Josh1Eight

Scripture: Leviticus 11:45 "Do not defile yourselves by touching them. You must not make yourselves ceremonially unclean because of them. 44 For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy...For I, the Lord, am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy." Observations: As God begins to define for His people what it means to be holy by giving detailed instructions about how to live in relationship with Him, on the surface it sometimes appears that all of the do's and dont's given in the Law start to get kind of redundant and trivial. Honestly, what difference does it really make what kind of bugs are better to eat than others. Unfortunately, time and distance sometimes cloud the intent and meaning behind God's commands. It's important to remember that nothing God says is insignificant but all of it reveals who He is (His holiness) to us. The...

Scripture: Leviticus 9:24-10:3 "Fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground. 10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. 2 So fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said,‘I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all the people.’" Observations: After spending 8 chapters instructing the priests about how to worship Him by offering specific sacrifices in the prescribed "holy" manner, God watched with excitement as Aaron, the high priest, offered the first official sacrifce on behalf of...

Scripture: Matthew 28:2-4, 11-15 " 2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint...11 As the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened. 12 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 13 They told the soldiers, “You must say, ‘Jesus’ disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.’ 14 If the governor hears about it, we’ll stand up for you so you won’t get in trouble.” 15 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today." Observations: The Bible accounts that the Roman soliders who guarded the tomb of Jesus overn...

Scripture: Matthew 27:3-5 "When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.” 5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself." Observations: After realizing that he had betrayed an innocent man to death, Judas, one of Jesus' closest followers, began to experience the guilt and regret for his actions and attempted to return the money he had been given in exchange for his betrayal in hopes of easing his conscience. However, no degree of restitution on his part could ever make right what He had done. Unfortunately, as a result of his failed attempt to fix things himself, Judas, lonely and depressed, forfeited God's forgiveness and sealed his own fate by committing sui...

Scripture: Matthew 26:58, 75 "Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end...Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly." Observations: After deserting Jesus while He was being arrested, Peter got up the nerve to continue following Jesus, but this time privately from a distance. From a distance the demands of being associated with Jesus were not as costly as before. The Bible notes that from a distance Peter became merely a spectator who watched Jesus rather than one who walked through life with Him. Why? Because it's easier than risking everything for something that may or may not turn out the way He hoped. He had a lapse of faith as he "sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end." After all, why risk your life if...