1 Corinthians 11

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I Corinthians 11:17-22, In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

This chapter begins to speak about the community at worship.  The first part of the chapter had to do with head coverings.  I didn't choose that for our main focus today but I do think it is worth a brief mention.  Paul implores the women to cover their heads and the men not to cover their heads.  This is confusing to us in a time and place in which head coverings serve an entirely different purpose (typically shade from the sun, warmth, or an accessory).  But in ancient Greek and Roman culture, the main difference between a man and woman's attire was that women covered their head with a scarf-like material.  The only women who did not do this were high class mistresses, slaves, prostitutes, and pagan prophetesses.  Thus, when the women didn't wear their head covering or it fell off in the movement of worship, it was a significant distraction.  In a highly patriarchal culture, it definitely sent the wrong signal, one that Paul really didn't want these women to send.

Then there was the whole issue of Holy Communion.  In our focus verses, Paul has some strong words for the Corinthians.  He says their meetings are doing more harm than good.  Basically, some of the wealthier members were eating first in private meals, consuming all the bread and wine, and leaving none for the poorer members.  It was gluttony and arrogance at its worst.  Those who had least were totally left out of that aspect of worship. 

I think about the Scripture in Acts 2 when the early church, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, sold property and possessions to ensure that there was no need among them.  They ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God.  Somehow, the Corinthian church failed to understand what it meant to be the church.  It truly is amazing how Paul perseveres, continues to love and teach them, continues to pray that they seek the Holy Spirit in their fellowship. 

As I write those words, I think about how it's amazing how God perseveres with all of us, continues to love and teach us, continues to pursue us even when we are arrogant, selfish, and uncaring.  I can read about the Corinthian church and be totally disgusted by their actions but I'm totally disillusioned if I think that we, that I, am all that different.

Let's pray...Dear God, How we need you!  On our own, we slip into an attitude of pride, arrogance, selfishness, and fear. We need your constant reminder to do better, to be the people you have called us to be.  Lord, we yearn to be filled with your Spirit so that we can look more like Jesus.  We need you desperately.  Help us live in a way that brings you glory, that demonstrates love, sacrifice, generosity, and kindness in all we do.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

1 Corinthians 10

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I Corinthians 10:23-24, “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24 No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

Paul continues to write about freedoms.  Yes, we have the right to do everything but that doesn't mean we should do everything.  While we may have the right to do something, the biggest question to ask is, "Is this building up the body of Christ?"  Paul emphasizes that while legalism isn't good, neither is it good to be overly permissive.  There are times when we should curb our freedoms if it might harm a new Christian or hurt the witness of the Gospel.  The bottom line is we need to think about our words and actions in every situation. 

I've been in small Christian gatherings in which certain members feel the need to loudly communicate their dislikes about a specific Christian ministry, another Christian church, or even a fellow believer.  Now, thinking about Paul's reasoning, they have the freedom to do this but is it beneficial?  Is it building up the body of Christ?  What if there was someone in the group who was a new believer or on the fence about faith?  How would such a discussion affect their faith journey? 

Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it.

Let's pray...Dear Lord, We mess up so often!  Please forgive us for the times when we have misused our freedoms.  Help us to think about and be aware of building up the body of Christ rather than doing harm.  Lord, more of you, less of me.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

1 Corinthians 9

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I Corinthians 9:1-6, Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

In this chapter, Paul continues his discussion on freedom in Christ.  There were obviously those in the Corinthian church who were challenging Paul.  We've talked about this in previous chapters - their view of Christian leadership was skewed.  The Corinthians viewed strong church leaders as those who made known their authority by lording it over others.  It was about power, reputation, and popularity.  Paul is the exact opposite.  He is saying that yes, he has freedoms and rights, but he doesn't abuse or misuse them. 

