Daily Devotional Podcasts

112_The meal offering Lev 2:1-3 “When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it 2 and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 3 But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the Lord's food offerings. 11-13 “No grain offering that you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey as a food offering to the Lord. 12 As an offering of first fruits you may bring them to the Lord, but they shall not be offered on the altar for a pleasing aroma. 13 You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt. Long ago, a missionary traveled deep into the heart of Africa to preach the gospel. Reaching a remote village, he found the people to be kind and attentive listeners. However, their deeply entrenched traditions coloured their ideas of religion. One day, the missionary spoke to them of Christ’s death on the cross, how he offered himself in love to God to redeem mankind from their sins. The chief listened intently and then asked, “How can an offering be costly?” In response, the missionary told him about the grain offering described in Leviticus 2. The chief pondered and finally said, “So, to give to God, I must give my best, something that takes time, effort, and care to produce.” This realization transformed the village’s perspective on worship. They no longer saw their offerings as mere rituals but as acts of heartfelt devotion springing from grateful hearts. The grain offering in Leviticus 2 was distinct from the burnt offering in that it involved no shedding of blood. Instead, it was composed of fine flour, olive oil, frankincense, and salt—ingredients that were not easily obtained in the wilderness. These instructions were primarily intended for the Israelites after they settled down in the Promised Land. The grain offering symbolized Christ in his role as the bread of life, the provision of God for fruitfulness, strength, life, and fellowship with him. The elements of this offering point to Christ in profound ways: Fine flour is the product of long grinding. Christ was ground through the many and varied trials that he underwent like us, but was demonstrated to be without sin. Its even fineness speaks of his uniformly noble excellence in every virtue. Olive oil, obtained by beating the olives until the oil emerges, reminds us of the anointing of Christ without measure by the Spirit of God and with power. He was led by the Spirit through suffering

113_The peace offering Lev 3:1-5 “If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 2 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar. 3 And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the Lord, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, 4 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys. 5 Then Aaron's sons shall burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering, which is on the wood on the fire; it is a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Lev 7:11-16 “And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings that one may offer to the Lord. 12 If he offers it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the thanksgiving sacrifice unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and loaves of fine flour well mixed with oil. 13 With the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving he shall bring his offering with loaves of leavened bread. 14 And from it he shall offer one loaf from each offering, as a gift to the Lord. It shall belong to the priest who throws the blood of the peace offerings. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten on the day of his offering. He shall not leave any of it until the morning. 16 But if the sacrifice of his offering is a vow offering or a freewill offering, it shall be eaten on the day that he offers his sacrifice, and on the next day what remains of it shall be eaten. The village was buzzing with excitement as preparations for the annual feast began. Families gathered, setting up long tables, bringing out the best dishes they had prepared. These gatherings had a way of bringing people together, mending strained relationships, and fostering a spirit of gratitude. As the aroma of roasted lamb filled the air, an old man leaned toward his grandson and said, "Son, a shared meal is more than food; it is fellowship, a reminder that we belong to each other." Shared meals hold deep significance. They not only sustain the body but build and sustain relationships, bind the community together, and prompt reconciliation. The peace offering in Leviticus 3 is unique among the Old Testament sacrifices. Unlike the burnt offering, which was wholly consumed on the altar, or the grain offering, which was mostly given to the priests after burning a memorial portion on the altar, the peace offering was mostly eaten by those who offered it, with as many others as could be fed. It was a

114_The sin offering Lev 4: 1-12 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord's commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, 3 if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering. 4 He shall bring the bull to the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord and lay his hand on the head of the bull and kill the bull before the Lord. 5 And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it into the tent of meeting, 6 and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle part of the blood seven times before the Lord in front of the veil of the sanctuary. 7 And the priest shall put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense before the Lord that is in the tent of meeting, and all the rest of the blood of the bull he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And all the fat of the bull of the sin offering he shall remove from it, the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails 9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins and the long lobe of the liver that he shall remove with the kidneys 10 (just as these are taken from the ox of the sacrifice of the peace offerings); and the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the skin of the bull and all its flesh, with its head, its legs, its entrails, and its dung— 12 all the rest of the bull—he shall carry outside the camp to a clean place, to the ash heap, and shall burn it up on a fire of wood. On the ash heap it shall be burned up. Once a little boy broke a precious vase in his home. He had not meant to do it; he had been playing and carelessly bumped into it. Fearful of punishment, he tried to hide the broken pieces. But as the days passed, guilt gnawed at him. Finally, he confessed to his parents. To his surprise, they forgave him. Yet they allowed him to feel the consequences. They used the incident to teach him a lesson about responsibility and restitution. Like the little boy, we often sin unintentionally through a moment’s carelessness or a hasty decision. Yet we remain guilty until we come to God in repentance. The Book of Leviticus, particularly chapter 4, helps us understand sin and atonement. The first three chapters of Leviticus describe various types of sacrifice. In chapter 4, only one type of offering is described

