The Leper and the Lamb - A Summation

Jesus was about to leave this earth but first he gathered the disciples together for their last supper with Him.  The students were full of questions as the Lord talked to them about leaving this world and returning to his Father.  One answer he gave is a comfort to us all, as He declared we could join him someday because I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)  It's a great feeling to know the only person who can bring us into Heaven.  This begs the question, "How do I get to know Jesus in the acceptable way?"  because we are told that even one of the twelve disciples who walked with Him did not enter heaven.  Today we look at what our Savior did and see the sacrifice of one man in place of the three lambs of the old days.  The three lambs that were killed in the ceremony for the cleansing of the leper in Leviticus pointed out salvation principles to us.  To find God we must first admit our guilt as sinners and seek His righteousness.  Then we may ask forgiveness through Jesus Christ and receive it by our faith.  Finally we are to live as a servant of God with the help of the Holy Spirit.  This is how a person can know The Way, The Truth and The Life.

The Old Testament pattern from Leviticus was designed to show us the different features of man's redemption.  After each of the lambs was slain we see a different explanation given for the atonement.  In the case of the guilt lamb, Lev 14:18 says an atonement for him before the Lord.  Everything about this first lamb was concerned with the guilt of man before the Lord.  Our guilt must be removed in order for our soul to have a relationship with our creator, remembering that the cleansing of our heart is interrelated to the holiness of our physical life.

Now consider the very exclusive sin offering which was the second lamb.  Its purpose is given in Lev 14:19 an atonement for him that is to be cleansed.  The only way any man will ever be cleansed is to transfer his guilt to the one who can pay the price.  It is now revealed to us that through the cross of Christ this transfer can be made.  Jesus paid the price needed to redeem all people on the earth when He gave his life.  The reason that all men are not saved is because they do not humbly come to Christ and ask Him to take their sins away and use their life to serve God.  Salvation leaves people with a clean slate and the freedom to serve God.  This is also where we find our justification for the purpose of living with God someday.

The third lamb shows us another facet of salvation an atonement for him and he shall be clean.  In Lev 14:20 another purpose is revealed for what Jesus does when he redeems us.  Christ makes us clean here on earth so we can be consecrated totally to God.  For some reason God decided to let us carry out his will and we cannot seriously believe that a human is capable of doing God's work while living like the world does.

In the ceremony of the cleansing of the leper, the three uses of oil were straightforward and they made it clear that the Spirit is the only one capable of bringing all the spiritual things of God into our lives.  Jesus said he would ask the Father to send the Spirit to earth to live in us.  If ye love me, keep my commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (John 14:15)  The first use of the oil represented our complete sanctification because it was sprinkled seven times before the Lord.  The second use of the oil was to place it over top of the blood.  Although Jesus provided the cleansing blood on the cross all alone, the Spirit is the one who brings its power to us today.  The last of the three uses was to pour oil upon the head of the man.  This shows the anointing of power which is for the purpose of making God real here on Earth.  It is through a holy life that the manifestations of the Spirit work their best.

If we desire to be in the image of God our soul must be brought into the operation of the Spirit's power.  Without the operation of the Holy Spirit through our bodies we will become just observers of Christianity.  By faith a believer must step out of their comfort zone and into God's will before the power of the Spirit will ever be seen in their work.  Jesus is in heaven on the throne of power that God gave him and He has sent the Spirit to bring this power to his followers.  The power is only sent to people who put their faith into action.  In fact John said that if we don't love others we cannot know God, And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)

God's help to us is the salvation plan and we have seen it by using the Old Testament pattern for cleansing a leper.  By understanding the plan of God and utilizing the power He has made available, a person can be ready to live in the new world.  You may have observed that God's plan presents repentance and sanctification before justification.  This is not the same order our church teaches today but it is in the Scriptures as our pattern.  Some people need to see it in the New Testament and one good place is in 1 Cor 6:11 where the order is repeated, but ye are washed (repentance), but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified...By the Spirit of our God.

The truth (Jesus) must become the solid rock of our life as we follow the Spirit of God and walk uprightly.  Jesus had not yet come to earth at the time of the Law, but people could see what kind of life God expected from them and they knew help would come later.  What a privilege it is to have the plan made real to us.

The Leper and the Lamb - Continual Burning to God (Consecration)

The last we saw the leper in The Leper and the Lamb series, he was in the midst of the cleansing ceremony at the Meat Offering which includes both the bread (meat) and drink offering.  The drink offering is for us to pour our lives out daily for the cause of Christ.  This is "consecration".  Consecration is a part of our salvation and it is being ignored by many church people today.  When some people are confronted with the subject of their consecration they will normally say that God knows they are weak and He will forgive them.  The problem with this defense is that people are so many times just not interested in the things of God and He will never allow them into His home.  It is necessary to seek God with all your heart and no excuse is good.

Jesus loved his disciples in a special way because they had given their all to him.  Before he left this earth Jesus attempted to comfort them with these words, I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:2-3)  Jesus is busy preparing a place for his disciples to live with God.  We are told that eleven of the original disciples are going to live in heaven and there will be other followers who will dedicate themselves to Jesus Christ.  Some people understand what Jesus was saying but they are so busy they cannot consecrate their life.  It is very sad to speak about people who know the truth but will never enter heaven.  The Bible talks about Heaven for people who are seeking a better life with their God of whom they feel no shame and He is their only goal in life.  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city. (Heb 11:16)

God created us and gave us great promises that are almost unbelievable.  Sometimes people ask how we know these things are actually true.  This normally indicates that the person does not have proper faith in God.  When a person is really saved the Spirit comes to live inside them and actively participates in their life.  Saved people have no doubt to God's promises and have a certainty not found anywhere else in this world.

In the time of Moses the people would die if they touched the things of God.  We are different because today we are invited to belong to a family with access to God.   ye are come unto mount Zion...and church of the first born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all. (Heb 12:22,23)  Jesus is providing everything we need to be part of eternity with God the Father.  It is only reasonable to believe, when we have a desire to join God's family, that we must commit ourselves to pleasing the Father.  People who ignore God today are very unreasonable to think He owes them anything.

Consider the price paid by our Savior Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.  Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach.  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come (Heb 13:12-14)  This passage also refers to a new world in the future that will be available for those who do become a part of God's family.  Jesus gives assurance of salvation to followers who obey Him.  Continually just saying one is going to heaven does not make it true.  God is looking for consecration.

In order to produce the consecration that will honor our Lord, we must seek a personal life of purity through the Spirit.  This requires a state of the heart having complete devotion to God.  There should be no split loyalties, hypocrisy, outside interest, unpure motives or an insincerity in our holiness.  When a heart is reserved completely for God it will find harmony with the character of our Creator.  Some people struggle to find this place with our Lord but are not willing to trust God enough to turn everything over to His control.  Faith is not just a word to be understood but a life to be given up.  

Look at the life of Job in order to see another measurement of dedication people today are overlooking.  Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.  Thus did Job continually. (Job 1:5)  Notice that Job was getting up early to do more than was necessary for his own salvation.  A person who really fears God will do all they can to please the Master by going out of their way to do extra for Him.  Americans cannot seem to get past looking out for themselves long enough to do extra duty for others.  God cannot be pleased when church people only do for themselves and then go around trying to represent Jesus on earth.  Our lives should have a continual burning away of anything that interferes with our service to Jesus Christ.  If we go outside our comfort zone we can find a place to offer sacrifices unto God.

Many people never consider giving up this worldly life because they cannot visualize heaven being worth all the trouble.  I wish there was some way to describe heaven but like everything of faith...it is impossible.  There are a few things we do know about Heaven which may help to see its value.  It is an everlasting home for the redeemed and there is no negative attribute of any kind.  God dwells in this place of inexhaustible fullness and He supplies all life for eternity.  Man has never been able to visualize the incredible beauty of gold streets and the twelve transparent colors of the Holy City.  God is the only one who has an independent existence and He supplies all the power needed for life to continue.  Heaven is perfectly innocent because God is an infinite Spirit who is both personal and pure.  The sovereign creator is absolutely perfect which causes everything around Him to be unparalleled in splendor.  God's son has identified with the human-creation for the rest of eternity as our Savior and if we are adopted into His family we will have the guarantee of an indescribable adventure for evermore.  If we will consecrate ourselves there is no telling what joys will be found.

