, we would like to believe there are no eternal implications or that this is another God that we find in the Old Testament. Beg for sincerity, wisdom and love. I think love itself encompasses these things and would admonish such, but we would warm ourselves in the "light" of our own strange fire here as well. We get the call, we repent and soon we will dwell in tents like strangers. What a glorious day!

15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. 16Let us then approachthe throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:15&16

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#274 His

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings.

4 These are the feasts of the Lord, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their seasons. 5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the Lord’s passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread. 7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein. 8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.

9 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 10 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: 11 and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the Lord. 13 And the meat offering thereof shall be two tenth deals of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto the Lord for a sweet savour: and the drink offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of an hin. 14 And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that ye have brought an offering unto your God: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven sabbaths shall be complete: 16 even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord. 17 Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave loaves of two tenth deals: they shall be of fine flour; they shall be baken with leaven;they are the firstfruits unto the Lord. 18 And ye shall offer with the bread seven lambs without blemish of the first year, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be for a burnt offering unto the Lord, with their meat offering, and their drink offerings, even an offering made by fire, of sweet savour unto the Lord. 19 Then ye shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a sin offering, and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And ye shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation unto you: ye shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

22 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of the corners of thy field when thou reapest, neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 23: 1-22 KJV

Are you still confused about what belongs to God? Even the feasts, in which they celebrated or rested from their work, were holy convocations. When they gathered together, it was a holy assembly, the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened bread. God's revelation was in parts and how marvelous and wonderful the picture of Messiah was even then, but why they must have asked, why must it be this way for God's people? We think ourselves holy and fit just by acquaintance with the story of Jesus, or a bumper sticker on our car, the same knowledge the demons have and yet tremble. We do not tremble, at  the God who is infinitely and eternally Holy and therefore by that same measure and for that same time opposed to our sin. Remember, you don't make up the feasts, you are playing in His sand box with His materials, observing and living with what He has made. You are not God. We declare ourselves good and our reasoning good, and our laws good, but even when we gain the knowledge, that yes, this finite existence did not create itself, we would declare ourselves righteous. So often we are merely religious, simply arrogant and still asking, why does it have to be this way, why didn't he just do this or perform some other sort of magic that made us all good? You're still confused. You still wonder when will I ever use this algebra in the real world? We still think we are saying something deep. Only eight people survived a flood that destroyed the whole world. Only Lot and his two daughters survived Sodom and Gomorrah. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ find peace with God. It is His world, His story, His feast, His holiness, His love and His word that shall remain. In verse 22 you will even see early his definition of religion. "Neither shalt thou gather any gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them unto the poor, and to the stranger: I am the Lord your God." 

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35

19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, 20for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. 21Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly receive the word planted in you, which can save your souls. 

22Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. 23For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, 24and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom, and continues to do so—not being a forgetful hearer, but an effective doer—he will be blessed in what he does. 

26If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless. 27Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:19-27

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#273 Because of Who He Is

17 The Lord said to Moses, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘If any of you—whether an Israelite or a foreigner residing in Israel—presents a gift for a burnt offering to the Lord, either to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, 19 you must present a male without defect from the cattle, sheep or goats in order that it may be accepted on your behalf. 20 Do not bring anything with a defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. 21 When anyone brings from the herd or flock a fellowship offering to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without defect or blemish to be acceptable.22 Do not offer to the Lord the blind, the injured or the maimed, or anything with warts or festering or running sores. Do not place any of these on the altar as a food offering presented to the Lord. 23 You may, however, present as a freewill offering an ox[b] or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, but it will not be accepted in fulfillment of a vow. 24 You must not offer to the Lord an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, 25 and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects.’”

26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “When a calf, a lamb or a goat is born, it is to remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as a food offering presented to the Lord. 28 Do not slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young on the same day.

29 “When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 30 It must be eaten that same day; leave none of it till morning. I am the Lord.