115_The guilt offering Lev 5:14 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 15 “If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering. 16 He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven. 17 “If anyone sins, doing any of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, though he did not know it, then realizes his guilt, he shall bear his iniquity. 18 He shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for him for the mistake that he made unintentionally, and he shall be forgiven. 19 It is a guilt offering; he has indeed incurred guilt before the Lord.” Lev 6: 1-7 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor 3 or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby— 4 if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found 5 or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. 6 And he shall bring to the priest as his compensation to the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering. 7 And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty.” Many years ago, a wealthy businessman in a small town came to faith in Christ. After his conversion, a deep unease settled upon him. He realized that he had built his fortune through shrewd, and at times, dishonest dealings. His conscience kept him awake at night. Finally he realized his guilt and resolved to restore what he had defrauded others of. He wrote letters of explanation and returned money to everyone he could trace. Some were surprised, others skeptical. However, he found that he had cleared his conscience. His works were the fruit of a heart given to God. This story echoes the essence of the guilt offering described in Leviticus 5:17 to 6:7—a call to

116_The holy and the common Lev 10: 1-11 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace. 4 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come near; carry your brothers away from the front of the sanctuary and out of the camp.” 5 So they came near and carried them in their coats out of the camp, as Moses had said. 6 And Moses said to Aaron and to Eleazar and Ithamar his sons, “Do not let the hair of your heads hang loose, and do not tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the congregation; but let your brothers, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning that the Lord has kindled. 7 And do not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, lest you die, for the anointing oil of the Lord is upon you.” And they did according to the word of Moses. 8 And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying, 9 “Drink no wine or strong drink, you or your sons with you, when you go into the tent of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. 10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.” One of the most striking illustrations of presumption is the story of the Titanic. In 1912, the ship was heralded as "unsinkable," a marvel of engineering that could defy nature itself. Despite multiple warnings about icebergs in the vicinity, the ship continued at full speed, deeming as if it were invincible. Many lives were lost because of human arrogance that thought human ingenuity could overcome the forces of nature. Something of the same spirit actuated Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron. On the day they were consecrated as priests, they became overconfident and irreverent. The consequences were devastating. Leviticus 8 details how Aaron and his sons were ordained, as first laid out in Exodus 29. Leviticus 9 describes the first offering made by Aaron and his sons, first for their own sins, then for the sins of the nation. This was the preparation for the revelation of the glory of God. As Moses said in Leviticus 9:6, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded you to do, that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.” And so the fire of God came forth and consumed the sacrifices, signifying his presence

117_The clean and the unclean Lev 13:1-3 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests, 3 and the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean. 45-48 “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp. Lev 14:19-20 The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering. 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean. More than 2000 years ago, a man walked by himself, on the fringes of the Israelite camp. He was labeled "unclean," for he had a spreading skin disease that was possibly contagious. Everywhere he went he had to cry out, "Unclean, unclean!" to warn others lest they be contaminated by him. He longed for healing, for then he would be accepted again into his society, his world. One day, he heard about a man named Jesus. He healed the sick, restored sight to the blind, and had healed lepers. Why, then he himself had hope! Leviticus 13 and 14 lays out the laws by which the clean was distinguished from the unclean. Just before were instructions about sacrificial offerings and the ordination of priests. This emphasizes how important it is to differentiate clean and unclean, holy and common. Such outward distinctions were unimportant in themselves, but they were a way of imprinting the idea of inward defilement and cleansing on the mind of God’s people. In this way God was teaching them about holiness, through babysteps. These laws specifically address uncleanness of the flesh—whether through skin diseases, bodily discharges, or contact with unclean foods. The consequences of being unclean were severe, as the extreme case of the leper shows. Those afflicted with skin diseases had to wear torn clothes, leave their hair unkempt, live outside the camp, and cry out "unclean, unclean!" wherever they went, until they were healed. The importance of physical cleanliness among God’s people is described in Deuteronomy 23:14: "Because the Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and to give up your enemies before you, therefore your camp must

118_The day of atonement Lev 16:1-9 The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they drew near before the Lord and died, 2 and the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat. 3 But in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a bull from the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He shall put on the holy linen coat and shall have the linen undergarment on his body, and he shall tie the linen sash around his waist, and wear the linen turban; these are the holy garments. He shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of the people of Israel two male goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering for himself and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel. 9 And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the Lord and use it as a sin offering, 10 but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the Lord to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel. There is a story of a little boy who once broke his mother’s cherished vase while playing inside the house. In fear, he swept the shards under the carpet, hoping she wouldn’t notice. But the lump under the carpet was impossible to ignore. His mother eventually found out, and he stood trembling before her, expecting punishment. Instead, she knelt, embraced him, and said, “I forgive you, but we must clean this mess together.” This simple moment holds a deep spiritual truth. Just like that boy, we often try to cover up our sins, hoping they will remain unseen. But sin, like broken shards, leaves a mark—one that only true atonement can erase. The Day of Atonement, as described in Leviticus 16, is God’s way of dealing with the “lump under the carpet” of Israel’s sin, pointing to a greater fulfillment in Christ. Leviticus 16 marks a culmination of God’s instructions regarding sacrifices, priesthood, and what is holy versus unholy. It begins with a sobering reminder: the tragic death of Aaron’s two sons, who perished for offering unauthorized fire before the Lord (Leviticus 10). This warning underscores the necessity of obeying God's commands with precision. The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, was not about individual or family offerings but was a collective act of