The Leper and the Lamb - Continual Burning to God (Meat Offering - The Drink)

Yesterday we discussed the symbolism of the bread in the Meat Offering in the ancient Israeli ceremony. Along with the bread offering in the Meat Offering, is also the drink offering.  Today we will see that the drink offering is just as practical to a Christian's life as the bread offering.

God's instructions for the wine were given in Exodus along with other laws of sacrifice.  And with the one lamb a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin of beaten oil; and the fourth part of an hin of wine for a drink offering. (Ex 29:40)  This was wine which was poured out on the ground during this offering.  The pouring out represents shed blood of our Savior as he purchased our salvation.  In the following scripture where Jesus discussed eating his flesh and drinking his blood, it turned some people away from him because they took it literally.  Without a spiritual understanding it does not seem right to people. 

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. (Jn 6:54-56)  The wine of the communion service symbolizes the blood of the New Covenant.  All those years the priest poured out the wine because the Messiah had not yet come to earth.  Do no drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor they sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die. (Lev 10:9)  What a privilege for us to eat and drink of our savior by having the Spirit living inside us.

It is interesting that when Jesus became our High Priest he said And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. (Lk 22:17)  Jesus did not drink wine that night as he began his suffering for our sin.  Our Savior is still following that law by not drinking wine in the tabernacle of the heavens above.  After we settle in the new earth Jesus will once again drink with his friends.

As Christians, we are to pour out the drink offering still today.  However, it is not a cup of wine, but our lives.  The apostle Paul said that his life was being poured out for our good.  It was his privilege to bring the gospel to the Gentiles and this job took everything he had in life.  The two verses that tell us this are difficult to understand in the King James Version.  They are found in Phil 2:17, Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all and 2 Tim 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 

When Paul says it is joyous to be offered, we need to understand what that means.  The word "offered" in the common Greek is described in the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance number 4689 which in English is "being poured out as a liquid sacrifice."  We are to offer our lives to God as living sacrifices and pour them out for His sake and His people.  When looking in the Old Testament for this offering you will find many warnings against pouring the drink offering out to a strange god.  Are people today pouring out their lives to God or to worldly endeavors?

The Leper and the Lamb - Continual Burning to God (Meat Offering - The Bread)

The Meat Offering performed during the ceremony for the cleansing of the leper in Leviticus 14 is symbolic and pertinent to today's Christian.  This Offering consists of both bread and drink.  Today we will look at the bread.

The King James uses the word "meat" for bread which causes some confusion when reading the Law.  This word is used with the idea that we use to crack a nut and take out the "meat".  The main part of the food, which contains the nourishment, is the idea. 

The Law says and afterward he shall kill the burnt offering: And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the meat offering upon the altar. (Lev 14:19b)  Notice that the unleavened bread was a part of the Burnt Offering.  The bread is always a sign of God's provision for mankind.  Just as God provides bread which is a staple of life on earth, He also provides for us spiritually.  This illustrates that Jesus is the bread (meat) of our life.  After salvation comes to us we must live the same way Jesus lived unto God.  The bread used in this offering was made with fine flour and oil.  Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  There is no other way to consecrate ourselves without the Spirit being active in our lives.  Jesus is the bread of life I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. (John 6:51)  We partake of Jesus every day or we are not his children.

Only a broken piece of the bread was used And the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and shall burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire (Lev 2:9)  Remember that the broken bread of the communion service stands for his suffering.  Bread stood for the presence of God given to men in the Scriptures and today we have Jesus who is the presence of God in people.  The bread of this offering was never to have yeast in it because yeast represented the growth of sin in man.  No meat offering, which ye shall bring unto the LORD, shall be made with leaven: for ye shall burn no leaven, nor any honey, in any offering of the LORD made by fire. (Lev 2:11)  No person may come to God until the sin (yeast) has been removed.  Honey was also not to be used for it represented the sweet enticements of this world.  The honey of this world will have no place in heaven because our Savior and all his true followers have suffered at the hands of this world.  Everyone in heaven will have suffered for the sake of righteousness and will have this bond with Jesus.

Many churches of today have replaced and confused the things of God with prosperity even though God said that no offering made to Him could have any honey whatsoever.  There is nothing wrong with sharing our abundance with the poor, our friends, or the church but God does not want things from your overflow of wealth for himself.  God is looking for people who will give themselves at a cost of everything else.  His son gave his life and told us that the servant is not greater than the master.  The abundance of this contemporary world has no place in the new heaven for eternity.

Another rule for the meat (bread) offering was to always add salt And every oblation of thy meat shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of the God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. (Lev 2:13)  The Scripture uses the salt as a symbol of the everlasting covenant between God and his followers.  Today we are the evidence of God's covenant with mankind like the Israelites were supposed to be.  This is another picture showing how the people of God are different from the world.  Salt is used to purify and preserve things in this world.  In the New Testament we are called "salt".  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men. (Matt 5:13)  Our covenant requires that we do not lose our saltiness.  Today we have church people blending in with the world.  How can this be if they are to live righteously and standout from the world?

This is the Devil's world and the people of God are greatly outnumbered, but all this will change someday.   May the Lord help us see the importance of the continual fire, the lamb, the bread mixed with oil, lack of yeast and honey, also the salt used in this offering.

The Leper and the Lamb - Continual Burning to God (Burnt Offering)

After people have walked with God for a while the Spirit of Christ compels a dedication that is beyond even the fear of death.  Christians learn to appreciate that Jesus is continually working for their benefit and that he held nothing back when he gave his life Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; (Heb 7:25) The fire of Jesus will never go out and He desires to give eternal life to those who serve Him.  It is wonderful as God unlocks one mystery after another for our joyful discovery.  These revelations reveal the meanings of life and bring great peace into our soul.  We behold His grace as our increasing comprehension of God builds faith and allows us to please the Master.

In the ceremony for cleansing the leper we see that the third lamb offered was called the Burnt Offering.  It was to be placed on the fire until it was burnt completely to ashes.  When the priest killed this lamb it was to signify the leper's desire for total consecration to God.  The Burnt Offering was always given from food that people needed for their survival but by faith it was given to God.  Once again we are shown that our spiritual life is more important than anything on this earth. 

When a man killed the little lamb, he may have felt uncomfortable taking the life of an innocent animal.  If we decide to follow God, we will also find ourselves doing things that don't seem comfortable to worldly people.  To approach God, a Jew was required to follow these steps ye shall bring your offering (Lev 1:2).  To desire God's fellowship you must be willing to give-up things that have value to you.  Then he shall offer it of his own voluntary will (Lev 1:3) meaning that an individual must commit their life freely and gladly to God.  It was always a hands on experience he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering (Lev 1:4) and as he did this the man would confess, out-loud, the reason for his sacrifice.  Then came the hardest part And he shall kill (Lev 1:5).  Today it is not a lamb that dies but ourselves as we identify with Jesus and His cross. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. (Gal 5:24)  Finally, in the burnt offering ceremony the lamb would be cut apart.  he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it into his pieces.(Lev 1:6) and we are to work at our righteous life.  All this work was done by the person who desired to make an offering unto the Lord.  Many people today feel that they do not owe anything to God which is not even a reasonable idea.  The Son of God hung on a cross for us and we should respond by giving ourselves to God.

The closer we obey God's commands the more we show our faith and love in Him. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. (1 John 2:3)

The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (Our Salvation)

The freedom God gives us as Christians is to serve God and certainly not for us to do as we please. All Christians will have a total change of lifestyle when they believe and obey Jesus Christ. Many people feel boredom as they sit in the church service. Some folks feel regret when they put their money in the plate. Some feel they will be late to some eating place for being in church. These are sure signs that God is not first in their life.