In these focus verses, Paul lists three rights/freedoms he clearly had but decided not to claim.  The first was the right to food and drink, the second was the right to be accompanied by a wife, and the third was to be paid for his work as an apostle.  He was a totally free man with rights but he intentionally chose not to use those rights.  Paul did not want to be swayed by personal whims or desires.  Rather, he wanted to be fully and totally focused on the Gospel.  Indulgencing in these freedoms, while they were not bad things, might divert him from the purpose.  Everything is about the mission for Paul and he didn't want to risk doing anything that could challenge his integrity and compromise the mission.  An important point that Paul makes is that by making these sacrifices, he is actually a stronger leader, not a lesser one. 

What is your view of Christian leadership?  Are sacrifices essential to achieving the mission?  What sacrifices have you made to share the Gospel of Jesus with others?

Let's pray...Lord Jesus, you are our ultimate model of Christian leadership, one that demonstrates love, generosity, and extreme sacrifice.  We pray for our leaders, Lord.  Help them stay focused on the mission and make the choices and sacrifices necessary to do what you are calling them to do.  Help us all make the choices and sacrifices necessary to do what you call each of us to do.  In Your Name, Amen.

1 Corinthians 8

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I Corinthians 8:9-12, Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.  For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ.

The Christians in the church at Corinth would have experienced a significant life change when they came to know Jesus.  The Corinthian lifestyle was wild.  It involved idolatry, sexual debauchery, and lots of indulgence.  Those who were new to the Christian walk might be very concerned about eating food sacrificed to idols or other things associated with their past lives.  They might be "legalistic" simply because they weren't mature or confident in their new Christian walk.  They might be very concerned about doing the wrong thing.

Paul is saying, "Of course it doesn't matter what meat you eat but if it negatively affects the new faith of a Christian brother or sister, then be sensitive to that." Ditch the meat if need be.  What's most important is demonstrating love to that brother and sister and supporting them in the faith.  Don't be judgmental of them; simply love them. 

Let's pray...God, sometimes, we are judgmental of other believers.  Maybe we think they are too legalistic or too indulgent.  Regardless, these are brothers and sisters, people you love and people with whom we will spend eternity.  Help us love each other, God, as you have called us to do.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

1 Corinthians 7

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I Corinthians 7:29-31, What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not;  those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

This whole discussion on marriage is interesting.  Paul is not opposed to marriage but there is a certain tension in this chapter.  He is genuinely concerned about those who marry and have families.  There is the whole issue of not being totally and completely dedicated to God (because they are also dedicated to their spouse and children) but there is also a present distress that exists and may get worse.  At that time in Corinth, there was definite pressure being put on the Jews and increasing pressure on the new Christians.  We know from reading history that intense persecution is on the horizon. 

Living in stable societies, rarely do we think much about the effect of persecution, warfare, and oppression on families.  Paul was very right; those who were married with children would in fact suffer more.  They would worry more about the safety and welfare of their children and it would be more difficult for them to pick up their lives and flee.  It was only fifteen years after Paul wrote this letter that Jerusalem was destroyed.  What did the families do in such circumstances?  I can't help but think about the fate of families in more recent conflicts - Rwanda, Bosnia, Syria, and now Afghanistan. 

Let's pray...Lord Jesus, we pray for the safety and welfare of families around the world.  Right now, we pray that you place a hedge of protection around families in Afghanistan.  I can't imagine the fear and desperation of parents.  Lord, give wisdom to parents here in the U.S. Help us focus on you as we raise kids in the present distress.  In Your Name, Amen.

1 Corinthians 6

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I Corinthians 6:7-11, The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul continues to press this issue: Jesus-followers should look different than the culture around them.  Why were they allowing secular courts to decide issues that should have been worked out in the church?  Why were they getting pulled into disputes that distracted them from the mission in the first place? 

And then Paul presents a list of wrongdoings which have no place in the church.  He is imploring them, "You know better!"  You've been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  You are different now, new creations, so behave like it.  I read this and it feels like Paul is in parent-mode.  He is telling the Corinthians to remember who and whose they are! 