119_Defining holiness Lev 19:1-8 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God. 5 “When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 6 It shall be eaten the same day you offer it or on the day after, and anything left over until the third day shall be burned up with fire. 7 If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is tainted; it will not be accepted, 8 and everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people. There’s a story about a young boy who visited a great cathedral with his grandmother. As they walked through its towering arches, he saw beautiful stained-glass windows, each depicting a saint. The sunlight streamed through the glass, painting the stone floors with radiant colors. Later, when his Sunday school teacher asked him what a saint was, he thought for a moment and then answered, “A saint is someone the light shines through.” This simple yet profound definition echoes the call of Leviticus 19:1-8, where God declares, “Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” When the Almighty, All-Knowing God reveals something about Himself, we can only understand it by seeing Him in action. One of the things God repeatedly affirms about Himself is His holiness. But what does holiness mean? How are we to grasp it? Holiness is not merely about moral purity or religious rituals; it is about being set apart for God's purposes. God defines His holiness not in abstract terms but through His expectations for His people’s conduct. His character is revealed in the instructions He gives regarding worship, relationships, justice, and daily life. From the very beginning, man was created in the image of God. Genesis 1 tells us that God shaped a formless and empty world, filled it with life, and exercised His dominion by assigning purpose to each created thing. Then, He commanded mankind to reflect His image by being fruitful, multiplying, and exercising dominion over creation. Humanity was meant to be a living reflection of God's holiness. This is why God strictly prohibited the making of idols—because He had already set His image in man. Any image fashioned by human hands would, at best, be a distorted reflection of man himself, and at worst, an imitation of something far less than himself. The definition of God's holiness unfolds progressively throughout Scripture. In Leviticus 19, we see a detailed expansion of God's moral and ceremonial law as the Israelites prepared to enter Canaan. They would encounter foreign customs

120_The Lord who sanctifies Leviticus 20:1-9 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech. 6 “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9 For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him. It was a moment that left everyone stunned. A young man stood before a judge in a crowded courtroom, convicted of a brutal crime. The evidence was overwhelming, and the sentence handed down was the maximum under the law. As the judge pronounced the words—life imprisonment without parole—there was a collective hush. Outside, news cameras rolled. Commentators debated whether the punishment was too harsh, while others said it was too lenient. The weight of justice felt tangible that day. Now imagine if the judge had smiled and said, “You seem like a decent person. Let’s forget about this. You’re free to go.” We would be outraged, wouldn’t we? Something deep within us cries out for justice, for wrongs to be acknowledged, for consequences to matter. And yet, how often do we question God's justice? How often do we read passages like Leviticus 20 and recoil at the penalties God demanded in ancient Israel, wondering if they were too extreme? This chapter in Leviticus offers us a stark window into the holiness of God. In our modern societies, the seriousness of a crime is generally understood by the penalty it carries. For instance, capital punishment is reserved for what we call “the rarest of rare” cases. Even among murderers and rapists, very few face the gallows. But in the theocratic society of Old Testament Israel, the standard was not human opinion but divine holiness. The difference between God's morality and man's becomes painfully clear. Psalm 71:19 says, “Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?” God’s moral standard is

121_What is holiness? Lev 21:1-9 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people, 2 except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean). 4 He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. 5 They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. 6 They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord's food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. 7 They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8 You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy. 9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire. Chapters like Leviticus 21 & 22 primarily refer to the Old Testament priests of Aaron’s line. There were several ways in which the priests could be defiled. For instance, touching a dead body, having a physical blemish, and marrying outside the prescribed categories. At first sight, they seem to have little to do with us. Yet they are of great relevance to us as well. The Lord stated, Matt 5:17-18 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.” The scribes and the Pharisees often accused the Lord and his disciples of not keeping the law of Moses. But the Lord repeatedly showed them the meaning of the law, not from his own imagination or thinking, but from the scriptures themselves. They were hung up on the words of the law rather than understanding its revelation of God’s mind and heart. Therefore, they could not recognize Jesus as Messiah, and as the fulfillment of the law. They made some basic errors in interpreting the law. Firstly, they thought that they were the spiritual elite, holier than the people, because of their high standard of ceremonial cleanliness. But actually, the higher standard of separation from all that was unclean for the priests and Levites was simply because they were called to bear the iniquity of the people before God. A greater task meant greater responsibility but not greater intrinsic holiness. “To whom much is given, much is required.” (cf. Luke 12:48).

