B 90 Days SOAP: Do as you’re told because of who He is

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by

Amy
in ,

Bible in 90 Days, Day 9

Scripture: Leviticus 22: 31

Keep my commands and follow them. I am the Lord.

Actually this is repeated several times throughout today’s reading, so it wasn’t just here.

Observation: This is pretty straightforward: Do as I instruct because of who I am.

Application:

Today’s reading, and the many surrounding it yesterday and in the days to come, puzzle me when held up to today’s practices. There are a lot of commands spelled out in the Bible that the Israelites were instructed to follow. Some of these are still observed by Christians and some are not. And I don’t completely understand why that is so.

What I do know, though, is that this passage says to do those things instructed because God tells us to. We are instructed to do as we are told and not question it, since the commands come from the one true authority.

And perhaps, even in the confusion of what rules we still follow and why, I can take that when I am given instruction by God I should follow it. Just because He said so.

Prayer: Lord, I confess I am nervous about my post today. I don’t want anyone to think I am clueless and not worthy of leading this reading of the Bible. I don’t understand it all.  But I know that You speak to me every time I read it, and I am so honored that you are allowing me to encourage others to read and hear your voice daily, too.

Please guide me, and the others who have questions throughout our reading.

Why are all these commands so completely spelled out and yet we do not follow all of them? That is my huge question about today’s reading and yet You pointed me here.

Help us to understand what you want us to know when you want us to know it, and not worry about the rest. Please, Lord, help our community of readers to lean on each other just as much as you want us to in having our questions answered. And guide us in relying on you as the ultimate answer.

Thank you, again, for this opportunity to explore your word in community. Please guide us in reading and following you as you would have us do.

And help me to do as I am told by you and not question. Your instruction comes with ultimate authority.

Comments

18 responses to “B 90 Days SOAP: Do as you’re told because of who He is”

  1. Jean Avatar
    Jean

    I understand that we’re supposed to be reading straight through without getting into a deep study, but to understand some of the questions being asked here, I think we have to use some New Testament scriptures to shed light on what this means to us today. Even before that, we need to remember that this covenant in Leviticus was made with the Israelites. The Gentiles were not included, so a large portion of us would not be a part of that covenant even if it were still in effect.

    Then as some have said, the law is no longer in effect anyway because Christ fulfilled the the whole law (Matt. 5:17-18), Please read Colossians 2. It shows the old law was nailed to the cross and we are no longer subject to the restrictions in it, including but not limited to eating certain foods, and keeping certain festivals and Sabbaths. Hebrews 7-10 is also helpful in understanding that we are no longer under the law, but these things were given us to help us understand what is expected in the new covenant.

    I have heard before that all except the 10 commandments were wiped out. I would not want to offend anyone; I was taught the same thing, but I’ve never found anywhere that God’s word says PART of the law was fulfilled or nailed to the cross. I think the misunderstanding comes in that most of what we call the ten commandments are given again in the new covenant. They are taught either by Jesus or in the epistles. Therefore we do keep these, but not as part of the old law. Keeping the Sabbath is not one of those that is taught again. Also, the Sabbath was the seventh day, not Sunday. If you wanted to keep the Sabbath you would expect to keep it just as commanded, and that has a lot more restrictions than most of us are willing to abide. That said, there is nothing wrong with setting aside Sunday, our day of worship, and focusing more completely on God. Focusing ourselves on Him and His will is never a bad thing. :)

    Galatians 5:4 tells us that if we try to keep the law, we are ignoring God’s grace. In fact, it says if you try to justify yourself by the law you are “fallen from grace.” James 2:10 tells us that if we are guilty of even one part of the law we are guilty of the whole law, so we can’t pick and choose what to follow. Thankfully, once we are in Christ we have a new covenant that is offered to all nations and is based on grace and truth. If you want to read further, Romans 8 is also a great chapter on walking in the Spirit instead of trying to fulfill the law.

    Love to all! I am enjoying this study and look forward each day to hearing what others think about what we’be read

    Reply
    1. Ross Avatar
      Ross

      Thank you for taking the time in posting your response. It really helps me to read other’s knowledge and questions regarding scripture. Thanks again!!

      Reply
  2. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    I think it takes humility to admit that you don’t have all the answers, and humility is more attractive than arrogance. And Jesus was humble and He’s our Leader, so I wouldn’t worry about not being qualified if I were you. Maybe, through these readings, you will learn from others as well as others learning from you.

    As far as why we follow certain rules and not others, well, as I understand it, it’s because when Jesus came, He fulfilled several of them. For example, the Messiah is the Sabbath-rest for the people of God, so now, every day, we can rest in His presence, and rest doesn’t have to be restricted to one day a week.

