God Speaks
God’s Laws, Consequences for Breaking Them, Regulations Regarding Priests
Verse of the Day: “Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.” (Leviticus 20:7-8 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Leviticus 19-21:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Leviticus 19
1. God is holy and expects His people to be holy (wholly set apart for Him) as well. He is the one who who enables them to be holy.
2. In order to be holy, people are to obey the commands laid out here and in the rest of the Torah.
Leviticus 20
1. God planned for His laws to be for all the people in the land of Israel (Jew or Gentile) for their benefit.
2. People who don’t put God’s laws into practice will suffer the consequences of being removed from their community, their land, or their physical life.
Leviticus 21
1. God holds His special servants (the priests) to a higher standard than the rest of His people.
2. People are to honor the priests because they are the ones who offer their sacrifices to God.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Leviticus 19-21?
Dear awesome God, You are my LORD. You are the one who makes me holy, setting me apart for Your blessings and service to others. Only Your Holy Spirit living in me can enable me to obey these commands and regulations completely. You gave them to us out of love and had them written down so that we would know what You require of Your children. Please help me not to bring shame on Your name by swearing to what is false. Help me neither oppress the poor nor placate the rich and powerful; conversely, may I not favor the poor or defame the rich. May I always judge people fairly as individuals. Help me to love my neighbor as myself. Keep me morally pure. Help me not do the things that the ungodly do. Thank You, LORD, for saving me out of such things. LORD, abortion in our day is as horrifying as cultures in the past sacrificing their children to Molech. Please help me to do my part in standing against this evil practice. Keep my heart pure, unsullied from wandering to the other “gods” of this world. Help me to see that those who engage in perverted sexual practices have been deceived by the enemy of their souls and/or hurt by other human beings. Help me to point them to Your mercy and grace instead. Please help me to encourage and support Your special servants, professional Christian workers. May I be used to lighten their load. May they find joy and a sense of Your presence in the tasks You have assigned to them. You are the LORD who makes us holy. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Leviticus 19-21? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will examine my life to see where I have been unholy (not set apart for God) and to coness that to the LORD.
- I will use these chapters and confess my sins (failure to fulfill God’s moral commands); then I will claim the forgiveness that Jesus won for me at the cross.
- I will pray for the “priests” God has put in my life to remain faithful to God and be good servants to His people.
- I will set aside a special time each day to praise and honor God because as He has said, “I am the LORD.”
Share:
I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.