122_The Feast of the Passover Ex 23:4-5 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord's Passover. Ex 12:3-11 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. There was a young man who had grown up in poverty. His mother worked hard to ensure that he could go to school. He excelled academically, won a fine scholarship, and finally secured a high-paying job. To celebrate, he took his mother out to a good restaurant. As they sat at the candlelit table, attentive waiters hovering around to make sure they had everything they wanted, he saw the tears running down his mother’s face. She smiled at him, and said, “I’m crying with joy, because I remember the nights you and I had just a bowl of rice and salt to eat in our tiny one-room house. I’m thankful because that memory tells me how far we’ve come.” Celebration at its deepest is not just about abundance—it’s about remembering and about thankfulness. That’s exactly what the Feast of the Passover was for Israel: a celebration rooted in memory, drenched in meaning, and foreshadowing something far greater than lambs and herbs and fire. Leviticus 23:4-8 lays out the appointed feasts of the Lord. These were holy gatherings where God’s people were to stop and remember - and worship. Part of the weight and wonder of these feasts comes from knowing how Israel was introduced to celebration. When the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, they had no time, no rest, no seasons. There were no

123_The Feast of Unleavened Bread Lev 23:6-8 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 8 But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.” Ex 12:15-20 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. 17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. 18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.” Once a rich man bought a beautiful old house in the countryside. Its structure was sound and its design delightful. However, as he proceeded to renovate some areas, he was horrified to discover mold growing behind the walls. It was hidden, subtle, and spreading. But unless dealt with, it would soon make the house unlivable. Invisible on the surface, he still had to tear out the affected walls and purge the house of every trace of it. Sometimes, we see the need to deal with some areas of our life. But often, the most dangerous problems are the subtle ones—hidden sins, attitudes, affections—growing quietly, able to take over our lives. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is God’s message, showing us how seriously He takes what we often ignore. It also demonstrates his more than sufficient provision for a new life free from hidden corruption. This feast follows immediately after and is closely linked to the Passover. The Passover commemorated God’s act of deliverance—rescuing His people from slavery in Egypt through the blood of the lamb. The Feast of Unleavened Bread is one of only two feasts to last seven days. In Scripture, the number seven often signifies fullness or completeness. This feast is therefore symbolic of a celebration that lasts through the whole of life. Before the feast began, every Israelite home was to be cleared of all leaven. Not a speck of

124_The Feast of Firstfruits Lev 23:9-14 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 10 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, 11 and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. 12 And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. 13 And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. 14 And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Some years ago a friend of mine began a small vegetable garden. It was his dream to work with his hands and grow something from the earth. The first year was hard. He struggled with the soil, the weather, and his inexperience. But he persevered. The next year, things improved. And finally, during the third year, his crops flourished. I still remember the joy in his eyes when he brought me a basket of his very first harvest—bright red tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, and golden ears of corn. “These are my first fruits,” he said proudly. “They’re not just vegetables. They’re proof that all the work wasn’t in vain… that more is coming.” The Feast of Firstfruits is rich with meaning, as the Israelites brought their firstfruits as offerings to the Lord, they declared that it was his land that he had graciously allowed them to live in as their own home. They declared that their hard work had come to fruition only through his sustaining and lifegiving power. And they declared themselves to be his servants. It is in Leviticus 23:9–14 that God instructs the Israelites to celebrate the feast of firstfruits. It was to be observed once they entered the land. God said, “When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest…” Not if, but when. This underlines God’s unchangeable promise which made their arrival in Canaan a certainty. The Feast of the Firstfruits could not be celebrated in the wilderness where they never stayed anywhere long enough to sow and reap. But even then, God was patiently leading them to the land He had promised—a land described as their place of rest, their inheritance, their destiny. And this feast was to be a declaration: that they had arrived… and that there was more to come. The ceremony was simple. The Israelites were to bring a sheaf of the first part of their barley harvest and present it to the priest, who would wave it

