Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 19:1-4.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.  Every one of you shall reverence his mother and his father, and you shall keep My sabbaths;  I am the Lord your God.  Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods;  I am the Lord your God.”  Leviticus 19:1-4.

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Today’s Scripture reminds us three times in only four short verses:  “I am the LORD your God.”

You would think that we would be more careful learning about the attributes of the LORD our God revealed in Scripture.  But, we desire more to build an idol of god of our fantasy within our mind.

So, who is the LORD?

Is He a god of our desires and fantasy that loves everyone but bows down to alleged human free-will and waits with arms folded to see if someone will accept him or not?

Or, is the God, the God revealed in Scriptures, a sovereign and victorious God Who hates and punishes the wicked but Who loves His elect and does everything to save them such that not one of His elect perishes?

Simply, is the LORD a reactor or an initiator?

Is the LORD more concerned about His holiness and our holiness or is the LORD more concerned about what we want?

Jeremiah 9:23-24 drives home this point that our single focus should be to learn about Who is this LORD of Scriptures.

“Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches;  but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth;  for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.”  Jeremiah 9:23-24.

Calling yourself a Christian is not enough.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’  And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;  depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”  Matthew 7:21-23.

Even zeal is not enough.

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.  For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.  For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.”  Romans 10:1-3.

We may have a mind that loves to pursue idols, the god of our fantasy.  We may be lost.  We may be dead in sin.

But, there is hope!

We have a Savior and Good Shepherd Who makes alive those dead in sin, Who seeks out the lost and saves, and Who guides His sheep into all truth.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:1-7.

Jesus said:  “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”  John 10:14-15.

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth;  for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak;  and He will disclose to you what is to come.”  John 16:13.

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”  John 17:3.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 18.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+18&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God.  3 You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you;  you shall not walk in their statutes.  4 You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, to live in accord with them; I am the Lord your God. 5 So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.

6 ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord.  …

24 ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things;  for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 25 For the land has become defiled, therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land has spewed out its inhabitants.  26 But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you 27 (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled);  28 so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you.  29 For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people.  30 Thus you are to keep My charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them;  I am the Lord your God.’”  Leviticus Chapter 18:  Verses 1-6 and 24-30.

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We live in a day and age in which diversity is promoted more than the Divine.  We are pressured into the mantra that because some people do some things, we need to accommodate those things into our society and even into our own beliefs and into our own actions.  There is no longer right or wrong in this day and age.  Truth is relative, not absolute.  In this day and age, we act as if there is no God and no punishment.

“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”  2 Peter 3:3-4.

But, there is the Divine.  Truth is absolute.  God is sovereign and reigns.  Nothing escapes God’s attention and reach.  The wicked will be punished.

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked;  for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”  Galatians 6:7-6.

“4 The Lord is in His holy temple;  the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes behold, His eyelids test the sons of men.
5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates.
6 Upon the wicked He will rain snares;
Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous, He loves righteousness;
The upright will behold His face.”  Psalm 11:4-7.

“But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”   2 Peter 3:7.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived;  neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”  1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

But, less we become proud and exclaim:  “I am not one of those!”, this Scripture continues with both accountability and hope:  “Such were some of you;  but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”  1 Corinthians 6:11.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 17.  Here is a link to this chapter – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+17&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded, saying, 3 “Any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or who slaughters it outside the camp, 4 and has not brought it to the doorway of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord before the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguiltiness is to be reckoned to that man.  He has shed blood and that man shall be cut off from among his people.  5 The reason is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing in the open field, that they may bring them in to the Lord, at the doorway of the tent of meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord.  6 The priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and offer up the fat in smoke as a soothing aroma to the Lord . 7 They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot.  This shall be a permanent statute to them throughout their generations.”’  …

“10 ‘And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people.  11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls;  for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’”  Leviticus Chapter 17:  Verses 1-7 and 10-11.

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Today’s Scripture teaches that the blood is reserved for sacrifice to the LORD, and there is power in the blood.

Unlike some who teach that Christ shed blood for all, but it is up to man’s alleged free-will to make that blood effective to save, Reformed Doctrine teaches that Christ shed His blood only for the elect, but for all those elect whom Christ shed His blood, they all were effectively redeemed and completely saved, not one is lost.

