Leviticus 6:8-13

^“This is the law of the burnt offering:”

I draw out this one portion from the five lines of text. I missed it in my first five readings or so. It was upon meditating upon the Word that the significance was brought out.

We all know that God makes laws. So often we look at those laws as commandments, as the Lord told Moses, “Command Aaron and his sons”. I get it. We are commanded.

What is the Lord’s part? We so often focus on our part, clarity of understanding, observance, faithfulness, and performance review. What about the fact that God, in making this law has a part in His response to the very law He spoke?

So much of what God commanded was conditional. “If you will, I will.” All those things were given on condition. The blessings were conditional upon performance. God could withhold blessings based on our performance. Here in the law of the burnt offering there is no conditional language. It is stated as factual. God does this period. Our perfection in performance is not an issue, only God’s part is perfect as He is perfect.

“It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar”.

The condition of what constitutes a burnt offering is not in the burning, nor in the sacrifice, nor in the performance or faithfulness on our part but rather the location. Upon the alter.

To give a thing to the Lord, don’t you have to be in His presence?

I have to admit that often I get so wrapped up in the act that I have left the Lord out of it.

Can you relate?

Leviticus 6

¹¹ And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.

The first thing I saw was myself in this passage. It was all about me and the ashes.

What did you see first?

First impressions are good. They speak from a personal perspective. What is first seen is what is obvious. It can be about you. It can be about human behavior. It can be about the Lord. What first impressions did you get?

Now I would like you to work out your first impressions in context to the whole message. As you examine the context, line upon line, precept upon precept, does the context support or perhaps enhance your first impressions.

The reason I ask you to do this is a closer examination of your personal condition. Hearing the Lord, discovering what the Lord means for you personally should be found in context. We often find ourselves at odds with others and risk unity of the spirit when we take portions of passages out of context.

We are emotional people and things can strike us emotionally which should be speaking to us spiritually. We should deal with the emotions and see them for what they are in order to spiritually hear and see the will of the Lord. It might even be that He desires you to deal with those emotions. That is between you and the Lord. I struggle with this.

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Every weight is not necessarily sin as the words “and sin” where added. Things we struggle with keep us from running freely.

See you tomorrow for context.