Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Listen to “Thoughts in Worship 11.01.2017” on Spreaker.
“Removing the Veil: Sanctuary Living in the 21st Century.”
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed shall the sin offering be killed before the Lord: it is most holy. The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation. Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy: and when there is sprinkled of the blood thereof upon any garment, thou shalt wash that whereon it was sprinkled in the holy place” (Leviticus 6:24–27).
Whatever Touches It Shall Be Holy
I must admit, when I read today’s passage, I got excited. The problem is that in my excitement, I missed something. I read, “Whatsoever shall touch the flesh thereof shall be holy” with a preconceived notion, and when I couldn’t find any commentary on the phrase, I was confused. How could such a powerful phrase have been overlooked by all of the commentators? Whatever touches the flesh of the sin offering will be made holy? Wow! That’s serious. However, as I read through my six favorite Bible versions, I came upon this rendering: “Whoever or whatever touches its flesh shall [first] be dedicated and made clean, and when any of its blood is sprinkled on a garment, you shall wash that garment in a place set apart to God’s worship” (Leviticus 6:27, AMP).
OK. Now, I get it. It’s not that the passage was saying touching the flesh would make one or whatever holy. It was that whatever touches this pivotal offering must not be common. It must be dedicated for holy use if it will come into contact with the holy offering. Mystery solved; but what is the message, considering the correct rendering? Since touching the sacrifice does not make one holy, and I cannot cue the musicians to turn that into arousing praise party sermon piece, what is God really saying to us?
How to Come Clean
Could it be that God has given us a special message of miraculous cleansing here? The text says that if any blood touches a garment, it must be washed in a place set aside for worship. What happens if we are bloodstained and come into contact with Jesus, the pure Lamb of God?
Notice what the Bible says: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18). I love it! Is there anything else, Lord? Yes! Let’s look at the previous verse from our theme passage: “The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in the holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tabernacle of the congregation” (Leviticus 6:26).
So, God said that before a priest or anything touches the sacrifice, he/it must first be dedicated to the Lord. Notice that in this whole process, the priest must eat what he offered. The priest had to imbibe the offering. Remember, you are what you eat. You are energized by what you eat. You are made healthy (or not) by what you eat.
Jesus, In You
What if we have a habit of imbibing Jesus. I am not speaking of cannibalism here. Do not worry. The Bible says, “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
“But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever”” (John 6:54–58, NLT).
God Makes You Like Him Daily
Jesus is our Sustainer. All of His words are life to us. As we eat from His Word and surrender our lives to Him daily, we are becoming more like Him. As we imbibe Christ, we take on His characteristics. People will notice that we are healthier (spiritually speaking) than ever before.
Even though I misread and misunderstood the text at first, I am so thankful for the message God had waiting for the diligent seekers of truth. There is so much more, but let’s stop here. Continue to feed upon God’s Word and allow God to make you holy today. Amen.—
#theprotestisnotover #sanctuary
