A Work in Progress….

Leviticus 17:6 The priest is to splash the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.

The mention of “an aroma pleasing to the Lord” puts me in mind of the expression “Your attitude stinks.” I have seen and been guilty of stinky attitudes, and it can be quite painful to witness.

Leviticus 17:7 They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.’

And one thing that I have found in more recent years is that there is always something to be thankful for. I’m not talking about toxic positivity. I’m talking about genuine gratitude and praise for the gifts and blessings that are present, even with the troubles.

Leviticus 17:8-9 “Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to the Lord must be cut off from the people of Israel.

Precious Savior, I am sorry for the many, many, many times I have chosen griping over praise. Thank You that my default is shifting towards praise. Help me to see You, see Your gifts and blessings, to praise You, even in the hardships. Amen,

Leviticus 17:10 “ ‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 16:24 He shall bathe himself with water in the sanctuary area and put on his regular garments. Then he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people. 

The commentary that I read as I go through these verses has often bothered me in its subtle poking at other religions and other denominations. I think I intentionally read it so that I don’t get lost in an echo chamber of my own thoughts, but the jabs still bother me.

Leviticus 16:25 He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.

I don’t think that’s what God ever intended for His word. I don’t think He is threatened by other denominations or other religions. He is the one true sovereign God. He encourages us to love Him and love each other, pointing others to Him. No where does it say ridicule and shame are part of His philosophy.

Leviticus 16:26 “The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp. 

Precious Savior, We live in a world where it is shockingly easy to tear other people down in order to build ourselves up. I just don’t think that’s necessary or preferred. Help me to love You above all and love others as myself. Help me to shine Your light for all to see. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 16:27 The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and intestines are to be burned up.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 16:15 “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 

Again I am struggling with making this scripture relevant. It feels very distant from my daily life. So this morning, I again turned to Google AI to see if it could cut through the clutter and help me latch onto these verses in a way I couldn’t perceive. 

Leviticus 16:16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the tent of meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. 

Once again, the goodness of God’s word, the specificity of my prompt, and the assist of AI helped me connect by reminding me that “there is no amount of human messiness, internal chaos, or spiritual distance that God is unwilling to work through to get to you”. It is an important reminder, no matter how I get there.

Leviticus 16:17 No one is to be in the tent of meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the whole community of Israel.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the ability to use tools to help me understand Your word and make it relevant. Help me not to take Your word out of context or spin it to my worldview but to simply recognize Your loving presence and to draw closer to You. Amen.

Leviticus 16:18-19 “Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 16:11 “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 

I did some AI Googling for today’s verses as they are just not sticking. One sentence jumped out at me about the ritual performed by the priest during this time and that sentence dealt with “the heavy cost of bridging the gap between a holy God and a broken people”. 

Leviticus 16:12 He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. 

Again I find myself thinking of priests in a modern context with their crisp, clean white chasuble over a black cassock. But the reality of priests during the time of Leviticus was that they dealt daily with a lot of blood and gore. 

Leviticus 16:13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the tablets of the covenant law, so that he will not die. 

Precious Savior, I’m honestly not sure what to do with this observation other than to remember that things have changed substantially, both in the role of priests in worship and in the barriers to You, especially for individuals. Thank You that we now have a smoother path to You. Help me to walk that path often, to sit at Your feet, to soak in Your presence. Amen.

Leviticus 16:14 He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.

Have a blessed day. 

Leviticus 16:6 “Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his household. 

I’m sure I knew that the term scapegoat was originally used in this context and meant, quite literally, the goat that escaped death and was sent into the wilderness, symbolically carrying the sins of the community, but when I read this passage, all I can see is the modern meaning, which, according to Google means: “a person or group unfairly blamed for the mistakes, problems, or misdeeds of others”.

Leviticus 16:7-8 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat. 

And I can’t help but think that a lot of people who use the Bible to blame and hate and ostracize are using the Bible as a scapegoat, unfairly blaming the words in the Bible for the way the person chooses to interpret and use those words. It is imperative that we remember God’s heart.

Leviticus 16:9 Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering. 

Precious Savior, You are the epitome of love. You left the 99 to find the one lost soul. It hurts my heart that people use Your word to justify hatred and ostracization of Your children. Help us to be honest with ourselves about how we use Your Word. Help us to be true to Your heart when we do so. Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Leviticus 16:10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to be used for making atonement by sending it into the wilderness as a scapegoat.

Have a blessed day.