4.7.25
Good morning!
My 17 hour, flat bottom syndrome, trip from Stanton Michigan, Michigan to Fort Walton Beach Florida was a success. The rain storms flooding throughout Indiana, northern Kentucky, Tennessee and Western Florida reminded me of the incredible power of God. Something I don’t want to take for granted any time of the year, but especially at the time of Passover/unleavened bread.
What I want to address with you today as we move into this book, Leviticus/vayikra or as it was originally known as Torat Kohanim, the law of the Priests. At the very beginning of the book there is a fundamental problem about sacrifices. To be completely honest, what most people think they know about sacrifice is wrong. There is an abundant joy in this process, but it is misunderstood. It’s mischaracterized. It’s Misclassified and that has caused the world enlarged part to be blinded to something extraordinary about it; that it accomplishes something very powerful. It’s relevant to passover. It’s still relevant to us today and I want to revisit it in this week of studies.
There is joy in sacrifice, literally sacrifice! Not your sacrificial living or your sacrificial giving...there’s joy in that too. Blood and sacrifice = joy? Huh!? I want to clearly see three important ideas this week (and there's many more).
First of all how it has been misunderstood that sacrifices are simply about sin, guilt and God‘s anger.
Number two, what the sacrificial system is actually about: Joyful intimacy and attraction.
Number three, understanding what sacred space means in the economy of God brings clarity to all of the korbanot/offerings. It's very straightforward. Are you ready?
Let’s identify the problem if you ask most followers of Jesus, what’s the primary purpose of sacrifice? What do you think they would say? Covering your sins, atonement. 99% of the time they probably say it’s about sin. It’s about guilt. It’s about escaping God‘s wrath. There’s even a bigger theological word for it 'expiation'; making amends, making atonement...and it makes sense when you consider some of the actual names of the sacrificial offerings: the sin offering and the guilt offering seem to point directly to the idea of dealing exclusively with sin. Yom Kippur, as another example, it seems one sacrificed and one carried away our sins, which partly reinforces this idea of sacrifice.
There is a very narrow view, as so often happens, with things surrounding Jesus. There's a very narrow view and this is causing us to miss something crucial. We must always keep in mind Exodus 25:8.
"Let them build me a sanctuary that I may dwell within them." (Ex. 25:8)
What is the point of building it? This is not a trick question. Let them build me a sanctuary that I may dwell within them. What’s the point of building it? Here’s the first necessary perspective. Remember that the heart of the sanctuary service which is outlined in Leviticus is not actually about removing or taking something away, instead it’s actually about producing something essential: intimacy, closeness and connection. The word, so often translated as sacrifice, is korban/to draw near from the word Hebrew karav.
That’s the idea of sacrifice. It's about coming closer not pushing something away or taking away and it’s primary indication to bring God closer to humans and to bring humans closer to God in essence (Jam. 4:8; Psa. 65:4; Lk. 15:17-20). The sacrificial system was a means of approaching and having communion with God; the means for His shekinah glory, His divine presence to dwell.
This is clearly emphasized when Aaron offers the sacrifice in Leviticus 9:5,6, 23, the glory of the Lord, His shekinah presence, appeared to all the people. When done properly, sacrifices draw God near. But what about what about sin? What about it with these sacrifices? It certainly matters! Tragically, when Israel abandoned their faithfulness to approach God on His terms, Ezekiel describes how the presence of God departed from the people. In other words, sacrifices were really good. They brought God intimately close. Their disobedience undid the good and it defiled not just the temple, but the very land. The land then vomited the people out like it had done before there was an exile; that was caused by sin.
God‘s presence departed. Ugh! To truly grasp the sacrificial system we have to understand two crucial ideas: sacred space where God literally dwells, and the true nature of impurity. According to the Torah These two concepts will clear up confusion so let’s look at this tomorrow.
For today, however, let's reconsider the truth of Scripture, not the simple answers of men...Jesus did away with that on the cross. Maybe, there's more to the story? Maybe, lacking an appropriate biblical narrative is hindering our intimacy?
