Daily Scripture Reading Leviticus 6:19 - 7:10

Mark goes to church most Sundays, claims to be a follower of Jesus, and ushers once a month. However, from Monday through Saturday, he lies to his boss, cheats on his taxes, rarely opens his Bible, and spends all his energy pursuing wealth, fame, and pleasure.

Sarah grew up in a Christian family and claims to be a believer. She faithfully attends the Christmas Eve candlelight service every year. On Easter Sunday, she always goes to church wearing a brand new dress, and then spends the rest of the day celebrating Easter with family. However, every other Sunday of the year she sleeps in, goes to the gym, shops, or spends the day watching TV.

The obvious problem with Mark and Sarah is that they fail to obey many commands found in the New Testament. A deeper problem is the lack of the proper mindset. Today’s passage illustrates a concept that is missing in the lives of Mark and Sarah.

The first several chapters of Leviticus explain the different types of offerings that could be brought to Yahweh. The fifth chapter describes the rules for dealing with unintentional sin. The sixth chapter gives additional guidance regarding the sacrifices listed in the first several chapters.

Lev. 6:19 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev. 6:20 “This is the offering which Aaron and his sons shall bring near to Yahweh on the day when he is anointed; the tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half of it in the evening.

Lev. 6:21 It shall be prepared with oil on a griddle. When it is well stirred, you shall bring it. You shall bring near the grain offering in baked pieces as a soothing aroma to Yahweh.

Lev. 6:22 And the anointed priest, who will be in his place among his sons, shall offer it. By a perpetual statute it shall be entirely offered up in smoke to Yahweh.

Lev. 6:23 So every grain offering of the priest shall be burned entirely. It shall not be eaten.”

Lev. 6:24 ¶ Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

Lev. 6:25 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, the sin offering shall be slaughtered before Yahweh; it is most holy.

Look at the word “holy”. The concept of holiness is being set apart and dedicated to a particular purpose. In this case, the animal that was brought as a sin offering was holy, meaning it was set apart and dedicated to the purpose of atoning for sin.

Lev. 6:26 The priest who offers it for sin shall eat it. It shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting.

Since the sin offering was holy, it had to be eaten in a holy place. In other words, it had to be eaten in a place which was set apart and dedicated as the place where holy offerings were eaten. That meant other mundane, non-religious activity could not occur in that particular place.

There are many nominal Christians such as Mark, as well as many Chreasters such as Sarah. These are people who claim to be believers, but their lives show little evidence of devotion to Christ. Underneath their failure to obey many New Testament commands is the lack of holiness.

The Apostle Paul exhorts all Christians to present our bodies as living, holy sacrifices (see Romans 12:1). Being holy means being set apart. All Christians should live holy lives, meaning lives that are dedicated to serving Christ, not just on Christmas and Easter, and not just on Sundays, but every day of the year.

Lev. 6:27 Anyone who touches its flesh will be set apart as holy; and when any of its blood sprinkles on a garment, in a holy place you shall wash what was sprinkled on.

Ponder the first phrase in this verse. Anyone who touched the flesh of the sin offering had to be set apart. This indicates the holiness of the sin offering. The animal which was brought as a sin offering was dedicated to that purpose; therefore, anyone who touched it also had to be set apart.

Furthermore, any garment that was sprinkled with the blood of the sin offering had to be washed in a holy place. The care with which the sin offering needed to be handled communicates the importance of the sin offering.

Lev. 6:28 Also the earthenware vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; and if it was boiled in a bronze vessel, then it shall be scoured and rinsed in water.

Since the sin offering was holy, any earthenware vessel which was used to boil it had to be broken so that it could never be used for anything else.

Lev. 6:29 And every male among the priests may eat of it; it is most holy.

Here we see the words “most holy”. The sin offering was more holy than other holy offerings.

Lev. 6:30 But no sin offering, of which any of the blood is brought into the tent of meeting to make atonement in the holy place, shall be eaten; it shall be burned with fire.

Lev. 7:1 ¶ ‘Now this is the law of the guilt offering; it is most holy.

Guilt offerings were also most holy.

Lev. 7:2 In the place where they slaughter the burnt offering they are to slaughter the guilt offering, and he shall splash its blood around on the altar.

Lev. 7:3 Then he shall bring near from it all its fat: the fat tail and the fat that covers the entrails,

Lev. 7:4 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, which is on the loins, and the lobe on the liver he shall remove with the kidneys.

Lev. 7:5 And the priest shall offer them up in smoke on the altar as an offering by fire to Yahweh; it is a guilt offering.

Lev. 7:6 Every male among the priests may eat of it. It shall be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

Lev. 7:7 The guilt offering is like the sin offering, there is one law for them; the priest who makes atonement with it shall have it.

The tabernacle was the full-time job of the priests. Thus, some of the sacrifices were given to the priests. The guilt offering was given to the priest who offered it.

Lev. 7:8 Also the priest who brings near any man’s burnt offering, that priest shall have for himself the skin of the burnt offering which he has brought near.

A burnt offering was burned, but the skin was given to the priest who burned it.

Lev. 7:9 Likewise, every grain offering that is baked in the oven and everything prepared in a pan or on a griddle shall belong to the priest who brings it near.

Lev. 7:10 And every grain offering, mixed with oil or dry, shall belong to all the sons of Aaron, to all alike.

Some grain offerings belonged to the priest who brought it near while others were distributed freely among all the priests.

Christians who do not regularly attend church are disobeying the command to assemble ourselves together (see Hebrews 10:25). Christians who regularly attend church, but live sinful lives throughout the week, are disobeying a multitude of commands. Underneath both of those problems is the failure to be holy. It is a failure to present our bodies as holy, living sacrifices, dedicated to serving Jesus.

is your life set apart and dedicated to being a servant of Jesus?

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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”