A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 21-22 (Part 2)

Now, moving on to Leviticus chapter 22. God continues laying out instructions concerning priests.

Leviticus 22:1-9—1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they do not profane My holy name by what they dedicate to Me: I am the LORD. 3 Say to them: ‘Whoever of all your descendants throughout your generations, who goes near the holy things which the children of Israel dedicate to the LORD, while he has uncleanness upon him, that person shall be cut off from My presence: I am the LORD. 4 Whatever man of the descendants of Aaron, who is a leper or has a discharge, shall not eat the holy offerings until he is clean. And whoever touches anything made unclean by a corpse, or a man who has had an emission of semen, 5 or whoever touches any creeping thing by which he would be made unclean, or any person by whom he would become unclean, whatever his uncleanness may be—6 the person who has touched any such thing shall be unclean until evening, and shall not eat the holy offerings unless he washes his body with water. 7 And when the sun goes down he shall be clean; and afterward he may eat the holy offerings, because it is his food. 8 Whatever dies naturally or is torn by beasts he shall not eat, to defile himself with it: I am the LORD. 9 They shall therefore keep My ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby, if they profane it: I the LORD sanctify them.’”

Does God take what He says seriously? Does God say things just to hear His own voice? God has spent all this time (which to us is quite a bit of time, but to Him it is nothing. However…) laying out all these commands and rituals and prohibitions and ordinances. And may people would say that these are merely suggestions, that God is really kinda laid back and doesn't consider holiness that big of a deal. But in these instructions, we see God repeat the penalty for a priest who ministers while he has uncleanness upon him. Verse 3, “while he has uncleanness upon him, that person shall be cut off from My presence” and verse 9, “They shall therefore keep My ordinance, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby.” Over and over again, we see God warning the people that the penalty for breaking the rules is death. But we also see the patience and mercy of God, because He gives the priest a chance to make himself clean so that he can minister. If the man is unclean, but he goes through the process God has laid out, then when the sun goes down he shall be clean, and can eat of the holy things and on the next day he can perform his duties.

What does that mean for us? Is it not still true that we—Jesus Christ having made us kings and priests to His God and Father (Revelation 1:5-6); we being a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people (1st Peter 2:9)—cannot just simply barge into God’s presence, ask for this or that from Him, while we still have uncleanness upon us? But then, does God not make provision for us to prepare ourselves to enter His presence? 1st John 1:9—If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Before we can minister the holy things of God, we need for God to cleanse us, to purify us of the filth that clings to us during our walk here on planet earth. Do we need to get saved all over again? No. John 13:10—"He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean." If Christ has already bathed us, then we need not be bathed again. But no matter how much dirt has gathered on our feet, if we ask, He will wash all that dirt off and make us completely clean once again.

Leviticus 22:10-11—“‘10 No outsider shall eat the holy offering; one who dwells with the priest, or a hired servant, shall not eat the holy thing. 11 But if the priest buys a person with his money, he may eat it; and one who is born in his house may eat his food.’”  Remember way back when, we were going through the teachings on Passover, and we talked about how, if a person wanted to partake of Passover—or any of the Jewish religion—they had to do what? “Become a Jew.” A Hittite, walking through the desert, could not simply waltz into the camp, bring a goat to the priest and say, “Hey, you guys are having your little feast! Ooh, roasted lamb! Mind if I join in?” Only Jews could eat the holy things. If they hired servants from other nations—those servants could not eat them. But if the priest bought that servant, then he could. Keil and Delitzsch—“Slaves bought for money, or born in the house, became members of his family and lived upon his bread; they were therefore allowed to eat of that which was sanctified along with him, since the slaves were, in fact, formally incorporated into the nation by circumcision.” Those slaves who had “become Jews” could eat of the holy things.

Leviticus 22:12-13—“‘12 If the priest's daughter is married to an outsider, she may not eat of the holy offerings. 13 But if the priest's daughter is a widow or divorced, and has no child, and has returned to her father's house as in her youth, she may eat her father's food; but no outsider shall eat it.’” How many times do we see it? A Jewish mother today wants her daughter to marry a nice young man. But not just any man. “Is he a good Jewish boy?” Now, the word translated ‘stranger’ does not simply mean a Gentile—a man from a nation other than Israel. It is the Hebrew זוּר (zuwr), and it simply means “stranger.” If Yitzhak’s daughter Abigail married a man who was not a Levite—whether he were a Reubenite, or a Gadite, or (especially) a Hivite or a Jebusite—not only was her husband prohibited from eating of the holy things, but neither could Abigail. Because we see, time and again, God warning the people about not letting their daughters marry outsiders. God put rules in place to teach the people obedience—but at the same time He is merciful. So if Abigail's husband died before he gave her a child, she could return to her father's home and eat his food.

Let’s fast-forward to the New Testament. Keep in mind, we are no longer under the Law; we are free to marry anyone we want. We are warned to not marry anyone who is not a Christian (2nd Corinthians 6:14), but if we do we are not then outside of the grace of God. And if the woman, who is a Christian, experiences the loss of her husband, then there are rules that the church is to follow in caring for that widow. 1st Timothy 5:3 (NASB)—Honor widows who are widows indeed. “What does that mean? Are there women whose husbands are just ‘kinda’ dead?” Uh, no. Paul elaborates on what he means by a woman who a widow indeed in 1st Timothy 5:5 (NASB)—She who is a widow indeed…has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day. In other words, a widow indeed is one who is childless, has no grandchildren or nephews, and has no one to provide her daily support. She is left to the mercy of God for her provision (although, is there a greater provider than God?). Her life is a continuous display of godliness, not living in wanton pleasure. And the widow that is in the charge of the house of God is not to be under sixty years of age. 1st Timothy 5:9-10—9 Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, 10 well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work.

