Leviticus 1:10-13 Cut the animal into pieces.

10If, however, one’s offering is a burnt offering from the flock—from the sheep or goats—he is to present an unblemished male. 11He shall slaughter it on the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides. 12He is to cut the animal into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and fat, atop the burning wood that is on the altar. 13The entrails and legs must be washed with water, and the priest shall bring all of it and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

A bull had to be skinned but not a sheep or a goat.

Michigan has a state holiday, it’s opening of rifle deer season, all the schools close and the hunters are in the woods trying to bag the buck and fill the freezer. Michigan is what I would call a poor state especially in the northern areas. I’ve known people that hunt deer year round for food, illegally. If you ever hunted and you take game you have to field dress it and drain the blood, cool it down by any means and hang it. Skin it and butcher it, “cut the animal into pieces”. It’s not a pleasant task.

Imagine sacrificing to the Lord, all the bulls, sheep, goats and birds, hundreds of them! 

Jesus completed the law, He was the final sacrifice!

Was He yours?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 1:5-9 A pleasing aroma!

5And he shall slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests are to present the blood and sprinkle it on all sides of the altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 6Next, he is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.

7The sons of Aaron the priest shall put a fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8Then Aaron’s sons the priests are to arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, atop the burning wood on the altar. 9The entrails and legs must be washed with water, and the priest shall burn all of it on the altar as a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

“ a pleasing aroma to the LORD.” 

I think we could assume the Lord likes a good barbecue!

But in context let remember, confessing your sins and transferring to the bull and then the bull becomes the burnt offering for your sins. 🩸 

Let’s sing from Spurgeon’s sermon on Leviticus,

“I lay my sins on Jesus,

The spotless Lamb of God;

He bears them all and frees us From the accursed load.” 🩸 

“Could your tears forever flow, Could your zeal no respite know,

All for sin could not atone,

Christ must save, and Christ alone.” 🩸 ✝️

Do you lay your sins upon Jesus?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 1:1-4 Lay her hand!

1Then the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying, 2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When any of you brings an offering to the LORD, you may bring as your offering an animal from the herd or the flock.

3If one’s offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer an unblemished male. He must bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for its acceptance before the LORD. 4He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, so it can be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

Leviticus picks up where Exodus left off, they are at the base of Mount Sinai and will remain there through the book of Leviticus.

“He is to lay his hand on the head”...

“For our immediate objective there was no need to have taken our present text, for there are many others of the same effect. Look at Leviticus 3:2, “And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offer- ing, and kill it at the door of the tabernacle.” Glance at the eighth verse, “And he shall lay his hand upon the head of his offering, and kill it before the tabernacle.” Turn to chapter four, verse four, the second clause of the verse, “He shall lay his hand upon the bullock’s head, and kill the bullock before the Lord.” As also at the fifteenth verse, “And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands upon the head of the bullock before the Lord: and the bullock shall be killed before the Lord.” To the same effect is the twenty-fourth verse, “And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering.” All through the book of Leviticus, the laying on of the hand and the killing of the victim are mentioned in immediate connection. These are each of them so important, and so full of meaning, that we must have a sermon upon each of them.” (Spurgeon)

A song about Christ:

“My faith does lay her hand On that dear head of Yours. While like a penitent I stand, And there confess my sin.”

Have you confessed you sin?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 40:34-38 YHWH is living among His people!

34Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35Moses was unable to enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

36Whenever the cloud was lifted from above the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out through all the stages of their journey. 37If the cloud was not lifted, they would not set out until the day it was taken up. 38For the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel through all their journeys.

Without the cloud and the glory of the Lord, it was just a fancy tent! The same could be said of a church or a home.

“The book ends with the fulfillment of the promise of Exodus 29:45. YHWH is living among His people: the theology of the presence of God has become the fact of His presence.” (Cole)

Exodus 29: 45Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God

“To speak of a journey is to look for an arrival: He who has begun a work of salvation for Israel will complete it (Philippians 1:6).” (Cole)

Philippians 1: 6being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Why are we seeing riots, burning and looting in 29 cities which some claim is civil war? Because Satan is working overtime to destroy our country. We officially support Israel, but on the other hand we as a nation are becoming anti God with abortion, one parent families and anti God in our schools and government.

As Christians, what can we do? Pray, pray and pray some more! Never forget the Lord is in control, I’ve read the Bible and He wins!

Is He your God?

Blessings, David 

Exodus 40:18-33 Just as the LORD had commanded him!

18When Moses set up the tabernacle, he laid its bases, positioned its frames, inserted its crossbars, and set up its posts. 19Then he spread the tent over the tabernacle and put the covering over the tent, just as the LORD had commanded him.

20Moses took the Testimony and placed it in the ark, attaching the poles to the ark; and he set the mercy seat atop the ark. 21Then he brought the ark into the tabernacle, put up the veil for the screen, and shielded off the ark of the Testimony, just as the LORD had commanded him.

22Moses placed the table in the Tent of Meeting on the north side of the tabernacle, outside the veil. 23He arranged the bread on it before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

24He also placed the lampstand in the Tent of Meeting opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle 25and set up the lamps before the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded him.

