Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 13.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2013&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 2 “When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling or a scab or a bright spot, and it becomes an infection of leprosy on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests.  3 The priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is an infection of leprosy;  when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean.  4 But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his body, and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair on it has not turned white, then the priest shall isolate him who has the infection for seven days.  5 The priest shall look at him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the infection has not changed and the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall isolate him for seven more days.  6 The priest shall look at him again on the seventh day, and if the infection has faded and the mark has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean;  it is only a scab.  And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.”  Leviticus 13:1-6.

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As disgusting and alienating and deadly that leprosy is, our sin is much more disgusting, alienating, and deadly.

But, there is hope!

Our LORD has compassion.

“And a leper *came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”  Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and *said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”  Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.”  Mark 1:40-42.

And, our LORD can do more than heal people of their leprosy and other diseases;  our LORD forgives our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness and embraces us.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  1 John 1:9.

“remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.  But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  Ephesians 2:12-13.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 12.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:

‘When a woman gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstruation she shall be unclean.  On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.  Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days;  she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed.  But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation;  and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.

‘When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering.  Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood.  This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female.  But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering;  and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”  Leviticus Chapter 12.

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Happy Mother’s Day?

Today’s Scripture is a shocking contrast to the pretty presentation of motherhood that Hallmark presents.  But, I think the following Scriptures will show the purpose of the LORD’s commands in today’s Scripture.

Mothers are sinners.  Fathers are sinners.  And, their children are sinners even at the point of conception.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.”  Psalm 51:5.

Purification and atonement led the sons of Israel to consider this important fact that Reformed Doctrine expresses in “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  And, “Total Depravity” is the opening doorway to salvation.  “For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.”  Romans 11:32.  “But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.”  Galatians 3:22.

In addition, purification and atonement particularly gave the mothers the necessary humility which gives hope.  “But He gives a greater grace.  Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  James 4:6.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 11.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+11&version=NASB

I quote the following verses from it.

“44 For I am the Lord your God.  Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.  And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth.  45 For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

46 This is the law regarding the animal and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth, 47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.”  Leviticus 11:44-47.

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Today’s Scripture makes mention of many different animals “to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.”   Verse 47.

In a recent prior devotion on April 16, 2014, in Acts 11:5-18, we saw how God used a dream of unclean animals to convince Peter that He cleansed the Gentiles, a people previously considered unclean, and granted them repentance and salvation as he did the Jews.

But, God certainly did not save every Gentile person as He also did not save every Jewish person.  And, the meditation of this devotion does not concern the distinction between Jew and Gentile, but rather the meditation of this devotion concerns more generally the distinction between the saved and the unsaved.

If God so sharply and precisely distinguishes and separates the clean animals from the unclean animals, then it should help us believe that God can and does so sharply and precisely distinguish and separate the saved from the unsaved.

That truth should comfort us.

God does distinguish and set apart us, His elect, clean and holy people, to guide, protect, and bless us with every spiritual blessing.

God did not set forth conditions when the unclean animals could be eaten such as if they somehow behaved in a certain way or were somehow cleansed in a certain way or were somehow killed in a certain way.  Each species was simply either clean or unclean.

Likewise, God did not set forth conditions on whom He would save among His elect.  “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, teaches us that God’s election of certain people to be saved is not based on any condition supplied by man, but rather God’s election of certain people to be saved is based on His will alone.  “For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.”  So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”  Romans 9:15-18.

We get this similar sense of sharp distinction from other Scriptures such as Matthew 7:17-18:  “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.”

“… “The Lord knows those who are His,” …”  2 Timothy 2:19.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;  and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish;  and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all;  and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”  John 10:27-29.

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:28-30.

Like God distinguished and set apart the clean animals from the unclean animals, God distinguished and set apart His elect (His people, the saved people) from the unsaved people.

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God;  you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”  1 Peter 2:9-10.

God made this sharp distinction “… to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.”  Romans 9:23-24.

“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.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-4.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 10:16-20.

