Leviticus 25:1-7 Sabbatical Year and Faith!

 1Then the LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath to the LORD.

3For six years you may sow your field and prune your vineyard and gather its crops. 4But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for the land—a Sabbath to the LORD.

You are not to sow your field or prune your vineyard. 5You are not to reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your untended vines. The land must have a year of complete rest. 6Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year shall be food for you—for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you, 7and for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. All its growth may serve as food.

“During the sabbatical year there must be no systematic harvesting of self-seeding crops, or such fruits as figs and grapes. Anything of this nature that the land produces without human aid is the property of all, and people are to obtain food wherever they can find it, just as the Israelites did in their wilderness wanderings.” (Harrison)

Todays observant Jews found a way to work around these verses. They would sell their land for a year to a gentile and continue to work it and after a year buy it back. 

In this way they could claim they didn’t own the property and didn’t have to follow the sabbatical year.

Failure to keep this law determined their captivity!

Leviticus 26: 34Then the land shall enjoy its Sabbaths all the days it lies desolate, while you are in the land of your enemies. At that time the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbaths.

What were the reasons for the land to have a sabbatical year? 

There was basically two, Faith in the Lord that He will provide and Ecology, to allow nutrients to be absorbed back into the soil.

Have faith that He is in control. 

As the human race runs towards destruction the lingering question is, how many souls will He reap before Jesus returns?

Do you have faith?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 24:17-23 Eye for an eye!

 17And if a man takes the life of anyone else, he must surely be put to death. 18Whoever kills an animal must make restitution—life for life. 19If anyone injures his neighbor, whatever he has done must be done to him: 20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he injured the other person, the same must be inflicted on him.

21Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. 22You are to have the same standard of law for the foreign resident and the native; for I am the LORD your God.’ ”

23Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

20fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. 

Guzik says that many people take this verse as a command but the Lord meant it as a “limit” because human nature wants to inflict more pain on the person (attacker) that hurt us.

Matthew 5: 38You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ 39But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; 40if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well; 41and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.  42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Have you ever been wronged and wanted to pay back the person?

I recently had a fence that was tore down and stolen. The fence was found up against the person’s house but he denied stealing it. My human nature wants to pay him back, “eye for an eye” but Jesus reminds me to forgive him. 

We will all be accountable to the Lord for our actions.

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 24:10-16 Blasphemy!

10Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father went out among the Israelites, and a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. 11The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name with a curse. So they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)

12They placed him in custody until the will of the LORD should be made clear to them.

13Then the LORD said to Moses, 14“Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole assembly stone him.

15And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If anyone curses his God, he shall bear the consequences of his sin. 16Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.

“In the Near East the name of a person was bound up intimately with his character, so that in the case of God, blasphemy was in effect an act of repudiation.” (Harrison)

“It seems that it was common for Egyptians to curse their many gods. The root of this man’s sin is he considers the LORD God of Israel on the same level as the petty Egyptian gods.” (Guzik)

Damit is not Gods last name!

I’m afraid I would have been stoned years ago!

I thank God, Jesus Christ completed the law and gave me the gift of salvation!

Would you have been stoned too?

Blessings, David 

The True Story of Thanksgiving!

 "Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor -- and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me 'to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.'

"Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be -- That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks -- for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation -- for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the tranquility , union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed -- for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted -- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

 

"And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions -- to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually -- to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed -- to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord -- To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us -- and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. George Washington."

The proclamation by George Washington was heard on the radio the other day from Rush Limbaugh.

RUSH: George Washington. Thanksgiving proclamation, first one. And this dovetails with the theme of the day, The True Story of Thanksgiving. This is George Washington's Thanksgiving proclamation, first one, establishing the Thanksgiving holiday as a distinct and unique American holiday. I'm gonna read it to you in toto. It's not that long.

May you have a blessed thanksgiving day!

David 

Leviticus 24:5-9 The Showbread and the bread of life!