Although some may love to sing:  “There is Power in the Blood!”, their doctrine contradicts their song.  But, those who teach Reformed Doctrine can truly sing:  “There is Power in the Blood!”

Article 8.   For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation: that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever.”  SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE  Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.  Canons of Dordt. 

How we consider the blood is extremely important!

“How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.”  And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”  Hebrews 10:29-31.

Arminians (and many others who do not necessarily label themselves as such) hang on to the false doctrine that Jesus died for everyone (“Universal Atonement” – The Third Point of Arminianism) and they love to speak about the power in Christ’s blood.  But, Arminians realize that their doctrine forces them to conclude that Christ’s blood (as they claim, shed for everyone) by itself did not save, “purchase”, or “redeem” anyone, because they admit that most people are not saved.  Arminians claim that it is up to man to generate his own faith through his own free will in order to make Christ’s blood effective to save.  They claim that the only difference between the saved and the unsaved is not Christ’s blood, because everyone gets the blood, but rather the only difference is whether or not a certain individual will exercise his own free will to make the blood effective.  According to this logic of these Arminians, man’s free-will exercise of faith, not Christ’s blood, is the determining factor as to whether or not one will be saved.

Because Arminians talk about the blood all the time, it is true that in a sense they are trampling it, not in the sense of being hateful to it but in the sense of treating it as ineffective by itself, like the description in Matthew 5: 13: “…if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again?  It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.”

This Hebrews 10:26-31 Scripture does not apply to the person who steadfastly rejects Christ.  That person did not receive the knowledge of truth as stated in Hebrews 10:26.  That person is not sanctified, so to speak, as is stated in Hebrews 10:29.  That person does not talk about the blood of Christ.  Rather, this Hebrews 10:26-31 Scripture speaks about those received or were exposed to knowledge of the truth and were sanctified so to speak but nevertheless denied the power of the blood and insulted the Spirit of grace.  Rather, this Scripture applies to Arminians who love to talk about Christ’s blood all the time, but who really treat Christ’s blood as ineffective by itself , that it does not actually “save”, “purchase”, nor “redeem” anyone, because they teach that most people are not saved and that it is up to man to generate his own faith through his own free will in order to make Christ’s blood effective to save.

Likewise, the Arminian can be compared to the one who insults the Spirit of Grace as is mentioned above in Hebrews 10:29.  Think of a situation in which your father took you out to a very expensive dinner and even left the tip in addition.  However, you did not think that the tip was sufficient so you add your $5 to the tip.  Wouldn’t your father be insulted that you thought that what he did was not enough? Likewise, Arminians insult God by their doctrine that believes that the blood of Christ is not enough, they feel that they must add their own tip of faith.  The Calvinist thinks of faith as a gift of God;  the Arminian thinks that faith is their own gift to God which is necessary to secure salvation.

In conclusion, your hope is not based on your feeble, fleeting, and futile free-will.  Your hope is based on the precious and powerful blood of Christ:  “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”  1 Peter 1:18-19.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 16:29-34.

“29 “This shall be a permanent statute for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall humble your souls and not do any work, whether the native, or the alien who sojourns among you;  30 for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you;  you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord. 31 It is to be a sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls;  it is a permanent statute.  32 So the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priest in his father’s place shall make atonement:  he shall thus put on the linen garments, the holy garments, 33 and make atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make atonement for the tent of meeting and for the altar.  He shall also make atonement for the priests and for all the people of the assembly. 34 Now you shall have this as a permanent statute, to make atonement for the sons of Israel for all their sins once every year.”  And just as the Lord had commanded Moses, so he did.”  Leviticus 16:29-34.

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“atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you;  you will be clean from all your sins before the Lord.”  Verse 30.

“Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it.  For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.  For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said,

“As I swore in My wrath,
They shall not enter My rest,”

although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.  For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;  and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.”  Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, 7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before,

“Today if you hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts.”

For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.  So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.  For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.  Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience.”  Hebrews 4:1-11.