A terrible thing has happened to the American Church in the last fifty years. Our leaders have been teaching that salvation is to only acknowledge the death of Jesus for us. It is not. (See yesterday's post about Aerie, the F-16 pilot) People believe they can come as they are with no need to change their lives. They are teaching that God's grace will cover a person regardless of the way they live their life. There is no friend of God who does not obey every word to the best of their ability. How did we ever get the idea that doing what we wanted was enough to please our Creator? The Church has forgotten that John the Baptist gave his life to tell people they must repent of their ways in order to follow our Lord. God is looking for people who want their life to be different. We must have a desire to know God or the blood will never be applied to our life. God has chosen those who want to know his righteous ways and will hate the ways of the world. It does not make sense to ignore our Creator's wishes.

Remember that the first lamb in the cleansing ceremony for the leper was slain to show our admission of guilt.(Post--The Leper and the Lamb - Righteousness) Our whole life is filled with the guilt of being human. Jesus said the Spirit is helping by convicting us of righteousness. We must deal with our unrighteousness every day by listening to the Spirit. The second lamb slain in the ceremony was to show us that our guilt will someday be transferred to the account of Jesus Christ. (Post The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (Our Sin) This will not be done for people who serve themselves and are not seeking Jesus and his Father every day of their lives. With the help of the Spirit we must convince people of their sinful condition and ask them to seek forgiveness from God.

When the church does not ask people to be contrite it is is dooming unbelievers to a spiritual death. Here is an example given to people that are in the church For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, no discerning the Lord's body. (1 Cor 11:26-29) We are not playing a game with God. If a person does not need repentance all of his life then why would we have this warning? This passage tells us that we can become guilty of insulting the sacrifice God has provided. There must be total respect for what Jesus did for us two thousand years ago. To be doomed within the church by eating and drinking damnation must certainly tell you that we must be careful of our behavior. Some churches teach a formal confession but redemption is not found in formality but in the heart and soul of an individual.

Paul also says that if we would judge ourselves, the Lord will spare us His judgment. He is telling us that as we obey every word of instruction, we must make sure we are doing it correctly. Many church people today are not trying to obey God at all. It is unlikely they will find anything wrong with themselves. Oh, that the Church would take God seriously. The terrible mistake is that people are being taught that they will be saved even though they do not obey our savior. This is not true. Please consider these Scriptures, And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him. (Heb 5:9) It means those who obey all their life. And Paul says Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil 2:12) Why do people say we have nothing to do? And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Rom 13:11) Our salvation is getting closer every day!

We understand that by faith our salvation is here but as you know it is not at this time physically on earth. Who are kept by the power of God through (your) faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:5) If you are not serving God with everything you own, then you may not have the faith that is required. Many church people are simply serving themselves and actually think they are doing God's will. This is why Jesus said, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter in the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. may will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in they name? and in they name have cast out devils? and in they name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you. (Matt 7:21-23)

Please repent and do the will of the Father with your whole heart. Don't wait to hear the Lord say he never knew you. It is difficult to find Jesus among gyms, power lifters, banquets, dramas, special pews, great entertainers, golf, schools and gifts shops. You will find Jesus outside the city where we must share his suffering order to share his glory. (reference Rom 8:17)

In the Leper and the Lamb series, you can see that in the leper's cleansing ceremony (Lev 14), the sin offering was required after the guilt offering in God's divine pattern of salvation. It follows the guilt offering for a reason. This means that people must repent and obey the living God before their sin can actually be credited to Jesus Christ. God is watching our life right now and is interested in our behavior. Why do we not confess our sins and follow Jesus as if our life depended on it? Although the offering of a second lamb represents what Jesus provided without the Spirit, it is necessary for the Spirit to apply the blood in our lives for salvation. The Spirit will become visibly active in our life the more we obey God. The Spirit also brings instruction to us and helps us to stay right with God. We must learn to depend upon the Spirit until Jesus returns to bring physical salvation to the redeemed as it is written. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thess 4:17) This is part of the beauty of our salvation as provided by Jesus Christ.

The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (Our Redemption)

Continuing our discussion of the sin sacrifice of the ceremony for cleansing the leper in Leviticus 14 we find more symbolism between the ceremony and our redemption.

The use of the female lamb in the sin sacrifice revealed that God planned to use a woman in the creation of our savior. An old prophecy was given to show this purpose Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Is 7:14) The idea that a female would be the instrument God would use for the creation of Jesus bothers some people. The Lord created Adam out of the dust and to create Jesus in a womb was no problem. There is a very interesting discussion in the second chapter of First Timothy. It is about the fact that a woman was the first person to sin. But Paul tells us in verse fifteen that in childbearing the woman provided the possibility of Salvation. Because the female was in the plan of God this lamb becomes a dual symbol of both life and death. The scripture tells us that our savior came in the likeness of flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Ro 8:3b) Jesus came as a man in order to fulfill all God's plan to perfection. Flesh now saves flesh. This physical man Jesus was now related to King David through Mary's lineage. The lineage is found in Luke chapter three and it goes back to Adam. The line passes through Nathan, the brother of Solomon, thus avoiding any curses (Jeremiah 22) on the Kings of Judah. This is how the King of the Jews, a son of David, will fulfill all the prophecy concerning His kingdom.

Although the symbolic oil was used in many ways, the offering of this lamb was done without oil being used in any way. This lamb was a compelling symbol of his death which was the only thing Jesus did without the Spirit of God. Before Christ died the land became dark for three hours as he suffered and died all alone for mankind. Now from the sixth hour there was a darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Matt 27:45,46) Jesus cried out that he was alone and this was certainly the darkest time for our savior. These dark hours became the power of our relationship with God. Because Jesus had suddenly accepted the penalty for all our sin the Father had to withdraw his helping hand from Jesus and look the other way. Jesus knew why the Father had to forsake him and this was only his cry of agony. Someday a horrendous cry will come from every person who rejects Jesus Christ and attempts to pay their own penalty in Hell. It is important that we find the Spirit who can bring what Jesus provided in the past into our lives.

We need redemption very badly and Jesus provided it through this terrible time of the cross. Paul tells us what happened in one great sentence. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; (we are told about it) Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: (we must believe it) for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (we are all sinners) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (because of what Christ did) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, (God accepts the blood of Christ) to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forebearance of God; (before the cross) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he must be just, (it is just to give us a chance) and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Rom 3:21-26) Paul goes on to say we do not by-pass the law, but by our faith in Christ we uphold the law.

The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (Our Sin)

The first reality people need to see is the ugly truth about our problem of sin. God sees our fallen condition as missing the mark of His perfection. Our natural-self can never please the Almighty because our will is the "seat" of sin and our body is the "instrument" of sin. Jesus said about our sin, All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. (Mk 7:23) Our normal life is a continual performance of sin and the result of this fabrication of sins is death. Everyone is affected by our heredity of disobedience. Simply put, we sin because we are sinners. This is the reason we are unable to live a life of righteousness and we will be judged by God. The Bible refers to us as "flesh" which refers to our indwelling for sin. it is possible to seek salvation after the truth has been revealed about our sinful condition.

Acts of sin are a transgression of God's law and His justice will be carried out eventually. There are different categories of sin, such as failure, error iniquity, trespass, lawlessness and even ignorance. Mankind has written the catalogue of different sins just as history records them and they all offend God. Sin began when Adam disobeyed what he had been told and it became our nature to rebel against God. We should not expect God to be complacent towards our sin. It has been said that our sin is the contradiction of God's perfection. Remember that death was promised to Adam if he were to disobey God. Although we all sin and die in Adam, the good news is that we may be saved by our unity with Christ. Jesus was a different kind of human being, who had the ability to live his whole life without a taint of sin. Christ won a victory that makes it possible to cease our continual sinning. We may escape the lust of this world when our lives are lived in obedience to the Savior.

