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That's connectwithskip.com. Before today's teaching, stay with us for a special invitation from Pastor Skip Heitzig.

Skip Heitzig: Have you ever dreamed of visiting Israel? Lenny and I want to invite you to join us for a life-changing journey through the land of the Bible in April of 2027. You can walk where Jesus walked. You can worship on the Sea of Galilee. You can celebrate baptisms at the Jordan River and we're going to share communion at the empty tomb. You'll also have the option to attend the Epicenter Summit in Jerusalem where I'll be speaking alongside of Joel Rosenberg, Greg Laurie, and Graham Lotz, Jack Graham, and more. So join us April 5th through April 16th.

You can learn more today at connectwithskip.com/israel.

Guest (Male): Now let's dive into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig.

Skip Heitzig: The first three, the burnt, the grain, and the peace offering are called a sweet aroma to the Lord. They're optional. You don't have to bring them. They're not obligatory. They're optional. The last two, the sin offering and the trespass are reversed. They are obligatory. Um they're not discretionary. You have to do it. Why? Because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And so to fix the sin problem and by the way, a sin is different than a trespass. Everybody sins cuz they fall short of the mark. But then there's the trespass which is crossing the line deliberately like don't cross the line.

Okay. So that's a trespass. I know I shouldn't do it but I do it anyway. That had to be paid for. So those are the five offerings. Now chapter six and chapter seven are laws for the priests who would administrate those offerings that were brought that are enumerated in the first few chapters. So it's like office protocol for the priests. When we get to chapter eight, nine, and 10, um I call these laws of professional activity. Laws of professional activity. Why? Because we're dealing with priests now. It's the priesthood. It's their profession to take yours and my sacrifices, if we lived back then, and offer them for us.

So this answers the question, who can approach God for me? First question that the first few chapters ask and answer is how can I approach God answer by sacrifice? Chapters eight through 10 answer the question, who can approach God for me? Answer, only a priest can. So chapters one through seven, get the flow of this. Chapters one through seven says we need a sacrifice to approach God. Chapters eight through 10 we need a stand in. We need a representative. We need somebody to offer the sacrifice for us. That's what a priest does. A priest stands before God on behalf of the people and offers a sacrifice on their behalf.

Now I want to zero in. Let's tip the plane down a little bit, get a little closer to the ground. Look at chapter eight, verse 22. We're going right into the ordination ceremony of the ancient priesthood. Chapter eight, verse 22. And he brought the second ram, a ram of consecration. Then Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram and Moses killed it. And he took some of its blood and put it on the tip of Aaron's right ear, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

And then he brought Aaron's sons and Moses put some of the blood on the tips of their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. And Moses sprinkled the blood all around the altar. What's all this about? It's the idea in sanctifying it with shed blood. May this priest hear the voice of God by putting it on his ears. May he do the will of God by putting it on the thumb of his hand. Well can work the works of God, do the will of God.

And by putting it on his foot, he's saying may this priest walk in the ways of God. So may he hear, work, and walk in the ways of God. Now let's fast forward in the New Testament just to make an analogy. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is called our great high priest, our great high priest. Here's what's interesting. Jesus is both the sacrifice as well as the one who offers the sacrifice cuz he offered himself. So he is the sacrificial lamb and he is the high priest who offers the lamb. Behold the lamb of God, John said, who takes away the sin of the world.

But he's also our high priest, our great high priest. He offers it. So there is the fulfillment of that. Now let's move off of that and think of ourselves. In Romans chapter 12 Paul borrows the language of sacrifice from Leviticus and says to us, I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God that you present your bodies, right? Just like their ears and hands and feet were covered with blood, you present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. So he's saying you, like the priests, come and voluntarily offer your bodies for God to work through.

And can I just say when you do that life gets really good. Life takes on a whole new level when you see your body as a base of operations for the Holy Spirit to dwell within and work through to other people. That's when life really really gets good. Think of the people in the Bible that God got a hold of their bodies as imperfect as they were and used it for his glory. Moses said, I talk. He stuttered. God says great, I'm going to use you to be a spokesman to Pharaoh. Yeah, he used Aaron to help do that as well.