“But Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up!  So he was angry with Aaron’s surviving sons Eleazar and Ithamar, saying, “Why did you not eat the sin offering at the holy place?  For it is most holy, and He gave it to you to bear away the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord.  Behold, since its blood had not been brought inside, into the sanctuary, you should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, just as I commanded.”  But Aaron spoke to Moses, “Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord.  When things like these happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of the Lord?”  When Moses heard that, it seemed good in his sight.”  Leviticus 10:16-20.

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It may have been that Aaron and his sons did not eat the sin offering that day, because they did not feel that it was right to exercise their privilege to do so considering that their relatives (Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron) had been shockingly consumed by fire from the LORD that very day for offering strange fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.

And, it may have been that when Moses heard the explanation of Aaron of such restraint from exercising their privilege, it also seemed to him the right thing to do.

But, in any event, we do know the following Biblical principles.

“To do righteousness and justice Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice.”  Proverbs 21:3.

“But go and learn what this means:  ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  Matthew 9:13.

So, there is a lesson for us today.  Are we motivated more by liturgy than by love?  Do we care more about how self-righteous we appear to fellow church members than how much we righteously, justly, and compassionately serve others?

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 10:12-15.  My next devotion, God willing, will be on Tuesday, April 22, after I return from my 4 day cruise to Cozumel.

“Then Moses spoke to Aaron, and to his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that is left over from the Lord’s offerings by fire and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy.  You shall eat it, moreover, in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due out of the Lord’s offerings by fire;  for thus I have been commanded.  The breast of the wave offering, however, and the thigh of the offering you may eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you;  for they have been given as your due and your sons’ due out of the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the sons of Israel.  The thigh offered by lifting up and the breast offered by waving they shall bring along with the offerings by fire of the portions of fat, to present as a wave offering before the Lord;  so it shall be a thing perpetually due you and your sons with you, just as the Lord has commanded.”  Leviticus 10:12-15.

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There were certain “dues”:   the grain offering that is left over from the Lord’s offerings by fire, the breast of the wave offering, and the thigh of the wave offering.  Today’s Scripture emphasizes five times that all these were “due” Aaron and his sons as priests:  “so it shall be a thing perpetually due you and your sons with you, just as the Lord has commanded.”  Verse 15.

These “dues” make us think of the free gift in comparison.

“Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due.  But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,
And whose sins have been covered.
“Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”  Romans 4:4-8.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 6:23.

“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 2:8-9.

To open this free gift and take a peak inside, click the tag “Heaven” at the top of this page.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 10:8-11.

“The Lord then spoke to Aaron, saying,  “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations— and so as to make a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean, and so as to teach the sons of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.”  Leviticus 10:8-11.

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The Apostle Peter made “a distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean”, and he said:  “I was in the city of Joppa praying;  and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me, and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air.  I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’  But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’”  Acts 11:5-8.

“But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’  This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.  And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea.  The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings.  These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house.  And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here;  and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’  And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.  And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’  Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”  When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, “Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life.”  Acts 11:9-18.

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.  For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;  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.  When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,  having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come;  but the substance belongs to Christ.  Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.

If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?  These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”  Colossians 2:8-23.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 10:4-7.

“4 Moses called also to Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come forward, carry your relatives away from the front of the sanctuary to the outside of the camp.”  5 So they came forward and carried them still in their tunics to the outside of the camp, as Moses had said.  6 Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, so that you will not die and that He will not become wrathful against all the congregation.  But your kinsmen, the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which the Lord has brought about.  7 You shall not even go out from the doorway of the tent of meeting, or you will die;  for the Lord’s anointing oil is upon you.”  So they did according to the word of Moses.”  Leviticus 10:4-7.

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We remember from the prior Scripture that “… fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them (Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron), and they died before the Lord.”  Leviticus 10:2.

Like Aaron, we may have relatives that do not know the LORD.  Bad things may happen to them.  We may mourn both that they do not know the LORD and that bad things may happen to them.

But, we must continue to walk with the LORD.  We must continue to do His work.