Two thousand years is a long time and yet people are still people.  We aren't any better today; I do hope everyone realizes that.  Yes, we think we are quite sophisticated.  We think we are quite knowledgeable.  But, just like the Corinthians, we still forget what it means to belong to Jesus.  We still allow the values and temptations of the world to seep into our lives.  How often we blend so neatly into the world around us! Do our neighbors and coworkers even know that there is something different about us?  Let's just leave it there and let it soak in a bit.  I'll close with some more words from the apostle Paul in Romans 12:1-2 (the Message),

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Let's pray...Oh God, you put up with so much mess from us!  Forgive us for when we fall short over and over again.  We truly want to be holy and set apart.  Reveal to us how we need to change.  Convict us, Lord.  We need you.  More of you, less of me.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

1 Corinthians 5

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 I Corinthians 5:1-5, It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.

A significant problem in the church of Corinth was both sexual immorality and sexual deviancy, which simply underscored their shallow discipleship.  Corinth was a port town that was home to the Temple of Aphrodite, a pagan temple with many, many prostitutes.  Sexual immorality was rampant and almost a way of life in the city.  It is in this context that the apostle Paul was trying to develop a holy church, based on commitment to Jesus rather than the pagan gods and ways of being.  We see the struggles over these first few chapters. 

In chapter five, Paul addresses a case of incest in the church, specifically a man sleeping with his father's wife (presumably his stepmother).  While this might have been acceptable in Corinthian society, it is absolutely deplorable among God's people.  This kind of behavior was forbidden in the Torah and that translated into the church.  The people of Jesus were also supposed to seek holiness and sexual morality was part of that.  They are the body of Christ.  Paul seems to be less concerned about the specific act and more concerned about the attitude of the Corinthian church.  Why does this not bother them?  It is their arrogance and general complacency that really put Paul over the edge.

Let's be real.  This is just as much as issue in today's church as it was 2000 years ago in Corinth.  Why don't we behave like the body of Christ, holy and blameless?  We tolerate all kinds of stuff!  Do we demonstrate the same kind of arrogance and complacence?  Certainly something to think about. 

Let's pray...Lord Jesus, we want to truly be your body on earth, people seeking holiness.  Yet, we fail over and over again, every single one of us.  Don't give up on us, God.  Fill us with your Holy Spirit and transform us from the inside out.  Convict us of our sin.  More of you, less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.

1 Corinthians 4

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I Corinthians 4:4-13, Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you!  For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!  To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.

You have to love the apostle Paul's sarcasm! He has really had it with the Corinthian church's arrogance.  You see, they think they are mature, healthy, and effective.  They think they have arrived.  But Paul is making it quite clear: No, you have not!  Why? Because they are worldly in their thinking, they are full of themselves, they have no desire to make sacrifices or suffer.  They are comfortable, concerned more about status, popularity, and reputation than about serving Jesus.  Paul makes this interesting argument that a servant is not greater than his master.  The Corinthians clearly think they are better. 

Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it."  Part of the Christian experience is giving up one's life, one's wants, one's desires, and even one's comfort, basically the things of this world, in exchange for the things of Jesus. What things of this world might you still be holding onto?  If you were to be brutally honest with yourself, can you relate to the Corinthians?  Spend some time in prayer about this today.  How might God be speaking to you through this chapter today?

Let's pray...Lord Jesus, How I often forget that there is simply an audience of one.  God, help me be fully and totally devoted to you.  The things of the world are temporal but you are eternal; reveal to me the things of the world that I have yet to submit to you.  More of you, less of me.  Amen.

1 Corinthians 3

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I Corinthians 3:1-4, Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

Paul continues to have harsh words for the Christ-followers at Corinth.  They think they live by the Spirit, but Paul tells them they actually are still living by worldly standards. He had to teach them like babies in the faith; they lack maturity.  One example of this is their view of Christian leadership.  They see leadership as focusing on an individual, that person having a following, pitting one person again another.  In a sense, they view Christian leadership as a popularity contest.  Paul makes the case that there are no individual superstars in Christian leadership.  Different people have different tasks at different times.  Some people plant, some people water, and others harvest.  One task is not better or more important than another.  They are all necessary for expanding God's Kingdom. 