However, if that woman has children, Paul says that they should be the ones providing for their widowed mother/grandmother/aunt. 1st Timothy 5:8 (NASB)—But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Because he has neglected his duty, and allows this widow to suffer in the ignominy of poverty, having to beg from others when her son is more than capable, he has brought shame upon his mother and, even worse, upon the name of Christ. Was this not the charge our Lord laid upon the Pharisees? Mark 7:9-13—9 He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' 11 But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban"'—(that is, a gift to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, 13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do." Instead of taking care of their elderly parents—especially their widowed mothers—they sought to bolster their public image by declaring “Gee mom, I’d love to help you out—but God really needs my money so He can build a bigger and more beautiful temple.” In another place, Christ condemns this thinking when He scolds the Pharisees for taking a widow’s last two copper coins (see Luke 20:45-21:6). And even in the Law, the Levite woman who married one outside her family, should she arrive at that state where she has no one to care for her, should she return to her family, was to be received back into the fold, and allowed to partake of the holy things of God.

Father, let us never come to you without first confessing our sins, that Jesus may provide forgiveness for those sins and make us clean in your sight. May we always remember that we are a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, Your own special people, and never do that which brings shame to Your name. And help us to always care for our families as best we can and not leave them in poverty when we can help.

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 21-22 (Part 1)

 We see in Leviticus 20 that which we have already covered in our study of Leviticus 18. These are the penalties for various sins, and having been already discussed, we will move on to Leviticus 21.

In this chapter, God outlines the conduct He expects out of those who minister on the people’s behalf. Needless to say, he expects His priests to live in righteousness and holiness, contrary to the growing wave of hip/cool/relevant “pastors” we see today—those who claim that in order to reach people today, a pastor has to be edgy and raw and “in your face” and they have to promote this “Ultimate Fighter Jesus” in order to get their point across. There is this sense, in some “churches” today, that God has thrown away any expectations that His shepherds walk, talk and act like people of God. They think, “Hey, it’s the cross—you can't say anything; it’s all grace!” But God expects a little more—OK, a LOT MORE—out of those who minister to His people. In 1^st Timothy and in Titus, we see entire chapters devoted to what kind of man God wants as overseers in His church. In 1^st Timothy 3:2-7—2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; 3 not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous…6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. 7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. Not only must a pastor be respected by those within the church—he must be respected by those outside the church. And in that respect, Mark Driscoll falls woefully short. John MacArthur recounts this episode from a pastor’s life:

 

“I enjoyed reading the account of a former pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City by the name of Dr. Maltby Babcock some years ago.  And he says that he was approached by a physician, a medical doctor in his church, and he was concerned about the fact that his pastor seemed to be working very hard and he said, ‘You need a night off and I have here two tickets to the theater,’ Broadway theater in New York.  He said, ‘Take them, you need the recreation of going to this theater.’

 

The pastor looked at them and he could see by the title of the play that it was not something he could conscientiously attend so he said to him, ‘Thank you, sir, very kindly but I cannot go.’  And the doctor said, ‘Why not?’  To which he replied, ‘Dr., it's this way, you're a physician, a surgeon, in fact, when you operate you scrub your hands meticulously until you're always clean.  You wouldn't dare operate with dirty hands.’  To which the doctor nodded. ‘Well I'm a servant of Christ,’ he said, ‘I deal with precious human souls and I wouldn't dare to do my service with a dirty life.’  The power of a pure life to set an example that influences for godliness is wrapped up in moral character.”

This desire of God to have godly men shepherd His people is rooted in this list of qualifications that starts in Leviticus 21:1-4—1 And the LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: ‘None shall defile himself for the dead among his people, 2 except for his relatives who are nearest to him: his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, and his brother; 3 also his virgin sister who is near to him, who has had no husband, for her he may defile himself. 4 Otherwise he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.’” If you were a priest, you were not allowed to touch a dead body, except that of your near relative. Just as touching the carcass of an unclean animal would defile and profane the common man, so touching the corpse of one who was not a near relative would defile and profane a priest. And isn't this a lesson for us? That our pastors should be men who seek godliness, not bringing the vile and wretched works of Satan into a fellowship that is supposed to be glorifying God? And yet we find, one after another, the men who think themselves qualified to shepherd the church of God, bringing in loathsome entertainment to keep their “flock” happy. And, by so doing, encouraging those who sit under them to think, “Well, if Perry Noble thinks it’s OK to play AC/DC in church, then it must be OK for me to listen to them myself! And if I can listen to their music, then I can certainly adopt their satanic lifestyle as well.” And for that handful who does come to know Christ in spite of such things practiced by the Driscolls and Furticks of the world, how many more revert to their old lifestyle, seeing as how said lifestyle has been approved by the one they call “pastor”?