Jesus had not been born, at the time Leviticus was written, so there are no direct references to Him as the sin offering. The Savior was sent as the answer to the fall of Adam, into sin, and the redeemer of souls from the fiery ending. We know today that Christ is the focal point of all history, starting with the creation of Adam and finishing with the burning-up of this universe by God. In order to live with God, our Savior will also provide a robe of righteousness to cover the nakedness of our sinful nature. Every religious effort devised by man and all wars are a failure to recognize Christ as the answer to mans' problem. Even when men struggle to find the meaning of their lives, it is because they do not see Jesus Christ as the center of everything. When Jesus becomes the most important figure in our life everything else will fall into its proper place. Seek this eternal peace by simply having faith and obeying God.

The second lamb killed in the cleansing of the leper was called the sin offering And the priest shall offer the sin offering. (Lev 14:19a) This was the most profound offering because in the middle of the three offerings the transfer of our guilt to Jesus Christ was plainly shown in this sin offering.

The shed blood was the propitiation that our sin required in order to satisfy the anger of our God which began with Adam. Jesus made himself the sacrifice on our behalf and it was acceptable to God. This is how we obtained the opportunity to avoid the wrath of God and escape judgment. All of mankind has enough information to repent of their ways and seek God because the Scriptures tell us the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse. (Rom 1:18-20)

Deep inside people know that they are not right with God and a transfer of their guilt is the only answer to this problem. Sin is born into each person and the need for salvation continues each day of history. To say that we must transfer our guilt seems very odd when you have not been redeemed. It means that instead of trying to pay the penalty for our sin, we ask Jesus to pay the penalty for us. The result will be that we are clean and free to serve our God. There is no reason under heaven to be saved other than to join ourselves to the work of our Savior.

The Leper and the Lamb - The Substitute (The Sin Offering)

As you will remember from the August 3, 2010 post "The Leper and The Lamb - Righteousness" the leper brought to the ceremony 2 male lambs and 1 ewe lamb. In that post you see that the first male lamb was offered as a wave offering. Today we pick up our discussion at the sacrifice of the second lamb, which is like the sin offering.

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Jesus walked the dusty trails in Israel talking with his friends and he usually referred to himself as "the Son of man". What a wonderful life he was living as a man, beginning with his virgin birth which was the witness of "the water". Somewhere beyond our understanding, the Savior had always lived in the spirit world and He must have felt strange to find himself in a human body living a short life here on earth. Everyone he met was part of his creation but as a man he could be a real part of their lives. The sad note was that he knew about the bloody end of his life on earth.

When talking to his friends one time he said, For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45) His death is the witness of "the blood" and the shed blood of Jesus is the only chance we have for our sin debt to be paid in full. He will become our "substitute" If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and not be moved away from the hope of the gospel, (Col 1:23) If we continue in our faith we will be part of the "witness of the Spirit". These three witnesses testify of the reality of our Savior as written in 1 John 5:8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. You could say that we see these three witnesses at Christmas, Easter and whenever we see a life being lived in the Spirit of Christ.

The reality of the death of our Savior is revealed to us in the offering of the second lamb which represented Jesus and the giving of His life for our justification. The blood of Christ removed the great divide between mankind and God. The Savior is the central figure in our redemption just as this little female lamb is the middle sacrifice of the three lambs which is like the sin offering described here. And if he bring a lamb for a sin offering, he shall bring it a female without blemish. And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering, and slay it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. And the priest shall take of the blood of the sin offering with his finer, and put it upon the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and shall pour out all the blood thereof at the bottom of the altar. (Lev 4:32-34)

Many people do not understand the seeming waste of the blood poured out at the foot of the altar but God required the total sacrifice. The sinner was transferring his sin onto the animal as a substitute when he placed his hand on the head of the lamb. Every sacrificed lamb was killed in the same place but they all represented Jesus in some way. When Jesus shed his blood it was to pay the price God required for our salvation.

Instead of laying our hands on the head of Jesus we did something cruel and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, and began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. (Mark 15:17) When our sins were placed on His head, they hurt more than the thorns. The reed was intended to show the weakness of Jesus (the broken reed) but it also points out the weakness of mankind without God.

It is difficult to grasp the idea that God's son was born on earth for the purpose of being killed. He is our sacrifice and his purpose is to remove the sins of the world. The amazing love of God was shown when the soldiers came for Jesus and He told them that he was freely giving himself up to them. When we become his friend and realize the pain He suffered for us, His greatness can be overwhelming. The Scripture tells us that all of creation cries out his importance. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. (Rev 5:13)

Jesus is called the Lamb many places in the Scriptures. The symbolism of the lamb is very powerful when we remember that Jesus became our sacrifice. Many people today only worship Him in an insincere or selfish way. But somehow we must show them the reality of knowing Him personally.

The Leper and the Lamb - The Need for Oil (Pouring)

Today is the last entry for The Need for Oil. Of course, if you are interested in the earlier parts of the ceremony of the cleansing of the leper and it's symbolism of to the life of a modern day Christian, I encourage you to read the earlier posts. However, even on an individual day, like today, we can learn something to apply to our understanding of God. Today, we shall see the beauty of the gift that God gives his children with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

The third and last use of the handful of oil, was for anointing the leper's head. And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed. (Lev 14:18a) Pouring oil on someones head was a well known symbol in the Scriptures. Isaiah tells us that after his anointing the spirit had equipped him to service in many different ways. The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. (Is 61:1) We can see here that when God anoints someone, the Spirit of the Lord is poured out upon them. This list contains twelve jobs that Isaiah was able to do for the Lord. Isaiah could never have accomplished God's work by himself. Paul tells us to pray for the best gifts in order to fulfill the will of God. The Church would be so different today if we had more men of God who were anointed by the Spirit of God.

In the New Testament we read that Jesus is also anointed by the Spirit, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:37b) When John baptized Jesus, the Holy Spirit became visible in the form of a dove coming down upon Jesus. This was the beginning of His ministry because Jesus needed the Spirit to tell Him what the will of the father was. Think of the Spirit as the mind of God and the power as His muscle. In the case of Jesus we can observe how the divine energy of God is poured out in a variety of ways. Jesus spent three years ministering to the people of Israel and many stories are told of his authority. He was always given the mind of the Father in every situation. People who had observed this power asked him why he did not use it to avoid the cross. The answer is that he only asked for power to accomplish the will of God and certainly not to do what he wanted. We will be given the power needed to fulfill the purpose of God. One man tried to buy the power of God and was rebuked. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. (Acts 8:18-20) This man had used the power of sorcery but he wanted to buy more power to impress the people. He was told to "repent" and there are many people today who need to repent of the thoughts in their heart about the power of the Holy Spirit.

Another important anointing God gives today is spoken of in the New Testament. The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. (1 John 2:27) There is no other way for a Christian to live a Holy life. This anointing is the promised help a servant will find no where else. To be anointed by the Spirit allows the world to see that we have been separated for a new life. Notice that when you receive the anointing of the Spirit, you are required to abide in Him. Walking in the Spirit is the will of God and is the purpose for teaching us the truth about His power. Many people today have forgotten that we learn the truth for the purpose of living a righteous life. The real truth of God is only understood in our humility and faith.

In summary, the priest used the oil in three different ways. The sprinkling represented our impurity and how the Spirit can help us in the seven parts of our redemption. Then to place oil over the blood showed a sealing by the Spirit of what Jesus has done for us. And finally the release of power was symbolized by pouring oil on the head. The three uses of the oil is a beautiful picture of how the Spirit is available to work in our lives.

The Leper and the Lamb - Need for Oil (Covering)

Today we continue the discussion of the Need for Oil in the ceremony of the leper. So far we have seen that the high priest must sprinkle the oil seven times within the ceremony and we have looked at the meaning of the seven times in the "Sprinkling" posts. In the next part of the ceremony, the high priest performs an act that is considered "covering". Let's look at this ritual and how it pertains to us as modern day Christians.