My own experience is that Christian leadership has to be rooted in humility.  Jesus is of course our ultimate example.  As a servant leader, he washed dirty feet, touched lepers, and ultimately gave up his life for those he led.  No superstardom there, just a lot of rolling up sleeves, getting dirty, and experiencing sacrifice.  We find a beautiful example of Christian leadership in Philippians 2:5-8:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.

 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

Let's pray...Holy God, how we get so distracted.  Even when we've walked with you for a long time, we still have a tendency to see things from an earthly perspective.  Forgive us, Lord.  Help us grow to be servant leaders - humble, self-sacrificing, generous, and grace-filled. Help us be more like you.  In Your Name, Amen.

1 Corinthians 2

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I Cor. 2:14-16, The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.  The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
    so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

To put it mildly, Paul is frustrated with the church at Corinth.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they have access to the mind of Christ.  Paul is saying that even though they are believers who have received the Spirit, they are beginning to behave like unbelievers.

How easy it is for Christians to say yes to Jesus but then sit back and not grow.  There is also the temptation to slip into comfortable, easy Christianity (an oxymoron if ever there was one).  The reality is in our culture and society, a person can profess faith in Jesus, go to church, go through the motions, but never know the mind of Christ.  How critical it is to unite with other believers who will encourage us to grow and challenge us to live in the Spirit. 

Do you have the mind of Christ?  Do we have the mind of Christ as a body of believers?  What will it take for us to get there?

Let's pray...Jesus, we need you.  Bind us together.  Help us grow and stretch one another so that we can live according to your Spirit.  More of you, less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.

1 Corinthians 1

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I Cor. 1:10-12, I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas]”; still another, “I follow Christ.”

In this first chapter of I Corinthians, we immediately notice this is a letter.  Paul starts by identifying himself as the author and makes it clear that the recipients are those in the church at Corinth.  After a brief expression of thanksgiving, Paul wastes no time at getting to a most pressing point.  There is disunity in the church.  Factions have emerged over who to follow.  Some say they follow Paul, others say Apollos or Cephas, and some say Christ.  We don't know the details of the disagreements, or how the factions came about.  Really, I don't think the fine points are that relevant.

What's more interesting to me is how Paul handles the situation.  He reminds them who and whose they are.  He reinforces the mission.  We get so distracted by our own egos and allegiances, the mission is what suffers.  The mission is sharing the Gospel, spreading the Good News of Jesus. 

Let's fast forward 2000 years.  How often have we as individual Christ-followers and as a church gotten off track because of disagreements with other Christians?  Think about people you have personally known who have left a church because they got mad about something.  Conflicts over individual personalities, music styles, bruised egos, miscommunication, or even the color of the new carpet, can totally derail a church from the true mission!  What if we just had laser focus on Jesus?  What if the mission trumped everything else?  How might that change things?

Let's pray...Lord Jesus, forgive us for the many times we have focused on things other than your mission.  Help us become stronger and more unified as a church with you firmly at the center.  May your Holy Spirit guide our words, our actions, and our every thought.  Help us be so firmly rooted in you that nothing can distract us from our calling as disciples.  More of you, less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.

Leviticus 27

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Leviticus 27:1-8, The Lord said to Moses,  “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If anyone makes a special vow to dedicate a person to the Lord by giving the equivalent value, set the value of a male between the ages of twenty and sixty at fifty shekels of silver, according to the sanctuary shekel; for a female, set her value at thirty shekels; for a person between the ages of five and twenty, set the value of a male at twenty shekels and of a female at ten shekels]; for a person between one month and five years, set the value of a male at five shekels of silver and that of a female at three shekels of silver; for a person sixty years old or more, set the value of a male at fifteen shekels[h] and of a female at ten shekels. If anyone making the vow is too poor to pay the specified amount, the person being dedicated is to be presented to the priest, who will set the value according to what the one making the vow can afford.