In today’s Scripture, we notice the importance of humbling our souls and resting.  We don’t depend on ourselves to save ourselves.  We don’t just try harder.  Instead, we trust a faithful God.  We rest.

Reformed Doctrine helps us humble our souls by “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Reformed Doctrine helps us trust a faithful God and rest by “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace”, and “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 16:20-28.

“20 “When he finishes atoning for the holy place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall offer the live goat.  21 Then Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins;  and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness.  22 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary land;  and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.

23 “Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there.  24 He shall bathe his body with water in a holy place and put on his clothes, and come forth and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people.  25 Then he shall offer up in smoke the fat of the sin offering on the altar.  26 The one who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water;  then afterward he shall come into the camp.  27 But the bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall be taken outside the camp, and they shall burn their hides, their flesh, and their refuse in the fire.  28 Then the one who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body with water, then afterward he shall come into the camp.”  Leviticus 16:20-28.

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Shouldn’t it be enough that these provided such careful religious services and participated in making atonement?  Why did they need to afterward bathe in water?

I think this requirement was made to drive home three points.  First, we need cleansing from our sins.  Second, we need God to wash away our sins.  Third, this requirement leads us to baptism, a sign and sacrament to remind us of our need for cleansing and that ours sins are washed away by God.

“… Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing;  but that she would be holy and blameless.”  Ephesians 5:25-27.

“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.”  John 15:3.

Question 73.  Why then doth the Holy Ghost call baptism “the washing of regeneration,” and “the washing away of sins”? 

Answer.  God speaks thus not without great cause, to-wit, not only thereby to teach us, that as the filth of the body is purged away by water, so our sins are removed by the blood and Spirit of Jesus Christ;  but especially that by this divine pledge and sign he may assure us, that we are spiritually cleansed from our sins as really, as we are externally washed with water.  Heidelberg Catechism.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 16:11-19.

“11 “Then Aaron shall offer the bull of the sin offering which is for himself and make atonement for himself and for his household, and he shall slaughter the bull of the sin offering which is for himself.  12 He shall take a firepan full of coals of fire from upon the altar before the Lord and two handfuls of finely ground sweet incense, and bring it inside the veil.  13 He shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the ark of the testimony, otherwise he will die.  14 Moreover, he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side;  also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.

15 “Then he shall slaughter the goat of the sin offering which is for the people, and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.  16 He shall make atonement for the holy place, because of the impurities of the sons of Israel and because of their transgressions in regard to all their sins;  and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities.  17 When he goes in to make atonement in the holy place, no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel.  18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar on all sides.  19 With his finger he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it seven times and cleanse it, and from the impurities of the sons of Israel consecrate it.”  Leviticus 16:11-19.

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Today’s Scripture led the sons of Israel and even us today to consider the scope of atonement.  We see in today’s Scripture that atonement was specifically made for Aaron and his household and later specifically made for the holy place and later again specifically made for Aaron and for his household and for all the assembly of Israel and later specifically made for the altar.

The issue is whether atonement was made by Christ generally for everyone or specifically just for God’s elect.  In other words, did Christ die for everyone or for just for the elect? 

Reformed Doctrine teaches “Limited Atonement”, the “L” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  That is, the atonement was limited (or specifically applied) for just the elect but completely effective to cover all that the elect need for salvation from beginning to end, from giving them the gift of justifying faith to faithfully preserving them to the end for complete salvation.

Here is what the Canons of Dordt states in part:

Article 8.   For this was the sovereign counsel, and most gracious will and purpose of God the Father, that the quickening and saving efficacy of the most precious death of his Son should extend to all the elect, for bestowing upon them alone the gift of justifying faith, thereby to bring them infallibly to salvation: that is, it was the will of God, that Christ by the blood of the cross, whereby he confirmed the new covenant, should effectually redeem out of every people, tribe, nation, and language, all those, and those only, who were from eternity chosen to salvation, and given to him by the Father; that he should confer upon them faith, which together with all the other saving gifts of the Holy Spirit, he purchased for them by his death; should purge them from all sin, both original and actual, whether committed before or after believing; and having faithfully preserved them even to the end, should at last bring them free from every spot and blemish to the enjoyment of glory in his own presence forever. SECOND HEAD OF DOCTRINE  Of the Death of Christ, and the Redemption of Men Thereby.  Canons of Dordt.

