Leviticus Lessons: Offerings III

Good Morning Fam,

I pray that all of you are doing well as we prepare for the greatest eating day on earth tomorrow! *LOL*  I guess that is not the true meaning of Thanksgiving, but pretty much, it has become a day focused on eating (other than the fact that it is the day before the best day of the entire year for businesses, but that is another story).  Any who, we left off yesterday talking about the Burnt Offering and today we will move next into the Meat Offering.

The Meat Offering is described in the Chapter 2 of Leviticus and I think is one of those tricky ones.  It is also called the Grain or Cereal Offering in other translations.  If you read from the King James Version (KJV) and if you are not paying attention, you can read straight through it and miss the whole context.  When I first saw it, I thought to myself that meat must be chicken, lamb, etc, however, if one pays close attention, you'll find the key in the first verse:

"When someone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering is to be of fine flour. He is to pour oil on it, put incense on it" (Lev. 1)

It says the offering is to be of "fine flour", but wait a minute.  In the KJV, it said meat.  Is it meat or is it flour.  For that answer we have to go back to the Hebrew translation of meat-offering.  In Hebrew, meat-offering is translated as the word "minhah".  This meant "originally a gift of any kind"¹.  Thus this offering became one of a gift for God "as a result of the inner moving of a worshipper’s heart"². 

Another thing that one should notice is that all meat offerings were to be unleavened or made without yeast.

"(11) Every grain offering you bring to the LORD must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in an offering made to the LORD by fire. (12) You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma." (Lev. 2:11-12)

I have never really understood the meaning of unleavened bread, but I knew it was one that didn't rise.  You find it everywhere throughout the Bible, but no one ever really explained why not the use of yeast.  Well, unleavened bread was eaten at Passover which the "a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating the Hebrews' escape from enslavement in Egypt."³  It is also called the Festival of Unleavened Bread.  "The Bible tells us that unleavened bread was eaten with bitter herbs, as a reminder to the Israelites of the bitter
years they spent in bondage to the Egyptians."⁴  (Also, see Exodus 1:14; 12:8; 29:2, Deuteronomy 16:3, Numbers 9:11).

Putting this all together, we find that the meat offering served duel purposes.  It was first a gift to God and secondly, it was a reminder to the giver of how God brought them out of bondage.  Truly, the Lord has a way of bringing things back to our remembrance and we should never forget all that He has, is doing, and will do for all of us.

Be blessed gang and have a Happy Hump Day and Thanksgiving!

~Antoine


¹ "Meat-offering".  Bible Encyclopedia 
² The Sacrificial Offerings of Leviticus chapters 1-7.
³ "Passover".  Wikipedia.  November 22, 2009.
⁴ "KJV Bible Verse List : Purpose Of Unleavened Bread".  ENDTIME PROPHECY ORG.  July 25, 2006.

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Leviticus Lessons: Offerings II

Good afternoon family.

I hope that you are doing well this fine Tuesday morning.  Today we will be continuing our study on offerings from the book of Leviticus.  If you remember last week we listed the six types of offerings and today we will focus on the Burnt Offering.  While there are quite a few detailed instructions on how to do the sacrifice, I wish to focus on what the process means to God and to the individual.  I would urge you to read Leviticus 1.

In the first chapter of Leviticus, we find the burnt offering described.  In it, God explains to Moses how the offering is to done along with the acceptable animals that can be used.  Any animal that was used  had to be without blemish or defect because God desires the very best at all times.  The three types of animals that were acceptable for use could come from (1) the herd, (2) the flock, or (3) birds.  What's important to note here is that God gives the people three ways to get the same job done depending upon the individual and what they have.  Not everyone may have had a herd or sheep and goats, but someone may have been able to find a dove or young pigeon.

Being able to use either of those animals, a person was able to provide a burnt offering which was accepted on their behalf to make atonement for them (see Lev. 1:4). Essentially, "...[t]he offering had the effect of removing and nullifying the effects of sin and averting God’s wrath from the offerer. In short, it restored the relationship of the offerer with God"¹.

They had to know that God is slow to anger, but once He was pushed to the edge how in the world did they avert God's wrath? The Burnt Offering.  If you look at the the end of the verses 9, 13, and 17 you'll notice a similarity.  All end with "It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD."  If they wanted to avoid the wrath of God, they had please Him with something to make Him overlook the situation! 