26Moses placed the gold altar in the Tent of Meeting, in front of the veil, 27and he burned fragrant incense on it, just as the LORD had commanded him. 28Then he put up the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 29He placed the altar of burnt offering near the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, and offered on it the burnt offering and the grain offering, just as the LORD had commanded him.

30He placed the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar and put water in it for washing; 31and from it Moses, Aaron, and his sons washed their hands and feet. 32They washed whenever they entered the Tent of Meeting or approached the altar, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

33And Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar, and he hung the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard. So Moses finished the work.

There is a reoccurring theme in these verses, “just as the LORD had commanded him.”

We have that choice also or we can ignore the Lord and suffer the consequences!

A good Father chastises His children when they disobey Him.

You might stubbornly say, He has never told me outright to do anything!

Really? Has your conscience ever whispered in your ear?

Have you ever read His Book and had a thought pop up in your head and refused to act?

Has your heart ❤️ enticed you to do something and you failed to follow His lead?

Let it be said of you, just as the LORD had commanded him! Or her!

Blessings, David

Exodus 40:9-17 Anointing!

9Take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it; consecrate it along with all its furnishings, and it shall be holy. 10Anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils; consecrate the altar, and it shall be most holy. 11Anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate them.

12Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. 13And you are to clothe Aaron with the holy garments, anoint him, and consecrate him, so that he may serve Me as a priest. 14Bring his sons forward and clothe them with tunics. 15Anoint them just as you anointed their father, so that they may also serve Me as priests. Their anointing will qualify them for a permanent priesthood throughout their generations.”

16Moses did everything just as the LORD had commanded him. 17So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month of the second year.

“For their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood - By this anointing a right was given to Aaron and his family to be high priests among the Jews for ever; so that all who should be born of this family should have a right to the priesthood without the repetition of this unction, as they should enjoy this honor in their father's right, who had it by a particular grant from God. But it appears that the high priest, on his consecration, did receive the holy unction; see Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 6:22; Leviticus 21:10. And this continued till the destruction of the first temple, and the Babylonish captivity; and according to Eusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem, and others, this custom continued among the Jews to the advent of our Lord, after which there is no evidence it was ever practiced. See Calmet's note Exodus 29:7 (note). The Jewish high priest was a type of Him who is called the high priest over the house of God, Hebrews 10:21; and when he came, the functions of the other necessarily ceased. This case is worthy of observation. The Jewish sacrifices were never resumed after the destruction of their city and temple, for they hold it unlawful to sacrifice anywhere out of Jerusalem; and the unction of their high priest ceased from that period also: and why? Because the true priest and the true sacrifice were come, and the types of course were no longer necessary after the manifestation of the antitype.” (Adam Clarke)

Clarke refers to “See Calmet's note Exodus 29:7 (note)” 

Antoine Augustin Calmet, O.S.B., a French Benedictine monk, was born at Ménil-la-Horgne, then in the Duchy of Bar, part of the Holy Roman Empire.

His notes were in French and weren’t translated, but George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary quotes him a lot and I couldn’t find a reference to Calmet’s note on Exodus 29:7 Then take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. BSB

Some say anointing by pouring the oil on the head until it ran down the beard and some say in the hands. 

But our high priest Jesus, had His feet anointed.

John 12:3 Then Mary took about a pint of expensive perfume, made of pure nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. BSB

I believe it’s the act of anointing not where the anointing oil or perfume is poured that is important.

Blessings, David 

Exodus 40:1-8 (On Fire 🔥 For Him!)

1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“On the first day of the first month you are to set up the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. 3Put the ark of the Testimony in it and screen off the ark with the veil. 4Then bring in the table and set out its arrangement; bring in the lampstand as well, and set up its lamps.

5Place the gold altar of incense in front of the ark of the Testimony, and hang the curtain at the entrance to the tabernacle. 6Place the altar of burnt offering in front of the entrance to the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting. 7And place the basin between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it.

8Set up the surrounding courtyard and hang the curtain for the entrance to the courtyard.

“Set up the Tabernacle on the first day of the new year. NLT

Verse 2 indicates that it’s been 1 year since they were brought out of Egypt, it was the anniversary of Exodus!

"It is generally supposed that the Israelites began the work of the tabernacle about the sixth month after they had left Egypt; and as the work was finished about the end of the first year of their exodus (for it was set up the first day of the second year) that therefore they had spent about six months in making it: so that the tabernacle was erected one year all but fifteen days after they had left Egypt. Such a building, with such a profusion of curious and costly workmanship, was never constructed in so short a time. But it was the work of the Lord, and the people did service as unto the Lord; 'for the people had a mind to work.' " (Adam Clarke)

When we come to Christ and the Holy Spirit enters us we also had a mind to work, to read, to learn more about Jesus. We are on fire 🔥 for Him!

There is nothing more pleasant to watch as a new Christian on fire for Christ, to do service as unto the Lord!

What quenches that fire that we once had?

Blessings, David