Here is what the Westminister Larger Catechism states in part:

Question 59:  Who are made partakers of redemption through Christ?

Answer:  Redemption is certainly applied, and effectually communicated, to all those for whom Christ has purchased it; who are in time by the Holy Ghost enabled to believe in Christ according to the gospel.

Question 67:  What is effectual calling?

Answer:  Effectual calling is the work of God’s almighty power and grace, whereby (out of his free and special love to his elect, and from nothing in them moving him thereunto) he does, in his accepted time, invite and draw them to Jesus Christ, by his Word and Spirit; savingly enlightening their minds, renewing and powerfully determining their wills, so as they (although in themselves dead in sin) are hereby made willing and able freely to answer his call, and to accept and embrace the grace offered and conveyed therein.

What is the importance of whether the atonement was specifically made just for the elect or for generally everyone? 

If atonement was made for everyone, then it was ineffective, because not everyone is saved.  The only variable that would determine whether someone is saved (because everyone equally gets  atonement) would be something provided by man.  Salvation is then dependent on man and man’s free will.  Under such false belief, Christians would live in continual fear that they will fall from grace if they do not do what is required to first get faith and then forever maintain their faith (or works) through death.

However, if atonement was made for just the elect but completely effective to bring the elect to salvation, then salvation is dependent only on God and “grace alone” (one of the Five Solas of the Reformation) and Christians can take great comfort in the amazing depth of God’s special love for them (like a husband only has for his wife) and that God will do everything for them that is necessary for their salvation.  This is consistent with Scripture such as the following Scriptures.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith;  and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:4-8.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. …”  Ephesians 1:3-8.

“but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:27-31.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”  Ephesians 5:25-27.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 16:7-10.

“He shall take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the doorway of the tent of meeting.  Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat.  Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell, and make it a sin offering.  But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.”  Leviticus 16:7-10.

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Scapegoat is defined by Dictionary.com as:
“1.  a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place.
2. Chiefly Biblical. a goat let loose in the wilderness on Yom Kippur after the high priest symbolically laid the sins of the people on its head. Lev. 16:8,10,26.”

“3 He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.
4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
6 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.
7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He did not open His mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,
And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,
So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away;
And as for His generation, who considered
That He was cut off out of the land of the living
For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?”  Isaiah 53:3-8.

John the Baptist was a type of Christ who like the scapegoat was sent into the wilderness.

“Now in those days John the Baptist *came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’”
Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist;  and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the district around the Jordan;  and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.”  Matthew 3:1-3.

Jesus Himself was sent into the wilderness.

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.  And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”  But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”  Matthew 4:1-4.

“But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.”  Luke 5:16.

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;  so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”  John 3:14-15.

The Apostle Paul was also sent into the wilderness.

“I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;  I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.  Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.  Who is weak without my being weak?  Who is led into sin without my intense concern?”  2 Corinthians 11:26-29.

The Psalmist poured out his heart to the LORD.

“I resemble a pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.”  Psalm 102:6.

David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah, said:

“O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;
My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.”  Psalm 63:1.

We too may be sent into the wilderness for a while.

But, there is hope!

This same David continues with his story and testimony.

“2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips will praise You.
4 So I will bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.”   Psalm 63:2-5.

We may be led through the wilderness.  But, God’s lovingkindness is always with us.

There is a purpose for which we are led through the wilderness:  “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;  in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”  Philippians 3:10-11.

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves;  we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;  perplexed, but not despairing;  persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;  always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.  For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.  So death works in us, but life in you.”  2 Corinthians 4:7-12.

In conclusion, Christ is the Chief Scapegoat.  But, we His children and followers, who bear His image, are also like scapegoats who are led through the wilderness.

“To Him who led His people through the wilderness,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting;”  Psalm 136:16.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 16:1-6.