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The next use of the oil is interesting because it was placed on top of the blood. And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: (Lev 14:17) The priest would take some of the oil and apply it over the blood that the man was wearing in three places. To minister Jesus to a person is the application of the blood of Christ over body, soul and spirit with the Holy spirit received upon the blood. This is the Gospel of God spoken by Paul. That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. (Rom 15:16) This is the reason Jesus has shed his blood to forgive our sins and give us a chance to depart our natural way of life which leads to death. We cannot live a new life unto God unless we are willing to leave our worldly life behind. This unusual exchange of the old for the new life is called "being sanctified" unto God. The only way this will be accomplished is to let the Spirit rule our mind and body.

The oil over top of the blood is called sealing in the New Testament. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise (Eph 1:13) This well known verse tells us that after we believe in Jesus, the Spirit seals our salvation in the way the oil covered the blood. This is the reason Jesus promised to send the Spirit to dwell with those who trust Him. When Jesus came to earth on behalf of his chosen people, he satisfied the claims of God's law upon us. His obedience to God, even unto death, paid the penalty for sin and justified us for a new life. The use of oil over blood symbolizes how the sanctifying of the Spirit is placed over the foundation of justification and it all was provided by Jesus. Today we think of sanctification and justification as two different things, but they are part of each other.

Paul tells us that he brought the gospel of Christ to the world outside the Jews. For us to be accepted by God we must be sanctified through the work of the Spirit. Notice the sanctifying originally done by Moses with oil: Moses took the anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that was therein, and sanctified them. And he sprinkled thereof upon the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all his vessels, both the alver and his foot, to sanctify them. And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. (Lev 8:10-12) The idea of the Holy Spirit doing the sanctifying was not new with Paul. The old way was very complicated but today we submit to the Spirit of Jesus and our worries are over.

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What a wonderful plan God set in motion so long ago. The failure of man did not corrupt God's plan and He has accomplished every step in a righteous and wonderful manner. Oh, for us to see and learn more every day from His word, to see His perspective and His wonderful ways. Teach us Lord, teach us.

The Leper and The Lamb - The Need for Oil - (Sprinkling-Part 2)

Today, we continue our look at the sprinkling of oil in the leper's ceremony. As you recall, we began the discussion of the furniture of the Tabernacle. We pick up today inside the Tabernacle a the fourth piece of furniture. (You might want to read Sprinkling - Part 1, if you have not.)

In front of the dividing curtain (veil) of the tent was the fourth piece of furniture. It was a small golden Altar used to burn the incense. Everything on this altar had to be in perfect order or it was not accepted by God. There was even a special mix of ingredients for the incense that could not be used anywhere else. Since this represented our prayers going up to the Father it is no wonder that the Spirit has the job of making intercession for us. There is no way we can communicate with God properly unless the Spirit helps. To be His child guarantees our Father will listen to us. Look what Jesus promised if we are right with him If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.(Matt 21:21,22) In America most people think God cannot do miracles because we don't see them being performed. They are looking at it wrong because there is absolutely no limit to the things God can do. The problem is with us because God said we must not doubt and of course we don't believe anything we cannot see or touch. In order to have a "faith that doubts not" a person must be so close to God that they think and behave just like the Master. Jesus had the Spirit of the Father in him and he did many miracles. It would be great to be in tune with God so that we could work the miracles of the Father in the world around us.

The golden Lamp Stand represents the need for our witness to other people of the Good News which we have received. The stand had seven oil lamps on it with a wick for each lamp. This is another example of oil being used in a multiple of seven. Jesus tells us that he is the truth and that we are his lights of truth in this world. That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; (Phil 2:15) It is the Spirit that makes us a blameless light because in our natural flesh we always walk in darkness. These middle three pieces of furniture (table (discussed in Part 1), the Altar, and the lamp stand) were all in the same room and we are responsible to use them every day. Do not neglect the word of God, prayers or witnessing. Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip...How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation. (Heb 2:1,3) A Christian must not let their salvation slip at any time. Not only is it important to keep ourselves ready to meet with God at any time but to be earnest about Jesus is the only way for us to be a light to the world.

No one could go through the veil into the most Holy Place without being killed by God. This inner room contained the golden Ark of the Covenant. This is the sixth piece of furniture and probably the most famous. It was a portable chest with beautiful carvings and totally covered in gold. Inside were placed the two tablets of commandments, a golden pot of manna, and Aaron's rod. This box reminded the people of God's covenant with them and His divine guidance. In the New Testament we find that in place of an ark we have the Holy Spirit. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. In Moses' day the children of Israel were led by the Ark which carried God's glory but they lived after the flesh and they died in the wilderness. God will use us in His plans if we abandon our natural desires and follow the leading of the Spirit. There is a glorious eternity waiting for His obedient children. We are aware that God also uses unsaved people in His plans but they receive no credit and their end is still Hell with all unrighteous people. God's Spirit is alive and well on earth today so why don't we let Him lead our life?

The seventh piece of furniture is actually part of the sixth. It is the lid to the ark and is called the Mercy Seat. There was a gold plate in the middle of the lid and two winged cherubs spreading their wings over the seat (plate.) It represented the grace of God and His glory actually show out from over the seat. And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat. (Heb 9:5) The parts all fit together just like God's care, guidance, mercy and glory are all parts of our Salvation. We are given the privilege of sharing in the glory of God but it costs us something. It sounds good to say that we must die while we still live but it simply means to give up the ways of this world in order to live for Jesus Christ. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. (2 Cor 4:11) Are we dying every day in order for the Spirit to manifest Jesus in us? Many church people are so much like the world that duplicating the life of Jesus is impossible. When the Spirit shines forth we will find our part in the glory of Jesus.

The old nature is a failure in all seven of these areas and this separates us from God. Each of the seven sprinkles (seen in the furniture) show an area of need in our life and the Spirit is able to bring us the provision of Jesus as the solution. Most people have felt a longing to be right with God and desire to have real peace in their life. This will happen when our faith in the invisible Savior becomes greater than our desire for earthly comfort. Jesus has addressed our impurity but we must humbly seek all that He has for us. Living a godly life must be received into our heart the same way we accept our Salvation. Our yearning to know God must compel us to live a holy life. The strength of this lifestyle will make it possible for us to love others. It is amazing the difference between a life of keeping everything for yourself and a life of giving to other people. There is no greater life than to live for God in the proper way and then someday to walk the streets of gold for eternity.

The Leper and the Lamb - The Need for Oil (Sprinkling Part 1)

If you remember yesterday, we talked about how oil is representative of the Holy Spirit and the "oil" makes our hearts pliable for God to work with us. Today we will begin looking at the stage of sprinkling the oil within the ceremonial cleansing of the leper.

First, the Priest opened the oil and poured some into his left hand. And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: and the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand,and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord:(Lev 14:15,16)

Sprinkling signified that impurity is recognized in every area of our lives. The seven times represent the components of a plan that God has provided for the restoration of mankind. A good way to observe these different elements is to study the seven pieces of furniture God had placed in the Tabernacle. We have the privilege of learning from all the Scriptures for our spiritual development, For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. (Rom 15:4) An understanding of these seven subjects will furnish a good view of God's plan for our total redemption.

God's plan is revealed in many different ways in Scripture and the use of the furniture is one good way of remembering the basics. First was the Brazen Altar on which the sacrifices were cooked or burned. It was a large square fire box with legs all covered with brass. It was located outside the Tent in the front courtyard. The priest was instructed not to let the fire go out. We know that Jesus was sacrificed on the cross just outside the city of Jerusalem. The Altar was to burn the slain animals and the Cross was for the offering of God's Son. This is where the reconciliation of mankind took place.

