Today’s reading is Leviticus 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Psalm 44:9-26, Proverbs 10:20-21.

Yesterday we talked of the Feast of the Shelter, one of the seven annual feasts.  As stated, there were several holiday/feasts that God gave to the Israelites and required them to keep.  They were:  the weekly feast of the Sabbath; the 7 annual feasts which included the 3 “pilgrim feasts”; The New Moon Feast which began each month in the lunar calendar [the official calendar of the feast cycle]; The Sabbath year feast, held every 7^th year; and the Jubilee Feast which was celebrated every 50^th year.  Notice all of those holy numbers!

Every 7 years it was declared a Sabbath year.  God takes His Sabbath days very seriously and so should we.  They are to be days of rest and spiritual renewal.  He gave a weekly Feast of the Sabbath, and  every 7^th year it was a Sabbath Year for the land.  It was a time of absolute trust as they let the ground rest from its work.  The people were to simply trust the Lord for His provision during this year.  And it was also to make the ground more fruitful, more fertile.  When 7 Sabbath years had passed, it was time to really celebrate.  It was time to really trust God.  The 49^th year was a Sabbath Year and the 50^th year was the Year of Jubilee.  Here is some of what God instructed about the year of Jubilee.

⁸ “In addition, you must count off seven Sabbath years, seven sets of seven years, adding up to forty-nine years in all. ⁹ Then on the Day of Atonement in the fiftieth year,^[a] blow the ram’s horn loud and long throughout the land. ¹⁰ Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors and return to your own clan. ¹¹ This fiftieth year will be a jubilee for you. During that year you must not plant your fields or store away any of the crops that grow on their own, and don’t gather the grapes from your unpruned vines. ¹² It will be a jubilee year for you, and you must keep it holy. But you may eat whatever the land produces on its own. ¹³ In the Year of Jubilee each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors.

The Jewish High Holidays began with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and ended with Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).  The focus of this entire period is the process of teshuvah, or repentance.  The Jewish people admit to sins, ask for forgiveness, and resolve not to repeat the sins. On the Day of Atonement, during the Year of Jubilee, they began the event with a long and loud blow of the ram’s horn.  This was their trumpet of the day.  We hear much about the ram’s horn, or Shofar, throughout the scriptures and these can tell us a lot about the symbolism of the sound of the Shofar and the symbolism of the Year of Jubilee.

The blowing of the Shofar indicated several things which all relate to each other.  Most of these implications involve announcement of warfare—both physical and spiritual—and declaration of victory.

We first see indications of the Shofar in the story of Abraham’s offering of Issac.  What was the substitute sacrifice God provided?  It was a ram.  Review the story with the following verses.

⁶ So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together,⁷ Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”

⁸ “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.

⁹ When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. ¹⁰ And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. ¹¹ At that moment the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!”

¹² “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”

¹³ Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. ¹⁴ Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

God provided a ram, a male sheep, symbolic of Jesus, the Ultimate Sacrifice.  But how did the Lord provide it?  By catching it by the horns.  That, too, is significant.  This whole incident which God required of Abraham was a preview of what was to come.  It was a preview that God would give His own Son as a sacrifice.  He would be the replacement ram.  The fact that the replacement lamb in this scene was caught by the horns was indicitive of the sound of the ram’s horn. It was an announcement of warfare and a declaration of victory. When Jesus died, it was the ultimate announcement of warfare.  It was ultimate declaration of victory.

We also see the announcement of warfare and the declaration of victory in the story of Joshua. The priests blew the rams’ horns and the walls of Jerico came tumbling down. It was their first victory as they entered the Promise Land.

In the book of Joel, we find these words:

1Blow the trumpet in Zion;

Sound the alarm on my holy hill.
Let all who live in the land tremble,

for the day of the Lord is coming.

It is close at hand—

The trumpet refers to the Shofar, the ram’s horn. It was an announcement of warfare and a declaration of victory.

We ultimately see the announcement of warfare and the declaration of victory in Revelation 22:15

15The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become

the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,

and he will reign for ever and ever.”

This trumpet, this Shofar, this Ram’s horn, declared that ultimately Jesus will win the victory in heaven and earth, in our hearts and souls.

It is important to note that the Year of the Jubilee began with the loud and long blowing of the ram’s horn.  The Year of Jubilee was all about freedom.  The land was set free, the slaves were set free, the sin of the people was forgiven, bringing about the spiritual freedom so desperately needed.