Leviticus is not the first mention of the burnt offering, however, it is the place where God gives the people precise instructions on what to use, how to do it, and the reasoning for it.  As evidence, I'd like to provide you with an exert from Bible.org:

"Consulting a concordance will show that the first occurrence of the burnt offering is found in Genesis chapter 8. The first “burnt offering” was that offered by Noah after the flood waters had subsided, at which time he offered “burnt offerings” of all the clean animals (Gen. 8:20). God instructed Abraham to offer up Isaac as a “burnt offering” (Gen. 22:2ff.), and so the ram which God in Isaac’s place was offered by Abraham as a burnt offering (Gen. 22:13). When Moses told Pharaoh that Israel must take their cattle with them into the wilderness to worship their God, it was because they needed them to offer burnt offerings (Exod. 10:25-26). Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, offered a burnt offering to God in Exodus chapter 18 (v. 12). The Israelites offered up burnt offerings in conjunction with their meeting with God and receiving His covenant on Mt. Sinai (Exod. 20:24; 24:5, etc.). Unfortunately, when the Israelites worshipped the golden calf they offered up burnt offerings as a part of their false worship (Exod. 32:6)."²

To the unkeen eye, the Bible may seem to be all over the map, but doing a little bit of study reveals that it ties together quite nicely. Today, if you can take anything away is that the burnt offering provided atonement for the individidual and it provided a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

Next time, we'll dive into the Meat offering.  Until then, folks have a blessed day!

~Antoine

¹The Sacrificial Offerings of Leviticus chapters 1-7.
²Bible.org. "The Law of Burnt Offerings (Leviticus 1:1-17)".

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Leviticus Lessons: Offerings I

Good Afternoon Family and Happy Hump Day.

I hope that you all are doing well today.  We've made it to Wednesday so it's all downhill from here until Friday!  Today, I wish to start a topic which I probably will have to break into different days, so lets get started.

If you have read through the book of Leviticus, you would have passed over the verses discussing the various types offerings.  In it, the Lord gives Moses clear instructions on how to perform each particular offering. As a matter of fact the first 7 Chapters of Leviticus are spent explaining how to carry out the different offerings.

Today, we will do a brief introduction of the different kinds of offerings and later, we'll go more into details.  They are as follows:

1. Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1)
2. The Meat Offering (depending on the versions, you may find it called the Cereal or Grain offering) (Leviticus 2)
3. Peace Offering (also may be referred to as the Fellowship Offering) (Leviticus 3)
4. Sin Offering (Leviticus 4, 5:1-13, 6:24-30)
5. Trespass Offering (also may be referred to as the Guilt Offering) (Leviticus 5:14-19,6:1-7)
6. Consecration Offering (Leviticus 8)

"These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering..." (Lev. 7:37).  So there are a total of 6 types of offerings, but from my research thus far, it is referenced to be only 5 offerings.  The 6th offering is a special offering done for the consecration of priests which did not involve the individual Israelites.

We'll look more into this over time and it is my prayer that when this is all done, we can learn how God set up His protective umbrella for Israel and how Jesus fits into the grand scheme of things.

Be blessed folks and have a good rest of the week.

~Antoine

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Order Is Required

Good Evening Fam,

I hope that everyone reading this is in good health and spirits tonight.  With all the rain occurring in the Raleigh area, it can get gloomy after a few days, but we know that this too is the work of the Lord!  Thus, we have to give thanks for the rain, even when you have to walk your dog in it (am I being that transparent? *lol*).

As a matter of fact, I was walking my dog tonight and the rain was pouring and the chilly wind was blowing.  Today had already been a tough day and I had been at a point to where I felt like I could no longer do "this" any more (this being me trying to guide our family out of what seems to be a horrible year career, financially, & health wise).  I finally just threw my hands in the air and said "Lord, I give up.  You take the reins because I cannot do this."  Net/Net, I've tapped out...submitted wholly....I need help.  At the time, I was in my own world and had no awareness of my surroundings, but I now wonder what drivers thought as they passed by me with arms outstretched, walking a dog in the cold rain?  They probably thought I was batty!  Oh, well they have NO idea about that moment!!!

We always say we are with Jesus, but all of us probably try to maintain a little control over what happens in our lives.  Unfortunately, life doesn't always go according to the scripted plan we have in our brains.  So setting pride aside, I have to pass this thing over to a better driver.  The good thing is that I KNOW He is a better driver.  Have you ever been in the car with someone who was "driver challenged"?  Did you feel comfortable enough to go to sleep with them behind the wheel?  I think NOT!  Hey, I'm just getting to feel comfortable enough to go to sleep with my wife behind the wheel *LOL* (Love you hun ;-)).

Seriously, when you turn things over to the Jesus, He can place all things in order if you let Him.  I am trusting that He will do the same for you as well as myself.  I will leave you with Psalm 37:23-26. It says,

"(23) The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. (24) Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. (25) I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.  (26) He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed."

Be easy family and have a good one.

