as i finish reading leviticus i want to say again thank God for dying on the cross for me. for us so that we don’t have to live by these laws. thank you Lord for saving us and forgiving us so that we can live in freedom.
I’m thrilled to be done with Leviticus, to be honest. That was tough! We made it! I’ve been listening to The Bible Recap podcast where the host breaks down each book a few chapters at a time in under 10 minutes. During tough books like these especially, it is incredibly helpful! I recommend if you need help understanding like I did!
12And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 45But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.”
God is always faithful!
Guys catch it in Leviticus 26:41-42.. God told Moses “if you humble your hearts, I will remember my covenant with Jacob”
It’s hard to read Leviticus… and I kept thinking “gosh I would constantly fail” but then when I read that verse if you humble your hears I will remember my covent… that’s the key!!! God knows we will mess up!! Hello the fall! But we just gotta keep coming back and asking for forgiveness.
OT they had to do it by offering up sacrifices and the NT Jesus was the sacrifice so we can go straight to him.
After reading things like Leviticus 26:14-46 I struggle to see God as the loving and forgiving and patient God that I know and believe him to be. I’m so glad Jesus endured the cross so we don’t have to face this punishment, but it still feels discouraging to read these words. I loved the first part of Leviticus 26 though! Anyone else feeling this way?
I felt exactly the same. I grew up always hearing about how God was a merciful God (and he is), but it is hard for me to read that. What brings me some comfort is that God would have only so severely punished his people if they turned away from him and quit trusting in him. If they turned back to their false idols and stopped recognizing the one true God, only then would his wrath rain down.
But did you guys catch it in Leviticus 26;41-42.. God told Moses “if you humble your hearts, I will remember my covenant with Jacob”
It’s hard to read Leviticus… and I kept thinking “gosh I would constantly fail” but then when I read that verse if you humble your hears I will remember my covent… that’s the key!!! God knows we will mess up!! Hello the fall! But we just gotta keep coming back and asking for forgiveness.
OT they had to do it by offering up sacrifices and the NT Jesus was the sacrifice so we can go straight to him.
I see it differently. He said if you abhor my statutes in your heart then I will send panic among you, etc. It is a choice to follow God and someone that completely goes against him not only hurts himself but others. God is love but God is also just and if you take justice away, people get hurt. So His justice is an act of love to those who love him too.
This was my first time reading Leviticus… I must say I am so glad I started this bible study. There was so much I didn’t know people had to go through to be forgiven of their sins. It makes me more grateful of the price Jesus paid to save my life & free me of sin !! I’m so excited to keep reading on and within one year I will finally (at 24yrs old) be able to say I have read the Bible fully.
Although I read it before it was hard to concentrate, by breaking it down in a daily plan helps me to digest it and understand Gods law.
Although there were a lot of rules and regulations it was worth it as God had offered so much in return , to walk with them to multiply their grain and to drive out their enemies.
It made me realise how lucky we are to now have the blood of Christ to wash our sins, no more ceremonies or cleaning sacrifices required. We are washed by His blood! So he again walks amongst us but this time through the Holy Spirit.
Leviticus has been painful, exhausting, repetitive but also a blessing and eye opener! I have a deeper love for our Lord and Savior and a deeper understanding of the ugliness of sin. I’ve always known it was ugly but now I see the great expanse and pain it has created between us and our true father in heaven! CHRISTOS ANESTE!!
I was doing some speed reading today, and instead of pondering on the eating the children part, and so forth, I just marveled at the very last verse “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”. A moment of wow, pause, and deep reflection. If things are tough today, how amazing to be spared “from the coming wrath”. I don’t want to imagine what others will be facing then. Praise God almighty!! Sad too for those that will have to endure it.
Leviticus 26 took me back to the Garden of Eden. It is God’s heart to bless us, to have us live under his protection, to walk with us and to be our God. This is the way God intended it to be with us. He knows that we are the ones who will break the covenant, turn away from him, and the result will be devastating. Praise Him for making a Way to restore a right relationship with him. Because he loves us.
Whew the eating of your sons and daughters got me. I struggle with the OT God. Lev 26:24 doesn’t resonate the ‘God is love’ we always hear about. I am not rebelling just trying to understand ….