One day, the final trumpet, the last Shofar, the ultimate Ram’s horn will blow.  The battle will be over; the victory will be won.  But we don’t have to wait for the end of time for the sound of the Shofar to resound in our lives.  We have been set free.  Let’s fight the good fight and not allow our spiritual enemy to enslave us anymore.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

                                                                        John 8:36

Hey, Friends!  I hope you are hanging in there.  Keep reading even if you don’t understand it all, or even if you don’t understand most of it.  God will not let His Word return void, and one day understanding will spring forth.  Our job is to seek and to obey.  Praying for y’all!  And please pray for me, as well, as I study and grow and write and try to share what I am learning.

Here is a schedule for your Bible reading for the month of March.  May God bless you immeasureably!

March 1:  Leviticus 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Psalm 44:9-26, Proverbs 10:20-21

March 2:  Leviticus 25:47-27:13, Mark 10:32-52, Psalm 45:1-17, Proverbs 10:22

March 3:  Leviticus 27:14-Numbers 1:54, Mark 11:1-26, Psalm 46:1-11, Proverbs 10:23

March 4:  Numbers 2:1-3:51 , Mark 11:27-12:17, Psalm 47:1-9, Proverbs 10:24-25

March 5:  Numbers 4:1-5:31, Mark 12:18-37, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 10:26

March 6:  Numbers 6:1-7:89 , Mark 12:38-13:13, Psalm 49:1-20, Proverbs 10:27-28

March 7:  Numbers 8:1-9:23, Mark 13:14-37, Psalm 50:1-23, Proverbs 10:29-30

March 8:  Numbers 10:1-11:23, Mark 14:1-21, Psalm 51:1-19, Proverbs 10:31-32

March 9:  Numbers 11:24-13:33, Mark 14:22-52, Psalm 52:1-9, Proverbs 11:1-3

March 10:  Numbers 14:1-15:16, Mark 14:53-72, Psalm 53:1-6, Proverbs 11:4

March 11:  Numbers 15:17-16:40, Mark 15:1-47, Psalm 54:1-7, Proverbs 11:5-6

March 12:  Numbers 16:41-18:32, Mark 16:1-20, Psalm 55:1-23, Proverbs 11:7

March 13:  Numbers 19:1-20:29, Luke 1:1-25, Psalm 56:1-13, Proverbs 11:8

March 14:  Numbers 21:1-22:20, Luke 1:26-56, Psalm 57:1-11, Proverbs 11:9-11

March 15:  Numbers 22:21-23:30, Luke 1:57-80, Psalm 58:1-11, Proverbs 11:12-13

March 16:  Numbers 24:1-25:18, Luke 2:1-35, Psalm 59:1-17, Proverbs 11:14

March 17:  Numbers 26:1-51, Luke 2:36-52, Psalm 60:1-12, Proverbs 11:15

March 18:  Numbers 26:52-28:15, Luke 3:1-22, Psalm 61:1-8, Proverbs 11:16-17

March 19:  Numbers 28:16-29:40, Luke 3:23-38, Psalm 62:1-12, Proverbs 11:18-19

March 20:  Numbers 30:1-31:54, Luke 4:1-30, Psalm 63:1-11, Proverbs 11:20-21

March 21:  Numbers 32:1-33:39, Luke 4:31-5:11, Psalm 64:1-1-10, Proverbs 11:22

March 22:  Numbers 33:40-35:34, Luke 5:12-28, Psalm 65:1-13, Proverbs 11:23

March 23:  Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46, Luke 5:29-6:11, Psalm 66:1-20, Proverbs 11:24-26

March 24:  Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29, Luke 6:12-38, Psalm 67:1-7, Proverbs 11:27

March 25:  Deuteronomy 4:1-49, Luke 6:39-7:10, Psalm 68:1-18, Proverbs 11:28

March 26:  Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25, Luke 7:11-35, Psalm 68:19-35, Proverbs 11:29-31

March 27:  Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20, Luke 7:36-8:3, Psalm 69:1-18, Proverbs 12:1

March 28:  Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22, Luke 8:4-21 , Psalm 69:19-36, Proverbs 12:2-3

March 29:  Deuteronomy 11:1-12:32, Luke 8:22-39, Psalm 70:1-5, Proverbs 12:4

March 30:  Deuteronomy 13:1-15:23, Luke 8:40-9:6, Psalm 71:1-24, Proverbs 12:5-7

March 31:  Deuteronomy 16:1-17:20, Luke 9:7-27, Psalm 72: 1-20, Proverbs 12:8-9

Today’s reading includes Leviticus 22:17-23:44, Mark 9:30-10:12, Psalm 44:1-8, Proverbs 10:19.

