Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 24:10-16.

“Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the sons of Israel;  and the Israelite woman’s son and a man of Israel struggled with each other in the camp.  The son of the Israelite woman blasphemed the Name and cursed.  So they brought him to Moses.  (Now his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.)  They put him in custody so that the command of the Lord might be made clear to them.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Bring the one who has cursed outside the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head;  then let all the congregation stone him.  You shall speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If anyone curses his God, then he will bear his sin.  Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death;  all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.”  Leviticus 24:10-16.

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Like maintaining the lamps and the bread that are no longer done, but its purpose was to point us to Christ, stoning to death for blaspheming is no longer done, but it points us to the sovereign authority of God.

We live in a day and age where the sovereign authority of God is more and more ignored and blasphemed.  Today’s Scripture should give us pause to consider that God is not like a fat, jolly Santa Claus that will put up with such rebellion.  God sits on His throne and will utterly destroy His enemies.

“Fire goes before Him
And burns up His adversaries round about.”  Psalm 97:3.

“How they are destroyed in a moment!
They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!”  Psalm 73:19.

“1 Draw near, O nations, to hear; and listen, O peoples!
Let the earth and all it contains hear, and the world and all that springs from it.
2 For the Lord’s indignation is against all the nations,
And His wrath against all their armies;
He has utterly destroyed them,
He has given them over to slaughter.”  Isaiah 34:1-2.

“2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”  Psalm 2:2-9.

But, there are those who mock.  There are those who think they are safe by creating gods of their own imagination (idols) that they can control and ridicule.  What blasphemy!

“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.”  For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.  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 3:3-7.

“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;  and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;  and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority.  …”  2 Peter 2:4-10.

So, what should our response be?

“1 The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble;
He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion,
And He is exalted above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise Your great and awesome name;
Holy is He.
4 The strength of the King loves justice;
You have established equity;
You have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God
And worship at His footstool;
Holy is He.”  Psalm 99:1-5.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 24:5-9.

“Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake.  You shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure gold table before the Lord.  You shall put pure frankincense on each row that it may be a memorial portion for the bread, even an offering by fire to the Lord.  Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the Lord continually;  it is an everlasting covenant for the sons of Israel.  It shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place;  for it is most holy to him from the Lord’s offerings by fire, his portion forever.”  Leviticus 24:5-9.

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The bread in today’s Scripture points us to Jesus Who is “the bread of life”.

“35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;  he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”  John 6:35-40.

And, we notice the focus and emphasis on God’s will, not on alleged man’s free-will.  “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.  For this is the will of My Father …”  John 6:38-40.

Reformed Doctrine therefore points out this focus and emphasis on God’s will.  The basis of our salvation is God’s will:  “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”  John 1:12-13.  “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.”  Romans 9:15-16.

Rather than bristle against this Reformed Doctrine, we should joyfully embrace it.  For what is the result of God’s will being done?

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.”  John 6:37-39.

“For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”  John 6:33.

Let us compare man’s bread with “the bread of God”.

“Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.  This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down out of heaven;  if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;  and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”  John 6:49-51.

Let us compare man’s alleged free-will (and what it could not do) with God’s will (and what it did).

“Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.  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 2:3-9.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 24:1-5.

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the sons of Israel that they bring to you clear oil from beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually.  Outside the veil of testimony in the tent of meeting, Aaron shall keep it in order from evening to morning before the Lord continually;  it shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations.  He shall keep the lamps in order on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord continually.”  Leviticus 24:1-5.

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The continually burning lamps in today’s Scripture point us to Jesus Who is “the Light of the world”.  And like, these continually burning lamps, Jesus continually gives light.  Jesus does not turn on and off His light like a light switch in a home.  

Jesus’ light is on to help the righteous walk, to show that the work of the righteous was done by God, and to glorify the righteous.  And, Jesus’ light is on the unrighteous to expose their wicked deeds.

Here is some Scripture to show what Jesus’ light does for the righteous.

“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world;  he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”  John 8:12.

“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.”  John 12:46.

Here is some Scripture to show what Jesus’ light does for both the righteous and unrighteous.

“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.  He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.  He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”  John 1:9-13.

“This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.  For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.  But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”  John 3:19-21.

And so, you righteous, arise and shine, for your light has come!