I agree that it is difficult to read through the Old Testament and understand the things God says and does. I try to read in through the lens of.. God is so very very holy. We are sinful and so unworthy. Before Jesus, man had to make atonement for his own sins, which was still done imperfectly. I believe through all of the Old Testament, God was setting the stage for the birth of the messiah, who would perfectly atone for our sins . He is a jealous and holy God. Without Jesus, we cannot approach his throne! We would be physically unable to stand in his presence because of our sinfulness.
To me Leviticus says, God is so holy. And because he is so holy, this is what you have to do to be acceptable. Of course now, we have Jesus! All we have to do is accept him as our Lord and Savior! Praise him!
I viewed this as the people without God would be left to face the horrible outcomes and consequences of their sins. And this being a result of their starvation due to their sin and life without God’s provisions. It wasn’t God, but them reacting to their own sin’s consequences.
I read a commentary on a blog called Giants for Christ (Google that and the scripture passage). It mentioned something about the monetary value correlating with the amount of work that person could get done. So, a man in his prime can do a lot more physical labor/work in the fields than a woman. Sorry my explanation is not very good. Check out the blog for a little more substance!
Just wondering if anyone else gets a little confused or freaked out with this verse in Leviticus 27:
29 No one who may have been set apart among men shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.
I mean did some people just get dedicated to God or dedicate themselves and then die????
It sounds to me like if someone was set apart to The Lord and then was ransomed (aka someone paid money to have them back to normal, not set apart to The Lord) then they would be killed. It’s saying that if someone is set apart as holy, they shouldn’t go back to being a vessel used for worldly purposes.
here’s what my translation says: “29No person who has been set apart for destruction is to be ransomed; he must be put to death.” I think this has more to do with if God has said someone has to die for what they have done they can’t be ransomed by the price mentioned above. Like God said that some people groups that the Israelites were going to come up against were dedicated to destruction, meaning that they weren’t supposed to let them live and Ransom them, they were to destroy them completely.
relating that to us, I think there is a verse in the New Testament about how we were objects of God’s Wrath, and we were set apart for Destruction, but Jesus ransomed us with His death in our place, the only possible substitute
Amazing how God does everything to us so he can get our attention. He provides for us in all of our daily things….food, money, peace, grace, patience, and much more. His yoke is easy and His burden is light!
This last reading in Leviticus really resonated with me. The beauty of this promise: 26:12 “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people,” followed by the consequences of turning away, followed by the ability to return to God when/if we had stepped away. How amazing that this still holds true today!
I was struck by the beginning of the Leviticus passage…most of us just open our cupboards and refrigerators, and have everything we need or want at our fingertips, and if not, we just run out to the store and get it. How much does this fit these verses, where the Israelites have an abundance? I think we need to be careful to see this as God’s blessing and not just the result of our own work, so we don’t become prideful and subject ourselves to discipline.
Our house is down to just my husband and myself these days, so we have been making a conscious effort not to keep stocked up on things beyond what is reasonable. I’ve been surprised how difficult that can be some days.
Whew! Leviticus has felt long. I’m studying Hebrews and wanted to suggest the following scripture today, as we close Leviticus. It is about Jesus being our High Priest — Hebrews 7:11-28 — a great parallel in my opinion.
Amazing! I know I’m ridiculously behind but I’m so thankful for your comment. Reading the Hebrews passage after going through Leviticus was so amazing!!
It occurred to me today in reading Leviticus 26 that the Israelites’ punishment and exile was within the terms of the Covenant. They could reject God all they wanted, but they would always be covered under the terms God set. If they followed the law, they would live under God’s special protection; refusing to follow the law, they would suffer the consequences. But God would keep his Covenant always, even in their sin and rejection. “Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God.” Lev. 26:44
“Endurance inspired by HOPE in our Lord Jesus Christ” and JOY given by the Holy Spirit. Hope and Joy, the two things that keep us going when life threatens to overwhelm us. Our hope should be in the Lord, and when it is, the Holy Spirit does give us joy. Sometimes it isn’t immediate, sometimes it is a quiet joy, made evident in our refusal to give up. That is what people notice. That is what gave this church their sweet reputation. “And HOPE does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:5
Thank you Lord for Hope.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” We endure because of our unshakeable hope in Christ. This is our strong foundation! The anchor of our souls.
I needed to hear this again today. Sometimes I get so weary from the struggle of life. I wonder how I can keep enduring. Jesus reminds me of the unshakable hope of future with Him that is worth enduring for.
