READ LEVITICUS 6
Let's be real: We've all found the various offerings mentioned in Leviticus 6 to be quite perplexing, right? It's completely understandable, and so is the pondering of, 'Where is God in all of this?' Interestingly, God is the primary voice (aside from the author briefly) heard in this chapter. Throughout verses 1, 8, 19, and 24, we encounter variations of "The Lord said to Moses." God is the one speaking throughout this entire chapter! So, what is His message? What can we glean about Him from this chapter?
By observing God's consistent guidance of Moses in this chapter, we can first recognize that He is actively present in our lives. God didn't just create everything and then say, 'Figure it out on your own.' No, He has been, is, and will always be involved in the complexities of human existence for eternity. He is concerned with things being done correctly, not because He is a stickler for rules, but because He understands what is right. He knows the difference between right and wrong and seeks to guide us in the right direction. We can see His care for the minute details of our lives as a reflection of His care for us. In fact, one could argue that He pays attention to those details because we are those details! In the grand scheme of things, from God's perspective, we may seem insignificant, yet He chooses to love us regardless.
How does He demonstrate this love in this chapter? As many of us are aware, one of the significant consequences of sin is that it creates a separation between us and God and others. However, in this chapter, we witness God establishing a pathway to restore a right relationship with Him and with others. God is concerned with the smaller aspects of our lives; He cares about us. He could easily abandon us to our own devices, which would be understandable, but He doesn't.
Instead of leaving us to try to find our way back to Him independently, a task we could never achieve on our own, He cherished the little details enough to enter into time, becoming one of those details Himself, in the form of Jesus Christ, and thus fulfilling the requirements of the Law. He did this so we could follow Him embodying the love of God and love for our neighbors.
QUESTIONS
1. Can you describe a moment when you felt God's presence in your life this week?
2. How can you show love to others based on this experience?
3. Create a deliberate plan to express your love for God by loving your neighbor this week. Feel free to come up with unique ways to do this!