Thanks for joining us on this journey of building a consistent habit of reading our Bibles every day. The Bible reading plan we are using this year can be found here: One Year Bible or here on the Bible app. As always, if you miss a day, don’t feel compelled to go back and catch up. Just skip it and start back on today’s date. I am reading the NLT this year, but feel free to use whatever version you prefer. Now here are some thoughts from today’s readings:
Lay your hand on the animal’s head, and the Lord will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him.
– Leviticus 1:4
Why Leviticus? Why such a long, drawn out, tough to read book of the Bible? Its like reading a legal text book. This is where a lot of people give up on reading the Bible all the way through because it can seem so boring. But we have to assume that the God who created every thing we see knew what He was doing when He wrote the Bible. So, what was He thinking?
Well, later in the New Testament we’ll find that the purpose of legal books like Leviticus is to show us what it takes for a man to follow God perfectly. When you read it, imagine if you still had to obey all of these laws without ever messing up. Seems impossible, doesn’t it? Then we see the price that must be paid for our inevitable failure: bloody sacrifices.
Enter scene Jesus. He shows up and fulfills this law, therefore He doesn’t have to face the bloody sacrifices. Instead, He chooses to become that sacrifice once for all, giving His status as “law fulfilled” to all those who accept Him! The old law of Leviticus points us to the new law of Jesus’ grace! One major purpose of these legal books (and all of the Old Testament really) is to show us that we simply can’t do it on our own, no matter how hard we try. So as you read these tough books, let them help you understand how impossible a situation you faced. You could do never do it. Then thank God that, in Jesus, He did it for you!
What are your thoughts on the book of Leviticus?