But then Moses' mouth gave the law to people that he heard from God's mouth. So his body was a living sacrifice. David's hands put a sling in it one day. And God guided that little missile right into the head of Goliath. Paul's feet anointed by God to spread the gospel through the known world and your body as well as you offer it to God. You know, it's always interesting to me that God has chosen to use his redeemed people. So he redeems us, he saves us. We become a sinful but then we ask Jesus to forgive us our sins so we're now instantly his child.

You know how it works by faith. And then God says now I'm going to use you. And you don't have to have any special training, you don't have to have any special education. I'll use you just as you are. If you let me, I'll work my ways through your body. And God didn't have to do that. You know, God could have used angels instead of redeemed humans. And wouldn't you agree if God decided to use angels they'd probably do a much better job than we've done so far in 2,000 years. Uh you could count on angels to really get the word out.

God's going to use an angel in the book of Revelation to proclaim the everlasting gospel to all the people on the earth. The job is going to get done. But God has chosen to restrict himself in the meanwhile to do the most important part of his work now through our bodies. And you go not a good plan, God. I would counsel against that. The reason God does that is it gives him more glory. The more imperfect the instrument, the greater the glory goes to the one using that instrument. So God uses priests. God uses your body and my body for his glory.

Chapter 10, there is a glitch in the priesthood. Aaron has two sons, one named Nadab, the other Abihu. And this is when worship gets dangerous. Verse one, then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, offered profane fire before the Lord which he had not commanded them. Now it says profane fire in my translation, the New King James that I 'm reading from. The old King James calls it strange fire. Some translations call it unconsecrated fire. The New Living Translation puts it this way, different kind of fire. So they're all taking a stab at what this profane fire or strange fire is.

Some and I 'm putting a question mark here. Some unspecified infraction occurred that had to do with burning incense. You know what it was? Cuz if you know what it is, please tell me afterwards. I have no idea what it is. I have read so many books and commentaries on what it is and nobody really agrees. Uh some think it's they lit their censers with ordinary fire other than the prescribed fire from the altar of sacrifice, that brass altar that was in the courtyard for animal sacrifices. So they just decided why go out there? Just get a Zippo lighter, you know, do it that way.

That that's a possibility. Not the Zippo lighter, that didn't exist, but just an ordinary fire. Others have um guessed that maybe they were drunk because in the verse eight and nine to Aaron it says do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you nor your sons with you when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. And they will die with this infraction. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations. But here's the point. Instead of trying to figure out what the profane fire exactly is God, when he calls priests into the special role of representing the people, he calls them to a higher standard.

Yes, they're humans. Yes, they sin. Yes, they're going to need sacrifices. But you're going to serve in the priesthood. Let me modernize it. If you're going to serve in the ministry today we are called to a a higher standard. Those who teach the word are called to a higher standard, the Bible tells us. So um our work, yeah, we work. All of us do our work. But in the ministry it's not a nine to five and sometimes it's not five days a week. Sometimes it's like whenever there's a need. And uh Charles Spurgeon wrote a great book called Lectures to My Students, one of my favorite books that I always tell young men who want to get into the ministry to read.

And here's a little section in there where he says, if you plan to be lazy, there are plenty of avocations or jobs in which you will not be wanted. But above all, you are not wanted in the Christian ministry. The man who finds the ministry an easy life will find that it also brings a hard death. So Nadab and Abihu, instead of trying to cut corners and just light your little incense thing with a Zippo, you know, get out there and do it right. And and the grand theme is the worship that God accepts is the worship that God prescribes.

God says do it this way. Don't argue with that. Just do it the way God said to do it. So that's the glitch that happens.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. The Bible is a big book, 66 books filled with history, poetry, prophecy, letters, laws, and more. It's easy to lose sight of how it all fits together. That's why Pastor Skip Heitzig wrote his new one-year devotional, Soaring Above It All. It gives you a panoramic view of scripture, helping you understand the key people, events, and themes from Genesis to Revelation while deepening your walk with God. Request Soaring Above It All as our thanks when you give $50 or more today to help connect with Skip share clear verse-by-verse Bible teaching with people everywhere.