31 “Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. 32 Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy 33 and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am theLord.” Leviticus 22: 17-33 NIV

What is it that you ask of the Lord, the Holy God, Creator of all that is present. What is actually yours to withhold from the One who made all things. Should He expect less of what belongs to Him, because it is what you would rather give. Should we maintain the defect as good because it is our preference to worship Him not as He is but in what manner we would like for Him to be? The demands off a perfect being, require Himself, and so should He not also place stipulations on those shadows of things to come? Keep His commandments and follow them, should we tell each other less, or is that madness, arrogance, delusion that speaks to us the ability to do so? I am not God, so I would prefer to know His commandments, and to repeat what He says rather than what I think. 

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. 2 With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

5 When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened. 6 Then some young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.

7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?”

“Yes,” she said, “that is the price.” 

9 Peter said to her, “How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

10 At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events. Acts 5: 1-11

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#272 The Hood

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane my holy name. I am the Lord.

3 “Say to them: ‘For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person must be cut off from my presence. I am theLord.

4 “‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease[a] or a bodily discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed. He will also be unclean if he touches something defiled by a corpse or by anyone who has an emission of semen, 5 or if he touches any crawling thing that makes him unclean, or any person who makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be. 6 The one who touches any such thing will be unclean till evening. He must not eat any of the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water. 7 When the sun goes down, he will be clean, and after that he may eat the sacred offerings, for they are his food. 8 He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, and so become unclean through it. I am the Lord.

9 “‘The priests are to perform my service in such a way that they do not become guilty and die for treating it with contempt. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.

10 “‘No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired worker eat it. 11 But if a priest buys a slave with money, or if slaves are born in his household, they may eat his food. 12 If a priest’s daughter marries anyone other than a priest, she may not eat any of the sacred contributions. 13 But if a priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, yet has no children, and she returns to live in her father’s household as in her youth, she may eat her father’s food. No unauthorized person, however, may eat it.

14 “‘Anyone who eats a sacred offering by mistake must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value to it. 15 The priests must not desecrate the sacred offerings the Israelites present to the Lord 16 by allowing them to eat the sacred offerings and so bring upon them guilt requiring payment. I am the Lord, who makes them holy.’”Leviticus 22: 1-16 NIV

The priest gains no special license or privilege in accordance with the keeping of the law. He is not exempt nor left with directions vague, so there is not the necessity for his interpretation. Whatever the people bring to him, they bring to God, and so the priest must remain clean. He must observe even the letter for he is it's guard and keeper. If he becomes unclean, he must refrain from his office and follow the same rule as any other. "I am the Lord, who makes them holy." The priest is not holy in himself, not by his own will, but because God who has chosen and set him apart is Himself Holy. The priest may not invite those outside his family to eat the sacred offering. That which is reserved to the honor of God is not token. It is not there for our business but rather His and so to our restraint and stewardship. We sneer but we live in our bellies and we talk out of our want and ignorance. The priests could not make exception, and the symbolism is strong for that of being unequally yoked. How marvelous the picture even here, of the daughter who does not marry a priest, it is not wrong for who to do so, but she is now even part of another family, outside the priesthood. Her husband does not gain privilege by marrying the priest's daughter. He has not bought his way in to spiritual power or a blind eye from God, no matter what the priests may do. God already decided, instructed, it is He who makes us holy in Him. God forgive me for where I am wrong, arrogant or lax. 

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?15 What accord has Christ with Belial?[b] Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

17 Therefore go out from their midst,

and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch no unclean thing;

then I will welcome you,

18 and I will be a father to you,

and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6: 14-18 ESV

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#271 From Fallen Eyes

7 “‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God. 8 Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.

9 “‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.

10 “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,must not let his hair become unkempt[b] or tear his clothes. 11 He must not enter a place where there is a dead body. He must not make himself unclean, even for his father or mother, 12 nor leave the sanctuary of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil of his God. I am the Lord.

13 “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin. 14 He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”

16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God.18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame,disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am theLord, who makes them holy.’”

24 So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites. Leviticus 21:7-24 NIV

A Priest could have a wife but not a prostitute or a divorced woman. The marriage union is sacred, deeply religious and ever the picture of Christ and His church. Christ would be without blemish but we are not, and it is His holiness to which we owe our admittance, not our own. It is to His image we are reconciled and so that it is not soiled with our present delusions of good; it is God's sanctifying work that forever changes us. 