In today’s reading we learn a bit about the annual feasts God gave the Israelites as a perpetual command.  These holy days are still celebrated today among the Jewish people.  I love the fact that God is a God of Celebration.  He loves special, holy days and gave the Israelites 7 holy feast days throughout the year, in addition to the weekly Sabbath celebration, as well as several periodical holy days.  Here is a list of what the Lord required—gave as a blessing—to the Israelites.

.  These feasts included:

• The weekly feast of the Sabbath
• The 7 annual feasts which included the 3 “pilgrim feasts”; all introduced in Leviticus 23.

In addition to the weekly and annual feasts there were several periodic feasts:

• The New Moon Feast which began each month in the lunar calendar [the official calendar of the feast cycle]
• The Sabbath year feast, held every 7^th year
• The Jubilee Feast which was celebrated every 50^th year.

Though we as Christians are not obligated to celebrate these special days, their symbolism is a great source of encouragement for us and a reminder of the truth of God’s plan through Jesus.

The one I want to focus on today goes by several names.  Some refer to it as the Feast of Shelters or the Feast of Booths.  It was also called The Feast of Tabernacles from the Latin word for “dwelling”.  It was the seventh feast, with the first one being Passover.  We have talked quite a bit about Passover and that Jesus indeed was and is the Passover Lamb—the Lamb of God who died so that death could pass over us.  It is also interesting to note that the last of the annual feasts, The Feast of Shelters, had a huge emphasis on light and water.  So, right off we see that Jesus was in the first of the feasts as the Passover Lamb of God, and Jesus was also in the last of the feasts as the Living Water and the Light of the World.  Revelation 22:12 makes even more sense in light of these truths:

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

He is the first and the last in all things.  He was in the symbolism of the first feast and of the last feast.  In time, we will see that He was the symbolism in everything in between, as well.

As for the emphasis of light during the Feast of the Shelters, the folks at jewishroots.net had this to say:

During the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) there was a great ceremony called the “Illumination of the Temple,” which involved the ritual lighting of four golden oil-fed lamps in the Court of Women. These lamps were huge menorahs/candelabras (seventy-five feet high) lighted in the Temple at night to remind the people of the pillar of fire that had guided Israel in their wilderness journey. All night long the light shone their brilliance, it is said, illuminating the entire city.”

Remember that the pillar of light led the people through the wilderness.  It was the Shekinah glory of God—His constant presence.  In the same way, no matter the darkness in this world, God’s presence will ever be a light for our path. The people would be very familiar with this concept of the celebration of light and it would have had a profound effect for them to hear Jesus declare while he was in the Temple—the very place that was lit up during the Festival of Shelters—the He was the Light of the World.

As for the water significance, we must remember that Israelites lived and wandered through the wilderness in a desert climate.  While we take no thought of our water sources, that was not the case for God’s people in biblical times, as well as in many parts of the world today.  When Jesus said “I am the Living Water” it was not only as a symbol of quenching our thirsty souls, it was also a declaration that He would meet their every need and calm their fears.  During the Feast of the Shelters, they remembered the miraculous ways God used water to save them.  He parted the Red Sea, He provided water which flowed from a rock, and He made the bitter waters drinkable.

The Feast of the Shelters was said to be one of the most joyous times of the year.  The people were to make small tents (or huts/booths) and camp out for seven days.  They decorate their tents with greenery and today, they may even add tiny lights to remind themselves to be grateful for the light of God’s guidance.

During the Feast of the Shelters, as described in Leviticus 23, the celebration was to last for seven days, with a holy convocation on the 8^th day.  Leviticus 23:40 said,

⁴⁰ On the first day gather branches from magnificent trees^[l]—palm fronds, boughs from leafy trees, and willows that grow by the streams. Then celebrate with joy before the Lord your God for seven days.”