    Reply
  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    http://realfaithjourney.blogspot.com/2011/07/blogging-through-b90days-day-9.html

    So grateful for Jesus’ work on the cross… oh man….
    And also grateful for the covenant God made with Noah about the flood… Humanity has deserved to be wiped out several times over since then!

    Reply
  4. Bettie Avatar
    Bettie

    Oh, my! It all just makes me so appreciate all the more God’s unspeakable good gift to us in His Son Jesus! What a Savior!
    And what thoughtful insights… Thanks for sharing them! Bettie

    Reply
  5. Joye Avatar
    Joye

    Reading Leviticus gives me a new appreciation for Hebrews 4:16 that says “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

    I’m thankful that I can approach God’s presence any time I want. I don’t have bathe first, change my clothes, kill any animals or wait 364 days. I can approach Him any time I want. Thank God for a better covenant built on better promises!

    Reply
  6. Elisabeth Avatar
    Elisabeth

    I agree with Janet and Carina. In many of his letters, Paul tells us that we no longer have to live under the law. We are freed from that as a result of Jesus dying on the cross for us. This part of the reading is so boring and tedious, but completely makes me appreciate that we are no longer bound by these rules!!

    Reply
  7. Bible in 90 Days Day 9 | Mom's Toolbox

    […] Day 9: Do as you’re told because of who He is […]

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  8. B 90 Days Day 9 SOAP: Do as your told… | Mom's Toolbox

    […] B 90 Days SOAP: Do as you’re told because of who He is […]

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  9. Catherine Avatar
    Catherine

    I am struggling with this as well. If the New Testement does away with these old laws, do they become “okay” and not sins? Or do we still strive to stick to these laws, but if we fall, we are forgiven? Should I get rid of all my cotton/rayon blends and stick to 100% cotton??? Oi-vey.
    .-= Catherine´s last blog ..10 days down, 80 to go! =-.

    Reply
  10. Grainne Armour Avatar
    Grainne Armour

    Tahnk you for your comment Janet it pouts it very aptly, this is also an area I struggled with in knowledge, alas I’m so behind on my reading I can’t really comment at all. Though I’m still enjoying the journey whilst bringing up the rear
    .-= Grainne Armour´s last blog ..Submission =-.

    Reply
  11. PaulaK Avatar
    PaulaK

    My mom has read the Bible many times and I consider her my mentor when it comes to Christianity. She always says the New Testament does away with all the old laws except the Ten Commandments.

    Reply
  12. Janet Register Avatar
    Janet Register

    Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law when He died on the cross. We are still bound by the Moral law which is the Ten Commandments.

    Reply
  13. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    Hi Amy, Happy Saturday to you and your family. My daily link of the day:

    http://fowlesfamily5.blogspot.com/2010/01/day-9-learning-from-leviticus.html

    Praise God!!

    Jen
    .-= Jennifer´s last blog ..Day 9 – Learning from Leviticus =-.

    Reply
  14. Carina Avatar
    Carina

    Stacy, that sounds a lot along the same lines as I was thinking. I always believed that the reason God spelled out so many specific rules and rituals in the OT was in order to really allow us to see how far we are from being able to maintain holiness (and thus a relationship with God) on our own. With all the rules to be kept, it becomes obvious that even sacrificing goats and sheep every day isn’t enough–something more permanent was needed in order to keep us holy and presentable to our God. And that permanent sacrifice could only be God Himself! Reading Leviticus has made me appreciate Jesus’s work on the cross all that much more!!!

    Reply
  15. stacy Avatar
    stacy

    I might be being simplistic and I might be way off base…but, I always thought that all of the laws back then were necessary to make their lives “right” with God. But, with Him sending Jesus to die for us we no longer have to go through all of that to get close to God. I don’t know if that’s right or not but it makes sense to me… I think we’d be spending huge amounts of time offering up things for the things we do wrong. Now we are blessed because of Jesus’ sacrifice to be able to get down on our knees and ask for forgiveness.
    Also, many of the laws made sense about keeping people healthy I think too…so they’re probably not bad to follow…plus the Commandments are there too…and so…what am I saying? I’m not sure either…..
    .-= stacy´s last blog ..Small Things~ =-.

    Reply
    1. Amy Avatar
      Amy

      Your thoughts sound SO MUCH like my own. :)

      Reply
  16. Merrilee Avatar
    Merrilee

    Thanks for the post, Amy. :)
    I actually selected basically the same words, just from Lev. 18:3b-5. and then had very similar thoughts & comments when I did SOAP too.
    What parts of these commands are we, in today’s world, still supposed to follow? For me, chapters 18 & 19 seem pretty straight-forward & make sense. But the parts about clean vs unclean are confusing.

    I think where I ended up – I’m sure I will still think about it throughout the day – was by remembering that Jesus took the place of the sacrifices. Then, I need to confess and ask for forgiveness for the sins that the Holy Spirit shows me.

    Thanks again for your openess.
    Merrilee

    Reply

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