Leviticus 21:5-9—“‘5 They shall not make any bald place on their heads, nor shall they shave the edges of their beards nor make any cuttings in their flesh. 6 They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. 7 They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God. 8 Therefore you shall consecrate him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I the LORD, who sanctify you, am holy. 9 The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire.’” A priest—a mediator between man and God—should look like a man of God. Now, does this mean that if he wears a polo shirt instead of a three-piece suit, that he is disqualified from preaching? No. But when you walk into a church, you should be able to tell, right away, that you are walking into a church. So many of these trendy, raw, cutting edge “churches” that are led by hip/cool/relevant “pastors”—you wouldn’t even know you're walking into a church. And the proponents of these enclaves say “Well, what’s wrong with that?” They actually embrace the fact that their church does not look like a church. Again, does a church need to be enclosed in stained-glass windows in order to be a church? No. But shouldn’t one be able to tell that this is a place where God is preached? Where sin is preached against, and where the name of Jesus is magnified? But, alas, these places look like nothing more than yet another downtown pub or coffee shop. All the while, their supporters clamoring “But they're leading 10,000 people to Christ every week!”

Not only should a pastor look like a man of God, so should his children. The wife and the children of a preacher should reflect an upbringing that is centered on God’s glory. Just as the wife of an old covenant priest was not to be a harlot or and adulteress or even a widow, so the children of that priest were not to be rebellious and promiscuous with their bodies. If they did, they were to be put to death and their body burned into ashes. In that passage from 1^st Timothy we read a moment ago, we find these verses sandwiched in between the ones listed. 1^st Timothy 3:4-5—4 …one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?). Now, does this mean that if a faithful pastor, who has been a true shepherd of the house of God, should one day see his children turn away from the faith and walk in rebellion and hardness of heart that he should resign his bishopric? No. If he has done his part in teaching his children in the ways of the Lord, and when they reach adulthood they go their own way, then he has done his job. So long as they were under his roof, under his dominion, it is his responsibility to assure that they are to be grave and reverent. If, once they are out from under his rule, they stray from the faith, they have made their decision; his conscience is clean, if indeed he has taught them well while they were under his roof.

They shall not take a wife who is a harlot or a defiled woman, nor shall they take a woman divorced from her husband; for the priest is holy to his God. This may prompt someone to ask about Hosea, who was commanded to takes as his wife a woman named Gomer, a “wife of harlotry” (Hosea 1:2). You may ask why God commanded this prophet to take a wife of harlotry but He commanded the priests to not do so. Well, prophets and priests are two separate and exclusive offices. Yes, God gives commands for priests, but you do not see any commands about prophets. Why? It’s because God would command prophets to do things that may seem odd to you or me, only because when God commanded these prophets to do these things, it was to signify something God was warning the people about. Like Isaiah for example. God told him to walk naked through the land as a sign of something God was going to do. Isaiah 20:2-4—2 at the same time the LORD spoke by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go, and remove the sackcloth from your body, and take your sandals off your feet." And he did so, walking naked and barefoot. 3 Then the LORD said, "Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, 4 so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. Some may look at these verses and think that God would be a pervert for commanding this, but He had His reasons. And it was not to arouse lust in the people’s eyes, but to warn them that Sargon, king of Assyria, would put to shame the Egyptians by parading all their people as captives, naked and barefoot.

Likewise, God commanded Hosea to take an unfaithful wife to bear him children whom God would command the prophet to give names which would tell the people about God’s attitude toward them. Hosea 1:3-9—3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 Then the LORD said to him: "Call his name Jezreel, for in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5  It shall come to pass in that day that I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel." 6 And she conceived again and bore a daughter. Then God said to him: "Call her name Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, but I will utterly take them away. 7 Yet I will have mercy on the house of Judah, will save them by the LORD their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword or battle, by horses or horsemen." 8 Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. 9 Then God said: “Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, and I will not be your God.” See the progression of the significance of the names?

·         Jezreel (וְיִזְרְעֶאל, “God sows”): “On account of the blood-guiltiness of Jezreel, i.e., because Israel had there contracted such blood-guiltiness as was now speedily to be avenged upon the house of Jehu” (Keil and Delitzsch).

·         Lo-Ruhamah (לֹא רֻחָמָה, “no mercy”): “The child receives this name to indicate that the Lord will not continue to show compassion towards the rebellious nation, as He hitherto has done, even under Jeroboam II” (Keil and Delitzsch).

·         Lo-Ammi (לֹא עַמִּי, “not My people”): “As soon as the Lord ceases to compassionate the rebellious tribes, the state of rejection ensues, so that they are no longer ‘my people’” (Keil and Delitzsch).

This is why God told Hosea to marry a wife of harlotry, to show to the people that they had broken covenant with Him, that He would no longer have mercy on them, and they would no longer be His people. So you see why God does not lay out commands for His prophets is because He may command them to do something that would go against those rules.

Leviticus 21:10—“‘10 He who is the high priest among his brethren, on whose head the anointing oil was poured and who is consecrated to wear the garments, shall not uncover his head nor tear his clothes.’” What did the high priest do when Jesus answered that He was indeed the Son of God? Matthew 26:63-65—63 And the high priest answered and said to Him, "I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!" 64 Jesus said to him, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." 65 Then the high priest tore his clothes… This man, who was so vehement about upholding the Law of God, violated that very Law with this act. This man, who was (outwardly) expressing such grief over Christ’s (perceived) “blasphemy” has himself abrogated the very command of God.

Leviticus 21:11-24—“‘11 Nor shall he go near any dead body, nor defile himself for his father or his mother; 12 nor shall he go out of the sanctuary, nor profane the sanctuary of his God; for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is upon him: I am the LORD.’” Once the priest was anointed, he was to remain within the sanctuary. “‘13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow or a divorced woman or a defiled woman or a harlot—these he shall not marry; but he shall take a virgin of his own people as wife. 15 Nor shall he profane his posterity among his people, for I the LORD sanctify him.’” 16 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 17 "Speak to Aaron, saying: 'No man of your descendants in succeeding generations, who has any defect, may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, 19 a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, 20 or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch. 21 No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the LORD. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy; 23 only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the LORD sanctify them.'" 24 And Moses told it to Aaron and his sons, and to all the children of Israel.