“Arise, shine;  for your light has come,
And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the Lord will rise upon you
And His glory will appear upon you.
3 “Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.

4 “Lift up your eyes round about and see;
They all gather together, they come to you.
Your sons will come from afar,
And your daughters will be carried in the arms.
5 “Then you will see and be radiant,
And your heart will thrill and rejoice;
Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you,
The wealth of the nations will come to you.
6 “A multitude of camels will cover you,
The young camels of Midian and Ephah;
All those from Sheba will come;
They will bring gold and frankincense,
And will bear good news of the praises of the Lord.
7 “All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you,
The rams of Nebaioth will minister to you;
They will go up with acceptance on My altar,
And I shall glorify My glorious house.
8 “Who are these who fly like a cloud
And like the doves to their lattices?
9 “Surely the coastlands will wait for Me;
And the ships of Tarshish will come first,
To bring your sons from afar,
Their silver and their gold with them,
For the name of the Lord your God,
And for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.

10 “Foreigners will build up your walls,
And their kings will minister to you;
For in My wrath I struck you,
And in My favor I have had compassion on you.
11 “Your gates will be open continually;
They will not be closed day or night,
So that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
With their kings led in procession.
12 “For the nation and the kingdom which will not serve you will perish,
And the nations will be utterly ruined.
13 “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
The juniper, the box tree and the cypress together,
To beautify the place of My sanctuary;
And I shall make the place of My feet glorious.
14 “The sons of those who afflicted you will come bowing to you,
And all those who despised you will bow themselves at the soles of your feet;
And they will call you the city of the Lord,
The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.

15 “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated
With no one passing through,
I will make you an everlasting pride,
A joy from generation to generation.
16 “You will also suck the milk of nations
And suck the breast of kings;
Then you will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.
17 “Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
And instead of iron I will bring silver,
And instead of wood, bronze,
And instead of stones, iron.
And I will make peace your administrators
And righteousness your overseers.
18 “Violence will not be heard again in your land,
Nor devastation or destruction within your borders;
But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise.
19 “No longer will you have the sun for light by day,
Nor for brightness will the moon give you light;
But you will have the Lord for an everlasting light,
And your God for your glory.
20 “Your sun will no longer set,
Nor will your moon wane;
For you will have the Lord for an everlasting light,
And the days of your mourning will be over.
21 “Then all your people will be righteous;
They will possess the land forever,
The branch of My planting,
The work of My hands,
That I may be glorified.
22 “The smallest one will become a clan,
And the least one a mighty nation.
I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.”  Isaiah Chapter 60.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 23:33-44.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+23&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“33 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘On the fifteenth of this seventh month is the Feast of Booths for seven days to the Lord.  35 On the first day is a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work of any kind.  36 For seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the Lord.  On the eighth day you shall have a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord;  it is an assembly.  You shall do no laborious work.  …

40 Now on the first day you shall take for yourselves the foliage of beautiful trees, palm branches and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days.  41 You shall thus celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year.  It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations;  you shall celebrate it in the seventh month.  42 You shall live in booths for seven days;  all the native-born in Israel shall live in booths, 43 so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt.  I am the Lord your God.’”  44 So Moses declared to the sons of Israel the appointed times of the Lord.”  Leviticus Chapter 23:  Verses 33-36 and 40-44.

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One of the definitions of booth according to Dictionary.com is “a temporary structure of any material, as boughs, canvas, or boards, used especially for shelter; shed.”  A tent is like a booth but a little bit more permanently constructed.  It is more complex and permanently built together as one whole unit as compared to a booth which is constructed by miscellaneous loose pieces placed together.  But, a tent is much closer to a booth than a tent is close to a house.

By the Festival of Booths, the LORD was preparing the sons of Israel to live by faith in God alone.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance;  and he went out, not knowing where he was going.  By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise;  for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”  Hebrews 11:8-10.

“Let me dwell in Your tent forever;  Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.  Selah.”  Psalm 61:4.

“For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”  Psalm 84:10.

And so, we too travel through life.  Are we primarily and continually focused on earth such as getting finer cars, finer houses, and finer retirement plans.  Or, are we content with what we have, primarily focused on God and “things above”? 

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”  Colossians 3:1-4.

Today’s Scripture comes from Leviticus 23:26-32.