To make a vow meant to make a promise to God voluntarily; it was not done in response to a rule or any kind of divine requirement.  Someone might make a vow to dedicate their child to God during a time of crisis, or possibly out of extreme gratitude, or even out of a sense of calling.  This did not mean their child would work in the tabernacle (that was for priests), but they followed these guidelines as a way to consecrate their child to God.  People were assigned a value based on age and usefulness to society as a whole.  We could probably spend a lot of time talking about why women were valued less than men but for now we will have to settle on this - it was a different culture, a different time, in a highly patriarchal society. 

While we don't assign monetary value to individuals (thank goodness!), we certainly do consecrate ourselves and even our children to God.  The word consecrate simply means to make something sacred by dedicating it to God.  As Jesus followers, we are called to consecrate our whole lives to God.  This means our whole life, every single part of our existence, is dedicated to the Lord and his work in the world. 

Let's pray...Take my life and let it be consecrated to you, Lord Jesus. Take my thoughts, my work, my loved ones, my resources, and my time.  They are yours to be used for your purposes.  In Your Name, Amen.

Leviticus 26

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Leviticus 26:40-41, But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me, which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin,  I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. 

This is a chapter of blessings and curses.  If you obey the covenant, you will be blessed.  If you don't obey, things won't be so good for you.  But we tend to think of things in terms of individual obedience.  These blessings and curses were for the nation of Israel as a whole.  If the entire nation was faithful and obedient, then the rain would come and the land would be fertile.  This did not mean that one faithful man would get rain on his land and his unfaithful neighbor would experience drought. 

So what is the application for us today?  I think this chapter hints at how we have a tendency to forget God in times of prosperity.  When life is good, when we are getting along with our spouse, when the bills are all paid, when there is plenty of food on the table, we don't focus much on God, despite the fact that he is the one who has provided us with all these good things.  It typically is when things are really hard that we go to God and plead for help. 

This chapter also speaks to another truth.  When we find ourselves in sin, we can confess to God and receive forgiveness.  While we aren't the covenant community of Israel, we are individual Christ-followers who have a unique relationship with the living God.  Because of Jesus, we can go boldly before the throne of grace and ask for forgiveness for our individual sins.  I don't believe the blessings and curses apply to us like it did the ancient Jews but we still reap what we sow.  Thus, when we have messed up, we need to fall on our face before a holy God and ask for restoration.

Let's pray...Almighty God, God of the Ages, the one who was and is and is to come, we come before you today knowing that we have failed you over and over again.  Forgive us for our sins, Lord.  We truly want to do better.  We want to reflect Jesus so that others can see your love.  Restore us today, Lord.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Leviticus 25

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Leviticus 25:8-12, Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.  Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines.  For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.

What an interesting chapter!  Here we learn about the Sabbath year and the year of Jubilee.  Every seventh year the land was to remain fallow, to get rest.  Using the same pattern of the days of the week, a Sabbath year was a time in which God's land is replenished and the people must rely solely and completely on God for their bounty.  The year of Jubilee was the Sabbath of Sabbaths.  After seven Sabbath years (49 years), the following year (the 50th year) was the year of Jubilee.  Similar to the Sabbath year, the year of Jubilee was a time in which the people refrained from working the land and allowed God to provide food and other resources for their survival.  It was also a time of giving land back to the people who originally inhabited it.  If a family was down on their luck and needed to sell their land to survive, they get it back during the year of Jubilee.  If a Jewish person found themselves in a terrible bind and had to sell themselves into slavery, they received their freedom during this year of Jubilee.  It was a year of putting things back the way they were supposed to be.

Not surprisingly, historical records indicate that these laws regarding the Sabbath year and the year of Jubilee frequently were not followed by God's people.  And yet, they served such important purposes.  If followed correctly, they ensured that the people were reminded, even just one year out of every seven, that they needed to rely totally and completely on God.  Leaving the land fallow meant not planting and harvesting, simply waiting for God to provide.  Second, this momentous year was a way of ensuring that no one got rich off their fellow Jew.  Eventually, the land would return to the original owner.  The slave and his family would be granted their freedom. 

How might we celebrate a Sabbath year or a year of Jubilee in our context?  What might we this look like today in 2021?

