SEXUAL PURITY
Suggested Reading: Leviticus 17-18
(click scripture link to read online)
An Ibex on the run in Ein Gedi, Israel.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.
Key Verse: Leviticus 18:5
You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.
The words “I am the Lord” appear 18 times in today’s and tomorrow’s readings. God is establishing His infinitely high moral standards in the minds of a people who have just come out from Egypt, where they practised the abominations mentioned here. Let me point out again that persons were not called “abominable,” their acts were. There is nothing new here. The very things that corrupt society and destroy people and families are described in Moses’ writings. In our key verse, just before a long list of immoral acts, God promises, once again, that just as sin leads to death, obedience leads to life. It’s clear that God hates sexual sin, and it is also clear that He has made provision for the forgiveness of all sin. The words “cut off” could be understood, for example, as the imprisonment of a convicted pedophile. The sacrifices we read so much about were pictures of the final and complete Sacrifice for sin offered by our Lord Jesus.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, give me a loathing for sin and, at the same time, an intense practical love for the sinner. That includes my sin and myself. As the man of whom Jesus spoke prayed, “Lord be merciful to me a sinner,” and was made righteous before You, so I pray this prayer often. Thank You for this prayer that You guarantee, from the mouth of Jesus, will restore and maintain my relationship with You, O Holy God. Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
Those words, “I am the Lord,” remind me of standing beside the Sea of Galilee with my Middle-Eastern son-in-law. He told me of the significance of the 153 fish the disciples caught in John 21:11. His first language is Arabic, his second is Hebrew, and his third is English. He explained how in Hebrew, each letter has a numerical value, and “Ana Elohim” (“I am the Lord”) comes to 100, 50, and 3. Peter and the other disciples, who would have been graduates of synagogue schools, knew exactly what the risen Christ was communicating. My son-in-law is an ordained minister in the Nazareth Baptist Church, and I’ve checked this out with Hebrew scholars. We’ll be moving to the Gospel of John in nine days. Don’t get discouraged in Leviticus! How about you and I clicking right now and reading that portion about the fish…John 21:1-14. A lady told me the other day that it was not Leviticus where she got bogged down in her reading, it was Numbers. Something to look forward to, right?
Yours for the blessing of going back and forth between the Old and the New Testaments,
David
P.S. I trust all my Canadian friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday yesterday. Below is a photo of Norma-Jean and me just before enjoying a delicious turkey dinner with some of our family…
Great picture of you and Norma-Jean, David! Thanks for sharing! I have tried to see the bright side of Leviticus, but must also admit I’m ready for a change! Today’s reading was interesting in how certain sexual behaviours lead to destructive and unhealthy relationship with ourselves, others and the community at large. I respect how you clarify the sin from the sinner and about God’s love and redemption for all who acknowledge and confess. The significance of the number 153 was facinating to learn! Have a great day to you and all my fellow bloggers!
Dear David,
I’ve been following your blog eveyday, almost since it started… I’m very blessed by the readings, and your comments and prayers ..Thank you for helping me to actually enjoy reading Levitcus :0) I am also enjoying Reynold’s beautiful photos. And you and Norma Jean look awesome, thank you for sharing that with us… Thank you so much … and God Bless
Love in Jesus,
Diane
Lovely picture. Looks like you had a wonderful time…..I too enjoyed your interpretations. I mostly enjoy tha admonitions. It is a daily reminder to be diligent of my behaviour. I am also finding that I am becoming happier as a result of it.
Thanks again fo this
Nice picture David. Thanks again for the blog. It is really encouraging. I pray many come to the Lord through it. May God bless you and keep you and all your loved ones.
wonderful picture of you and Norma Jean.
I am still trying to understand Leviticus but its not easy I don’t want to give up yet.
Lianne Hogg
Great Thanksgiving Picture of You & Norma Jean…. thanks for sharing this with us…. Numbers is the difficult one for me….
Staying with you and enjoying every min of your teaching
God Bless You & Your Family …. as we journey through today…..God Willing for Tomorrow……..Di
Thank you for another wonderful reading and commentary! I am so blessed with the encouragement to go thru the OT and its fabulous to get the insight again of the significance of the 153 fishes…had heard it before but forgot.
What a lovely photo of the 2 of you that Reynold took, bless him! You both look the picture of health! ! Must be that all this reading the Law books of the Pentateuch does us good!
Wonderful picture! Thanks for the insights! This blog is going to reach Canadians (and around the world) in a most magnificant way!
I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Thou shalt have no other God’s before me. “I am the Lord”, that is my name. My glory you shall not give to another, neither shall you give my praise. God in the midst of us, now is guiding us. We just do a very simple thing and realize God;s Love flowing through now saturating our whole being. And God’s Love dissolves everything about itself, it has neither depth, neither length, nor breadth, neither comes or goes. It fills all space. The ancients called it LOVE and He that dwells in Love, dwells in God and God in Him. So with God’s Love saturating the whole soul, the soul is restored.
What a lovely picture of both you and Norma-Jean. Hope that you and your family shared a wonderful day together. I heard you like to have your apple pie with cheese, just like my Dad. He liked that saying too “Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze.” Keep smiling David!
Lovely picture David! I too am still trying to understand Gods word. I keep trying as well. Thanks for the encouragement and for the blog. I look forward to reading everyday. Love the photos too.
wonerfull picture of the two of you, we are so bless by God, are we not I love reading your 100 words. 100 words a day is just perfect for us God as so much to tell us we must spend great time reflecting on every words
God bless you for sharing your time with us everyday