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Atonement
When man failed to live up to the requirements of the Old Covenant, God instituted His means
of pardoning man for his sin. In Leviticus, God instituted an elaborate series of sacrifices supervised by Levite priests (the word Leviticus in Latin means "about Levites"). These sacrifices enabled a sinful people to coexist with a Holy God.
The universality of man’s sinfulness presented by the Old Testament book of Leviticus is affirmed in the New Testament: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
The New Testament replaces the imperfect type of sacrifice of Leviticus with the perfect sacrifice of God’s only Son, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
The New Testament replaces the Levitical priest with the perfect High Priest (Jesus Christ). The Levitical priest could only enter the earthly tabernacle once per year on the Day of Atonement. Jesus, the perfect High Priest, has ascended to and remains in the heavenly tabernacle forever. The one sacrifice of the Perfect High Priest does not need to be repeated because He did not merely offer a goat or lamb but sacrificed His own life.
Lastly, Leviticus restricts salvation to the Old Covenant nation of Israel (God’s chosen people). But, the New Covenant opens up salvation to God’s people among all nations.
Some use Sunday to catch up on Bible reading missed during the week. Others prefer to double up on their reading on Saturday in order to set aside the Sabbath for church and fellowship. Either way, if you consistently read Scripture in the 15 or 20 minute increments shown above for an entire year, you will read all of Scripture in just one year.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Keeping Your Word
Chapter 30 of the Book of Numbers presents God’s Law concerning vows. Today’s society would greatly benefit from this Old Testament principle: "if a man makes a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he shall not break his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth" (Numbers 30:2).
The New Testament affirms this requirement: "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, you sha ll not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord . . . let your yes be yes and your no, no" (Matthew 5:33-37). How much better would this world be if we could trust each others word implicitly?
February’s readings will provide instructive and foundational truth for the rest of Scripture, especially the New Testament.
"Let your yes be yes and your no, no." (Matthew 5:33-37)
February
"as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct" (1 Peter 1:15).
Moses intercedes for Israel by reminding God that His covenant would be broken if He would destroy His people.
A Note About February
The February issue of All Scripture Advocate takes you through two books of the Old Testament which may be less familiar and more obscure (Leviticus and Numbers) than the first two books of Scripture (Genesis and Exodus). But, do not lose heart – all of Scripture is instructive and profitable.
Faithful Moses
The Bible is a special book. Its richness, depth and unblinking honesty never cease to amaze those who love God’s Word. Of particular note is the honesty of Scripture as it presents the lives of "heroes of faith." Without a doubt, one of the greatest of these heroes of faith is Moses. As we read about the life of Moses in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, we see, for all his failings, a man of zealous faith serving God as a prophet, priest and king over the newly born nation of Israel.
Moses had been chosen by God to receive special revelations, being privileged to speak with Him face to face. One of the most touching conversations between Almighty God and Moses is found in Numbers 14:11-15. God’s anger is aroused against the faithless Israelites because of their refusal to enter the Promised Land. The Lord threatens to destroy the whole nation and raise up a new nation from Moses’ descendants. But Moses appeals to the Lord on behalf of the people entrusted to him. What is the basis of his petition?
"One ordinance shall be for you of the assembly and for the stranger who dwells with you, an ordinance forever throughout your generations; as you are, so shall the stranger be before the Lord. One law and one custom shall be for you and for the stranger who dwells with you." (Numbers 15:15-16)
Man, by his fall, became incapable of living by God’s initial covenant. Keeping His Word, God sent a Redeemer to restore the covenant relationship. Through the New Covenant, man has been given the faith to receive Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior and, with it a desire (will) to live in covenant faithfulness according to God’s Word. "Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant" (Hebrews 7:22).
God’s faithfulness to His covenantal declarations extend to all men.
Holiness
A theme that runs throughout the Old Testament is the concept of holiness (set apart or distinct). As one reads the first five books of the Bible, it becomes evident that not only is God holy, he requires his people to be holy: "you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:45).
It is easy to get bogged down in seemingly endless lists of laws and ceremonial regulations in the Old Testament. But, seen in the context of God’s divine holiness, these passages can open our eyes to see God’s holy character.
In the midst of a cloudy culture which does what it wants to when it wants to, it is both refreshing and challenging to begin to look at our holy God as we begin to read through all of Scripture. As we read about God’s holiness and the Old Testament requirements concerning holiness, keep in mind that holiness is also a New Testament exhortation:
The honor, power and mercy of the Lord would be brought into question if Israel were destroyed.
Moses pleads for pardon for the sins of the people. The result? The prayer of righteous Moses availed much: "then the Lord said: I have pardoned, according to your word."
The life of Moses is full of examples of his faithful service to God. It is for our instruction and edification that these examples are included in Scripture. By commandment, precept, principle and example, the Holy Scriptures give us all we need to "be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17).
2 Timothy 3:16-17
Faithfulness of God
In the book of Numbers, a sharp contrast is drawn between God’s covenantal faithfulness and man’s faithlessness.
From a Biblical perspective, it is important to understand that a covenant begins with and is authored by God. Scripture uses the term covenant early to exhibit the character of God as worthy of the love and confidence of man. God cannot lie and assures us that He will do exactly as He says (Numbers 23:19). A sovereign God did not ask man’s opinion before instituting His covenants.
God expects man’s obedience. Man can expect God to keep His covenantal promises.