125_The feast of weeks Lev 23:15-22 “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. 16 You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord. 18 And you shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, and one bull from the herd and two rams. They shall be a burnt offering to the Lord, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 19 And you shall offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of peace offerings. 20 And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits as a wave offering before the Lord, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the Lord for the priest. 21 And you shall make a proclamation on the same day. You shall hold a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a statute forever in all your dwelling places throughout your generations. 22 “And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” One warm summer morning, a farmer stood at the edge of his wheat field. The golden heads of grain swayed in the breeze, ready for harvest. For weeks, he had toiled diligently. The rain had come at the right time. Now he rejoiced in the fruit of his labor, and evidence of God’s faithfulness. Before he began to reap, however, he walked to the corners of the field and marked them. He remembered his father’s voice, quoting Leviticus: “You shall not reap your field right up to its edge… You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner.” Shavuot, or the Feast of Weeks, is one of the three great pilgrimage festivals of Israel. In Leviticus 23, it is presented as falling seven full weeks from the Feast of Firstfruits—fifty days in all. Hence, in the Greek-speaking world, the day came to be known as Pentecost, meaning “fiftieth.” This was also called the Feast of Harvest in Exodus 23:16 and the Day of the Firstfruits in Numbers 28:26. This feast was celebrated after the wheat harvest was gathered in, during the third month — the new harvest in contrast to the earlier barley harvest when the Feast of Firstfruits was celebrated. They presented a new grain offering of wheat bread to the Lord. The Feast of Weeks required all Jewish men to travel to Jerusalem to celebrate before

126_The Feast of Trumpets Lev 23:23-25 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 24 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation. 25 You shall not do any ordinary work, and you shall present a food offering to the Lord.” Num 29:1-6 “On the first day of the seventh month you shall have a holy convocation. You shall not do any ordinary work. It is a day for you to blow the trumpets, 2 and you shall offer a burnt offering, for a pleasing aroma to the Lord: one bull from the herd, one ram, seven male lambs a year old without blemish; 3 also their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil, three tenths of an ephah for the bull, two tenths for the ram, 4 and one tenth for each of the seven lambs; 5 with one male goat for a sin offering, to make atonement for you; 6 besides the burnt offering of the new moon, and its grain offering, and the regular burnt offering and its grain offering, and their drink offering, according to the rule for them, for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. There’s an old story about a soldier stationed overseas who had been away from his family for years. His wife and children wrote letters to him frequently, and he treasured each one. He was waiting for the bugle to sound, for it meant the war was over and the soldiers could look forward to going home at last. Each new day he rose combat-ready, endured hardships, and stayed prepared, waiting to hear the bugle blast that meant one thing: “It’s time. You’re going home.” That longing—rooted in hope and endurance—captures the spirit of the Feast of Trumpets. In Leviticus 23:23–25, the Lord gives Moses this instruction: “On the first day of the seventh month you are to have a day of sabbath rest, a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts. Do no regular work, but present a food offering to the Lord.” The Jewish year had its own sacred rhythm. The first four feasts—Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, and Pentecost—occurred in the spring and concluded with the feast of weeks, or Shavuot, marking the end of the wheat harvest. After that, there was a long pause—four months of waiting, of labor in the fields—before the second cluster of feasts in the seventh month: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths. These were the autumn feasts, marking the end of the agricultural year. and symbolically representing the grand finale of God's redemptive plan. The Feast of Trumpets, or Yom Teruah, was unique. It began on the first day of the seventh month, thus falling on the new moon sabbath. It was marked by the blowing of the ram’s horn trumpet or shofar. It was a day of rest, of sacred assembly, and of holy joy. But especially, it was a day of awakening. It marked

127_Yom Kippur Lev 23:26-32 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 27 “Now on the tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. It shall be for you a time of holy convocation, and you shall afflict yourselves and present a food offering to the Lord. 28 And you shall not do any work on that very day, for it is a Day of Atonement, to make atonement for you before the Lord your God. 29 For whoever is not afflicted on that very day shall be cut off from his people. 30 And whoever does any work on that very day, that person I will destroy from among his people. 31 You shall not do any work. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwelling places. 32 It shall be to you a Sabbath of solemn rest, and you shall afflict yourselves. On the ninth day of the month beginning at evening, from evening to evening shall you keep your Sabbath.” A man borrowed a large sum of money to cover an urgent need, hoping to repay it in a few months. But everything went wrong. His business collapsed, bills piled up, and he couldn’t maintain his payments. Eventually, he knew he couldn’t pay the debt, now or ever. He went to face his creditor, braced for the worst. To his shock, the creditor didn’t hesitate. He just looked straight into his eyes and said, “I’m writing off your debt. Put your mind at ease. You don’t owe me anything any more. Moreover, I’m crediting your account with a million dollars to get you on your feet again.” The debtor wept, not just from relief, but from the sheer weight of grace. He walked away more than free. That is the message of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 23:26-32 tells us that this day falls on the tenth day of the seventh month—Tishri. It is a holy day unlike any other, a sacred moment in Israel’s calendar. The whole nation gathers, fasting and humbling themselves, to the temple where the sin offerings will be sacrificed for the sins of the whole nation, their leaders, and their priests. Even more, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place, the only time in the year when he could do so, Leviticus 16:2 makes it clear that this was not to be treated lightly. No man was to enter the holy place except on this one day, by this one man, with this one mission. Unlike the trespass offerings and guilt offerings, which were mostly offered for individuals, Yom Kippur was a day when atonement was made for the nation’s sin and rebellion. The high priest, as their representative, confessed their sins, interceded, and offered the sacrifices on his behalf and on behalf of the nation. Through this feast, God was foreshadowing a picture of a greater Day, and a greater Priest, and a greater Sacrifice. The garments worn by the high priest that day were not his usual elaborate robes with the gold, the stones, and the intricate embroidery. On the

