Inside Out Living

Every seven years Israel was to have a fresh start or a new beginning financially. It was not a total reversal of someone’s financial outlook, but it was an opportunity for them to have a fresh start. This was accomplished in two ways: the first was the canceling of financial debts that a fellow Israelite had incurred. The second was granting of freedom to anyone who had willingly entered into servanthood.

Why would God place this provision in His law? The first reason is that God was demonstrating that all of Israel’s wealth (Leviticus 25:23) and their very lives ultimately belonged to Him (Leviticus 25:55). Because God ‘owned’ the land and they owed their lives to him as their redeemer, it was within His right to place these provisions on them. A second reason, I think, was to reinforce the concepts of forgiveness and redemption. This process that would occur every seven years was a picture of God’s grace and forgiveness of sin. How do you view your possessions and your very life? Will you be willing to view them as belonging to God, the Author and Sustainer of life?

During this week you will read over two thirds of Deuteronomy. Some of it will be repetitive to portions of Exodus and Leviticus. This is where the name for the book comes from. In Greek deutero means second, and nomos means law, therefore the name Deuteronomy means second law or second giving of the law.

And our theme for this week is New Beginnings, for as Moses reiterates the law, Israel is on the verge of a grand new beginning in the Promised Land.

The first three chapters of Deuteronomy recap the last forty years of wilderness
wanderings. The whole book is Moses’ final message to Israel and, in this opening section, his purpose is to remind them of how they got to this point.

Remembering our past is an important part of moving forward into the future. For Israel, remembering what God had done was essential. When Israel forgot the mighty deeds God had done in rescuing them out of Egypt, His provision in the wilderness, and His placement of them in the Promised Land; then Israel would stray from their covenant relationship with Him.

Remembering is important for us too. Christians can forget how lost in sin we were before receiving Christ. This forgetfulness is dangerous because it can develop within us a sense of entitlement to God’s grace. Then we begin to see ourselves as righteous when, without the work of Christ, our righteousness is like filthy rages. Rather, if we can remember how sinful we truly are, then we will see God’s grace as the unmerited favor that it is.

The theme for this week is sacrifice. This week we are going to explore what it means for us to sacrifice. One of the key verses that will be brought up this week is Romans 12:1-2:

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice — the kind He will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”

May you, as you read this week, ponder the ways in which your life can be a living and holy sacrifice.

The last chapter of Leviticus is concerned with redeeming that which was dedicated to the Lord. The act of redemption was a major part of life for the Israelites. For the 21st century Christian it is not something we often think about. When is the last time you heard someone talk about redeeming. If anything, we use the word to speak of getting even which isn’t the biblical meaning.

Redemption is an important concept for us though, because if you are in Christ then you have been redeemed (Titus 2:13-14). You may have noticed the cost involved with redeeming in this chapter. If someone or something is going to be redeemed there is always a cost.

So if we are redeemed and if there is always a cost associated with redemption, then how are we to pay the cost? Fortunately, for you and I, Jesus paid the cost for our redemption (1 Peter 1:18-19). It is a cost far beyond what we could afford.

The theme that has been running through this entire week is a willingness to do things God’s way. Worship for Israel was very detailed. God had directed through Moses how they were to worship Him.

As Christians and members of the new covenant, we do not have this amount of detail from the Lord for our worship services. At best we have some principles in the New Testament and the model of the first century church in the book of Acts. Even though the amount of detail differs, the need for a willingness to worship God according to His way remains.

In your worship, is it more about God or more about your wants and needs? Are your preferences in worship more important than God’s desires? What are you doing to cultivate a willingness to do things God’s way? Spend some time with God today, as Moses did, asking Him to show you where you need to submit more to His way.

Is it possible to sin without knowing it? Absolutely. Many times, when we sin against another person, we may not be aware of it for some time. And sometimes no one else is aware either. The instructions regarding the sin offering we read today were to be followed “when they became aware of their sin” (4:14; 23; 28; 5:5; 17). God does not expect us to seek forgiveness for sins we are unaware of. However, how we respond to the realization of sin in our life is critical to our spiritual health. In the Old Testament they were to bring a sin offering in order to seek the Lord’s forgiveness.

For the New Testament believer the command is still to seek forgiveness. I John 1:9 tells us that “if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.” When you become aware of sin, are you willing to seek forgiveness from the Lord? What about seeking forgiveness from a person you may have sinned against?

There were numerous types of sacrifices in the Old Covenant system of worship. In our modern mindset, we might wonder why all these sacrifices were necessary. It is difficult for us to relate to and understand this system of worship and forgiveness that God had ordained. However, there is a connection between their receiving of forgiveness and our receiving of forgiveness, and that connection is Christ.
Leviticus 1:4 says that a man was to “lay your hand on its head so the Lord will accept it as your substitute, thus making atonement for you.” Why would killing an animal while placing a hand on its head atone for sins?

As people, we generally want to make up for our mistakes. We also want to attempt to earn God’s favor and forgiveness. However, this is impossible for we cannot repay the debt we owe to Christ. Forgiveness is only received by a willingness to believe according to God’s system, whether that is belief that God would forgive based on an Old Testament sacrifice, or if it is trusting in Christ’s sacrifice for us today.