2 “ ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
As someone who works weekends, it’s hard to always rest on Sunday’s. But I try to make atleast one day resting in the Lord.
5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
I love how the gospel is not spread through beautiful prose, elegant vocabulary, or dependent on the credentials of the one preaching. It is IN power in the Holy Spirit – we are just the channel for God to speak through us. So much so that just witnessing the way they lived from day to day spoke volumes more as a testimony of Christ..and they learned and became imitators!
6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
Learning from Paul and the brothers then helped them be an example to others, and this is just passed on. It touched me this morning on how essential and healthy it is to have those who live out what they speak, that even without words being spoken from them, people can witness and believe.
Take His yoke. Thank you Jesus! I love the parallel of being slaves of the Egyptians (the world.. sin) but He breaks the yoke of slavery and tells us to take His yoke upon us. His yoke is easy to bear, the burden is light. The yoke of the Egyptians (or sin) is heavy, hard and miserable.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high. (Leviticus 26:13 NLT)
“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30 NLT)
I love you, Jesus ❤️
“Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”
“We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.”
1 Thessalonians 1:4 NLT
love this!
as i finish reading leviticus i want to say again thank God for dying on the cross for me. for us so that we don’t have to live by these laws. thank you Lord for saving us and forgiving us so that we can live in freedom.
❤️
You can sleep and no one will make you afraid
Amen!
❤️
✔️
✅
We need to continue to trust God completely, each and every day, and especially in trials we face.
Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come
❤️
We have to remember to be thankful for everything
Leviticus and Matthew both done! Excited to start some new books now
I’m thrilled to be done with Leviticus, to be honest. That was tough! We made it! I’ve been listening to The Bible Recap podcast where the host breaks down each book a few chapters at a time in under 10 minutes. During tough books like these especially, it is incredibly helpful! I recommend if you need help understanding like I did!
“I am the LORD.” -ellie
12And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 45But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.”
God is always faithful!
Guys catch it in Leviticus 26:41-42.. God told Moses “if you humble your hearts, I will remember my covenant with Jacob”
It’s hard to read Leviticus… and I kept thinking “gosh I would constantly fail” but then when I read that verse if you humble your hears I will remember my covent… that’s the key!!! God knows we will mess up!! Hello the fall! But we just gotta keep coming back and asking for forgiveness.
OT they had to do it by offering up sacrifices and the NT Jesus was the sacrifice so we can go straight to him.
Amen!
After reading things like Leviticus 26:14-46 I struggle to see God as the loving and forgiving and patient God that I know and believe him to be. I’m so glad Jesus endured the cross so we don’t have to face this punishment, but it still feels discouraging to read these words. I loved the first part of Leviticus 26 though! Anyone else feeling this way?
Yes. It was difficult for me to read as well. Praising God for the New Covenant in Christ Jesus.
I felt exactly the same. I grew up always hearing about how God was a merciful God (and he is), but it is hard for me to read that. What brings me some comfort is that God would have only so severely punished his people if they turned away from him and quit trusting in him. If they turned back to their false idols and stopped recognizing the one true God, only then would his wrath rain down.
But did you guys catch it in Leviticus 26;41-42.. God told Moses “if you humble your hearts, I will remember my covenant with Jacob”
It’s hard to read Leviticus… and I kept thinking “gosh I would constantly fail” but then when I read that verse if you humble your hears I will remember my covent… that’s the key!!! God knows we will mess up!! Hello the fall! But we just gotta keep coming back and asking for forgiveness.
OT they had to do it by offering up sacrifices and the NT Jesus was the sacrifice so we can go straight to him.
I see it differently. He said if you abhor my statutes in your heart then I will send panic among you, etc. It is a choice to follow God and someone that completely goes against him not only hurts himself but others. God is love but God is also just and if you take justice away, people get hurt. So His justice is an act of love to those who love him too.
So glad God died on the cross for our sins so we may have eternal life with him. Nothing is too hard for our God.
So thankful that Jesus paid our sin debt in full. Change our hearts oh God and help us to be true and faithful.
This was my first time reading Leviticus… I must say I am so glad I started this bible study. There was so much I didn’t know people had to go through to be forgiven of their sins. It makes me more grateful of the price Jesus paid to save my life & free me of sin !! I’m so excited to keep reading on and within one year I will finally (at 24yrs old) be able to say I have read the Bible fully.
That’s awesome! Keep on keeping on & reach that goal. :) Woot woot!!
