Tuesday, October 9, 2018

SEXUAL PURITY

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 17-18

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

 

An Ibex on the run in Ein Gedi, Israel.  First Samuel 1:1-2 tells us of David hiding from King Saul here at Ein Gedi, the place of “the rocks of the wild goats.”

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.

Key Verse: Leviticus 18:5

You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.

 

The words “I am the Lord” appear 18 times in today’s and tomorrow’s readings. God is establishing His infinitely high moral standards in the minds of a people who have just come out from Egypt, where they practised the abominations mentioned here. Let me point out again that persons were not called “abominable”…their acts were. There is nothing new here. The very things that today corrupt society and destroy people and families are described in Moses’ writings. In our key verse, just before a long list of immoral acts, God promises, once again, that just as sin leads to death, obedience leads to life. It’s clear that God hates sexual sin, and it is also clear that He has made provision for the forgiveness of all sin. The words “cut off” could be understood, for example, as the imprisonment of a convicted pedophile. The sacrifices we read so much about were pictures of the final and complete Sacrifice for sin offered by our Lord Jesus.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, give me a loathing for sin and, at the same time, an intense practical love for the sinner. That includes my sin and myself. As the man of whom Jesus spoke prayed, “Lord, be merciful to me a sinner,” and was made righteous before You, so I pray this prayer often. Thank You for this prayer that You guarantee, from the mouth of Jesus, will restore and maintain my relationship with You, O Holy God. Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Those words, “I am the Lord,” remind me of standing beside the Sea of Galilee with my Middle-Eastern son-in-law. He told me of the significance of the 153 fish the disciples caught in John 21:11. His first language is Arabic, his second is Hebrew, and his third is English. He explained how in Hebrew, each letter has a numerical value, and “Ana Elohim” (“I am the Lord”) comes to 100, 50, and 3. Peter and the other disciples, who would have attended synagogue schools, knew exactly what the risen Christ was communicating. My son-in-law is an ordained minister in the Nazareth Baptist Church, and I’ve checked this out with Hebrew scholars. We’ll be moving to the Gospel of John in nine days. Don’t get discouraged in Leviticus! How about you and I click right now and read that portion about the 153 fish…John 21:1-14. A lady told me the other day that it was not Leviticus where she got bogged down in her reading; it was Numbers. Something to look forward to, right?

Yours for the blessing of going back and forth between the Old and the New Testaments,

David

P.S. [Originally written October 9, 2016]  Below is a photo of Norma-Jean and me at Thanksgiving a few years ago. We were about to partake of a delicious turkey dinner with some of our family. Also our granddaughter, Hannah Jean Shaheen, M.D., was married yesterday to a fine young businessman Dan Fuller. I’m rejoicing in God’s goodness that He allowed me to be released from the hospital in time to participate in their wedding ceremony. The second photo below is of Grandpa serving them communion. Rev. Ron Mainse officiated the ceremony.

IMG_0426

 

10 thoughts on “Tuesday, October 9, 2018

  1. All those evil practices would nauseate most of us today because we have His laws ‘within us’ being redeemed by His blood and accepting Him as Lord and Savoir(“….I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds…”) but they did not have the Holy Spirit within them back then.We must continue to be strong moral examples for ‘the world’ and own up when we fall……but get right back up and continue the fight.
    The wedding pictures are of happier days.Wouldn’t it be great if our loved ones in heaven could send us pictures of the happy days up there?God bless
    The World Forgot

    The world forgot what is right
    For we were supposed to teach them,
    By sharing with them the light
    But we could not reach them.

    Not long ago we ‘were’ them
    Until we found the light He gives;
    The One the world would condemn,
    Then died to show He lives.

    They don’t want to know our ways
    For they think their ways suit them best,
    But we know how it dismays
    When one begins the quest.

    We must begin to reach out
    Or we may loose them all to sin,
    So we must defeat the doubt,
    To plant the seed within.

    Using words at their command
    Will allow His word to imbed,
    Thus they can then understand
    How He rose from the dead.
    GW(Bill) Marshall/26 July, 2015

  2. Your Dad and Mom look so happy! Also how wonderful that David was able to be there for his granddaughter’s and to serve them communion! What a wonderful memory to have. Thank you for posting this blog daily, especially when it includes such great family memories!

  3. prayer partners please pray for a financial breakthrough for me! I can’t move forward or go backward! I’ve been in this stance far too long! Please Lord grant me the finances to clear debts,help children/grand/children & get up grades done and hopefully have enough to invest for a better income, Lord I just can’t take another moment of being broke all the time; I don’t drink/smoke/gamble, just sleep/swim/pull weeds/help others where I can! PLEASE LORD, HELP ME!!!!!!

    Also Lord I have the back room! I could use a good room mate, BUT LORD I ASK THAT YOU WOULD HAND PICK THE RIGHT PERSON FOR ME! someone who is working maybe at the hotel below me, would be great, Lord I need YOUR HELP PLEASE In Jesus Name I Pray amen

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.