Just as the sacrifices they would present to YHVH had to be free of defects, so did those who offered them. In other words, not only did the priest have to be fit spiritually, he had to be fit physically. Their body had to be fit; they had to marry a fit wife; their children had to be well-behaved. Basically, every part of the priest’s life had to be in order. He had to be…perfect. How many perfect priests do you think ever served in the tabernacle? Not many, but they were about as close as they could get. That was the old covenant. Now, under the new covenant, is a man required to by absolutely perfect in every way? We have seen the requirements laid out in 1^st Timothy and in Titus. And we know that a man must be spiritually fit to shepherd God’s people. But what about his physical condition?

Didn’t Paul say of himself that Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge (2^nd Corinthians 11:6)? That he determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and that though he was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom that, nonetheless, his preaching was in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God (1^st Corinthians 2:2-5)? In fact, that was one accusation that Paul’s detractors leveled against him. 2^nd Corinthians 10:7-11—7 Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ's, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ's, even so we are Christ's. 8 For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed—9 lest I seem to terrify you by letters. 10 "For his letters," they say, "are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible." 11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present. The charge against Paul was this: he didn’t “look the part.” Today, the hip/cool/relevant crowd would accuse him of the same thing. They would say he needed to wear more hair gel, or wear more Ed Hardy or Affliction shirts or something. They would say this, instead of listening and understanding the power of his words and his life, his example of Christ. And isn't that what many want today? Someone who “looks” the part? Someone who “sounds” the part? Someone who will keep their attention; someone who is a gifted orator, who can persuade them with his words to believe what he is saying? They may not learn a whole lot; they may not grow in knowledge (2^nd Peter 3:18); but boy, they can sure be entertained!

And by being entertained and by having our ears tickled, the word and the power of the Scriptures goes right past us. We can sure look godly—we can even brag about how, at our church, ten thousand people are being saved every week—but all those are demonstrations of godliness which denies the power thereof (2^nd Timothy 3:5). Phil Johnson wrote the following at Pyromaniacs:

“Evangelicals have been obsessing for at least four decades about ‘relevance.’ But that word as used in evangelical circles has become practically synonymous with novelty and fashionableness. It has little to do with actual relevance. Of course, the church's only true relevance lies in her role as a community where God's Word is proclaimed, where the whole counsel of God is taught, and from which the gospel is taken into the world. But when a church nowadays advertises itself as ‘relevant,’ we know exactly what is meant—and let's be honest: it isn't about anything Paul told Timothy to do; it's about being ‘innovative.’”

So then, does this mean that a man of God should not look like a man of God? Should he not present himself in a respectable manner, not only in his walk but also in his dress? Why, of course a man should look presentable when he delivers a word from God. But his clothing and his appearance should not be to draw the attention to himself, nor be a source of stumbling for those who listen. Is there, then, some kind of “dress code” for preachers? Are there types of clothing that a preacher is required, by Scripture, to wear? “Thou shalt only wear three-piece suits, the dress of your fathers, when thou preacheth My word!” Is there a sort of “fashion police” for us evangelicals who desire a man to look presentable when handling the word of God? “If any man weareth anything save a polo shirt, thou shalt tosseth him on his keester! Forsooth!” The answer to all these questions is a qualified “No.” But one word to keep in mind, when discussing and dialoging about this topic, is ‘modesty’. If the way the man dresses is taking the spotlight off of God and putting it on the man, then he needs to consider a change. If people are praising him more for his fancy clothes than for bringing glory to God, then maybe he should tone it down. If a man is receiving rebuke for dressing like a slob, then maybe he should change something. And even more important word than the one we used before (‘modesty’) is the word ‘holy’. When a man feels led to preach the word, he is saying that he has been called to a holy office. And men who preach the word of God are called to be holy (as are all saints, 1^st Peter 1:16). But the man who leads them should be a standard, a type, for those who follow. Philippians 3:17—Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. If the pattern is laziness and apathy in the leader, then what will be the pattern for the follower?

Lord, let us always be submissive to Your commands, so that we may always walk n Your ways and never be ashamed to speak Your name. May our shepherds be fit for the office, may their families realize how blessed they are to have a husband and father who has been called to such a service. And may we always be attentive to what they are preaching. In Jesus' name.

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 19 (part 4)

Okay, it's been more than a week since I posted, been having some computer issues. But we are back!

For Leviticus 19:20-22 we’re going to use the NASB translation, because it is a little clearer in its rendering of this passage. “’20 Now if a man lies carnally with a woman who is a slave acquired for another man, but who has in no way been redeemed nor given her freedom, there shall be punishment; they shall not, however, be put to death, because she was not free. 21 He shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD to the doorway of the tent of meeting, a ram for a guilt offering. 22 The priest shall also make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering before the LORD for his sin which he has committed, and the sin which he has committed will be forgiven him.’” The woman in question here is one who is owned as a slave but promised as a wife to another slave. Let’s think back to Exodus 21:4-6—“4 If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by himself. 5 But if the servant plainly says, 'I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,' 6 then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.” This is the man and his promised wife referred to in Leviticus 19:20.

