Scripture Reading — Leviticus 16:6-10, 15-19, 34“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all the sins of the Israelites.”— Leviticus 16:34When I was 12 years old, I told my father a lie—and I soon found that I had to tell more lies just to keep the first li
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 13:1-8; Matthew 8:1-4Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”— Matthew 8:3Rules in Leviticus about skin diseases and rashes may not make for the most comfortable reading—especially if we are reading this at mealtime. And there
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 10:1-7“[God] said: ‘Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; . . . I will be honored.’”— Leviticus 10:3On my first day of work at a McDonald’s restaurant, my cash drawer was short 10 dollars, and my manager wrote me up, leaving me worried about keeping my job.
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 9:22-24Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them.— Leviticus 9:22Our culture is obsessed with happiness. We seek joy in wealth, in our careers, in sports and leisure, and in a host of other things. Books have been written; research conducted; podcasts, m
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 8:1-9[Moses] put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him.— Leviticus 8:7A middle-school student asked why I was studying for eight years to be “ordained.” I explained that the church ordains ministers for special
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 6:1-7“When they . . . realize their guilt, they must . . . make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner. . . .”— Leviticus 6:4-5Recently a jeweler in my city was sentenced to 20 years in prison for defrauding customers. When peop
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 4:27-31“If any member of the community sins unintentionally . . . and they realize their guilt . . . the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.”— Leviticus 4:27, 31Rachel pulled Jon into her office to address his work performance. “Some of our c
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 7:11-15“And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the Lord.”— Leviticus 7:14When my daughter graduated from basic training for the U.S. Army, our family traveled to South Carolina to celebrate with her. Having eaten only Army food for three mo
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 3:1-6; Romans 12:1-2“If your offering is a fellowship offering . . . you are to present . . . an animal without defect.”— Leviticus 3:1When I was growing up, our family would often grill meat for our meals in the summer. My parents enjoyed grilled steak, but it didn’t s
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 1:1-9“You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you.”— Leviticus 1:4I’m not proud of this, but I’m a recovering guilt-denier. When confronted with something that I’ve done wrong, my first rea
Scripture Reading — Leviticus 1:1-2The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him. . . . He said, “Speak to the Israelites and say. . . .”— Leviticus 1:1-2Yesterday we saw how God’s perfect holiness meant that even Moses, whom God had specially chosen, had to be careful about approaching the Lord. How th
Scripture Reading — Exodus 40:34-38Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it. . . .— Exodus 40:35I first approached the Grand Canyon while holding the hand of my two-year-old son, Derek. He was energetic and loved exploring the world around him with little concern
