April 7

Leviticus 10; Psalm 11-12; Proverbs 25; 1 Thessalonians 4

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 66: HOW IS THE SABBATH TO BE SANCTIFIED?
Answer: One day in seven should be especially devoted to corporate worship and other spiritual exercises that restore the soul’s rest in God and zeal for His name. It should provide physical refreshment and fit one for a week of devoted service to Christ.
Scripture: Leviticus 23:3; Isaiah 58:13, 14; Matthew 12:1-14; Mark 2:27; Romans 14:5-6.

Leviticus 10

This chapter is powerful because it teaches us about God and it teaches us about our sin nature as well.  Aaron’s sons are killed dramatically right after the great ceremony of the completion of the tabernacle and the glory of God had filled it and it was a new era…but a wet blanket is thrown on the fire when sin gets in the way.  Aaron’s sons act outside of the instructions of the Lord and they do not follow authority and they seek their own designs and they do not seem to have the glory of God in mind, but their own perhaps and they are potentially under the influence of alcohol as they enter the tent of meeting and possibly the most holy place uninvited.  God makes a clear statement to the people of Israel and to the priests that he is holy and he is to be honored and the tabernacle is to be sanctified and kept holy in every way (Lev 10:3).  Death was the penalty for their error and so would be the penalty of our errors if it was not for the blood of Christ.  God will sometimes bring severe discipline and there will sometimes be serious consequences to our sin.  We are to have a proper fear of the Lord (Matt 10:28).  We cannot be cavalier in our service to God or in our devotion…it is the mercy of God we seek, we are not deserving or meritorious of anything but wrath.  Back to the story…the bodies of Aaron’s sons are taken away and Moses warns Aaron and the young priests to not have anything to do with the bodies or the formal mourning because of their duty as priests.  Then there is another breech of process when Aaron and his remaining sons fail to eat the remainder of the sin offering as the are supposed to do.  Yet, there is no record of judgement except for Moses’ anger with them…no doubt there has been enough death for the day and Moses does not want to see these too be killed for their disobedience.  They discuss it and it seems that Aaron and his sons make a good point in establishing that they could not have eaten with good conscience and fasting in such a circumstance was deemed acceptable.  We must always observe our convictions and we nothing we do that does not proceed from faith is a sin…even if it is not clear in scripture (Rom 15:23, 14:14; James 4:17).

Psalm 11

This psalm speaks to the tension between the righteousness we need before God and what we do not have.  The entire OT speaks of the righteous and the upright in heart in contrast to the wicked.  Knowing that all are unrighteous except for the blood of Jesus we must understand that this terminology is in fact used for those that are deemed righteous in the same manner Abraham was (Gen 15:16; Rom 4:3, 11, 21-22).  So to we know that the grace of God will be training us in righteousness so that there is not merely a passive righteousness (Christ’s) but an active righteousness (our mixed and humble increase in holiness by slow sanctification process by the Spirit).  With strong language the psalmist expresses that God hates the wicked.  The question may arise as to whether this hatred is toward those who are wicked in the moment or only toward those who will remain in the state of rebellion.  Does he hate his elect until they are converted?  In what way is hate meant here?  I don’t have answers but I propose that God loves his sheep when they are lost and when they are found (John 10:10-11; Rom 5:8).  He has indicated that some are made for the purpose of destruction (Rom 9:20-22).  The Lord certainly has a love for all people but a saving love I believe he only has for his sheep (John 17:9; Rom 1:7; John 14:21, 23).  I believe that our sin is attached to us and makes us un-lovable in a saving sense without the sin being separated from us and killed on the cross (Col 2:14; Ps 103:12; Is 53:11; Rom 8:3).

Psalm 12

This psalm speaks of the world we live in where wickedness abounds and where there is a great congregation of those who are sinners and scoffers.  We must be careful not to be under the influence of this world that we are not standing and then sitting among them (Psalm 1:1).  Psalm 12:7 tells us that it will be the Lord that keeps us and sustains our faith and our righteousness for the next generation.  How will he do this?  Will it be a magical sprinkling of obedience or will it be by turning our hearts to love his Word and to meditate upon it day and night? 

Proverbs 25

Lots of gold here.  God does not make all things known to us but it is glorious to dive into his Word and seek out truth where it can indeed be found (Prov 25:2)!  More than one reference to humility and to allowing someone else to exalt you if you are so to be exalted (Prov 25:6-7).  Honoring others and keeping their trust and speaking in ways that give life instead of tearing people down is outlined (Prov 25:11).  We can be good listeners and sometimes we will need to give helpful correction (Prov 25:12).  Feeding our enemy may bring him to repentance by the conviction that comes from our love (Prov 25:21-22).  In the end two analogies are given for the believer who falls to temptation.  A muddied fountain and a city without walls.  Both of these people are seeking their own glory rather than the Lord’s.  Let us pray for protection and let us search the Word and hide it in our hearts that we may not sin against him (Ps 119:11).  Grant us walls of fire around this city O God (Zechariah 2:5).

1 Thessalonians 4

The biggest thing I see here is the discussion on holiness.  Paul makes it supremely evident that the Lord intends to make us holy and that without this growing personal holiness, we are without the Spirit of God.  This is serious stuff and quite a challenge to the idea of cheap grace and the so-called “carnal Christian”.  See 1 Thess 4:3-8.  What is the will of God for my life?  My sanctification.  My honoring of God in my body.  My purity.  My holiness.  Brotherly love.  There is no question in these things.  There is also some talk here of the resurrection of the dead on the Day of the Lord.  There are different views on when the church will be caught up in the sky as it relates to end time events and the great tribulation and I will not spend time on that here as this is not a primary lesson to take from this passage.

Soli Deo Gloria!