It is interesting to note that despite the fact that fire consumed Nadab and Abihu, today, we read that they were “still in their tunics”.  Verse 5.  If God could perfectly control the fire that it could consume their bodies inside the tunics but not the tunics, then we can have hope that although we may be surrounded by the wicked (even wicked relatives), God can cause us to walk with Him and continue His work.

And, we notice what Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, so that you will not die and that He will not become wrathful against all the congregation.  …  You shall not even go out from the doorway of the tent of meeting, or you will die;  for the Lord’s anointing oil is upon you.”  To paraphrase, the LORD was commanding through Moses to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar:  “Continue walking with Me!  Continue working for Me!”

“1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.

4 The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish.”  Psalm Chapter 1.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 10:1-4.

“1 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.  2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.  3 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.’”

So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.”  Leviticus 10:1-4.

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Lest we think only Nadab and Abihu could fall, we need to remember the story of Moses and Aaron at the waters of Meribah so that we be careful to treat the LORD as holy.

“1 Then the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to the wilderness of Zin in the first month;  and the people stayed at Kadesh.  Now Miriam died there and was buried there.

2 There was no water for the congregation, and they assembled themselves against Moses and Aaron.  3 The people thus contended with Moses and spoke, saying, “If only we had perished when our brothers perished before the Lord!  4 Why then have you brought the Lord’s assembly into this wilderness, for us and our beasts to die here?  5 Why have you made us come up from Egypt, to bring us in to this wretched place?  It is not a place of grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, nor is there water to drink.”  6 Then Moses and Aaron came in from the presence of the assembly to the doorway of the tent of meeting and fell on their faces.  Then the glory of the Lord appeared to them;  7 and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

8 “Take the rod;  and you and your brother Aaron assemble the congregation and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it may yield its water.  You shall thus bring forth water for them out of the rock and let the congregation and their beasts drink.”

9 So Moses took the rod from before the Lord, just as He had commanded him;  10 and Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly before the rock.  And he said to them, “Listen now, you rebels;  shall we bring forth water for you out of this rock?”  11 Then Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod;  and water came forth abundantly, and the congregation and their beasts drank.  12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”  13 Those were the waters of Meribah, because the sons of Israel contended with the Lord, and He proved Himself holy among them.”  Numbers 20:1-13.

Rather than follow the LORD’s instructions to speak to the rock, Moses spoke to the assembly.

Preachers and teachers think they can achieve what they want primarily by speaking to the congregation rather than depending on God’s instructions and power to bring about what is needed.  We too trust man’s free will to bend to our wise and eloquent words more than we trust God.

Rather than follow the LORD’s instructions to speak to the rock, Moses struck the rock twice.

So to speak, we too are eager to strike the rock twice, rather than just speak to the rock, in the sense that we trust our works more than we trust God’s power through our prayers to God.

Simply, we trust man more than we trust God.  We think we have better fire (using an analogy drawn from the story of Nadab and Abihu) than the fire of the Holy Spirit.

Let us learn from today’s Scripture and from the example of Moses and Aaron to treat our LORD as holy as we should.

“4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.”  Psalm 96:4-6.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus Chapter 9.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+9&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“1 Now it came about on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel;  2 and he said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a calf, a bull, for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defect, and offer them before the Lord.  3 Then to the sons of Israel you shall speak, saying, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and a calf and a lamb, both one year old, without defect, for a burnt offering, 4 and an ox and a ram for peace offerings, to sacrifice before the Lord, and a grain offering mixed with oil; for today the Lord will appear to you.’”  5 So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the whole congregation came near and stood before the Lord.  6 Moses said, “This is the thing which the Lord has commanded you to do, that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”  7 Moses then said to Aaron, “Come near to the altar and offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, that you may make atonement for yourself and for the people; then make the offering for the people, that you may make atonement for them, just as the Lord has commanded.”  … (Then all the offerings were made.)  ….

