Deuteronomy 15, 24, Numbers 30, 36
 
From  Deuteronomy 15

1. At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.  
2. Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite.
3. He shall not require payment from  his fellow Israelite or brother.
4. You must cancel any debt your brother owes you.
5. There should be no poor among you.    
6. You will lend to many.  
7. Do not be hardhearted.
8. Be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs
9. Give generously to him.
10. Be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
11. Supply him liberally from  your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress.
12. Give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you.
13. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you.
14. That is why I give you this command today.

 
HOW do we respond to these commands? Surely such economics cannot flourish in our world today. How could any lender cancel all of the debts each seven years and stay in business? Why would we be openhanded to the poor? Every person can work to earn a living.
   The underlying promise in this Scripture and elsewhere in the law is of Israel’s future wealth. Even the words “Promise Land” points to an exceptional place to live. Moses repeatedly offers the Lord’s wealth promise as in Deuteronomy 15:4 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you. Under the LORD God’s sovereign care, Israel was to be a nation physically secure. No one should have been poor if they worked. Yet, there are always circumstances that occur in people’s lives they can’t control. Sickness and disabilities can impoverish one. A generous community was to aid them. God’s “openhanded” blessing, though, would only come when Israel obeyed God’s commands.
   Would Israel reflect God’s gracious redeeming power? Would they become a generous people? Scripture’s evidence tells us Israel did not obey the economic, worship and civic laws. The Lord eventually removed Israel from his promise and from  the land.
   These laws are principles of trusting in God, so we will correctly us our possessions. We must see all we have as God’s gift. There is a time to work and a time to rest, a time to earn and a time to give. The Bible has many verses about the blessings of an open hand and the curse of a closed fist. Know these words. Listen to them and trust the Great Provider.

 

Exodus 21:12–25; Numbers 35:16-35, Deuteronomy 19:1–13
 
Exodus 21:23-25 But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, 24 an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, 25 a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.
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Matthew 5:38 “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. 40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. 43 You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, ‘Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”  
 
DO these Scriptures contradict each other? As Jesus came to fulfill the law, it seems he is erasing it. Bible commentator Warren Wiersbe has a very good explanation for us:
   “The ‘eye for an eye’ law is known as the lex talionas. This is a Latin term meaning “the law of retaliation” or “The punishment must fit the crime.” This principle has been severely criticized by some as being barbaric, but it’s just the opposite. In an age when the legal system was developing, this law made sure that the punishment the judges ordered was equal to the seriousness and severity of the crime, not more and not less. If the guilty aggressor blinded his enemy’s eye, then his own eye was blinded. Nothing could be fairer. In contrast, if you broke your enemy’s finger and the court ordered you to be blinded, that wouldn’t be fair at all, because the sentence must fit the crime.
   “When Jesus prohibited His disciples from retaliating against those who hurt them, he was dealing with personal revenge (“I’ll get even with you!”) and encouraging personal forgiveness. He wasn't criticizing Moses or interfering with the legal system, because He came to fulfill the Law and not to destroy it.
   “As believers, we have the privilege of waiving our ‘legal rights’ of retribution to the glory of God and not demanding compensation. However, in the civil law, a judge has to see that justice is done and the law is respected.” (from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe.)
   I hope this helps you understand, too, why Bible study – even that of the law –   is essential. On first look, we can be confused or unsure of a scripture’s meaning. Taking time to know God’s meaning is vital to your sanctification. It is also a key for you to help others come to faith.
 
 
 
 

Exodus 23:1-8, Deuteronomy 1:9–18, 16:19-20, 19:15–21, 24:17-18, 25:1–3
 
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 “When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees.  20 This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.”
 
AS we periodically note, God is a Planner. He acts at particular times to prepare his people Israel for circumstances they will encounter even centuries into the future. Here, he plans for the time Israel will want an earthly king. Remember, Israel is a theocracy. God was their governing King at this point in their history. Even more, God was their entire government. But the LORD knew that one day his citizens would desire to replace him with a monarchy. Even though he doesn’t want them to make such a change so deadly to their covenant relationship with him, the LORD tells them what their king must do. He is the patient Father resigned to a child’s harmful decision.
   Still I AM points his people to himself. The king’s main task is very straightforward, isn’t it? The king of Israel must surround himself with the King of Heaven’s law. He is to first write it under the Levitical priests’ watchful eyes. Not only is this a very good way to learn, God is saying his priests still have the ultimate authority of his Word in Israel. No earthly king can be above God’s true law and those who guide its enforcement.
   Then the king is to daily read what he wrote. He must fill his mind, heart and soul with God’s law. This is the only way Israel’s kings will be able to withstand temptation and pride. Kings and queens are human. Their first desires will center around their own vain power if they do not desire God.  
   This is an obvious lesson for each of us. God has given us authority to rule in our family, his church and our communities. How marvelous it would be for each of us earthly “rulers” to have time each day writing, reading and measuring our minds in line with the King’s sovereign will.
 