The Bible plainly tells us And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself (Col 1:20) Jesus is ready day or night for our repentance of sin because his fire never goes out. He has paid the price for our sin and is now offering us eternal life by His Spirit. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. (Rom 8:14) These verses proclaim that the Blood of Christ has provided the way and the Spirit is able to lead people to God.

The second piece of furniture was the Bronze Laver in which the priest washed themselves. This large basin had legs and stood outside the Tent. In fact, both the altar and the basin were outside the Tent because they deal directly with our sin. One takes care of our nature and the other our every day sins. John tells us If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8,9) Our baptism shows that we have died to sin in a public way. When we are buried in the water it shows our death with Christ and coming up out of the water showed our resurrection to a new life in the Spirit. The putting away of the flesh was a decision we should have made during our repentance. The sins of our daily life must also be washed off as we endeavor to live righteously in the world that surrounds us. Paul tells us in Ephesians to be followers of God by the filling of the Spirit That he I(Christ) might sanctify and cleanse it (the Church) with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing: but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Eph 5:26) The Altar can represent our death to worldly ways and the Water Basin could represent our walk in a clean new life. Jesus accomplished these things and now we reckon them as ours.

Entering the Tent the priest would see the Golden Table of Showbread (presence) on his right. Once a week twelve new loaves of unleavened bread were stacked on this table. This showed that God always provided for his children and was present with them. Jesus told the disciples he "was" the bread of life and that they must eat of Him. The strength of our life is holy living (righteousness) and this is why the bread could contain no leaven (sin) at all. We are represented by bread that has leaven in it because of the sin that lives in us. But our goal is to identify with Jesus in every way possible The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. (1 Peter 5:10) This verse references the fact that God is making us perfect as He strengthens our spiritual life. As we eat of God's bread (Jesus) the Spirit reveals His ways to us. Righteousness is a gift brought to us by the Holy Spirit but we must partake of it by faith.

May the Lord help us to eat and not to starve to death with food on the table.

The Leper and the Lamb - The Need for Oil (Introduction)

Truth flows from God to mankind, resembling precious oil flowing from an eternal source. It slowly makes a path into the depth of our spirit. As it seeps into our being we find ourselves becoming pliable to the will of our Creator. This miraculous flow is capable of creating a connection from Jesus to our spirit and can even overflow into the world. In some cases, it's soothing effects will touch a hardened person and change their life forever.

Jesus is the truth of God and the gentle flow of the Spirit is what we need for our salvation. Christians become a part of Jesus by the Spirit as we stay obedient to the Master. Worldly people can never understand this relationship. The Spirit is our mentor or adviser and He nurtures us during our Christian development.

Jesus is the focal point of our Bible but throughout the Scriptures the Holy Spirit is also important. Observe that oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit in the laws given to cleanse a leper. The Holy Spirit represents everything that Jesus is to a redeemed person. Long ago, the scriptures said that Jesus would come to earth and receive wisdom, understanding, might, fear of God and righteousness as prophesied in Isaiah 11:1-5. The Spirit is the conduit that brings these same characteristics into the lives of His followers. In addition, Christians can receive from the Spirit: healing, comfort, help, remembrance, conviction, resurrection and everything we need to please God. The Spirit never works for his own glory but directs people toward the Savior. We must have the Spirit to help us or we will never live successfully in Jesus.

The pint of oil which the leper had brought to the ceremony (as discussed in previous posts) was used in three different ways during this ritual of the Guilt offering. The uses are described as sprinkling, covering and pouring at different stages. The separate uses of the oil show the diverse ways the Spirit helps us become a part of Jesus.

Over the next few posts, we will discuss each stage (sprinkling, covering and pouring)during the ceremony of declaring the leper clean and how it relates to us as lepers of sin. The first stage of sprinkling is the most in-depth because we will also look at the relation of the leper's ceremony of sprinkling to the symbolism of the temple furniture. Then how the sprinkling and the temple furniture are related to our sanctification by the Spirit. It's an exciting study that will help us see God's perfect plan.

The Leper and the Lamb - Sacrifice & Reconciliation

No, I've not forgotten our friend the leper. When we last saw him, the priest had just given the Thanksgiving Offering. Today we find out more about the sacrifices of the lambs. As you read, I hope you find a new thanks to God for providing Jesus to do away with sacrifices.

The high priest had just sacrificed the lambs in a sanctified room. Both the first and second lambs were cut into parts and cooked on the altar but there were portions which were to be eaten by the high priest. This verse tells us about some parts which were given to the priest For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Isreal from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons. (Lev 7:34) When the priest ate of the offering it showed that God was accepting the sacrifice as Holy unto Him. Do we realize that we are representing God today by what we partake of? We must remember that we are to be God's ambassadors to the people of the earth. There were other parts of the cooked lamb to be eaten by the people who brought the offering. This demonstrates to us that there can be fellowship between man and God through Jesus. When the people of our Church forget that they are a part of the most Holy activity on the earth they they are in serious trouble. It is urgent that we tell pepole how serious God is about our redemption and that we must become earnest ourselves.

Now the priest would use the bowl of blood he had taken from the lamb. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the greeat toe of his right foot: (Lev 14:14) People have different thoughts of symbolism of why this was to occur, but we know for sure that a sinner must be totally covered by the blood of Christ or they will never see God. This first lamb shed his blood because the sin of Adam had spread into all the creation and now we needed the trespass offering also called a guilt offering. Because mankind is born in sin the guilt of his birth is answerable to judgment.

A man is guilty even when he does not know he is a sinner because God has been offended by all men. This is why even good people must repent- and the priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his ignorance wherein he erred and wist it not, and it shall be forgiven him. it is a trespass offering: he had certainly trespassed against the LORD. (Lev 5:18b)

We must make people aware of sin so they might seek Jesus while there is still time. The blood of animals provided a provisional covering for sin but, praise the Lord, the blood of Jesus provided total forgiveness of sin. The word atonement means only a covering but reconciliation through the Savior means forgiveness. God was reconciled to man nearly 2000 years ago when Jesus died on the cross. For if, when were were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Ro 5:10) Jesus died to fulfill God's requirements and now He lives to help us find our reconciliation to God. This is not double talk because it takes two parties to reconcile. First it was God toward us and now it must be us toward God.

The main similarity for cleansing the leper or the sinner is the requirement for blood. The New Covenant in the blood of Jesus fulfills all the patterns of the Law of the old days. The following verse gives the requirment This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you. Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the Law pursed with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Heb 9:20) The Law on earth required the blood of animals. But with this, the priest could only cover over sins. No person on earth had the power to forgive sins until the Father sent his son Jesus. The blood of Jesus Christ is required for heavenly purification. What value can be placed on something so powerful that it can make us pure forever? The perfect blood of Christ is strong enough to fill all the heavenly requirements for our redemption. Now each man must reconcile to the Father in order to receive the Holy Spirit who makes available to us everything that Jesus has done for the redemption of mankind.

The Leper and the Lamb - Righteousness

Yesterday we discovered that the leper spent seven days cleaning his body (repenting). Today we find him ready for the special service that brings him salvation. He had looked forward to the eighth day because it was the new beginning he needed for a Godly life. This special ceremony represented the forgiveness of his old life and his eagerness for a new life. In Leviticus we read this passage:

And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of find flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil. And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: (Lev 14:10)

This describes the beginning of the ritual that took an impure man (the leper) and remade him into a person with restored rights to enter the presence of God. Jesus is our door today and there is no way to God but for us to come through Him who is our tabernacle. The leper was so happy to be restored to fellowship with God that he must have wept with joy. Have you ever watched a person who has been living in sin react to their new birth into Christ? They love everybody and everything.

On this eighth day, the day of his new beginning, the healed and scrubbed leper was to bring everything to the priest that was needed for the formal procedure. Here is the complete list; 2 male lambs, 1 female lamb, 1 pint of oil, 1 gal of flour mixed with oil, and a quart of wine. Everything was to be clean and perfect. This list was to make the finest collection of food the leper could gather together. I am sure that all the members of his family would have given him the best they owned and the ex-leper must have brushed the "three little lambs" to make them look their best. We know that God gave his best when he sent the sacrifice for our cleansing.