 5You are also to take fine flour and bake twelve loaves, using two-tenths of an ephah for each loaf, 6and set them in two rows—six per row—on the table of pure gold before the LORD. 7And you are to place pure frankincense near each row, so that it may serve as a memorial portion for the bread, an offering made by fire to the LORD.

8Every Sabbath day the bread is to be set out before the LORD on behalf of the Israelites as a permanent covenant. 9It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place; for it is to him a most holy part of the offerings made by fire to the LORD—his portion forever.”

The Showbread and the bread of life!

1 Samuel 21: 1Then David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And when Ahimelech met David, he trembled and asked him, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

2“The king has given me a mission,” David replied. “He told me no one is to know about the mission or charge. And I have directed my young men to meet me at a certain place. 3Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”

4“There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread (Showbread)—provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”

5David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the equipment of the young men is holy, as it is even on common missions, and all the more at this time.”

6So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.

The Law was designed for man’s benefit, and that Christ is Lord of the Sabbath.

Matthew 12:1 At that time wJesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4 how he entered the house of God and ate bthe bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? 6 I tell you, dsomething greater than the temple is here. 7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

The Old Testament showbread placed on the table in the tabernacle provides a wonderful picture of Jesus, the Bread of Life. Jesus is holy before God, He provides true sustenance, and He is always present.

John 6: 35Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst. 

Do you believe Jesus is the bread of life?

Blessings, David

Leviticus 24:1-4 Lamps burning continually and light of the world!

 1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“Command the Israelites to bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to keep the lamps burning continually.

3Outside the veil of the Testimony in the Tent of Meeting, Aaron is to tend the lamps continually before the LORD from evening until morning. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come. 4He shall tend the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the LORD continually.

Jesus never stopped being the light of the world (John 8:12); He never took a break from it. As well, we are never to take a break from being the light of the world (Matthew 5:14), but we can only do this as we are continually supplied with oil (the Holy Spirit) and have our wicks trimmed (undergo training through trials). (Guzik)

John 8: 12Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Matthew 5: 14You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

When the Lord led us to adopt a child we had our wicks trimmed on a regular basis. It’s through this trimming the Lord makes you stronger and wiser in the faith, through this training you become the light of the world!

Job experienced trials (wick trimming) because of his faith in the Lord.

Paul experienced trials (wick trimming) so he could bring the gentiles to Christ.

Joseph experienced trials (wick trimming) so he could save a nation.

If you are not experiencing wick trimming, are you truly His?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 23:37-44 Feasts and a Banquet!

 37These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies for presenting offerings by fire to the LORD—burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its designated day. 38These offerings are in addition to the offerings for the LORD’s Sabbaths, and in addition to your gifts, to all your vow offerings, and to all the freewill offerings you give to the LORD.

39On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered the produce of the land, you are to celebrate a feast to the LORD for seven days. There shall be complete rest on the first day and also on the eighth day.

40On the first day you are to gather the fruit of majestic trees, the branches of palm trees, and the boughs of leafy trees and of willows of the brook. And you are to rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. 41You are to celebrate this as a feast to the LORD for seven days each year. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come; you are to celebrate it in the seventh month.

42You are to dwell in boothsi for seven days. All the native-born of Israel must dwell in booths, 43so that your descendants may know that I made the Israelites dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

44So Moses announced to the Israelites the appointed feasts of the LORD.

The first four feasts relate to the work of Jesus in His first coming, of His earthly ministry. (Guzik)

The feast of Passover: 1 Corinthians 5: 7Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

The feast of Unleavened Bread: Acts 2: 27because You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.

The feast of Firstfruits: Colossians 1: 18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence. 

The feast of Pentecost: Acts 2: 1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

The second group of the last three feasts relate to events connected with the second coming of Jesus.(Guzik)

The feast of Trumpets: 1 Thessalonians 4: 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. 17After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.

The Day of Atonement: Jeremiah 30: 7How awful that day will be!

None will be like it!

It is the time of Jacob’s distress,

but he will be saved out of it.