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement;  it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the Lord.  You shall not do any work on this same day, for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the Lord your God.  If there is any person who will not humble himself on this same day, he shall be cut off from his people.  As for any person who does any work on this same day, that person I will destroy from among his people.  You shall do no work at all.  It is to be a perpetual statute throughout your generations in all your dwelling places.  It is to be a sabbath of complete rest to you, and you shall humble your souls;  on the ninth of the month at evening, from evening until evening you shall keep your sabbath.”  Leviticus 23:26-32.

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Humility and rest are keys to atonement in today’s Scripture.

“But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  James 4:6.

“If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  2 Chronicles 7:13-14.

“O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!  The Lord preserves the faithful And fully recompenses the proud doer.”  Psalm 31:23.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  Psalm 34:18.

“Seek the Lord,
All you humble of the earth
Who have carried out His ordinances;
Seek righteousness, seek humility.
Perhaps you will be hidden
In the day of the Lord’s anger.”  Zephaniah 2:3.

“7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath;
Do not fret;  it leads only to evildoing.
9 For evildoers will be cut off,
But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.
10 Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.
11 But the humble will inherit the land
And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.”  Psalm 37:7-11.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 23:1-8.

“1 The LORD spoke again to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD’S appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations -My appointed times are these: 3 ‘For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation.  You shall not do any work;  it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings.   4 ‘These are the appointed times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times appointed for them 5 ‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD’S Passover.   6 ‘Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD;  for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 ‘On the first day you shall have a holy convocation;  you shall not do any laborious work.   8 ‘But for seven days you shall present an offering by fire to the LORD.  On the seventh day is a holy convocation;  you shall not do any laborious work.’ ”   Leviticus 23:1-8.

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The theme of today’s Scripture is complete rest.  But, we are not inclined to rest.  We are like anxious and skittish sheep.  We need a Good Shepherd.  “He makes me lie down in green pastures;  He leads me beside quiet waters.”  Psalm 23:2.

By our “Total Depravity” nature, we are also neither obedient nor grateful.  We may receive a command to rest, but we will not do it.  We also will not feel grateful that could have helped us have peace and joy and thereby be inclined to rest.

If only we would trust God!  We would follow the Good Shepherd and rest.  We would obey God.  We would be content and even grateful.  We would be inclined to rest.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.”  Jeremiah 17:7.

But, our trust cannot be based on our corrupted and shaky free-will such that we will try to trust God based on our wisdom and will.

Our trust needs to come from God as a gift.  That is what is meant by the phrase “And whose trust is the LORD” in the prior Scripture.

“Yet You are He who brought me forth from the womb;  You made me trust when upon my mother’s breasts.'”  Psalm 22:9.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 22:17-32.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+22&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“17 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘Any man of the house of Israel or of the aliens in Israel who presents his offering, whether it is any of their votive or any of their freewill offerings, which they present to the Lord for a burnt offering— 19 for you to be accepted—it must be a male without defect from the cattle, the sheep, or the goats.  20 Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it will not be accepted for you.  21 When a man offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a special vow or for a freewill offering, of the herd or of the flock, it must be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no defect in it.  …

31 So you shall keep My commandments, and do them;  I am the Lord.

32 “You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel;  I am the Lord who sanctifies you, 33 who brought you out from the land of Egypt, to be your God;  I am the Lord.”  Leviticus Chapter 22:  Verses 17-21 and 31-33.

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“Then you will know that I am the Lord when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.’”  Ezekiel 20:39-44.

Our deeds were corrupt.  Even our will was corrupt.  We were so extensively corrupted by sin such that we were dead in sin.  “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”  Ephesians 2:1-2.

Thus, we could not trust either our votive offerings dedicated to fulfill a special vow or even our spontaneous freewill offerings.  We needed a perfect offering.

But, there is hope!

“And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,”  Hebrews 5:9.

“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.

So, who are we going to trust?

Are we going to trust our corrupted works or corrupted will?

Or, are we going to trust the perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ?

“Thus says the LORD, ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind And makes flesh his strength, And whose heart turns away from the LORD.  For he will be like a bush in the desert And will not see when prosperity comes, But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness, A land of salt without inhabitant.  Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.’ ” Jeremiah 17:5-7.