~Antoine

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Weathering the Storm

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I hope that you all are doing well this fine Tuesday.  Today, I wanted to share with you notes from this past Sunday's sermon at our church (Celebration Family Church).  The topic was "Weathering the Storm" and it came from Mark 4:35-41.  There you will find the story of the Jesus and the disciples as they are in a boat and a great storm came about.  Jesus was sleep only to be awaken by scared disciples.  Jesus gets up in a calm manner and tells the storm "Peace. Be Still". 

Now this is where my notes pick up.  I hope they aren't too choppy and that they make sense.  Any church members, feel free to correct any errors or send me additions.

• There is always a challenge when you're going from one place to another
  
  
• The disciples had Jesus in their boat
• Even with Jesus in the boat their is no guarantee that there will be no storms (this speaks to the fact that although we have Jesus at our side, we still can have problems/issues/tests in our life)
  
  
• The effectiveness of your assignment will be determined by the quality of your alignments
• if you align yourself with Jesus & positive people, then you will be effective in what you do;
• however, if you have folks who are negative and you are not turning to Christ yourself, you can expect a bad outcome.
  
  
• How did Jesus Weather His Storm

1. He found rest in His Father's purpose - You have to understand the sense and purpose of your life.  Storms are just temporary and you cannot allow them to cloud your overall purpose or you could be stuck there forever (see Jerimiah 29:11).
   
2. He spoke with authority to the problem (see Isaiah 54:17).
   
3. He spoke peace to the storm - you can only speak peace when you are already in peace yourself.  If cannot speak peace when on the inside, you are really scared and unsure.

• 2 Things that we Deal With the Most

1. An Abundance of Fear - if we do not check our fears they will eventually become reality.
   
2. Lack of Faith (see Heb 10:35-36)
   

I hope this helps someone as I thought it was a excellent and different view on some versus we've heard quite a few times.

Be easy fam!

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Agnostic vs Atheists....

Good Evening everyone.

I hope that as you are reading this, you are in good health and spirits. As with anything in which you are involved, you should be aware of those who may not agree with the things you agree.

Today, I wish to share with you the difference between an agnostic and an atheists.  Well you might be saying to yourself, "Aren't they the same?...neither believes in God? Right?".  We'll, you are right but there is a difference between the two.

An agnostic is "[o]ne who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism." Also, an agnostic is "[o]ne who is doubtful or noncommittal about something."  In essence, with this person, you have an opportunity to show them something about Christ, which could change their mind and help them understand that God does exist.  The mere fact that they are skeptical lends to the point that they aren't 100% sure in their thinking.

An atheist on the other hand is different. This is "someone who denies the existence of god" or "someone who refuses to believe", period.  No matter what you say to them or what evidence you have regarding the existence of God, their mind was been made up before you even approached them.

So, you have to know the type of person you are conversing with at all times when you have someone who is a non-believer.  We are suppose to go forward sharing the Gospel to all corners of the earth, but if you don't know your audience, you're already behind the eight ball.

Be easy fam and have a good one.

~Antoine

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Leviticus Lessons: Come Correct Or Not At All

Greetings family,

I hope this week has gotten off to a good start for everyone.   You know today, I want to jump straight into things as I believe the point does not require deep thought at all. I first want to point you to some scripture.  Leviticus 10:1-3 says,

"(1) Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command.  (2) So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. (3) Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: "'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'"  Aaron remained silent. "

In the start of chapters 9 and 10, we find that Aaron and his sons are in the process of ordination for priesthood.  In versus 1 thru 3, we find Nadab and Abihu lighting their censers ("A vessel in which incense is burned, especially during religious services.") with unauthorized fire.  As a result the Lord consumes them with fire and kills them instantly.

Wait a minute, God just killed them over fire?  No, God kill them over how they approached HIM.   The book of Leviticus are full of laws and "how-to's" on how to live in good sight of the Lord.  However, they broke one of those instructions, thus the consequence.  This is no different than how you approach people.  You just cannot approach everyone in any kind of way.  You have to approach them how you know they should be approached.

After Aaron's sons were just killed right before his eyes, his brother Moses says, "...Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored..."  Despite the pain Aaron may have been feeling he couldn't say a thing because he knew Moses was right.

So, how do you approach Jesus?  Do you come treating Him like He is not Holy and like a friend who only helps you in time of need?  Do you come to HIM like HE is just an average Joe?  This should give you something to think about.  Even though, we no longer have the same rituals to perform and Jesus has came and fulfilled the law, remember that if you've seen Jesus, then you've seen the Father (see John 14:9-11).  Humble yourself and remember to approach Jesus with the same Holiness as you would the Father. 

Be easy family and have a great day.

~ Antoine

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