It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money.…1 Timothy 3:1-3

The priest could not have defect, as he was fore-type of Christ. 

so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. 28So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;…Ephesians :27&28

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you…1 Peter 1:18-20

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#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

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#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

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#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.

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#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

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#266 Leviticus 20 Part 1 Who's Your Molech?

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:

5 Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people. Leviticus 20: 1-5 KJV

So again this Molech is mentioned, and from what I read he is a deity that was worshiped by those to whom Israel had association. As was so often the case with Israel and is found to be in the church today, these pagan practices were assimilated in to the lives of Abraham's children. It is a violation of the commandment:

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.3"You shall have no other gods before Me. 4"You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.…Exodus 20:2-4

I have read several descriptions of this, some describing an image made of metal that was heated to intensity. The children of those, who held such superstitious notions, were passed through the heat of the arms, and in this way preserved against infant mortality. It must have been a strong tie to the culture of the time, because it is mentioned by name and twice. God's demand is that we not make up our own gods, nor adjust our ideals to our neighbors. Here, the people are also commanded to not pretend that it is not happening. It will put you in an uncomfortable position for sure, and if you do not agree with every fancy or superstition that men subscribe to, then some will label you a bigot. "Look at the piece of wood" they say. "That is not wood, it is metal," you correct them. "That is not free," you tell them, someone had to earn it. "That is not the equivalent of your tonsils, it is a human being." In all this, and no matter how justified by way of truth and reason you may feel, it is ours to hate the lie and it's behaviors, not the sinner. If you truly hate the sin then you will most definitely find love and pray for mercy for the sinner, because you will see that same place from whence you came. You will find in yourself daily that need to confess your sin, and bring to God that which you did not find nearly so grotesque in days past. Pray for your neighbors and throw away your idols. 

20 Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sisterd whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21 The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. 1John 4: 20&21

Rage against God

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#265 Playing Church

20 Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.

21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.

26 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:

27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;)

28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.

29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit them shall be cut off from among their people.

30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that ye commit not any one of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am the Lord your God.

Leviticus 18:20-30 KJV

I remember being at a particular church as a young man, a church where the pastor had made himself unpopular with his parishioners. He did so by sharing what the word of God had to say about adultery, and for coming out against the men in the church for not taking responsibility. One of the matriarchs in the church even approached him, on behalf of the members, and asked that he leave the home life out of his messages, it was making some of the church uncomfortable. It is a misconception about pastors and or "Christians" in general that the Bible is so vastly open to interpretation, and that one must either find a pastor to their liking or bend the pastor to their will. The mistake here is assuming that this somehow makes right, that the pastor or any other reader of the word has such authority as to customize the gospel to your liking. 

5 So Christ has made us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get all tied up again in the chains of slavery to Jewish laws and ceremonies. 2 Listen to me, for this is serious: if you are counting on circumcision and keeping the Jewish laws to make you right with God, then Christ cannot save you. 3 I’ll say it again. Anyone trying to find favor with God by being circumcised must always obey every other Jewish law or perish.4 Christ is useless to you if you are counting on clearing your debt to God by keeping those laws; you are lost from God’s grace.

5 But we by the help of the Holy Spirit are counting on Christ’s death to clear away our sins and make us right with God. 6 And we to whom Christ has given eternal life don’t need to worry about whether we have been circumcised or not, or whether we are obeying the Jewish ceremonies or not; for all we need is faith working through love.

7 You were getting along so well. Who has interfered with you to hold you back from following the truth? 8 It certainly isn’t God who has done it, for he is the one who has called you to freedom in Christ. 9 But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect all the others.

10 I am trusting the Lord to bring you back to believing as I do about these things. God will deal with that person, whoever he is, who has been troubling and confusing you.

11 Some people even say that I myself am preaching that circumcision and Jewish laws are necessary to the plan of salvation. Well, if I preached that, I would be persecuted no more—for that message doesn’t offend anyone. The fact that I am still being persecuted proves that I am still preaching salvation through faith in the cross of Christ alone.

