Monday, March 2  Leviticus 26-27; Psalm 112; Hebrews 10

Leviticus 26:  What is the reward for obedience and what is the consequence of disobedience?  What remedy is there for disobedience?

Leviticus 27:  Why do you think people would dedicate people and/or property to the Lord?

Hebrews 10: What can animal sacrifices NOT  do?

Journal Prompt: How can we enter the Holy Place?

Leviticus 26: Obedience is rewarded by God’s favor: prosperity in all aspects, but most of all God’s presence among His people.  Disobedience carried severe punishment in terms of a lack of God’s provision and presence.

Leviticus 27: The concept of vows is confusing – This is what Jesus said about making vows in Matthew 5:33-37: “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King.  And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black.  All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.this is an explanation from Pastor Ray Stedman:   “First of all, the nature of this vow is that it was made about persons, either about the individual who made the vow himself, or often it was a vow made out of desire for the benefit of someone else a parent, a child, a servant, or a friend. There are times when we become concerned about someone and tend to pray, Lord, if you’ll just do such-and-such for this person, then I’ll do something for you. What it amounts to here is that in Israel they were saying to God, I’ll support the work of the priesthood and give above and beyond what I ordinarily would give if you’ll just benefit or bless or help so-and-so. . . . On the spiritual level, of course, this applies to us. If we promise God certain things in moments of danger, or if we try to bargain with him, try to get him to work for us, God expects us to pay to the full, exactly what we promise. But if a man recognized that he didn’t have what it took, that he was too poor to pay the price, he could still offer a promise to God out of thanksgiving and gratitude, but the priest, the representative of God’s grace, would enter the picture and, in a sense, intercede on his behalf and establish a valuation he could meet.

This is a beautiful picture of those vows and promises we make not to bargain with God but to express to him our thanksgiving for all that he has been to us.

Hebrews 10: Animal sacrifices were shadows of the sacrifice of Jesus.  They cannot take away sin. We can enter the Holy place because of the sacrificial blood of Jesus.