“Now the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they had approached the presence of the Lord and died.  The Lord said to Moses:

“Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die;  for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.   Aaron shall enter the holy place with this:  with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.  He shall put on the holy linen tunic, and the linen undergarments shall be next to his body, and he shall be girded with the linen sash and attired with the linen turban (these are holy garments).  Then he shall bathe his body in water and put them on.  He shall take from the congregation of the sons of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.  Then Aaron shall offer the bull for the sin offering which is for himself, that he may make atonement for himself and for his household.”  Leviticus 16:1-6.

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Today’s Scripture, by its reference to “the death of the two sons of Aaron”, first of all reminds us of the pure and strict holiness of God taught by the lesson of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, in Leviticus 10:1-3.

“Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.  And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.  Then Moses said to Aaron, “It is what the Lord spoke, saying,

‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy,
And before all the people I will be honored.’”  Leviticus 10:1-3.

Then, the LORD gave the specific warning and commands to Moses to relay to Aaron that we read in today’s Scripture.

“The Lord said to Moses:

“Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, or he will die;  for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.   Aaron shall enter the holy place with this:  with a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.  He shall put on the holy linen tunic …”  And, the specific commands for what Aaron should do to prepare himself to make atonement continue from Verse 2 until at least Verse 6.

Hebrews 5:1-4 describes the meaning of today’s Scripture.

“For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins;  he can deal gently with the ignorant and misguided, since he himself also is beset with weakness;  and because of it he is obligated to offer sacrifices for sins, as for the people, so also for himself.  And no one takes the honor to himself, but receives it when he is called by God, even as Aaron was.”  Hebrews 5:1-4.

Hebrews Chapter 5 then continues by talking about Christ “being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.”  Hebrews 5:10.

“Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.”  Hebrews 6:1-2.

“And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”  And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.  For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute.  In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.  This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”  Hebrews 6:11-20.

And so, we enter the veil as Aaron did to come to the thrice holy presence of God, but with so much more than the sin offering and burnt offering and holy linen tunic that Aaron brought.  We come to the presence of God with Christ as our forerunner for us, with Christ as our high priest, and with Christ as our source of all the promises summarized by the promise given to Abraham:  “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.”  
 

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 15.  Here is a link to this chapter – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+15&version=NASB

I quote the following verse.

“Thus you shall keep the sons of Israel separated from their uncleanness, so that they will not die in their uncleanness by their defiling My tabernacle that is among them.”  Leviticus 15:31.

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Leviticus Chapter 15 goes into great detail in explaining some of the ways how the people became unclean and how they should  separate themselves from their uncleanness.

As with the prior chapters, this Scripture is difficult to read.  But, compared with the leprosy of the prior chapters, which people may think that they will never get leprosy and may neglect to consider how sin is like leprosy, and thus more easily dismiss consideration of that Scripture, today’s Scripture presses us even more to consider our uncleanness and our need for a Savior.  We can’t keep ourselves from getting unclean by ourselves.  We can’t separate ourselves from our uncleanness.

We don’t need to just work harder.  We need “the working of God”.

“and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;  having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.”  Colossians 2:11-12.

“For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Colossians 3:3.

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.  For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.  But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”  Romans 7:4-6.

“I have been crucified with Christ;  and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;  and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”  Galatians 2:20-21.

“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.  For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;  for he who has died is freed from sin.”  Romans 6:4-7.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 14.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+14&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing. Now he shall be brought to the priest, and the priest shall go out to the outside of the camp.  Thus the priest shall look, and if the infection of leprosy has been healed in the leper, then the priest shall give orders to take two live clean birds and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop for the one who is to be cleansed.  The priest shall also give orders to slay the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water.  As for the live bird, he shall take it together with the cedar wood and the scarlet string and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was slain over the running water.  He shall then sprinkle seven times the one who is to be cleansed from the leprosy and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the live bird go free over the open field.  The one to be cleansed shall then wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe in water and be clean.  Now afterward, he may enter the camp, but he shall stay outside his tent for seven days.  It will be on the seventh day that he shall shave off all his hair:  he shall shave his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair.  He shall then wash his clothes and bathe his body in water and be clean.”  Leviticus 14:1-9.

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“Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”  Psalm 51:7.

“For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.”  And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.  And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”  Hebrews 9:19-22.

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;  and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.  For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”  Hebrews 9:11-14.