12 I only wish these teachers who want you to cut yourselves by being circumcised would cut themselves off from you and leave you alone! Galatians 5:1-12

So church membership, being circumcised, programs, customs and traditions, are not an alternate gospel. They in no way remove our need of the cross. There were plenty of false teachers in Paul's time, flatterers and self seeking prophets, so now you tell me that you found a pastor who agrees with you. You say you have a teacher that feels right, because she is all about love. Your teacher said that your lifestyle is a right of birth, and only condemned for the Jews who were under the law, yet were the people of Sodom and Gomorrah under such ceremonial laws? Do they even have anything to do with each other? I would think as people of the book we should want someone to tell it like it is, because how loving is it for your teacher to seek your approval at the cost of the truth and your relationship with a just God? Is He a God of confusion, or do His moral judgments still stand? You are not a person of the book, a Christian, if you are unwilling to view the whole of it, and telling me that you love me, without telling me the truth of God, is counterfeit. I was not born to any magical race though, and I have no special powers that separate me from the likes of all of humanity. Like you, I was born a sinner, but I know that there is power not of myself, but in the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Though the land would want to vomit us out, there is this hope in Jesus Christ for me and all my fellow human beings. I love you, and so I beg of you, please come to the Cross, trust in Jesus, not in men, pastors, religion, or yourself. 

13 For, dear brothers, you have been given freedom: not freedom to do wrong, but freedom to love and serve each other. 14 For the whole Law can be summed up in this one command: “Love others as you love yourself.” 15 But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always critical and catty, watch out! Beware of ruining each other.

16 I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. 17 For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite from the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures. 18 When you are guided by the Holy Spirit, you need no longer force yourself to obey Jewish laws.

19 But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group—and there will be wrong doctrine, 21 envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws.

24 Those who belong to Christ have nailed their natural evil desires to his cross and crucified them there.

25 If we are living now by the Holy Spirit’s power, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Then we won’t need to look for honors and popularity, which lead to jealousy and hard feelings. Galatians 5:13-25

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#264 Cut Off His Head

6 None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the Lord.

7 The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

8 The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.

9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.

10 The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.

11 The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.

13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.

14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.

15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.

17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.

18 Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.

19 Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness. Leviticus 18: 6-19 KJV

One would think these are common sense practices, that need not be mentioned. Leave your kinfolk alone. It's no secret that these practices have long been condemned, but now people question them, in light of so called "science". After all the Bible is "old and archaic", right, and as so many memes on Facebook have stated, "why is Christianity so concerned with other people's bed rooms and or reproductive organs?" It is a fair question, why should I be concerned? After all, I am told, that you can't help who you love, that we can now perform genetic testing to ensure that incest does not lead to deformity, and if two people cannot control themselves then they can also terminate the resulting life, if "need" be. So yes, we do have technology, and we can see in part why these laws were made, but yet they extend past those relations of blood. They extend far past those concerns of genetic degradation. There is more than just the letter here; there are matters most spiritual indeed, for if there is a God of creation then He be that same God over pro creation. In the spiritual, which we so quickly move away from or confuse with our own preferences for religion, there is also this foundation of marriage and family. It extends it to the extent of oneness, in that thy son's wife, brother's wife, daughter of a woman, even though not your own daughter by blood, it is a sin against thy son, brother, wife, and therefore against thine own person. These things were all common practice in the surrounding cultures, and even this week I have turned on the news and heard such a story about a man and his daughter. Christians are human too, and come from this world. It is no less a sin when it is heard of in the church; it is there the ultimate hypocrisy for aren't our very lives and testimonies to convict the world of sin? The concern is there, even an atheist has his opinions on such matters; it easy to pretend there is no absolute measure of right or wrong or that it is none of your business, and that you just want everyone to be happy, but there always comes a point where it matters. Do you protect your children? Do you condone all behaviors? Let's not forget that it is not the Bible that has so elevated the act of procreation that it has justified the prejudiced against sexual responsibility that is now so prevalent. It is not Biblical Christianity that sacrifices millions of children each year, promotes sex slavery or parts farming. The reality of it is, we live in a fallen world, but Christ came to seek and save the lost. The Bible points out these behaviors as sin, and they effect us both physically and spiritually. The whole of humanity has a view of sexuality that comes from this fallen and idolatrous nature. So, why do I care?

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, 5 but now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father,where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:1-15

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16: 15&16

I have to care, I have to change, I have to live it and speak it, or else I have not loved you. 

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