Give now at connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888. Now here's more from Pastor Skip.

Skip Heitzig: When we get to chapters 11 through 15 we have laws of ritual purity. Laws of ritual purity. Now some of these are weird. I will admit that. And they're not going to really like apply to you uh you know, a modern day and age. But it does answer the question, how can I be clean before God? In fact, the word unclean appears over 100 times in chapters 11 through 15. Now some of these as I say seem weird. Let me give you the big picture. The big picture God is saying this, all of your life, all of your life, all of your life is to be lived under the eye of God.

Whether you're in the kitchen, whether you're in the office, whether you're in the bedroom, God wants to be a part of all of your life. So chapter 11 are regulations about food. Chapter 12 about childbirth. Chapter 13 about skin diseases. Um chapter 14 leprosy as a specialized skin disease because of the contagion that it provides. And then um probably your favorite chapter in chapter 15 bodily discharges. Yeah. So chapter 11 verse one, and the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron saying to them, speak to the children of Israel saying, these are the animals which you may eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.

Among the beasts, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud, you may eat. How many of you ever worry about this when you go to the supermarket? Excuse me, do they have cloven hooves? You probably don't. If you were Jewish, you probably would. That's according to kosher law. Here's why. Here's the big reason. Go down to verse 45. Still in chapter 11. For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy for I am holy. So that's reason number one.

God is saying I want Israel to be different. That's what holy means, different, set apart. I don't want you like every other nation. I don't want you to be like the world. I don't want you to think you need to be like the world. You're my people. I want you to live and act differently including what you eat. Then verse 46, this is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters and of every creature that creeps on the earth to distinguish between the unclean and the clean and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.

So the second reason is God is saying for sanitary reasons I want you to eat certain things and not eat other things to preserve your physical health. And why is that? Well back in those days there was no FDA. There was no food and drug administration. We have FDA today. So our foods are highly regulated by the FDA. There was no FDA. There was only GOD. And God knew that certain animals can be harmful. Moses didn't. Aaron didn't. He God knew that certain animals were what are called unclean feeders and are liable to disease, not only having them but spreading them especially.

So God knew that and so this is part of kosher law. Funny story. I was overseas a few years ago and on this particular trip I went with a buddy who had not traveled out of the United States. So that's even more fun just to watch what he thinks about some of those places, smells, um temperatures, food. And we were in India. And um um you know, at first he was just like come on, bring it on. I'll eat anything. And you don't do that in India. He got dysentery on that trip. So we were there about two weeks.

That got cured. He left India with me. We went to Egypt. The food didn't look a whole lot different. Um and he was just a little bit skittish but he ate a few things. But now he's eating less and less. And then we finally made it to Israel. And I remember him just saying, you know what? Just find me a bag of potato chips. I'm not going to eat any of this food. I said here you don't have to worry. Here things are kosher and there's a very strict rabbinical law of cleanliness instituted in Leviticus.

Eat what you want in these Jewish quarter in the Jewish sections we were at. So God knew that. And a very interesting book or a very interesting author named Dr. S. H. Kellogg said this and I'm quoting him. One of the greatest discoveries of modern science is the fact that a large number of diseases to which animals are liable are due to the presence of low forms of parasitic life. To such diseases, those which are unclean in their feeding will be especially exposed. And he goes on to say that's why God said certain animals can and cannot be eaten.

So in this article that I was reading in this book he then went forward to 14th century Europe during the Black Plague when people were dying like crazy. And he said long ago as in the days when the plague was desolating Europe, the Jews universally escaped infection which brought suspicion that they were poisoning the wells and the springs in Europe. True story. The Jews were spared. Why? Because of this. Because of eating kosher, because of the laws that God had given. And that caused the other people who were not Jewish to view with suspicion the Jewish population of Europe back then and say these Jews are poisoning our wells.

It's their fault. Now we get to chapter 16 and 17. I'm going to call this the laws of national sanctity. In this section of Leviticus, we're at the very heart of the book. It is the theological hub of the book of Leviticus. And the question these two chapters answer is how can we be one nation under God? You know, we say that about America, one nation under God. Israel in the wilderness truly was one nation under God. And God gave them laws. And and and these two chapters formed the theological hub of Leviticus. What do I mean?