Although most people will not trust their works to earn them salvation, they really trust their free-will choice of Christ to earn them salvation.  They think that they deserve some credit, maybe only 1% – but some credit, because of their own free-will choice of Christ.  They think that Christ died for everyone and everyone received the blood of Christ, but what distinguishes them as receiving salvation is that they chose Christ through their own free-will.

Reformed Doctrine will not allow any of that false heresy to stand.  See Canons of Dordt – http://www.prca.org/cd_index.html

Reformed Doctrine pounds the table on “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  Our only chance for salvation is “Unconditional Election” by God, and that for those elect, God did everything for their salvation from “Limited Atonement” through “Irresistible Grace” through “Preservation of the Saints”.

“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 2:4-9.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD.”  In other words, blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD and whose trust does not comes from their own free-will but whose trust comes as a gift from the LORD.

Today’s devotion comes from Leviticus 22:1-16.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+22&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to be careful with the holy gifts of the sons of Israel, which they dedicate to Me, so as not to profane My holy name;  I am the Lord.  3 Say to them, ‘If any man among all your descendants throughout your generations approaches the holy gifts which the sons of Israel dedicate to the Lord, while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from before Me;  I am the Lord.  …

9 They shall therefore keep My charge, so that they will not bear sin because of it and die thereby because they profane it;  I am the Lord who sanctifies them.  …

15 They shall not profane the holy gifts of the sons of Israel which they offer to the Lord, 16 and so cause them to bear punishment for guilt by eating their holy gifts;  for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”  Leviticus Chapter 22:  Verses 1-3, 9, and 15-16.

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You would think the sons of Israel could at least present their holy gifts to the LORD without profaning them.

You would think that today we could at least worship the LORD as we should without profaning our worship by the idols that we raise in our worship of how we would like God to be (rather than the God of Scriptures).

But, their failure to do so, and our failure to do so, is additional evidence of “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

But, there is hope!

“As for you, O house of Israel,” thus says the Lord God, “Go, serve everyone his idols;  but later you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols.  For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel,” declares the Lord God, “there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land;  there I will accept them and there I will seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things.  As a soothing aroma I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered;  and I will prove Myself holy among you in the sight of the nations.  And you will know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land which I swore to give to your forefathers.  There you will remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves;  and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for all the evil things that you have done.  Then you will know that I am the Lord when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your evil ways or according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel,” declares the Lord God.’”  Ezekiel 20:39-44.

Reformed Doctrine teaches that we need a sovereign God to save us.  We are dead in sin and need to be made alive.  We need to be dealt with not according to our alleged free-will and evil ways;  we need to be dealt with for God’s name sake, according to His “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Today’s Scripture comes from Leviticus Chapter 21.  Here is a link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2021&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“7 They shall not take a woman who is profaned by harlotry, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for he is holy to his God.  8 You shall consecrate him, therefore, for he offers the food of your God; he shall be holy to you;  for I the Lord, who sanctifies you, am holy.  …

14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or one who is profaned by harlotry, these he may not take; but rather he is to marry a virgin of his own people, 15 so that he will not profane his offspring among his people;  for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.’”  …

22 He may eat the food of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy, 23 only he shall not go in to the veil or come near the altar because he has a defect, so that he will not profane My sanctuaries.  For I am the Lord who sanctifies them.’”  Leviticus Chapter 21:  Verses 7-8 and 14-15 and 22-23.

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Today’s Scripture covers regulations for the priests, some of which may seem quite peculiar to us today.  Rather than try to dissect each regulation to find a reason for it, we will focus on the three time emphasis:  “I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”

Yes, the LORD gave regulations to the sons of Israel.  But, let us primarily consider that the LORD drew most attention to Himself as the Almighty God Who is the One Who sanctifies.

Today’s Scripture, “I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”, helps us to understand other Scripture better that “the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith”.

“Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God?  May it never be!  For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.  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.

But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.  Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.  But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”  Galatians 3:21-25.

Today’s Scripture, “For I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”, helps us to understand other Scripture better that we were made to die to the Law, so that we might be joined to Christ, in order that we might bear fruit for God.

“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.”  Romans 7:4.

Today’s Scripture, “I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”, helps us to understand that by God’s doing we are in Christ Jesus, Who became to us sanctification.

“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 1:30-31.