“22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he stepped down after making the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings.  23 Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting.  When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.  24 Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar;  and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.”  Leviticus Chapter 9:  Verses 1-7 and 22-24.

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How can one adequately describe the glory of our LORD?!  “… The whole earth is full of His glory.”  Isaiah 6:3.

“1 Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
3 Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.

7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name;
Bring an offering and come into His courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy attire;
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved;
He will judge the peoples with equity.”

11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
12 Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
13 Before the Lord, for He is coming,
For He is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
And the peoples in His faithfulness.”  Psalm Chapter 96.

As we read this Psalm Chapter 96, we meditate on these elements of the glory of our LORD and our proper response.

Some of the elements of the glory of our LORD include “good tidings of His salvation”, “His wonderful deeds among all the peoples”, “the Lord made the heavens”, His “Splendor and majesty”, His “Strength and beauty”, “The Lord reigns”, “the world is firmly established”, His “righteousness”, and “His faithfulness”.

As we meditate on these elements of the glory of our LORD, we recognize with delight the important part of this glory of our LORD that “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, is. 

In sharp contrast with other doctrine which emphasizes man and man’s free will and man’s choice, “TULIP” emphasizes that salvation belongs to the LORD.  It is “His salvation”.  It is “His wonderful deeds”.  “The Lord reigns”, and TULIP proclaims His sovereignty ending with the “P” of “TULIP” which is “Preservation of the Saints” which proclaims “His faithfulness”.

So, why do we act as if we are embarrassed by TULIP?  Why do we hide it and minimize it? 

“2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
3 Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.”  Psalm 96:2-3.

“7… Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name;
Bring an offering and come into His courts.
9 Worship the Lord in holy attire;
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns …”  Psalm 96:7-10.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 8:14-36 which covers the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests.  As part of the ordination, there were various offerings, anointing of Aaron and his sons, and other actions as commanded by the LORD.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+8&version=NASB

I quote the following verses to show some of these actions of the ordination.

“22 Then he presented the second ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram.  23 Moses slaughtered it and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.  24 He also had Aaron’s sons come near; and Moses put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand and on the big toe of their right foot.  Moses then sprinkled the rest of the blood around on the altar.  …

30 So Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood which was on the altar and sprinkled it on Aaron, on his garments, on his sons, and on the garments of his sons with him;  and he consecrated Aaron, his garments, and his sons, and the garments of his sons with him.

31 Then Moses said to Aaron and to his sons, “Boil the flesh at the doorway of the tent of meeting, and eat it there together with the bread which is in the basket of the ordination offering, just as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it.’  32 The remainder of the flesh and of the bread you shall burn in the fire.  33 You shall not go outside the doorway of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the day that the period of your ordination is fulfilled;  for he will ordain you through seven days.  34 The Lord has commanded to do as has been done this day, to make atonement on your behalf.  35 At the doorway of the tent of meeting, moreover, you shall remain day and night for seven days and keep the charge of the Lord, so that you will not die, for so I have been commanded.”  36 Thus Aaron and his sons did all the things which the Lord had commanded through Moses.”  Leviticus Chapter 8:  Verses 22-24 and 30-36.

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We see all these actions of the ordination to prepare Aaron and his sons to be priests.  The LORD surely is “Holy, Holy, Holy” to require all these actions. 

And, we need that reminder, because how often do we try to come in His presence without proper preparation and reverence!

Here is the prophet Isaiah’s vision.

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.  Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings:  with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called out to another and said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.  Then I said,

“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”  Isaiah 6:1-4.

“You, even You, are to be feared;
And who may stand in Your presence when once You are angry?’  Psalm 76:7.

“3 Fire goes before Him
And burns up His adversaries round about.
4 His lightnings lit up the world;
The earth saw and trembled.
5 The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare His righteousness,
And all the peoples have seen His glory.”  Psalm 97:3-6.

But, there is hope!

There was hope for Isaiah who had that vision.

“Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.  He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”  Isaiah 6:6-7.

And, there is hope for us.

“Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”  Hebrews 10:18-22.