 Now, if the woman was free, she would be put to death, along with the man who laid with her, Deuteronomy 22:22-24—“22 If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel. 23 If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, 24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones.” But, since this woman was the property of another, so that her owner might not be deprived of her service, she was to be investigated, punished, along with the man who laid with her—but neither were to be put to death.

 Leviticus 19:23-25—“‘23 When you come into the land, and have planted all kinds of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be as uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten. 24 But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy, a praise to the LORD. 25 And in the fifth year you may eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase: I am the LORD your God.’” We have seen that the people were instructed, by God, to treat each other (as well as the stranger among them) respectfully, every man being created in the similitude of God (James 3:9). But the command to treat with respect extended not only to human beings, but also to the land that God had given them. We will see, in just a few chapters, that God commanded the people to rest not their own bodies, and their servants on the seventh day of the week, but to also allow the land itself to rest from its labor of providing sustenance for them and their animals. Leviticus 25:1-4—1 And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “2 Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.’” The command here in Leviticus, to give their trees a few years to produce fruit, and to not just go in and grab the first thing that blooms, is also in line with the command to give their crops every seventh year off. Just as people need rest from their labor from time to time, so the land needs rest from its labor. Which is why, I believe, so much food we have today is less healthy for us than it has been in times past—because we just keep farming it and using it and using it and using it up, so that it doesn't have time to replenish itself, and we are growing stuff in, basically, dirt and not good soil.

 And wouldn’t you know it, even in this command, we see an instruction for the church under the new covenant. What is the command here? Let the trees grow, and bear fruit, and account the first pickings of the fruit to God, and then use what comes in the following years for yourself. In other words, don’t go picking your fruit until it matures, and it is first offered to God. What does Jesus call our labors in the Lord? Fruit. Matthew 7:15-20—“15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” And how can one know whether the tree they are eating from is bad or good unless the fruit has come to its full growth? For a man can say “I believe in God; I believe in Christ and His finished work; I believe in salvation by faith.” And yet this is but a small blossom, and not the whole fruit. For if you were to examine the fruit, once it has been exposed and allowed to fully bloom, one sees that the blossom that appeared good has grown into a fruit that is most vile and poisonous, for we may eventually see that the same man believes in a God who was once a man; and believes in a Christ who was Lucifer’s brother (and not his Creator), and salvation that comes by faith and the vile works of his own effort and which, when brought to fruition, entails him becoming a “God” of his own universe and birthing “spirit children” with his many celestial wives. And yet there are many who hear the smooth-sounding words of the one who calls himself a “latter-day saint” without investigating the fullness of their fruit, and eat that bitter produce, and go down to perdition.

 Even in the church, we are called to examine one’s life to determine whether they are a true brother or sister in Christ. Especially the one that seeks to be an overseer of a congregation. 1^st Timothy 3:2-6—2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach…6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Paul goes on to warn young Timothy yet again, 1^st Timothy 5:22—Do not lay hands on anyone hastily. That is, when a man comes and says he “feels led” to enter the ministry, do not simply take him at face value and, not knowing his heart or motives or teachings, put him into a position of teaching others the strange fruit of the doctrines of demons. How many times do we see it, especially today, that a man (or woman—but that is for another day) comes along, fresh in his newly converted state, thinking that his genuineness and sincerity (and very little background in the Scripture) is enough to carry him into the teaching and preaching of the most important collection of writings ever assembled. And how often are these fresh-faced folks swept up into a seminary (if they even ever receive any instruction in the Scriptures), spewed out into a pulpit, and allowed to lead people into doctrines which are never taught in the Scripture, if they ever teach doctrine at all. Those who appoint such people have not allowed the person’s tree to bear fruit for a time, have not offered them first to God—but have simply offered them to the people first, to tickle ears and fill pews. But all these commands in Leviticus are so irrelevant today, right?

 Leviticus 19:26-28—“‘26 You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice divination or soothsaying. 27 You shall not shave around the sides of your head, nor shall you disfigure the edges of your beard. 28 You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you: I am the LORD.’” We have already covered verse 26—the statute concerning the eating of blood being covered under Leviticus 17:1-16; the warning about soothsayers being covered under Exodus 22:18 and the command to put sorcerers to death. So let’s just talk briefly about verses 27-28. Again, these seem rather trivial today—especially with how popular tattoos and piercings have become. Now, does this mean that if someone has a pierced ear or a tattoo that they are in danger of judgment? No. But there is yet another object lesson here.

 As I have said before, so I will say again: we live in a day and age when “pastors” think they have to be raw and edgy in order to appeal to a certain demographic. And it is not uncommon to see these “pastors” adorn their bodies with tattoos and piercings in an attempt to be oh-so-hip, oh-so-cool, oh-so-relevant to the oh-so-hip, oh-so-cool, oh-so-relevant crowd. Their thinking is this (whether or not they understand their thinking to be so): “The word of God is not enough; the promise of eternal life with Christ is not enough; I must make MYSELF appealing to the people, so that they MIGHT listen to what I have to say, and keep coming back to listen to…” Whom? “…ME…” It’s all about the one standing up there speaking, showing forth their fruit—and their fruit declares their heart to think that the preaching of the gospel is not about glorifying God, but “getting people in the door.” The “relevance” crowd has given this horrendous style of “preaching” a title: “Contextualization.” (And has now given us the abominable "deconstruction") And their battle cry sounds something like this: “We make the Bible relevant!” That is about as a blasphemous a statement as a man can make. The Bible is relevant simply because it is the living word of the living God. The guy standing there on the stage thinks he has to dumb-down the gospel so that enough people can nod their head, or “quietly slip your hand in the air, with no one looking” or repeat some mundane “sinner’s prayer” that will mean nothing five years down the road for most who repeat it. But hey, some hip/cool/relevant “preacher” standing up there with tattoos and an eyebrow ring told them they're saved, so they must be saved…right?