Leviticus 19:1-19 & 27 Deuteronomy 23, Numbers 6 & 30:1–16 
 
Leviticus 27:28-29 “However, anything specially set apart for the Lord—whether a person, an animal, or family property—must never be sold or bought back. Anything devoted in this way has been set apart as holy, and it belongs to the Lord. 29 No person specially set apart for destruction may be bought back. Such a person must be put to death.”
 
HAVE you noticed how personal the law is? The LORD God does not make laws on a whim to restrict Israel. He gives them the right way to live and to respond to many, many circumstances because he loves them.
   One way we see his love in the law is the way he devotes his chosen people to his purposes. For example, he set apart Noah and family from all humanity to save the world from the Flood. He devoted Abram and Sarai to birth Israel. He set apart Israel to bless all nations. He devoted Moses to lead Israel. He sets us apart from sin and the world to be his children.
   Verse 29 also tells us the LORD devoted particular people, nations and objects to be destroyed in order to protect his own.
   No one was to take from God what he had devoted unto himself. For example, a farmer could not replace a crop or animal sacrifice with currency. The LORD set apart those offerings as devoted worship to the LORD and devoted offerings to the priests. Whether people, crops, animals or material goods, whatever God devoted to himself had to remain devoted to him.  
   How does this apply to your life? Are you saved in your repentance of sins and confession of Jesus as Savior? Then God has devoted you to himself. Nothing can take you from him. Second, because you belong to God, he commands your life. In turn, you must devote yourself to God. You are to set him apart as the top authority of your life.
   Yet, our nature is to compromise with God, “If you do this, God, then I’ll do that.” Our tendency is to limit our response to the things we are comfortable to do. Too many of us are comfortable doing nothing. Some of us say, “I give my offerings and my tithe. That’s my devotion to God.” Or “I give my time to God.” Yes, this is well and good. But as the Israelite farmer could not buy the devoted animal from God, you must also consider if your offering is your substitute for a true devotion to God.
          God has devoted you to himself. Know your purpose in the Kingdom. Devote yourself to God’s will to be done in your life as it is in heaven. Be devoted to him as he commands and calls you.  

Read Leviticus 21, 22:1–16, 25
 
Leviticus 25:1-4 While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Lord said to him, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you have entered the land I am giving you, the land itself must observe a Sabbath rest before the Lord every seventh year. 3 For six years you may plant your fields and prune your vineyards and harvest your crops, 4 but during the seventh year the land must have a Sabbath year of complete rest. It is the Lord’s Sabbath. Do not plant your fields or prune your vineyards during that year.”  
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25:18-22 “If you want to live securely in the land, follow my decrees and obey my regulations. 19 Then the land will yield large crops, and you will eat your fill and live securely in it. 20 But you might ask, ‘What will we eat during the seventh year, since we are not allowed to plant or harvest crops that year?’ 21 Be assured that I will send my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a crop large enough for three years. 22 When you plant your fields in the eighth year, you will still be eating from the large crop of the sixth year. In fact, you will still be eating from that large crop when the new crop is harvested in the ninth year.”
 
PERHAPS you are weary of reading about so many laws. But instead, I hope you are energized to see once more in this passage how El Shaddai uses the law as a means to bless his people.
   The land Sabbath year would be quite a faith test, wouldn’t it? Having been around farming in some connection all my life, I have never known anyone to consider this command, let alone do it. How is it both practical and possible to have enough food and income from land that lies idle for a full year?
   It is practical because God promises he’ll prepare you for it. And it is possible because the LORD God said it is. God makes the law for your good and the earth’s good. Then he makes it possible for you to be blessed as you obey it. “Be assured that I will send my blessing for you in the sixth year, so the land will produce a crop large enough for three years.” “Be assured!” how good it would be to live with a complete conviction God’s Word is absolutely true! Remember, this is God’s Promised Land. The good land represents the Father’s good grace to generously care for his children when they obey him.  
   But then, Israel did not believe this command. There is no record they obeyed this Sabbath for the land. Still God gave the land its rest. God exiled Israel into Babylon for 70 years. Why 70? For nearly 500 years – 70 segments of 7 years – the Jews had neglected the Sabbath year. The land of Judah received its Sabbath during the exile.
   God will accomplish his will with or without your obedience. Wouldn’t it be better to join with God rather than neglect and oppose him? Wouldn’t it be better to live securely in the land, follow (his) decrees and obey (his) regulations?
 