More to come!
Happy Feast Season/Chag Sameach Pesach-Chag Hamatzah
Shalom
What I want to address with you today as we move into this book, Leviticus/vayikra or as it was originally known as Torat Kohanim, the law of the Priests. At the very beginning of the book there is a fundamental problem about sacrifices. To be completely honest, what most people think they know about sacrifice is wrong. There is an abundant joy in this process, but it is misunderstood. It’s mischaracterized. It’s Misclassified and that has caused the world enlarged part to be blinded to something extraordinary about it; that it accomplishes something very powerful. It’s relevant to passover. It’s still relevant to us today and I want to revisit it in this week of studies.
There is joy in sacrifice, literally sacrifice! Not your sacrificial living or your sacrificial giving...there’s joy in that too. Blood and sacrifice = joy? Huh!? I want to clearly see three important ideas this week (and there's many more).
First of all how it has been misunderstood that sacrifices are simply about sin, guilt and God‘s anger.
Number two, what the sacrificial system is actually about: Joyful intimacy and attraction.
Number three, understanding what sacred space means in the economy of God brings clarity to all of the korbanot/offerings. It's very straightforward. Are you ready?
Let’s identify the problem if you ask most followers of Jesus, what’s the primary purpose of sacrifice? What do you think they would say? Covering your sins, atonement. 99% of the time they probably say it’s about sin. It’s about guilt. It’s about escaping God‘s wrath. There’s even a bigger theological word for it 'expiation'; making amends, making atonement...and it makes sense when you consider some of the actual names of the sacrificial offerings: the sin offering and the guilt offering seem to point directly to the idea of dealing exclusively with sin. Yom Kippur, as another example, it seems one sacrificed and one carried away our sins, which partly reinforces this idea of sacrifice.
There is a very narrow view, as so often happens, with things surrounding Jesus. There's a very narrow view and this is causing us to miss something crucial. We must always keep in mind Exodus 25:8.
"Let them build me a sanctuary that I may dwell within them." (Ex. 25:8)
What is the point of building it? This is not a trick question. Let them build me a sanctuary that I may dwell within them. What’s the point of building it? Here’s the first necessary perspective. Remember that the heart of the sanctuary service which is outlined in Leviticus is not actually about removing or taking something away, instead it’s actually about producing something essential: intimacy, closeness and connection. The word, so often translated as sacrifice, is korban/to draw near from the word Hebrew karav.
That’s the idea of sacrifice. It's about coming closer not pushing something away or taking away and it’s primary indication to bring God closer to humans and to bring humans closer to God in essence (Jam. 4:8; Psa. 65:4; Lk. 15:17-20). The sacrificial system was a means of approaching and having communion with God; the means for His shekinah glory, His divine presence to dwell.
This is clearly emphasized when Aaron offers the sacrifice in Leviticus 9:5,6, 23, the glory of the Lord, His shekinah presence, appeared to all the people. When done properly, sacrifices draw God near. But what about what about sin? What about it with these sacrifices? It certainly matters! Tragically, when Israel abandoned their faithfulness to approach God on His terms, Ezekiel describes how the presence of God departed from the people. In other words, sacrifices were really good. They brought God intimately close. Their disobedience undid the good and it defiled not just the temple, but the very land. The land then vomited the people out like it had done before there was an exile; that was caused by sin.
God‘s presence departed. Ugh! To truly grasp the sacrificial system we have to understand two crucial ideas: sacred space where God literally dwells, and the true nature of impurity. According to the Torah These two concepts will clear up confusion so let’s look at this tomorrow.
For today, however, let's reconsider the truth of Scripture, not the simple answers of men...Jesus did away with that on the cross. Maybe, there's more to the story? Maybe, lacking an appropriate biblical narrative is hindering our intimacy?
More to come!
Happy Feast Season/Chag Sameach Pesach-Chag Hamatzah
Shalom
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