Well there's a thing called the Day of Atonement. By the way, next week, I think it's Wednesday will be the 2018 Yom Kippur Day of Atonement. Right now we're at Rosh Hashanah. There's 10 days between Rosh Hashanah, the New Year, to Yom Kippur called Days of Repentance. So this deals with the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, was a special day, one day a year in which sin nationally was dealt with. Nationally it was dealt with. These two chapters are like the Isaiah chapter 53 of the Torah. These were called Days of Awe.

Yom Kippur was not a joyful day. It was a mournful day. It was a day of introspection. It was a day of meditation. It was a day of confession of sin. Nobody said merry Yom Kippur. Happy Yom Kippur. It wasn't happy. It was mournful. It was the one day a year, and still is, where Orthodox Jews fast for a period of 25 hours, a whole day. Why 25? I want to make sure they cover the entire day. So the 10 days between these two festivals, Rosh Hashanah, beginning of the New Year, Yom Kippur, those 10 days are called Days of Repentance.

What happened? The high priest bathed. The high priest dressed in special ceremonial garb. He sacrificed a bull, sacrificed a ram, and took two goats. And that's where we get into chapter 16 and 17. The first goat was killed. It was killed because that one goat the blood was a substitute for the nation. It was receiving the punishment of the nation for their sin so that the nation wouldn't have to die. The second goat is called the scapegoat. I am sure you've heard of that. If you haven't heard of the biblical scapegoat, you've heard of the modern idiom we say you're using me as a scapegoat.

This is where it comes from. It was the second goat on Yom Kippur and the priest walked up to it, laid his hands on the head of the goat, confessed the sins of the nation. So it was like all of the sins were being transferred to the goat. Then the goat went into the wilderness, chapter 16 verse 21. And Aaron laid both his hands on the head of the live goat, confessed over it the iniquities of the children of Israel, all their transgressions that would take a while concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat and sent it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man.

I've been in Judea before and I had the privilege of getting in a Jeep and I was taken out of Jerusalem through the Judean desert, through the foothills to the stations to where they would have fires that would be signal fires to watch the scapegoat go in the wilderness. So they would let it go in the wilderness. Once it got out of sight you know, the priest would wave back to the guy upon the little pinnacle. He'd light his fire. The guy on the next pinnacle, a little higher up closer to Jerusalem would see that fire.

He'd light his fire. Uh the guy on the pinnacle a little bit closer to Jerusalem higher up would light his fire all the way back to the city of Jerusalem. When the people in the city in the temple when that was built when they saw that the scapegoat had vanished from sight, all the people in the temple jumped and shouted praises to God as if to say our sins are taken away. Now quickly the scapegoat is the hope of the New Covenant. It's the hope of the New Covenant. What do I mean by that? Well this happened every what?

Day of Atonement happened every year, every year, every year. Just like there's a sacrifice or two every day and there's festivals every few months, every year. This happened every year. Every year, every year, every year, year after year, generation after generation. But Jeremiah 31 predicts a new covenant. Jeremiah 31, I will make a new covenant with Israel. I will forgive their iniquity and their sin. I will remember no more. It anticipates a time in the future where it won't be like the covenant of the law anymore, having to do this over and over again. But God will take their sin and remove it completely, not cover it over.

That's what the blood of sacrifices animals did. They just sort of covered it over. But remove it completely. The scapegoat Jesus Christ once and for all would take the sin away. That's the New Covenant.

Guest (Male): Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we go, remember that your generosity helps share clear verse-by-verse Bible teaching with people everywhere, helping them know God more deeply and live out his truth. And this month when you give $50 or more, we'll send you Pastor Skip's brand new devotional Soaring Above It All as our thanks. This one-year journey through the Bible will help you see how scripture fits together, understand its key people, events, and themes, and grow deeper in God's word each day. Give today at connectwithskip.com/offer or call 800-922-1888. See you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig.

Guest (Male): Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.