 Here’s the thing: tattoos and piercings are not going to condemn anyone. But they're not going to make anyone accept the fullness of the gospel any more than a man standing on stage in a $2000 suit. It’s not the clothing that makes one believe the truth of the gospel. It is the Holy Spirit breathing the truth into the spirit, opening the eyes and ears, turning the person from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to the power of God (Acts 26:18). “But we’ve got to get them in the door!” Oh yeah, I guess you're right. I guess it all depends on the rock star standing on stage, and I suppose that God is not powerful enough to do it.

 Two points God is making by issuing these commands—for Israel, as well as for us: one, the people of God are to look different than the people of Satan. Not just on the outside, in what we wear. But on the inside, letting that which is within flow to without. Romans 6:4—Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Are you in Christ? Was your old man buried with Him? Then prove it in the way you walk. The second principle is this: do you think you own your body? Do you say, “My body is my own; I can do with it as I please”? No, friend, it is not. Your body, if you belong to God, does not belong to you—it belongs to Him. 1^st Corinthians 9:19-20—19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. If you are a Christian; if you say that Christ has saved you; if you claim to love God and love Christ—then your body does not belong to you. Your body is not your own, it does not belong to you—your body and your spirit belong to God. He bought them; He paid for them with His own blood; He owns you. If you don’t like that idea; if that statement is abhorrent to you; if you can say, in full confidence, “Jesus is not my lord”—then you may want to reconsider your relationship with God, because He says otherwise. He would not let His people, under the old covenant, so much as put a mark on their skin.

 Leviticus 19:30-37—“‘30 You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD. 31 Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. 32 You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD. 33 And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. 34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 35 You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. 36 You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 37 Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and perform them: I am the LORD.’”

 So now we finish up this chapter with just a couple instructions that need to be covered. Verse 32, “You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD.” Most cultures around the world value the elderly. The fact that they have been granted long years upon the earth is enough to make them worthy of at least some modicum of respect. And yet, when it comes time to elect the person who should run our country, what is the cry today? “We don’t want him; he’s…” what? “…he’s too old. We want someone younger!” We want someone who is more vibrant, who is more exciting and fresh-faced—someone that has more vigor and vitality. We don’t want some old fuddy-duddy that looks like our grandpa in his rocking chair. And why is that? Why do we in this country have such a disdain for our elders? Unless they are the elders in our own family, then you better not talk about old Uncle Joe—and even then, if old Uncle Joe gets to be too much of a nuisance, we’ll just ship him to the old folks’ home. The reason we can't stand the elderly anymore is because they remind us of our own mortality. That we will, one day, be like them. We will have to walk with a cane; we will have to have someone drive us here and there; we will have to rely on the charity of others. And, even worse, we will be treated the way we are treating them. And we can't stand that. (I say all this, with the caveat that God may indeed take us out of this world before we become grey-headed)

 We don’t respect our elders—and when we become elderly, we will not be respected. It is a curse upon this nation. John Gill—

“Fagius relates, that according to the tradition of the Hebrews, a young man was obliged to rise up when an ancient man was at the distance of four cubits from him, and to sit down again as soon as he had passed by him, that it might appear it was done in honour of him. And this was not only observed among the Jews, but anciently among Heathens, who reckoned it abominable wickedness, and a capital crime, if a young man did not rise up to an old man, and a boy to a bearded person. Herodotus reports, that the Egyptians agreed in this with the Lacedaemonians, and with them only of the Grecians, that the younger, when they met the elder, gave them the way and turned aside, and when coming towards them rose up out of their seat; and this law was enjoined them by Lycurgus, and which Aelianus commends as of all the most humane. And this respect to ancient persons is due to them from younger persons, because of their having been in the world before them, and of their long continuance in it, and because of the favour and honour God has bestowed upon them in granting them long life, as also because of the experience, knowledge, and wisdom, they may be supposed to have attained unto.”

Solomon knew the value of the elderly—especially the ones who had attained knowledge and wisdom. Proverbs 16:31—The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, If it is found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 20:29—The glory of young men is their strength, And the splendor of old men is their gray head. But, anymore, today, what do we see in movies and on TV? The parents are made to look like buffoons, and the smart-aleck children are promoted as being wiser than their parents. And for that, this country is sliding into an abyss from which only the power and grace of God may one day rescue it—if He does at all. But, if He does not, and this country goes into the miry quagmire, we will have no one to blame but ourselves—even while those who despise God shake their fist and ask “Why did He let this happen?” Oh, hypocritical creatures that we are!

 Finally, verses 34-36—“34 The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. 35 You shall do no injustice in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume. 36 You shall have honest scales, honest weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” The message in all of these verses is simple: treat others as you would want to be treated. “You were slaves and strangers, you know what it is like to be under the whip of the taskmaster. Don’t forget what that felt like. When someone comes into your land, treat them with respect, don’t defraud them, don’t mistreat them—or I will cause you to go into a land where you will be mistreated even worse than you were in Egypt. Do everything honestly, that you may not blaspheme My Name.” As Solomon would say many centuries later, in Proverbs 11:1 (and echoed in Proverbs 20:10)—Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.