According to hebrew4christians.com, the Jewish people form bouquets out of four kinds of branches, one of which was palm branches.  Waving these branches was their way of celebrating and thanking God for all He had done for them.  The word hosanna was originally a word of supplication.  It meant something like, “Come to our aid!” or “I beg you to save!” The priests would repeat it over and over in a monotone voice on the seventh day of the Feast of the Shelters.  While they repeated this urgently, they walked around the altar of sacrifice, where they sacrificed a lamb, and urgently prayed for rain.  While the Feast of the Shelters started out as a time of petition, it gradually turned into a time of praise and remembrance of God’s provision.  So, the word Hosanna, gradually turned from a word of petition, to a word of praise.  According to Benedict XVI:

By the time of Jesus, the word had also acquired Messianic overtones. In the Hosanna acclamation, then, we find an expression of the complex emotions of the pilgrims accompanying Jesus and of his disciples: joyful praise of God at the moment of the processional entry, hope that the hour of the Messiah had arrived, and at the same time a prayer that the Davidic kingship and hence God’s kingship over Israel would be reestablished.

The people may have learned the word hosanna during the Feast of the Shelters, but they used it correctly when they spontaneously shouted this word when Jesus entered Jerusalem in what was to be His triumphal entry leading to His death, for He indeed had come to save them and us.  They shouted it in praise and joyful adoration, while they waved palm branches, just as they did during the Feasts of the Shelters.  I believe deep in their spirits it was spontaneous praise, as well as petition.  Their spirits cried, “I beg you to save!”  Little did they know, that was exactly what He was about to do.

And our spirits cry the same in both praise and petition, as we recognize that Jesus, the First and the Last, the Passover Lamb of God, the Living Water, and the Light of the World, is our only hope.

The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

                                                                        Matthew 21:9

Today’s reading includes Leviticus 20:22-22:16, Mark 9:1-29, Psalm 43:1-5, Proverbs 10:18.

Today’s reading includes many more instructions, some of which highlighted exclusions.  As I read through today text, I couldn’t help but wonder about the exclusions.  There were exclusions for those who had a tainted past, exclusions for those touched by grief and shame, exclusions for those handicapped.  When I compare this text with the other text I know in the rest of the Bible, for a moment is does not add up.  For this is what I know about the character of God:  He is love, He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west, He says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. He makes all things new. So why the exclusions?

Then I went back to study a bit more and realized the exclusions were not required of the people, the exclusions were for the process.  The exclusions were about the priests who fulfilled those processes.  And the exclusions were about the sacrifice.  As we have discussed before, God made a perfect world, but it was tainted by sin.  And so much of what we see in our Old Testament readings is God revealing His plan to get back to that perfection.  If the priests were part of that visual, then they needed to be as close to perfection—as close to how it was in the beginning—as was possible for them.

Of course, they weren’t perfect and no matter how much they tried, no matter how much they excluded people and things and animals from their lives, they could not be perfect.  They were just instructed to take the effort seriously.  Remember, God is painting a picture for us to see His plan to return to the perfection He originally created.

And in this picture, there is a priest who is perfect, there is a perfect animal sacrifice.  The perfect priest offers the perfect lamb and perfection can be achieved.  Only, remember this is a picture painted which will be revealed in the future.  It is a picture of Jesus the perfect High Priest.  It is a picture of Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God.  That is when the perfect painting was revealed.

Even though Jesus has come, even though the price has been paid with the perfect sacrifice, we still live in an imperfect world.  There is still illness and sin and shame and tragedy.  Why?  Because the end of the story has not been fulfilled.  We know the ending, we can read about the ending, but in His grace and mercy God has delayed the ending. He has delayed the ending so that those who have not understood the only way to perfection, will have the chance to understand and hear and follow.

Today, I want to remember the end of the story.  Let’s look at Revelation 5:1-13.

Then I saw a scroll^[a] in the right hand of the one who was sitting on the throne. There was writing on the inside and the outside of the scroll, and it was sealed with seven seals. ² And I saw a strong angel, who shouted with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it.

⁴ Then I began to weep bitterly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll and read it. ⁵ But one of the twenty-four elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne,^[b] has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

⁶ Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which represent the sevenfold Spirit^[c]of God that is sent out into every part of the earth. ⁷ He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. ⁸ And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. ⁹ And they sang a new song with these words:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
    and break its seals and open it.
For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
    from every tribe and language and people and nation.
¹⁰ And you have caused them to become
    a Kingdom of priests for our God.
    And they will reign^[d] on the earth.”