The feast of Tabernacles: Zechariah 14: 16Then all the survivors from the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them. 18And if the people of Egypt will not go up and enter in, then the rain will not fall on them; this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 19This will be the punishment of Egypt and of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

I look forward to the banquet in heaven!

Matthew 8: 11I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Do you?

Blessings, David

Leviticus 23:33-36 The Feast of Tabernacles, fall was in the air!

 33And the LORD said to Moses, 34“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month the Feast of Tabernacles to the LORD begins, and it continues for seven days. 35On the first day there shall be a sacred assembly. You must not do any regular work. 36For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the eighth day you are to hold a sacred assembly and present an offering made by fire to the LORD. It is a solemn assembly; you must not do any regular work.

“The Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of Booths and Sukkot, is the seventh and last feast that the Lord commanded Israel to observe and one of the three feasts that Jews were to observe each year by going to “appear before the Lord your God in the place which He shall choose” (Deuteronomy 16:16).”

“The feast begins five days after the Day of Atonement and at the time the fall harvest had just been completed.”

https://www.gotquestions.org/Feast-of-Tabernacles.html

When we were children our parents would sometimes take us to a cider mill after the apple harvest for cider and donuts. There would be pumpkins that were just harvested and fall was in the air.

I can envision the Feast of Tabernacles during this time when the fall harvest was completed and fall was in the air!

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 23:26-32 Day of Atonement!

 26Again the LORD said to Moses, 27“The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. You shall hold a sacred assembly and humble yourselves, and present an offering made by fire to the LORD.

28On this day you are not to do any work, for it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. 29If anyone does not humble himself on this day, he must be cut off from his people. 30I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on this day.

31You are not to do any work at all. This is a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live. 32It will be a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall humble yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to keep your Sabbath.”

Day of atonement, “also known as Yom Kippur, was the most solemn holy day of all the Israelite feasts and festivals, occurring once a year on the tenth day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar. On that day, the high priest was to perform elaborate rituals to atone for the sins of the people. Described in Leviticus 16:1-34, the atonement ritual began with Aaron, or subsequent high priests of Israel, coming into the holy of holies.”

https://www.gotquestions.org/Day-Atonement-Yom-Kippur.html

Jesus is our high priest!

Hebrews 7: 26Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself. 28For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.

Have you accepted Jesus’s sacrifice for your atonement of sins?

If so, that is your day of atonement!

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 23:23-25 Festivals of Trumpets or blow your own horn!

 23The LORD also said to Moses, 24“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of rest, a sacred assembly announced by trumpet blasts.e 25You must not do any regular work, but you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD.’ ”

“The fall festivals of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles during the seventh month (September/October) were celebrated in conjunction with the harvest of grapes, figs, and olives.” (Rooker)

“The Trumpets called them to cease from servile work in order to worship.” (Morgan)

Yesterday my wife was told by her manager that she was being put on paid 14 day Covid leave because she was exposed by a meeting she had with a supervisor. She was to cease work and to go home.

Please pray for protection and health!

Our worship group at church has a person that plays the trumpet on occasion. It’s a blessing to hear him play!

Have you ever heard the idiom, “blow your own horn”?

It generally means to boast about your achievements and abilities. ('Blow your own trumpet' is an alternative form.)

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 23:15-22 Feast of Pentecost and Reaping the Harvest!

 15From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count off seven full weeks. 16You shall count off fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD.

17Bring two loaves of bread from your dwellings as a wave offering, each made from two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour, baked with leaven, as the firstfruits to the LORD.

18Along with the bread you are to present seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—an offering made by fire, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

19You shall also prepare one male goat as a sin offering and two male lambs a year old as a peace offering. 20The priest is to wave the lambs as a wave offering before the LORD, together with the bread of the firstfruits. The bread and the two lambs shall be holy to the LORD for the priest.

21On that same day you are to proclaim a sacred assembly, and you must not do any regular work. This is to be a permanent statute wherever you live for the generations to come.