Yes it does!!
Although I read it before it was hard to concentrate, by breaking it down in a daily plan helps me to digest it and understand Gods law.
Although there were a lot of rules and regulations it was worth it as God had offered so much in return , to walk with them to multiply their grain and to drive out their enemies.
It made me realise how lucky we are to now have the blood of Christ to wash our sins, no more ceremonies or cleaning sacrifices required. We are washed by His blood! So he again walks amongst us but this time through the Holy Spirit.
I am pleased I read Leviticus again in small chunks as
Kamelia Mirfakhraei
Leviticus has been painful, exhausting, repetitive but also a blessing and eye opener! I have a deeper love for our Lord and Savior and a deeper understanding of the ugliness of sin. I’ve always known it was ugly but now I see the great expanse and pain it has created between us and our true father in heaven! CHRISTOS ANESTE!!
Wow, we’ve made it through Leviticus. I found it absolutely fascinating! Thankful for God opening my eyes in the most surprising places! :)
I was doing some speed reading today, and instead of pondering on the eating the children part, and so forth, I just marveled at the very last verse “and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”. A moment of wow, pause, and deep reflection. If things are tough today, how amazing to be spared “from the coming wrath”. I don’t want to imagine what others will be facing then. Praise God almighty!! Sad too for those that will have to endure it.
Leviticus 26 took me back to the Garden of Eden. It is God’s heart to bless us, to have us live under his protection, to walk with us and to be our God. This is the way God intended it to be with us. He knows that we are the ones who will break the covenant, turn away from him, and the result will be devastating. Praise Him for making a Way to restore a right relationship with him. Because he loves us.
Amen Runningmama!
“[But if they remember me … and repent … and return to me … then I will remember my covenant with them. And respond in mercy. To my people]”.
Thank you everyone for helping me through Leviticus! I have gained more understand through everyone’s comments. I am really enjoying this study.
Whew the eating of your sons and daughters got me. I struggle with the OT God. Lev 26:24 doesn’t resonate the ‘God is love’ we always hear about. I am not rebelling just trying to understand ….
I agree that it is difficult to read through the Old Testament and understand the things God says and does. I try to read in through the lens of.. God is so very very holy. We are sinful and so unworthy. Before Jesus, man had to make atonement for his own sins, which was still done imperfectly. I believe through all of the Old Testament, God was setting the stage for the birth of the messiah, who would perfectly atone for our sins . He is a jealous and holy God. Without Jesus, we cannot approach his throne! We would be physically unable to stand in his presence because of our sinfulness.
To me Leviticus says, God is so holy. And because he is so holy, this is what you have to do to be acceptable. Of course now, we have Jesus! All we have to do is accept him as our Lord and Savior! Praise him!
Thanks Ashlea that’s helpful!
Amen! Great points!
I know! This was challenging today.
I viewed this as the people without God would be left to face the horrible outcomes and consequences of their sins. And this being a result of their starvation due to their sin and life without God’s provisions. It wasn’t God, but them reacting to their own sin’s consequences.
Amen, amen!
Does anyone know why the value of men vs. the value of women is different in Leviticus 27:1-7? I’m trying to not let it bother me, but I’m curious!
I also am wondering!
NADINE. You pop up in the most wonderful places.
I read a commentary on a blog called Giants for Christ (Google that and the scripture passage). It mentioned something about the monetary value correlating with the amount of work that person could get done. So, a man in his prime can do a lot more physical labor/work in the fields than a woman. Sorry my explanation is not very good. Check out the blog for a little more substance!
Your explanation actually makes a lot of sense and answers my question. Thank you!!
Just wondering if anyone else gets a little confused or freaked out with this verse in Leviticus 27:
29 No one who may have been set apart among men shall be ransomed; he shall surely be put to death.
I mean did some people just get dedicated to God or dedicate themselves and then die????
Debbie, I have no idea…that’s not a very helpful answer! Now I’m curious too!
Yeah I get a bit confused as well when reading this, I had to read a couple parts quite a few times!