¹¹ Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. ¹² And they sang in a mighty chorus:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—
    to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
    and honor and glory and blessing.”

¹³ And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power
    belong to the one sitting on the throne
    and to the Lamb forever and ever.”

In the next chapters of Revelation, we see that Jesus, the Lamb who was slain, opens the seals.  And the seals reveal that though the victory is complete, though the spiritual war has ultimately been won already, there are still pockets of satan’s strongholds on this earth.  The war has been won, but there are still battles to be fought.  The topics of these battles can cause fear and worry.  But for us, the Redeemed, there is security and confidence.  The heading of Revelation 7 is God’s People Will Be Preserved.

⁹ After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰ And they were shouting with a great roar,

“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
    and from the Lamb!”

In further chapters there are beasts and battles and fire and plagues.  But there will be a time when the return to the way it was meant and created to be is restored.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

³ I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.^[a] 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

⁵ And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”⁶ And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. ⁷ All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

And the description of what is to come is beyond beautiful with sparkling stones and pearls and gold and God’s glory.  And the perfect has returned.

²² I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ²³ And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. ²⁴ The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. ²⁵ Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. ²⁶ And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. ²⁷ Nothing evil^[f] will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

And in that time, the picture God painted will be fully fulfilled and revealed.  There will be no more need for temples or regulations or exclusions.  There will be no more evil, no more shame, no more imperfections.  We are waiting for the final battle and even still we are victors now.  And in the victory we experience now, we wait expectantly for the final and ultimate victory.

¹⁷ The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.”

No wonder the entire Bible ends with these words:

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.^[f]

Today’s reading includes Leviticus 19:1-20:21, Mark 8:11-38, Psalm 42:1-11, Proverbs 10:17.

As we move into the next chapter of Leviticus we see yesterday’s theme repeated over and over.  God gives instructions and we are expected to follow those instructions and the reason is repeated over and over.  “I am the Lord your God.”  It is similar to those times I tell my children, “Because I said so.”  Because I am the parent and you are the child.  Yes, there are times we explain more thoroughly, times we try to make them feel good about what we have instructed.  But the bottom line is, I am the parent and they are the child, and a good parent will require obedience even if the child does not understand or agree.

In our reading today, we find a large selection of instructions with a wide range of implications.  From honoring parents to stealing.  From delaying payment to workers to insulting the handicapped.  From sexual sin to dishonest and unequal standards.  From killing babies to keeping the Sabbath.  The majority of people would agree with some of these issues, and some of these issues are hotly contested topics. I will point out that perversion was a capital offense (verse 15) but so was dishonoring your parents, as seen in Leviticus 20:9.

⁹ “Anyone who dishonors^[a] father or mother must be put to death. Such a person is guilty of a capital offense.

When we get to verse 36-37 of chapter 19 we see that God added an addition “why” for the people’s obedience.

³⁶ Your scales and weights must be accurate. Your containers for measuring dry materials or liquids must be accurate.^[a] I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt.

³⁷ “You must be careful to keep all of my decrees and regulations by putting them into practice. I am the Lord.”

Did you catch the additional “why”?  Because He brought them out of slavery.  He had already delivered them from slavery and these things would enslave them again.  By putting into practice the instructions God was giving them, they would be free from spiritual slavery.

The beginning of today’s passage begins with some overwhelming words.

The Lord also said to Moses, ² “Give the following instructions to the entire community of Israel. You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.

Holy?  Me?  Yes, I can fully comprehend that He is holy.  But He wants me to be holy, too?  How is that possible?  My feelings on this are perfectly described in Psalm 130:

1Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;

2Lord, hear my voice.

Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy.

3If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,

Lord, who could stand?

I cannot stand up as holy.  I know that.  So what am I to do?  Continuing in Psalm 130 gives the answer.

4But with you there is forgiveness,

so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

5I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

6I wait for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning,

more than watchmen wait for the morning.

7Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord is unfailing love

and with him is full redemption.

8He himself will redeem Israel

I will put my hope in Jesus.  I will reach out to touch the One who acted as my sin offering, for if I touch Him I can be holy.

Anyone or anything that touches the sacrificial meat will become holy.

                                                                        Leviticus 6:27

 May we trust in Him alone to convict us and cleanse us;

to give us understanding and wisdom

to make us, the unholy, into holy vessels fit for His Spirit to dwell.

May we, the ones who have been set free from slavery, lovingly show others the way to freedom.