Psalms 1:1-2 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

Leviticus 5:14–19, 6:1–7, 7:1–10, 22:17–30, 24:1-9, Numbers 6:22-27, 28:9–15, Deuteronomy 21:1–9  
 
Numbers 6:22-27 Then the Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing: 24 ‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. 25 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. 26 May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’ 27 Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.”
 
THIS may be one of Scripture’s most familiar passages. I’m not sure all who hear this blessing or benediction spoken in a worship service know it’s from the Bible. And I doubt few would think it is from Numbers – this book of the law. This is more evidence the law is God’s spoken love to enrich and protect his own.
   See how the LORD instructed Moses to, “Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing.” El Shaddai is the Loving Father, Good Shepherd and Helper to encourage and promise Israel, “I am with you.”
   How assuring to consider the LORD smiles on his own. What joy to know the holy God desires to be gracious to us whose first desire is to rebel against his rule. How good is the law to give us God’s truth, so we will be under his protection.
   “May the LORD smile on you,” is much more than a facial expression. It infers God’s face is toward us. Remember when Moses was on the mountain. God would not show his face because he is too glorious for Moses to behold. Such an encounter would have killed Moses. But here, God promises to come to be face-to-face with his own. This was his relationship with Adam and Eve before the sin. This is the love relationship God promises to restore to his own.
   In this personal very relationship, God will demonstrate the fullness of his favor. This is his blessing, his grace to choose his own to receive his salvation. His favor also is to attend to his people. He released Israel from slavery, fed them in the wilderness, judged their sins and blessed their obedience. His favor directs mankind through our sins and into his promises. God’s law doe does not chain down his people but releases us into the full love relationship he graciously offers to us. In this is God’s true, lasting peace.    Then God closes with a promise. “Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.” This is a very personal relationship between the holy God and his chosen people. In his sovereign authority he will bless us, as citizens of the Kingdom of God. He will keep us, make his face shine on us and give us peace because this is his will.  
          May God’s love bless you.

Lev 1:1-17, Lev 6:8–13, Num 28:1–8, Lev 17:8–9, Lev 2:1-16, Lev 6:14–23, Num 15:1–21
 
Leviticus 2:13 Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offering.
 
AMONG the many instructions for various offerings, God says, “Never forget to add salt.” Here’s why.
   First, salt preserves. It was common among ancient nations to put salt on any written covenant. Salt symbolized the covenant would endure through time. The salt on the offering was called the salt of the covenant of God. As salt is incorruptible, so is God’s covenant to redeem he world. Each offering was a time to remember God would preserve his perfect covenant of redemption.
   Second, salt purifies. Salt symbolized the purity and perfection to be displayed during the worship service. Third, all bread bakers know salt is essential for good-tasting bread. Bread, of course, is a standard of life. God commanded Israel to salt the offerings to complete their goodness. Fourth, salt is needed for life. The body without salt will die.
   Do you know Jesus? Then rejoice in his pure covenant, preserved in grace to give you a good life.  
 
“Do You Want Some of Mine?”  
 
Leviticus 2:1-2 “When you present grain as an offering to the Lord, the offering must consist of choice flour. You are to pour olive oil on it, sprinkle it with frankincense. 2d It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.”  
 
HAVE you ever taken a meal with you as you traveled? When you stopped to eat, someone who was with you had no food. So you asked, “Do you want some of mine?” Very simply and lovingly, a meal you had prepared to sustain you also became a life gift to another. This is essentially what a grain offering was to God.
   In the Hebrew language, the word “grain” means “meal”. This offering was a food offering of vegetables and grains prepared as a meal with a portion given to God. The LORD required the meal to include fine flour and oil, so it would be among the best food you could give him. God does not accept leftover or marred offerings. He is holy.
   Frankincense is added because it is one of the most fragrant and precious spices. It is not needed for the food, but it is the aroma that will set this meal apart from ordinary food.
   Very simply, then, God commanded Israel to set apart a portion of the best meal one could make to give to the LORD. This is a faithful act of worship. You acknowledge life comes from God and commit the best to God. That’s a good way to offer your life each day. 