22When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

Fifty days after the feast of firstfruits, at the completion of the wheat harvest, Israel was to celebrate the feast of Pentecost.

Notice the instructions for reaping the harvest, leaving edges of the fields and gleanings for the poor and foreigners.

The first welfare program was instituted by the Lord!

When farmers reap their harvest nowadays do they leave anything for the poor?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 23:9-14 Firstfruits!

 9And the LORD said to Moses, 10“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. 11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

12On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, 13along with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of wine.

14You must not eat any bread or roasted or new grain until the very day you have brought this offering to your God. This is to be a permanent statute for the generations to come, wherever you live.

“The firstfruits at Passover would be barley, which ripens in the warmer areas as early as March.” (Harris)

Firstfruits are the Lords! Then you can partake in the harvest.....

I use to love beef barley soup but I can no longer eat it. 

One day there will be no more sickness and just maybe Jesus will cook us a meal like He did for the apostles! 😇

John 21: 9When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it, and some bread.

10Jesus told them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn.

12“Come, have breakfast,” Jesus said to them. None of the disciples dared to ask Him, “Who are You?” They knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and He did the same with the fish.

I can’t wait for that day, can you?

Blessings, David

Leviticus 23:4-8 Appointed Feasts!

 4These are the LORD’s appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times. 5The Passover to the LORD begins at twilight on the fourteentha day of the first month. 6On the fifteenth day of the same month begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. 7On the first day you are to hold a sacred assembly; you are not to do any regular work. 8For seven days you are to present an offering made by fire to the LORD. On the seventh day there shall be a sacred assembly; you must not do any regular work.’ ”

Appointed Feasts!

The Lord in the verses is making commands through Moses for appointed feasts. It’s the people’s choice to follow them and there will be consequences if they don’t. 

What will you do during Thanksgiving,, our yearly appointed feast?

Will you be cautious with the rise of Covid or will you ignore precautions and possibly suffer consequences?

Will you thank the Lord for your blessings?

Our church canceled our scheduled catered ingathering food stations because of COVID.

We are in our deer hunting season and as I type this without my glasses sitting in my elevated blind, it’s 25* and we have about 2” of snow on the ground. So far I’ve only seen turkey and squirrels!

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 23:1-3 The Sabbath!

 1Then the LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them, ‘These are My appointed feasts, the feasts of the LORD that you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies.

3For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.

“The Sabbath was not properly a feast, but like the feast days, it was a day set apart unto the LORD, and so a reminder regarding the Sabbath is here.” (Guzik)

I remember while growing up that Sunday was the day our family went to church and most stores were closed. Today, Sunday is like most days as most stores are open. I believe what is important is that we set aside a day to worship the Lord and that we practice a day of rest. Like sleep, our bodies need to rest from working, to recuperate and rejuvenate ourselves.

Also importantly, it doesn’t matter which day you practice the sabbath because as Christians we received the free gift of salvation and to put a requirement onto the gift would no longer make it a gift but a law stating that Jesus’ cruxifixction wasn’t enough, that we need to add man’s requirements to be truly saved!

Do you heap requirements upon the cruxifixction of Jesus?

Blessings, David 

Leviticus 22:26-33 A Thank Offering, Give Thanks!

 26Then the LORD said to Moses, 27“When an ox, a sheep, or a goat is born, it must remain with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on, it will be acceptable as an offering made by fire to the LORD. 28But you must not slaughter an ox or a sheep on the same day as its young.

29When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, offer it so that it may be acceptable on your behalf. 30It must be eaten that same day. Do not leave any of it until morning. I am the LORD.

31You are to keep My commandments and practice them. I am the LORD. 32You must not profane My holy name. I must be acknowledged as holy among the Israelites. I am the LORD who sanctifies you, 33who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD.”

I am the Lord, is repeatedly mentioned in these verses.

But why a thank offering?

1 Thessalonians 5: 18Give thanks in every circumstance, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

We don’t thank Him for evil but:

James 1:12

12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive vthe crown of life, wwhich God has promised to those who love him.