It sounds to me like if someone was set apart to The Lord and then was ransomed (aka someone paid money to have them back to normal, not set apart to The Lord) then they would be killed. It’s saying that if someone is set apart as holy, they shouldn’t go back to being a vessel used for worldly purposes.
here’s what my translation says: “29No person who has been set apart for destruction is to be ransomed; he must be put to death.” I think this has more to do with if God has said someone has to die for what they have done they can’t be ransomed by the price mentioned above. Like God said that some people groups that the Israelites were going to come up against were dedicated to destruction, meaning that they weren’t supposed to let them live and Ransom them, they were to destroy them completely.
relating that to us, I think there is a verse in the New Testament about how we were objects of God’s Wrath, and we were set apart for Destruction, but Jesus ransomed us with His death in our place, the only possible substitute
Thanks JJ – this makes good sense
Amazing how God does everything to us so he can get our attention. He provides for us in all of our daily things….food, money, peace, grace, patience, and much more. His yoke is easy and His burden is light!
This last reading in Leviticus really resonated with me. The beauty of this promise: 26:12 “I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people,” followed by the consequences of turning away, followed by the ability to return to God when/if we had stepped away. How amazing that this still holds true today!
I was struck by the beginning of the Leviticus passage…most of us just open our cupboards and refrigerators, and have everything we need or want at our fingertips, and if not, we just run out to the store and get it. How much does this fit these verses, where the Israelites have an abundance? I think we need to be careful to see this as God’s blessing and not just the result of our own work, so we don’t become prideful and subject ourselves to discipline.
Our house is down to just my husband and myself these days, so we have been making a conscious effort not to keep stocked up on things beyond what is reasonable. I’ve been surprised how difficult that can be some days.
Whew! Leviticus has felt long. I’m studying Hebrews and wanted to suggest the following scripture today, as we close Leviticus. It is about Jesus being our High Priest — Hebrews 7:11-28 — a great parallel in my opinion.
This is awesome, Beverly! I understand that Hebrews passage SO much better now, after working through Leviticus.
That was just what I needed. Leviticus 26 really felt upsetting, I needed the perspective and reminder, thank you!!!
Thank you so much for that suggestion! Praise to our living High Priest, who gave his own life for us!!
Amazing! I know I’m ridiculously behind but I’m so thankful for your comment. Reading the Hebrews passage after going through Leviticus was so amazing!!
It occurred to me today in reading Leviticus 26 that the Israelites’ punishment and exile was within the terms of the Covenant. They could reject God all they wanted, but they would always be covered under the terms God set. If they followed the law, they would live under God’s special protection; refusing to follow the law, they would suffer the consequences. But God would keep his Covenant always, even in their sin and rejection. “Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God.” Lev. 26:44
Yes. He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever :) He keeps His promise.
“Endurance inspired by HOPE in our Lord Jesus Christ” and JOY given by the Holy Spirit. Hope and Joy, the two things that keep us going when life threatens to overwhelm us. Our hope should be in the Lord, and when it is, the Holy Spirit does give us joy. Sometimes it isn’t immediate, sometimes it is a quiet joy, made evident in our refusal to give up. That is what people notice. That is what gave this church their sweet reputation. “And HOPE does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:5
Thank you Lord for Hope.
This is beautiful, thanks
1 Thessalonians 1:3 “We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” We endure because of our unshakeable hope in Christ. This is our strong foundation! The anchor of our souls.
I needed to hear this again today. Sometimes I get so weary from the struggle of life. I wonder how I can keep enduring. Jesus reminds me of the unshakable hope of future with Him that is worth enduring for.
2 “ ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
As someone who works weekends, it’s hard to always rest on Sunday’s. But I try to make atleast one day resting in the Lord.
Sabbath doesn’t have to be Sunday….just some time when you fully rest! There’s freedom in that!!
5 for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
I love how the gospel is not spread through beautiful prose, elegant vocabulary, or dependent on the credentials of the one preaching. It is IN power in the Holy Spirit – we are just the channel for God to speak through us. So much so that just witnessing the way they lived from day to day spoke volumes more as a testimony of Christ..and they learned and became imitators!
6 You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit,
Learning from Paul and the brothers then helped them be an example to others, and this is just passed on. It touched me this morning on how essential and healthy it is to have those who live out what they speak, that even without words being spoken from them, people can witness and believe.
Take His yoke. Thank you Jesus! I love the parallel of being slaves of the Egyptians (the world.. sin) but He breaks the yoke of slavery and tells us to take His yoke upon us. His yoke is easy to bear, the burden is light. The yoke of the Egyptians (or sin) is heavy, hard and miserable.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high. (Leviticus 26:13 NLT)
“Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30 NLT)
Love the connection.