The first part of the ceremony was called the Wave offering. This was to celebrate in joy and thanksgiving what had happened to the leper. And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass (guilt) offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a waver offering before the LORD: (Lev 14:12) The priest took one living male lamb, the pint of oil and presented them to God by waving his arms with joy. This was done as the grateful man showed appreciation for his restoration to the community and his family. As he worked to build a new relationship with God the leper needed to follow all the instructions with a joyful heart which made his work light. To fail any part of the ceremony would invalidate his restoration of body and soul but the Wave offering was enjoyable because is had no killing involved and the altar was not used. Like the leper we need a time of joy and thanksgiving to God for his goodness and peace toward mankind. It is wonderful to worship with people who feel the excitement of leaving behind the dreadful life of a leper. today we don't sacrifice these items when we seek God but it is always difficult for people to leave the things of this world which are considered normal in this life. Serving God is not a matter of the difficulty involved but where we place our interest.

The Thanksgiving (wave) offering was actually the first part of a blood offering called the Trespass Offering. As the ceremony continued the priest would take the young male lamb used in the Wave Offering to a special place of slaughter. As the lamb was killed some of his blood was collected in a bowl. And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place. (Lev 14:13) This place had been equipped for the killing of all three lambs. It might seem odd to call this place Holy but because of God's nature every place used in the ceremony had to be sanctified (set apart to God). All the places, things and even the priest had to be consecrated for a ceremony with God.

Today we should understand that God has asked us to be sanctified and consecrated for his work and this is the reason we must live a holy life. Church people who live like the world have no idea what a mistake they are making. Look what 1 John 3:10 says: In this children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God. There are church people who excuse themselves by saying they will simply use the righteousness of Jesus because it is better than any of their own. They are correct about Jesus but where do they get the idea that Jesus died so that they would not need to live a Godly life? All through the Bible God requires His people to live righteously. John said that if a person does not live a righteous life then they are not of God, which means that holiness is not optional.

Righteousness is the demand that a person treat others with fair or correct actions and this behavior will leave a person free from guilt or wrong. God is the ultimate judge of our actions and we must have his approval to see heaven. There is no one on earth who can perfectly meet the standards of right doing that the creator has set. This is the reason the Spirit of Jesus must live in us and bring righteousness into our lives. The fact that we will never be perfect is no excuse for not doing our best. Jesus said, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matt 5:20)

People need to know that this is the truth but that it is only possible when the Spirit of Jesus lives in us. The Spirit will show us how to live a life that is even better than following the law properly. Our Savior did everything correctly in both life and death and he earned the right to present us before the Almighty God. When singing to God, the Psalmist said "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness" and we should love this fact. Let us dedicate ourselves to being honorable and upright people while loving others so God will call us his children and we can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Leper and the Lamb - Repentance

If you have been following The Leper and the Lamb series, you will see that to this point, we have found that just as a leper is diseased, we as humans have a disease of sin. For this discussion we have said that we are "Lepers of Sin". We also discovered that in order for any leper of sin (any person) to come near to God we must be covered with a robe of righteousness that is only available through Christ Jesus.

Today, our discussion of the leper continues and we find him at the point of cleansing which is the same as repentance for a leper of sin.

Before coming to God, the leper spent seven days washing off the dirt from his old life. And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days. But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean. (Lev 14:8,9)

This man did not even have any eyebrows and his friends must have had trouble trying to keep from laughing. Every man in those days wore a full beard and no one had ever seen their faces but God has a clear view of every person's heart. During the seven days of cleansing the leper did not live with his family although he would certainly want to be with them after his exile. Instead, this man cleaned and shaved for the purpose of getting right with God.

Flash forward to the New Testament. Those who believe repentance is unnecessary have forgotten that our sin is the very reason we are separated from God and our sin is always directed "against" God. Our survival depends totally on our conversion to the righteousness of God. The Scriptures tell us the way to repentance and righteousness.

One day Peter healed a lame man and the people wondered how he had done it. He gave an unusual answer Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. (Acts 3:19) If a doctor told you to repent after your legs were healed it would seem strange but it's different with the Lord. Peter's message to people has always been that God will heal a body to demonstrate people's need for a change of their spiritual attitude. Often we listen better when sickness has shown us how vulnerable we are and our healing illustrates that we must come to God out of our weakness. Repentance is not a one time occurrence as some folks seem to think. Paul asked us to repent, even after we have begun to serve God, as seen when he wrote to the Corinthians telling them to stop their worldly activities For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation. (2 Cor 7:10) We must always confess our sins and ask God to forgive us which makes repentance a vital part of our new life.

Repentance is simply a change of mind; however, a proper change will always influence our way of life. Once we make our decision to yield to God, the Holy Spirit will be unwavering in His destruction of our old life. The Spirit must make room in our hearts and lives to bring in the many righteous things we need to develop the kind of life God is looking for.

The resulting change in a person is easily observable. This new attitude includes a feeling of hate for the old sinful way of life and a new peaceful way of living. Many people have been deceived by thinking their first step of repentance was all they needed for salvation. Repentance is not salvation but no one can be saved without it.

Besides the observable attitude change, another visual representation of repentance is baptism. The baptism ceremony symbolizes death to the old life in order to walk a new life. In the Old Testament when water was used in any type of cleansing ceremony it was called The Water of Separation. The point being that repentance is to bring about our separation from the world so we may serve God. A sinner needs to repent just as a leper had to wash his body. When we are buried in the baptism we are pledging to never return to our old ways that we have repented of. After a person has repented, they may then receive forgiveness and it takes both repentance and forgiveness to be converted.

It is a humbling experience to be cleansed from sin in front of the world but it is worth it to be cleansed from being a leper of sin. People who have not repented are unclean and can never come before God who requires absolute cleanness. Ask God to help you repent today in order that you may be restored. Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. (Matt 17:11,13)

The Leper and the Lamb(Sinners Need a Robe-Part 2)

In the Law we read how the leper was treated, the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean. All the days wherein the plague shall be in him he shall be defiled; he is unclean: he shall dwell alone; without the camp shall his habitation be. (Lev 13:45, 46) A leper was told to dress down as a sign to others. He would tear his clothes and was not to cover his head at all except a cloth over his mouth. The leper could never go to a house of worship. However, today...we have many Lepers of Sin in our churches.

Many sinners today dress better than saints which can fool people into thinking they are righteous. God can look at the soul of a person and see their sin plainly as we see the corrupted skin of a disease. The point is made that there are always sinners in the church but they should be expected to confess their sins and become saved. It must have been wonderful to watch the change in the life of a person after they were healed from leprosy and went through the process of being restored to society. This is so much like a person being saved from sin that a comparison is easy to see.

How thrilled the healed leper was as he looked for someone to go up and set-up a meeting between the priest and himself. His helper must have known something about the Law as many did in those days. This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing: He shall be brought unto the priest: And the priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and behold if the plague of leprosy be healed in the leper .(Lev 14:2,3) The leper was required to let the priest inspect his body and declare him healed after his disease had dried up. However, this leper still needed the desire to be cleansed spiritually because it was a tedious and expensive process. The leper was not considered a part of God's people and he was required to live in a place outside the camp. However, it was mandatory that the priest meet with the leper, if the leper asked for the cleansing ceremony. God is still answering the call of unclean people when they ask for His help. Salvation has been provided as the remedy for those who call on God to change their life. We must be finished with sin and show our interest in God's ceremony.

