
My daily reading has been in Leviticus which is why I have been thinking about the Old Covenant Law so much. This mornings reading was in chapter 19. The current version I am using is” The Living Bible” which some really ignorant people have decided is a poor excuse of a a translation. What they fail to realize is it's not a translation, it is a “paraphrase” which is exactly what your pastor does when he expounds on the “Kings James” translation and tries to bring it into modern-day understanding so we who live in 2017 and don't speak ancient Hebrew can understand and apply God's Word to our lives. Jesus did the same thing, so are you going to call Jesus a demon just like the Pharisees did because He made the scriptures understandable to the common man of His day!
Enough of my rant for today! Jesus told us their would be tares growing with the wheat until the day of harvest, (Matthew 13:24 through 30). That's why it is so important for you to read your own Bible and do it daily! Even your pastor might be off without realizing it or maybe you are but until you have a common basis for discussion you will never know.
Returning to the perfection of the Mosaic Law,( before I get onto another rant), Chapter 19 of Leviticus basically reiterates much of the Mosaic law, especially the parts that are applicable to everyday life for the believers of the Old Covenant. Interestingly much of it applies to the believers of the New Covenant.
Of course since 70 AD when the temple was destroyed, the sacrifices where done away with for good. This is true because Gods one and only son became the one and final sacrificial lamb for all believers in the New Covenant. Non-the-less the principal still applies. When we have sinned a “Peace Offering” is appropriate and while you will never match Jesus's sacrifice, nor are you asked to, a demonstration of the recognition of your failure and an attempt to make it right is both an acknowledgment that God is Holy and your not, and the appropriate action if in fact you Love God and your neighbor.
What is sin?
That my friends is the very reason why reading/studying the Old Covenant is important for the believer in the New Covenant.. I have heard all kinds of things called sin, many of which are foolish behavior but simply are not sin. Although Paul taught that sin, is sin if we believe it is, it is important to note that as we mature and come into greater understanding of what sin is, we are to respect the beliefs of others by “not eating the meat of idols” in front of a person who believes it's a sin.(1st Corinthians 8: 8-10).
Here are some 'take aways' that I got from today's reading:
We must be Holy because God is Holy, vs 2
God provides from the blessings of His people for the poor and strangers, V 9 and 10
Honest and Kind behavior is expected towards everyone V 11 through 16
Love your neighbor, as yourself, v16 through 18 (Does this sound familiar?)
There is much more in this chapter and the next but hopefully this is enough to get your curiosity going so you will check it out yourself.
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