 These commands and the principles behind them are explained in Micah 6:1-8—1 Hear now what the LORD says: “Arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. 2 Hear, O you mountains, the LORD's complaint, and you strong foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a complaint against His people, and He will contend with Israel. 3 O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me. 4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you from the house of bondage; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 5 O My people, remember now what Balak king of Moab counseled, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, that you may know the righteousness of the LORD.” 6 With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

 I am no better than anyone else. My righteousness does not come from within myself. If it were not for the grace of God, I would be no different than the man I once was—depraved, rotten to the soul, corrupt, swimming in the filth of my flesh, indulging every craving of my flesh in its wantonness. Hateful, prideful, spiteful, my life full of bitterness and cursing, drunkenness, revelry and shame. And should I ever depart from the grace which God has given me (as if that were possible!) I would no doubt return to the muck and mire which was once my home. How could I ever look down on another who does not know the Lord, who has never been given the light of His grace in order to turn from their wickedness? And yet, from time to time, I do just that. To my own shame, I commit that very sin of thinking less of that person simply because they have not received the light which God gives to some and not to others. And why have I received it? Because I was somehow better than them? Seriously? If anything, I deserve more stripes and a more severe judgment than some whom I judge so harshly. May God be merciful to me, a sinner, for judging others in my heart, for not loving the stranger that is my neighbor as I love myself—for don’t we all love ourselves? Ephesians 5:29—No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. So let us always see those who know not God the same way God once looked upon us—with pity, with mercy, with grace. Let us always deal with them honestly, giving glory to God, praying that perhaps He will shine His truth upon them as He has upon us.

 Jesus Christ is Lord.
Amen.

A Survey of the Old Testament Law--Leviticus 19 (Part 3)

 Now, for the last phrase in Leviticus 19:18—“But you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.” The second of the great commandments, and the one that Jesus said was just as important as the first. Let’s talk about this meeting between Christ and the Pharisee for a moment. Before we do, though, let’s frame it in its historical context. At the time, as you may well know, the Pharisees placed a huge premium on keeping the outward commandments of the Law. In His listing of woes to the Scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:13-36), He blasts them for doing, doing, doing the outward rituals in order to become righteous. He even prefaces His monologue by teaching His followers to not be like those scribes and Pharisees. Matthew 23:1-12—1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.' 8 But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. 11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” The reason Jesus was about to castigate the religious crowd of the day was they had forgotten the reason God gave them the Law. It was not as a way to become better than others; it was not meant as a way for them to measure themselves against others as a sort of contest to see who could be “more righteous” (a game still played, by the way, only now they call themselves ‘Roman Catholics’). The Law was actually meant as a way to humble the people, and to show us how utterly detestable we are.

But at this time, the Pharisees had elevated certain parts of the Law, and downgraded others. And among the rabbis, there were many debates about how to arrange the commands in the Law according to their importance. And apparently this fellow wanted to hear Jesus weigh in on the subject. So he asks Christ, in Mark 12:19—Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Look at what Mark says about the man. Then one of the scribes came, and…perceiving that He had answered them well. He was not trying to trap Christ in His words; he was not tempting or testing the Lord. He was seeking to hear more. He realized that Jesus was speaking words of truth. And so Christ answers, and I'm sure many of us can tell this off the top of our heads, Mark 12:30-31—29 Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." Notice how He phrased His answer: He says the first command is to love God, and then He says the second is like it. This makes the one intertwined with the other, so that if you do not love God, you cannot love your neighbor. And, if you do not love your neighbor, you do not love God (see James 3:9).

This man went on, and paraphrased the words of the prophet Hosea, who wrote these words from God, in Hosea 6:6—“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” And in paraphrasing this passage, he told our Lord, Mark 12:32-34—32  So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices." So out of all these commands we’ve studied since Exodus 20:1 up until now, having lost count of how many and how diverse they have been—out of all these commands, including the Ten Commandments, this command here, to love your neighbor as yourself, is placed above all the commands against murder, theft, idolatry, homosexuality, bestiality, and eating shrimp. Paul would echo Jesus’ words, in 1st Corinthians 13:1-13. We all know, of course, that 1st Corinthians 13 is “The Love Chapter” and Paul says that even if he could do just about anything—speak with the tongues of angels, prophecy, have the gifts of knowledge and wisdom and understand all the mysteries of God and give everything he had to the poor and even give his body to be burned—if it were possible for him to do all those things but lack one, he would be as lost as the worst infidel. And what was that one thing he could not lack? Love. He would be a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal; in fact, he said if he had not love he would be nothing. If it were possible for him to keep the other 612 commandments in the Law, if he did not love his neighbor as himself, he would be consigned to the fires of Hell. Loving one’s neighbor was just as essential to one’s salvation as loving God with all heart, soul and strength. All other commands paled in comparison to these two.