The stream of water that isolated the Jewish camp from the leper colony must have seemed very inviting on the morning the priest came to visit. As the representative of God approached, he saw the hopeful leper with his little box of birds and other items required for the ceremony. What a feeling rushed over them both when the words "you are healed" were spoken and the sounds of running water surrounded them. Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop: And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water: And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. (Lev 14:4) This prelude to the main ceremony was an overview of what the Savior would do for mankind. Everything here was done out in the field reminding us that the Lord seeks to save those, in any condition, who are lost. The many hidden meanings in this passage are fantastic, for example, the clay bowl symbolized the humanity of Jesus. Only a man of flesh (created from dirt) would be allowed to redeem humanity.

We don't know what was in the leper's mind as he cut the neck of that little bird and let the blood run into a bowl the priest was holding but he was following God by faith and obedience. The death of this animal was taking place beside the stream so they were able to perform it over the moving water. The Bible teaches us that running water is symbolic of the Spirit of God who provides the living power to fulfill the plan of salvation.

The overture is extended with the seven sprinklings which refer to the complete workings of the Holy Spirit. The wood symbolized the use of the cross, some scarlet for the blood Jesus gave, and the hyssop for the suffering of Christ. One man was killed so that many other people could be set free from their sin. We can see the power of the perfect blood of Christ as these old Laws have been replaced by his death. No one can be saved by following the Old Testament rules but the ancient pictures and patterns do show us how God thinks and what he expects from mankind. We don't even need money to buy sacrifices anymore because Jesus has sacrificed himself. What a beautiful symbol of freedom as the other bird was set free, after being dipped in the blood, just as we can be released into the freedom of a holy heaven someday. If only people could feel the way the leper did on the day he was pronounced free of leprosy.

There will be a building of our confidence as we comprehend these beautiful pictures from the Old Testament and then read what the author of Hebrews said about them; For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. (Heb 10:1) We can clearly see now that Jesus is the image which was being foreshadowed in the Law and how important it is to find His Robe of Righteousness. The pictures are also to highlight the fact that man is separated from God and needs a perfect sacrifice if he is ever going to live with God. A man living during the Old Testament times was to obey the law but he could not go to heaven until Jesus came and provided the Way. Ancient people of God simply went to a holding place and waited for the Savior to come to earth. Today a servant of God has the privilege of going directly to be with Jesus when they die and this belief is the secret of our hope.

The Leper and the Lamb-(Sinners Need a Robe-Part 1)

Long ago, in the first garden on Earth, a man and woman struggled to cover their naked bodies. The couple had disobeyed their Creator and they were in need of a covering. When God came to visit, they hid themselves because they had been unsuccessful covering themselves with tree foliage. Then God killed the first sacrifice and made coats of animal skins to cover the naked people. We have the same problem today and God will make a robe for each of us if we come to Him in the proper way.

The robe is not given to us in an indiscriminate way because it is made of the righteousness that was paid for by the blood of Christ. A great prophet of God once told of his joy at receiving the beautiful robe of righteousness, my soul shall be joyful in my god; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments (Is 61:10) Isaiah went on to prophesy that the gentiles would someday have the opportunity to own a robe. This robe is very important because we are all spiritually naked. The robe is to cover our bad nature because no one is born pure. Our sins must also be forgiven by the Savior. Anyone wanting to live with God must have this robe of righteousness to cover their fallen nature.

In this discourse, our fallen nature is compared to a person with leprosy. If a child was born to a leprous parent it would have the disease, similar to how all our children are born in sin. We must all be recreated in the image of God or perish and this is why Jesus said we need a second birth. The first man had fallen away from the image of God and now all his descendants need to be made over again.

Many people want to be in the image of God but they make a fatal mistake when they do no obey God completely. Adam obeyed God for a time but one day because of circumstances he felt the need to disobey a command of the Almighty. Disobedience is called "sin" by God and will always separate us from Him. Paul tells us that we may be recreated when the Spirit of Christ lives in us and brings "life because of (the robe of) righteousness." See Romans 8:10b

The prescription for the healing of our fatal disease (we are Lepers of Sin) is contained in the scriptures but it is a mystery to people using normal logic. Jesus explained this to his followers when he said Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables. (Mk 4:11) God does not allow sinful people to understand the mystery of salvation because He is looking for people of faith who want only to trust Him. God is looking for real followers. He is not interested in saving people who are just looking for "fire insurance" so they may live their life anyway they desire. The Creator allows only real seekers to understand the way to eternal life. Everyone must desire a life different from our natural walk or we will never find salvation. The Lord is very clear when he tells us the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Rev 21:8) Death will come to everyone and we must decide now what is to be our final destination. We should be seeking help with all our strength because people, in their own power, cannot live a life that is acceptable to God. Let us seek Christ and wear his robe of righteousness to cover ourselves.

The leper was required to cleanse both his soul (need the robe) and also his body (need forgiveness). At least one law has been broken by each of us and we are therefore guilty of a sin that needs forgiveness. Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (James 2:10) We must understand that to break one law makes us a sinner because only perfection counts in God's world. Terror should grip any heart when it realizes we are living with a fatal disease. We all face the horrible penalty of incarceration in the eternal Lake of Fire which rages for eternity, to carry out the punishment of mankind. There is no chance for our redemption until we are gripped by a conviction of each sin and we admit our need of cleansing. Jesus Christ will cleanse us from our sins and save us if we come to Him in faith and follow Him forever.

The Leper and the Lamb (Lepers of Sin - Part 2)

God the creator has the intrinsic right to specify what sort of people will become his children. Thousands of years ago when God decided to create mankind, His purpose was to have a righteous people who desired to be like Him. During man's long history, God has given continual warnings that we must conform to His likeness if we are to live eternally with Him. Still people insist on living their lives to satisfy a lust for pleasure and to exercise their right to do as they please.

When Israel came out of Egypt to the Mountain of the Law, Moses wrote down everything God told him about living a righteous life. We call these books the Law of Moses but they are actually the Law of God. Before the new slave nation entered the Promised Land, Moses gave them a second set of laws that had the potential to make them successful with God. The wilderness generation of Israelites had not obeyed when God asked them to enter the land of giants. As a result, God let them die in the desert along with their unbelief.

The Almighty has always given mankind directions but most people continue to ignore God because they do not love Him with all their heart. The instructions that God gave 3500 years ago established principles that are still good for us today. For this reason we can look at the regulations for the cleansing of a leper contained in Leviticus and see how God cleans up a sinner today.

Rituals from very old cultures normally have little bearing on enlightened people. The surprising fact is that the ceremonial procedures for the cleansing of a leper, as given to Moses, contain every fundamental Christian tenet needed for the salvation of our soul. This symbolic ritual will reveal some rules of God that many of us have forgotten or failed to follow. In the series of The Leper and the Lamb, you will see many hidden truths of the Three Lamb ceremony that was specifically for a leper in Israel. All the meanings are spiritual and apply to both the ancient and contemporary person. The ceremony could not be initiated until a leper was somehow physically healed and then he would request this special ceremony in order to be obedient to God.

May we learn spiritual lessons from Israel's Law, in spite of the fact that it is not usually taught in our churches. One time when Jesus had healed ten lepers only one came back to talk with Him while the other nine just went on their way. (Luke 17:12) Today there are just as many who ignore the Savior and go their own way. Just as it took time and effort for a leper to complete this ritual, a sinner today must follow a similar path to find the Almighty. Unfortunately, it is not only non-believers who are Lepers of Sin, but also believers who are not living in Jesus Christ.

The Creator has seen us as lepers of sin from the time that Satan enticed Adam to fall in disobedience. People who lived long ago were saved by faith and obedience, which is the same for us today. "Saved by faith alone" does not mean we are to be without obedience. Somehow we must learn that obeying God is not works but our whole Christian life. James says, "faith alone is dead." It has never been optional to obey God, but for some reason obedience is confused with works. We must realize that our obedience is not only about our works but is the way God accomplishes His will through us. As we will see in later posts, the commands that were given for the cleansing of the leper will illustrate both faith and obedience.

Realizing that we are Lepers of Sin should cause us to be very sincere in our contemplation of the Almighty.