The Lord uses our trials, the evil we have endured to strengthen us for His purposes.

Read about Job or Paul (Saul) in the Bible and their trials they went through and how the Lord used their trials for His kingdom.

Remember, no matter what you are going through, He loves you!

Do you believe that?

Blessings, David

https://www.gotquestions.org/giving-thanks-to-God.html

Leviticus 22:21-25 Freewill offering and Free Will!

 21When a man presents a peace offering to the LORD from the herd or flock to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering, it must be without blemish or defect to be acceptable. 22You are not to present to the LORD any animal that is blind, injured, or maimed, or anything with a running sore, a festering rash, or a scab; you must not put any of these on the altar as an offering made by fire to the LORD.

23You may present as a freewill offering an ox or sheep that has a deformed or stunted limb, but it is not acceptable in fulfillment of a vow. 24You are not to present to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn, or cut; you are not to sacrifice them in your land. 25Neither you nor a foreigner shall present food to your God from any such animal. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and flawed.’ ”

Freewill offering, without blemish, without defect, without sores, they must not be deformed and flawed.

But we are deformed and flawed from birth with sin! 

Our free will (offering) must consist of freely opening our heart to Him, the confession of sins (repentance), the belief that he took our punishment and died on the cross for us and rose from dead so that we may have eternal life.

Our free will allows us to accept His grace and by grace alone we are saved!

Had you made your free will (offering) to Jesus?

Blessings, David

Psalm 23 He is my shepherd!

 Psalm 23 Berean Study Bible

A psalm of David.

1The LORD is my shepherd;a

I shall not want.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

for the sake of His name.

4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,b

I will fear no evil,

for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely goodness and mercy will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the LORD

forever.

Footnotes:

1 a See Revelation 7:17.

4 b Or the valley of deep darkness

We live in a dying world because of sin and every one of us goes through dark times at one time or another. 

We are going through one of those dark times in our life. 2020 has been a hard year for everyone. David’s psalm brings me comfort knowing He is my shepherd.

Yes, He is my shepherd!

"The sweetest word of the whole is that monosyllable, 'My.' He does not say, 'The Lord is the shepherd of the world at large, and leadeth forth the multitude as his flock,' but 'The Lord is my shepherd;' if he be a Shepherd to no one else, he is a Shepherd to me; he cares for me, watches over me, and preserves me." (Spurgeon)

Restores my soul!

"'He restoreth my soul.' He restores it to its original purity, that was now grown foul and black with sin; for also, what good were it to have 'green' pastures and a black soul!" (Baker, cited in Spurgeon)

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”.

"Death in its substance has been removed, and only the shadow of it remains. Some one has said that when there is a shadow there must be light somewhere, and so there is. Death stands by the side of the highway in which we have to travel, and the light of heaven shining upon him throws a shadow across our path; let us then rejoice that there is a light beyond. Nobody is afraid of a shadow, for a shadow cannot stop a man's pathway even for a moment. The shadow of a dog cannot bite; the shadow of a sword cannot kill; the shadow of death cannot destroy us." (Spurgeon)

“My cup overflows”!

"Beloved, I will ask you now a question. How would it be with you if God had filled your cup in proportion to your faith? How much would you havehad in your cup?" (Spurgeon)

“Goodness and mercy”!

"These twin guardian angels will always be with me at my back and my beck. Just as when great princes go abroad they must not go unattended, so it is with the believer." (Spurgeon)

“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”!

"While I am here I will be a child at home with my God; the whole world shall be his house to me; and when I ascend into the upper chamber I shall not change my company, nor even change the house; I shall only go to dwell in the upper storey of the house of the Lord for ever." (Spurgeon)

Please pray for us, pray for our country and pray that all your family will come to know the Lord.

We need to hold on to the prize, the promise of heaven with Jesus Christ because without out it we are nothing, nothing but dust.

Blessings, David