Let's pray...Lord, we thank you for ensuring that the land and the people get rest.  We know this was your design.  God, help us discern how we can honor your jubilee year today.  We know there are people living in our community who are yearning for jubilee.  Give us wisdom, Lord. In Your Name, Amen.

Leviticus 24

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Leviticus 24:17-21, Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death.  Anyone who takes the life of someone’s animal must make restitution—life for life.  Anyone who injures their neighbor is to be injured in the same manner:  fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The one who has inflicted the injury must suffer the same injury. Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a human being is to be put to death. 

We tend to think of "an eye for an eye" as harsh punishment because Jesus reinterpreted it in such a radical way, but really this justice code in Leviticus was quite fair in its day.  Consequences were to be fair, not arbitrary.  This provided guiding principles for Israelite judgements; the punishment should fit the crime.  It also demonstrated the value of human life.  If someone killed their neighbor's animal, they should not lose their life for that.  They need to make restitution in some way, but human life was much more valuable than the life of a sheep or goat. 

Of course, Jesus took this principle and set the bar even higher.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." Jesus took what was fair and just and made it compassionate and self-sacrificing. 

Let's pray...Lord Jesus, over and over again you demonstrate your love and compassion and we fall short.  Help us to see others the way you see them.  Help us be filled with compassion and willing to sacrifice for others who wrong us.  More of you, less of me.  In Your Name, Amen.

Leviticus 23

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Leviticus 23:3, There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly. You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a sabbath to the Lord.

This chapter details the appointed feasts that God instituted for his people.  These were national celebrations, during which the people of God renewed their allegiance to God. For the most part, the religious feasts coincided with the agricultural seasons.  I do hope you have read through the chapter and gotten a feel for the religious festivals.  I would suggest you pick one or two and do some deeper research online.  These are fascinating!  God truly cared about his people, their well-being, and their dedication to him. 

What's interesting to me is that the Sabbath is considered the primary, foundational religious festival.  I guess I've never looked at Sabbath that way, but it was the most celebrated feast (once a week) and it was the basis of all the other feasts.  It was so important that it was included as part of the ten commandments.

The reason I picked this particular feast on which to focus is that we as a society truly struggle with it.  How many of us take one day every single week and set it aside for rest and focusing on God?  I'll be very honest - I am terrible at this!  Since Sunday is a work day for me, I've always said that Friday or Saturday is my Sabbath.  However, it's very tempting to simply work through those days too.  It needs to be done, right?  God doesn't care, right?  As I sit here and think about how Sabbath was the foundational religious feast, I'm really convicted.  While I'm not legalistic and I do believe that things are different on this side of the cross, I still think that God designed us to take times for rest. 

When do you take your Sabbath day?  Do you treat it as a feast or simply another day? 

Let's pray...God, we live in a society that never stops.  Help us to find a way to take time each week that is dedicated to rest and focusing on you.  Lord, help us (help me!) make this a reality.  We need you, Lord.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Leviticus 22

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Leviticus 22:31-33, Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord. Do not profane my holy name, for I must be acknowledged as holy by the Israelites. I am the Lord, who made you holy and who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.

Our focus verses for today conclude the section that details the rules concerning priests.  "Keep my commands and follow them...I am the Lord, who made you holy and brought you out of Egypt..."  What was the priests' motivation to follow all these various rules that God instituted regarding the priesthood, including what they could eat, who they could marry, how they could behave when a loved one died, etc.?  This was the God who led them out of slavery in Egypt!  God was their deliverance and that motivated their faithful service.  Of course, our motivation is different.  We probably don't think much about the Israelites being delivered out of Egypt, but we do find motivation in the cross.  We serve a God who voluntarily died for us so that we could be reconciled to a holy God.  His amazing love is our motivation for Christian service. 

Let's pray...God, we stand in awe of you.  Thank you for being a God of deliverance and salvation.  We are so very grateful for how you work in our lives and allow us to walk hand in hand with you.  Lord, help us be better reflections of your love and grace each and every day.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Leviticus 21

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Leviticus 21:1-4, The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die, except for a close relative, such as his mother or father, his son or daughter, his brother,  or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean. He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage, and so defile himself.