128_The feast of Tabernacles Lev 23:33-44 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 34 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month and for seven days is the Feast of Booths to the Lord. 35 On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 36 For seven days you shall present food offerings to the Lord. On the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present a food offering to the Lord. It is a solemn assembly; you shall not do any ordinary work. 37 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the Lord food offerings, burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day, 38 besides the Lord's Sabbaths and besides your gifts and besides all your vow offerings and besides all your freewill offerings, which you give to the Lord. 39 “On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when you have gathered in the produce of the land, you shall celebrate the feast of the Lord seven days. On the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest. 40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days. 41 You shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord for seven days in the year. It is a statute forever throughout your generations; you shall celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 You shall dwell in booths for seven days. All native Israelites shall dwell in booths, 43 that your generations may know that I made the people of Israel dwell in booths when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” 44 Thus Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the Lord. A businessman went camping with his family for the first time. Used to luxury and efficiency, he found the whole experience quite uncomfortable. Sleeping in a tent, cooking over an open fire, and hearing strange noises at night unsettled him, though he tried to be a good sport and hide his feelings. His kids, however, loved it. When they got home, it was a favorite topic of conversation for months afterwards. Their father realized that the appeal of camping out wasn’t its comfort but the fun of being together without the familiar comforts of home, making do with what they had, and getting a new perspective on everything. This story echoes the heart of the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot. During this time Israel was commanded to stay out of their homes, in temporary shelters made of branches. It commemorated their journey through the wilderness. But more than a camping trip, it echoed their worship, gratitude, hope, and obedience to God. The Feast of Tabernacles was the last of the seven

129_The sin of blasphemy Lev 24:10-16 Now an Israelite woman's son, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the people of Israel. And the Israelite woman's son and a man of Israel fought in the camp, 11 and the Israelite woman's son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. 12 And they put him in custody, till the will of the Lord should be clear to them. 13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 14 “Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him. 15 And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. 16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death. In 2015, an airliner flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board. The investigation revealed that the crash was deliberate. The copilot, Andreas Lubitz, had long suffered from depression and was declared unfit to fly, but concealed this from the airline. In his darkness, he planned to crash the plane, taking not only his own life but misusing his privileges to kill those who trusted him. He violated their confidence and his own honor, turning the flight into a mission of destruction. Indeed, when an entity that represents righteousness and trustworthiness is perverted into a travesty of itself, devastating consequences occur. And nowhere is this more true than when it comes to the sacred Name of God. Leviticus 24:10–16 recounts a serious moment in Israel’s journey. A man born to an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father got into a fight with another man in the camp. During the quarrel, he blasphemed the Name of the Lord. Far from being a slip of the tongue, this was an act of open defiance and contempt. God’s response was the command to stone the man outside the camp. Witnesses were to lay their hands on his head, putting the guilt of hearing such words where it belonged - on the blasphemer. Then the people were to carry out the terrible execution. To modern ears, this looks like an overreaction. But the man’s guilt did not lie in his words, it was in his sabotaging all that Israel stood for. The preceding verses speak of the pure oil for the lamp, and the shewbread - 12 loaves made of fine flour. The emphasis was on purity—beaten and strained olive oil without impurities, and flour ground fine and sifted to remove coarseness. Why? Because the holy place was a reflection of who God is. He is pure. To deliberately defile the tabernacle would be to misrepresent who God is. In ancient times, a person’s name represented their essence. To defile the Name was to defile the One who bore

130_The Year of Jubilee Lev 25:8-22 “You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land. 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field. 13 “In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. 14 And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. 15 You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops. 16 If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you. 17 You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God. 18 “Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely. 19 The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely. 20 And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’ 21 I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years. 22 When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating some of the old crop; you shall eat the old until the ninth year, when its crop arrives. It was a dusty summer afternoon when a middle-aged woman walked into the small church office. She looked worn out—not just from the heat, but from life. She had just served a prison sentence, lost her home, and hadn’t seen her children in years. She sat down across from the pastor and softly said, “I don’t expect to be forgiven. I just need to know if there’s any place in this world where I can start again.” Her words echo the cry of millions. They long for a second chance, a chance to undo what has gone wrong and start a new page. Whether it’s a burden of debt, a broken past, or a long string of bad choices, we need a reset. And that’s exactly what God