Leviticus 19:19—“‘You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with another kind. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.’” Remember the commands against eating certain animals? What was the lesson God was teaching them at that point? Was it a lesson in lowering their cholesterol? Was it a lesson in some sort of health concern? If they ate a clam were they going to be struck down dead? No. The purpose behind the prohibitions was to teach them a lesson about separating things. Keeping themselves separate from sin; differentiating between clean and unclean, between holy and profane (Exodus 11:45-47). Same here. God made nature in a certain order. He made cows; He made horses; He made dogs (poodles, however, are an aberration of nature and therefore unexplainable by humans); He made snakes. He made all these things to multiply after their own kind (see Genesis chapter 1). He also made man. And out of all the tribes of man, He took the Israelites, separated them from any other people on earth—doing so, in fact, hundreds of years before they got to Mt. Sinai (see Genesis 12:1-3). But God also knows the mind and the heart of man. He knows that even though He had separated these people out from the other peoples, the men would have a proclivity to go after the women from the pagan nations. And did they ever. David. Solomon. And long before them, the people of Israel went whoring after the women of Moab— even after God had spared them from being cursed by Balaam, who was trying to lure them into being seduced by the women of Moab (see Numbers 22-25)! So here, God gives them another object lesson about not mixing the people of God with the unholy pagans.

Let’s take a quick look at each one of these. First, God forbids them from unnaturally mating with beasts of the field. Think of a cow. What kind of animals do cows, by their own natural inkling, mate with? “Ummm…cows.” Good answer. Do you think a cow would ever try to mate with a horse? Or a donkey? No. But, in much the same way that Egyptian mythology was filled with creatures half-human/half-animal, many other mythologies have been filled with fantastical creatures which were some combination of animals. This was a way of discouraging such heathenish practices among the people of God.

Second, He warns them not to mix the grain of the field. Many of the pagans surrounding them worshipped some sort of fertility god, who they believed would give them abundant crops and thus these people would take up a sort of agricultural alchemy, combining all different kinds of seeds, hoping that their ‘god’ would give them some new kind of crop that would produce far greater numbers than before. But we have a couple New Testament passages that deal with seed and with grafting one tree into another—and how it is God who produces the desired results. First, we have Jesus’ parable of the soils. He tells of a sower that goes out and sows seed (which is the Word of God). Some of it lands by the wayside and is snatched away by Satan. Some of it lands on rocky ground, where it has no depth and when the heat of persecution comes it withers and dies. Some of the seed falls among thorns, and when they are persecuted for the word, their life is choked out. But the seed that lands on good soil—that is the seed that grows thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold (Matthew 13:8). Was there anything different about the seed? No. Same seed. If you want to think of the good soil as the “control group” (to use a research term), then that seed falling on good soil tells us that it is not the seed that causes the problem—rather, the soil must be prepared for the seed. And if the soil is bad, then the seed, no matter how good and pure and perfect, cannot grow because the soil is not usable. So who is it that makes the soil ready? Who is it that is the real source of life, the One who causes the seed to grow? It is none other than the Great Husbandman. 1st Corinthians 3:5-6—5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.

And when we combine the parable of Christ with the warning from Leviticus, we actually see a warning to the church—that a sower of the seed (the Word of God) is not to mix the good seed (the Word of God) with any other kind of seed. Satan does enough of that, and we can see the results today (see the parable of the wheat and the tares, Matthew 13:24-30). A passage that talks about grafting two trees is found in Romans 11:17-24—17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? Paul compares the church to the wild olive tree, and old covenant Israel to the natural olive tree. The point Paul makes is that God, being the great Husbandman, knows how to graft the two olive trees together to get one tree that will bear fruit for all eternity. And even though, in nature, these two trees would reject each other, it is God who causes all things to work together, and create from two trees one tree to His glory (see Ephesians 2:11-14).

Third, God tells the people not to wear clothing made from mixing wool and linen. You can wear wool. You can wear linen. But do not mix the two. To many, this may be the most perplexing of the prohibitions in Leviticus 19:19. “What’s the big deal about mixing fabrics? I mean, don’t we all wear some kind of cotton/polyester blend clothing all the time?” That may be true—if we didn’t go beneath the surface and find what God is actually trying to tell us here. What this is, beyond the pale of human understanding, is a warning to all Christians—do not mix Law and Grace. “OK, what in the world are you talking about? How do you get ‘don’t mix law and grace’ from ‘don’t mix wool and linen’?” Well, what is the source from which wool comes? Well, wool comes from sheep. Is not Jesus our Good Shepherd? Is not Jesus our Savior? And how are we saved? By grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8). So then, wool is symbolic of the fact that we are His sheep, saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Now, the linen—this was the material which made up the priestly garments. Do we now take an animal to a priest to be killed, cut up and burned in order to atone for our sins? No. Christ has done that already. That was the Law—you sin, you kill an animal. Yet there are many, still today, who mix law and grace, who say “We are saved by faith in Christ—but you still gotta keep the rules to keep yourself saved.” If you remember the late Garner Ted Armstrong, or his father Herbert W. Armstrong, they were in the line of the Worldwide Church of God (otherwise known as the Philadelphia Church of God, and its offspring which go by many names. It now bills itself as Grace Communion International. Hmm, Grace Communion…how ironic). They teach that Christians are commanded to keep the old covenant feasts, and that if you don’t you're not saved. That, my friends, is the very definition of mixing wool with linen—wanting to mix the wool of Christ’s grace with the linen of the Law. And by doing so, one will not be saved. Galatians 5:1-4—1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. 2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. Emphasis on verse 2, if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. Nothing. If that little clause is not enough to make people go running and screaming away from any group that tries to foist the bondage of the Law upon them, and go running toward the cross and hang their arms about the neck of our dear Savoir—I don’t know what will. Nothing. You can believe in Him all you want—but if you still cling to the Law, then Christ will slip from your grasp, and you will be left holding the wind. Period. They have clothed themselves in garments of wool mingled with linen. And those garments will shield them from neither the stain of sin nor the wrath of God.

Part 4 next week

 

Jesus Christ is Lord.

Amen.