This chapter discusses the rules for priests.  As the people's representatives before God, they were held to some pretty hefty standards regarding holiness.  The high priest, as the one person who walked into the holiest of holies (where the presence of God dwelt) one day a year, had even stricter lifestyle guidelines to which to adhere.  While I am sure it was an honor to be a priest, it was also a heavy responsibility. 

Christian leaders are also held to a higher standard than the average churchgoer.  There is something special but also a bit fearful when we lead others in the faith.  In our context, a leader's character is critical.  Paul details the requirements to be an elder in the early church; it meant being a person with high integrity. Church leaders are supposed to be good examples to the flock they guide.  Check out I Peter 5:2-3. Too often, we have seen public Christian leaders fall from grace, damaging the lives of all those involved in their scandals and damaging the Kingdom at the same time.

Your leaders need your prayers.  It can be a stressful and heavy load.  Pray that they can walk close to God even when (especially when) things are tough. 

Let's pray...God, we pray for our Christian leaders and pastors.  Help those who lead be focused on living a life characterized by holiness so that they can be good ambassadors for Jesus. When their own lives get messy (and we know they will), stay close to them, Lord, and help them have laser focus on their call rather than the things of this world.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Leviticus 20

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Leviticus 20:22-23, Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.

This is a chapter filled with some very serious regulations.  Most, but not all, are related to sexual relations.  The penalty for sexually deviant behavior was usually death (although there isn't a lot of evidence that the death penalty was actually carried out as a result of these offenses).  To our twenty-first century, post-resurrection sensibilities, this all seems very severe.  But I have to keep returning to this point: God was forming a holy people, a nation that was so very different from the pagan cultures around them, a group of people who valued the God-given gift of creation.  Anything that even slightly resembled the pagan people groups around them, things like child sacrifice, incest, or the occult, was absolutely detestable to God.  His people were set apart. 

God still calls us to be set apart.  While we have experienced the grace of Jesus Christ, we aren't supposed to abuse our freedom.  There are still standards of behavior for God's people. It was never the plan for us to blend so nicely into our culture that no one would know who and whose we are.  How are you set apart?  What kind of changes may you need to make to live a life characterized by holiness?  Spend some time in prayer today.

Let's pray...God, holiness is what we long for and what we need.  Reveal to us the things in our life that need some adjusting.  More of you and less of me.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Leviticus 19

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Leviticus 19:1-2, The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.'"

This chapter includes a list of various laws that illustrate a lifestyle of holiness.  These are laws that demonstrate that being holy isn't simply about how we interact with God but it is most seen in how we live our lives in community.  Holiness indicates separation; the Israelites were to be separate and behave differently from the cultures around them. While holiness was often seen as religious piety, how they obeyed and worshiped God, it is clear from this chapter that God also saw holiness as being lived out in how people cared for one another.  This valuing of human life separated the Israelites from the people around them. 

As Christ-followers, we often think that holiness is something that was required of God's people long ago.  But living a life characterized by holiness is still an important attribute of God's people.  In Romans 12, the apostle Paul urges us to offer our whole selves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.  In I Thessalonians 4, Paul tells the church in Thessalonica to live holy lives.  I Peter 1 says to be holy is all we do.  What are we to make of this?  How does this connect to the Old Testament passage we just read?

As previously mentioned, God was forming a holy nation, a people that behaved and looked different from the pagan nations surrounding them.  In the same way, God calls us to behave and look different from the people around us.  If we are blending so well into the culture around us that people don't know we belong to Jesus, then we've got a huge problem!  I want to be clear, as Jesus-followers, we aren't supposed to separate ourselves from the world.  We need to be in the world to shine the light of Jesus, to be in the world but not of it.  We are to seek a life that reflects the holiness of Jesus Christ; to live with integrity and Godly values, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, to love and care about others. These things will naturally separate us from our surrounding culture and people will take notice. 

Let's pray...Lord, holiness is what I long for.  Help me grow in holiness.  More of you, less of me.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.