131_Divine warnings Lev 26 1-13 “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God. 2 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord. 3 “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 5 Your threshing shall last to the time of the grape harvest, and the grape harvest shall last to the time for sowing. And you shall eat your bread to the full and dwell in your land securely. 6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. 7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 8 Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand, and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword. 9 I will turn to you and make you fruitful and multiply you and will confirm my covenant with you. 10 You shall eat old store long kept, and you shall clear out the old to make way for the new. 11 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect. Not long ago, a farmer in the Midwest shared his brush with disaster. It was a dry summer, and rain had been scarce. His irrigation system kept things growing, however. One morning, walking through his field, he spotted a tiny leak from a minute crack in the irrigation system. “I’ll fix it later,” he thought. Days passed, and the crack widened. By the time he returned to fix it, the pipe was ruptured and half the field was parched. He lost half of his crops. Regretfully he admitted, “I was warned. I just didn’t take it seriously.” Warnings—whether from a leaking pipe or the quiet voice of conscience—are meant not to condemn but to protect. God, in His goodness, warns us because he longs to preserve us, and not destroy us. In Leviticus 26, God speaks tenderly but firmly to Israel. This chapter is both a trumpet and a shield—it announces danger, so that the people can take shelter in Him. God had made a covenant with Abraham, a glorious, unilateral promise: to give him offspring, land, and a blessing that would bless the world. In Genesis 15, we see this covenant vividly enacted.

132_The value of a promise Lev 27:1-3 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, If anyone makes a special vow to the Lord involving the valuation of persons, 3 then the valuation of a male from twenty years old up to sixty years old shall be fifty shekels of silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary. 30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord. 31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. 32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the Lord. 33 One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.” It was a warm summer evening in the quaint chapel of a small countryside village. A young couple stood at the altar and exchanged vows. “For better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health…” The words rolled off their lips, promises made not just to each other, but before God and witnesses. Without hesitation, they expressed their determination to live in love, hope, and perseverance. Fast forward ten years. Life had thrown its curveballs. Yet they remembered the vow every day. That memory carried weight, gave strength, and steadied their feet through life’s storms. Sincere promises have power to mould character and change lives. Today we live in a culture where promises are often made in haste and forgotten with ease. Vows are treated like tissue paper—convenient, disposable, and not something to take seriously. But Scripture reveals, especially in Leviticus 27, that vows are sacred. How we treat them reveals a lot about the state of our hearts. Leviticus 27 is the final chapter of this book. Hitherto filled with intricate laws, detailed sacrifices, and holy instructions given at Mount Sinai, Leviticus ends with a chapter dealing with voluntary vows. It addresses those moments when someone, moved by gratitude, desperation, or deep reverence, chooses to offer something to God—not because they must, but because they want to. A vow, as presented here, is a solemn promise made to God—often involving the dedication of a person, animal, property, or some possession. It was a way of saying, “Lord, if you will help me, I will honor you in return.” Or, “God, because you have blessed me, I want to give this back to you.” Jacob, fleeing his home, was alone and afraid as he slept that night in the wilderness. He awoke after seeing a vision of a ladder with the Lord standing at the top. The Lord affirmed that he would bless Jacob and bring him back safely home. Naming the place Bethel, the house of God, Jacob vowed, “If God will be with me… then the Lord

433_The way of the righteous Psalm 1:1-6 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Some years ago, a young man stood at the crossroads—literally and spiritually. He had received two job offers. One promised rapid career growth, high pay, and prestige, but it came from a company known for its unethical practices and cutthroat culture. The other was modest—a smaller company, lower pay—but with a reputation for integrity, sound leadership, and meaningful work. As he prayerfully tried to make a decision, a verse from Psalm 1 came to his heart: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked…” That verse became his compass, and though the choice seemed foolish to many, the young man chose the second path. Years later, not only did his work flourish, but so did his life—his family, peace of mind, and spiritual growth. That one decision at a moral crossroads marked the beginning of a blessed journey on what Scripture calls “the way of the righteous.” The book of Psalms is perhaps the most read and most loved portion of the Bible. They speak to our hearts in unique ways. The Hebrew title for the Psalms is Tehillim, which means “praises,” revealing the central role these songs played in public worship in the Temple. Indeed, the Psalms are not theological discourses; they are songs—saturated with emotion, longing, repentance, joy, and praise. In fact, King David, when handing over the plans for the Temple, emphasized praise and worship when he gave detailed instructions about the temple and about worship. Out of 38,000 Levites over the age of thirty, he appointed many to praise the Lord, saying, “4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments I have made for praise.” During King Hezekiah’s reform, the Levites were commanded to sing “praises to the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the seer.” Worship through music is not an expression of art but an act of the spirit. Psalm 1 reminds us that worship goes hand in hand with righteousness. It sets the tone for all that follows by drawing a clear line between two ways of life: righteousness and wickedness. There is no middle ground. The psalm begins not with what the righteous man does, but what he does not do. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands

434_Submit to God while there is time Psalm 2:1-12 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. 8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.” 10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. In 79 A.D. the Roman city of Pompeii was buried under volcanic ash from the sudden and catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Archaeologists tell us that, despite the tremors and signs of volcanic activity leading up to the event, people went on with life as usual—eating, drinking, and going about business—believing they had time. Some even fled but later returned, thinking the worst was over. But then came the final blast. It was sudden, inescapable, and utterly devastating. Among the ruins, the remains of people were found in mid-action—some clutching their valuables, some frozen in postures of panic, and others seemingly unaware that the moment of judgment had arrived. What makes Pompeii's tragedy so haunting is not just the scale of destruction, but the fact that many ignored the warnings. But time ran out. Psalm 2 is a similarly stern warning that the Sovereign King of the universe will take up the reins of judgment. His judgment is not random or chaotic; it is deliberate and righteous. And it is announced ahead of time with clarity and mercy. Though the psalm itself does not name its author, Acts 4 attributes it to David. As originally written, it reflects the resistance of surrounding nations to David's rule. But we quickly realize that its vision extends far beyond David’s reign. It describes the age-old rebellion against God and his Anointed One—the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is an attitude that affects decisions made on earth, and has eternal consequences. The psalm opens with the nations and their leaders plotting in vain against the Lord and His Anointed. With open defiance, they plan, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” This is the language of those who see the rule of their creator as bondage, his law as unlawful chains. And how true this is

435_Trusting God’s salvation in distress Psalm 3 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2 many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah 3 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4 I cried aloud to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah 5 I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. 6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 7 Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people! Selah Years ago, in the Korean War, a young soldier found himself surrounded by the enemy. His entire unit had been wiped out, and he was the only one left alive. Wounded, cold, and terrified, he crawled into a foxhole and whispered. “God, if you’re real, please help me.” Somehow, coat tightly wrapped around him, he fell asleep, despite the gunfire in the distance. Morning came, and to his shock, he was still alive. The enemy had passed him by in the dark. Later, he would often say, “That night, I knew God was my shield. I should have died—but I slept like a child.” These words echo the opening verses of Psalm 3. “I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.” The psalm dates from the darkest moments in King David’s life—a time of betrayal and humiliation by his own son Absalom, who claimed the throne. Yet it testifies to his trust in God's salvation in deep distress. Psalm 3 and 4 are often referred to as the morning and evening psalms. The attempted coup by Absalom was the bitter fruit of David’s earlier sins. Years before, David took Bathsheba to his bed while she was still married to Uriah, one of his greatest soldiers. He fathered a child by her and plotted the death of her husband lest his own sin be discovered. For nearly nine months, David continued as if nothing had happened—until the prophet Nathan confronted him. When Nathan said, “You are the man,” and David realized that God had not overlooked his sin all along, his heart broke in repentance. Ashamed and penitent, he pleads, in Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, O God… restore to me the joy of your salvation.” Although David was forgiven, Nathan also declared the consequences for the blasphemy he had brought on the Lord’s name, since he was known everywhere to be the Lord’s servant: “The sword shall never depart from your house.” His daughter Tamar was violated by her half-brother and his eldest son, Amnon, who was killed in revenge by Tamar’s brother Absalom. Now Absalom had stolen the hearts of the people and was hunting him down. David fled Jerusalem barefooted and weeping. As he and his loyal men crossed the

436_Satisfied in God Psalm 4 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. 4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!” 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. What does it mean to be truly satisfied? Most people think it lies in the right circumstances—good health, financial security, harmonious relationships, or success in career or ministry. When something shifts—unmet expectations, sudden chaos, or pain—peace evaporates, and frustration sets in. There was once a painting competition for children based on the theme, “The Beauty of Serenity.” Most children portrayed images of stillness and beauty—a still lake at sunset, a great forest, a garden blooming with flowers, a mother with her sleeping baby in her arms. One drawing stood out. It depicted a sea tossed violently by storm, waves crashing against the jagged cliffs. Nestled in a cleft of the rock, shielded from wind and waves, was a nest on which sat a tiny bird, looking out at the stormy sea and sky and singing. True serenity isn’t never having storms, but experiencing security amidst chaos. It is the joy that sings in the dark. It is the life of the soul satisfied not by the external, but in God who shelters and shields. This is the heart of Psalm 4. David, the man after God’s own heart, finds himself surrounded by trouble. His son Absalom seized the throne, and slept with his father’s wives in a tent pitched in public view, signaling his complete breach with his father. In this, he was following the strategy of Ahithophel, once David’s trusted counselor. Abandoned by friends and allies, David was fleeing Jerusalem, crossing the Jordan, into the wilderness. And still he had to protect and provide for the loyal band who refused to leave him. Yet, instead of a heart overwhelmed by fear and broken by betrayal, the prayer reveals quiet confidence and trustful strength. “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!” His first response is not panic, but prayer—anchored in who God is and what he has done. He is “the God of my righteousness,” the vindicator. David’s memory brings up the unfailing salvation of God, right from delivering David