Leviticus 16:1–34; 23:26-44 Numbers 29:12–40 – and others
 
Leviticus 16:20-22 “When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place and the Tabernacle and the altar, he must present the live goat. 21 He will lay both of his hands on the goat’s head and confess over it all the wickedness, rebellion, and sins of the people of Israel. In this way, he will transfer the people’s sins to the head of the goat. Then a man specially chosen for the task will drive the goat into the wilderness. 22 As the goat goes into the wilderness, it will carry all the people’s sins upon itself into a desolate land.”
 
THE listed scriptures are a few of the many laws relating to sacrifice, repentance and worship. God commanded the three Festivals we might know as Passover, Pentecost and Harvest as a means for Israel to remember his saving work and to teach the next generation. They are to the orthodox Jew as Easter and Christmas are to the Christian – celebrations and teaching times of God’s work on earth.
   This reference to the goat going into the desert illustrates Jesus’ work on the cross. This is a final sacrifice on the one Day of Atonement each year to completely atone – pay for – Israel’s sins. Note the priest would first kill another goat, then use that goat’s blood to ceremonially purify the Holy of Holies, Tabernacle, altar and on himself. In effect, the priest would take on the nation’s sins.
   Then the priest placed both hands on a second goat. This is goat is called the scapegoat because scapegoat means “complete removal and destruction”. “Scapegoat” was also a term to define giving Satan’s sins back to him. A man took the scapegoat, which symbolically carried Israel’s sins, into the wilderness and killed it. The scapegoat’s death signified sin’s complete, final removal from Israel on the Day of Atonement.
   Do you see how this illustrates our Lord Jesus? He is your priest and your scapegoat: Hebrews 13:11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood.
   Yes, some reject reading the law, and some churches even refuse to consider the law. But certainly we can see God’s love in the law. We know God is eternal, constant and holy. After all, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” (2 Timothy 3:16) It’s astonishing how anyone can say, “I believe in God.” Then say, “I don’t believe his Book!”
   The remembrances of the Feasts, the knowledge of the blood sacrifices and the commands to regularly present an offering to the LORD have not changed in their meaning. Yes, we worship with different “feasts” and methods. But we still must obey God’s commands to worship and to repent. Sin costs blood. When we know by faith Jesus has so violently died to remove our sins, surely we rejoice with a blessed assurance God the Father, Son and Spirit has done a remarkable love work to save us.
   How good it is to know the complete Good News story!
 
 

 

Scriptures from Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy
 
Deuteronomy 18:17-18 Then the Lord said to me, “What they have said is right. 18 I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.”
 
THE Daily Bible refers to 40 passages and 21 laws from Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy regarding worship. Many of these relate to true worship and proper offerings, including tithing. This is also about the future worship for God’s people worldwide – all of us.
   Moses reminded those who were very young at Mt. Sinai, and he taught those who were not yet born then that their parents had urged Moses to be God’s voice to them. God’s holy presence was too fearful for Israel to see and hear!  
   Moses affirmed his prophet’s role, and said a prophet like himself would come. Moses’ prophecy is why the ruling Jews some 1500 years later asked John the Baptist, “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” (John 1:21b)
   That question could have been asked of many prophets who spoke heaven’s words to the world. Yet a prophet like Moses would have a similar intimacy and power with God as Moses. Remember, Moses led Israel out of tyranny. He is called “Lawgiver” because Israel saw him as a powerful, authoritative leader who judged Israel’s sins. He also prayed for their welfare and led his people into physical safety. We often forget, too, that Moses was a military leader. His armies conquered. Imagine! There would be another like him.
   But for 15 centuries there was no prophet quite like Moses. David had an intimate relationship, spoke God’s Word to Israel and administered God’s justice. Elijah’s and Elisha’s list of God-powered acts parallels Moses’ works. Still, came so close he could say, “I am the Prophet Moses prophesied.”   
   Then God sent John the Baptist to announce the Christ was near. When Herod executed John, the Jews’ question shifted to Jesus. Jesus’ teachings and miracles were often compared and contrasted with Moses’ miracles in the desert. In turn, Jesus affirmed he was God’s mouth: “The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (John 14:10b) Through his suffering, resurrection and ascension, Jesus is the perfect and holy Prophet, who leads God’s church into heaven.
   Know Jesus spoke the Father’s words in the Spirit’s power. God’s laws tell us the Holy Trinity is the One God to worship. Be sure he is first and only in your heart.
          
Rejoice and Know: Jesus is in the Law. He is the Living Word to speak from heaven.