February 20, 2012 … Purity in Priestly Practices

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Leviticus, Chapters 22-23 … To study these chapters, go to this link -

Leviticus 22: 1 - 3 : … [Purity of the Priesthood] … 1 The Lord said to Moses,2 "Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings the Israelites consecrate to me, so they will not profane My holy Name. I am the Lord. >>> … 3 "Say to them: 'For the generations to come, if any of your descendants is ceremonially unclean and yet comes near the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the Lord, that person must be cut off from My presence. I am the Lord.

My Journal for Today: Here I am today, led to read in Leviticus 22 – 23 in my chronological Bible reading plan; and we have more instructions being chronicled in God’s Book of the Law, concerning the Priesthood and the Festivals of worship which the priests and the people were to carry out on an annual basis. And in these instructions, one cannot help but be impressed with how much detail God, through Moses, was giving the people, and especially His Priesthood, about their practices and principles of worship.

And I’ve singled out another of the instructions to Aaron and his descendents, concerning how serious it was that the priesthood be perfected in their worship practices because the royal Priesthood had to represent God to man and man to God. And the God of His chosen people wanted to insure that HIS people were called out to be separate from all the pagan people with whom His chosen ones would have to confront in their future. Worship of the one, true, living God … YAHWEH – JEHOVAH … was to reflect His holiness; and therefore His Priests had to be appointed and anointed to handle this worship with perfected practices. And the people were to come to the festivals of remembrance and celebration, outlined in Leviticus 23 with great reverence and very strict religious regularity and regulations.

Now I shift gears to remember, as I’m reading through the above passages, as well as the rest of the two chapters I was led to re-study today, that I AM PART OF GOD’S ROYAL PRIESTHOOD [documented for Christians in 1st Peter 2: 9-10, to which I’ll link you here for repeated reflection].

And by now, because I’ve brought it up several times during our read in Leviticus, we – who are gloriously under a NEW COVENANT – the perfect covenant from the perfect Lamb of God – our Lord, Jesus. And we must realize that, though we don’t have to live under the ceremonious religious practices of the Old Covenant, we do have to recognize that we are to be living reflections of God’s royal priesthood because God’s tabernacle is in the heart of Christians; and we are to be living sacrifices, worshipping our God by the way we live our lives. I’ve touted it before this month, dear ones; but have you memorized and/or internalized Paul’s instructions concerning New Covenant worship in Romans 12: 1-2, also linked here for those who don’t have it memorized.

We, my brothers or sisters, are PRIESTS – grafted descendents of Aaron’s Royal Priesthood; and everyday and in every moment of our lives, we are to be reflections of ALL of the festivals of worship described in Lev. 23. And as God’s royal priesthood, we are to take – VERY SERIOUSLY – what the Apostle Paul wrote about in Romans 12: 1-2.

SO … self inventory time (as reminded we are to do in 2nd Cor. 13: 5)! And in asking myself, … “Bill, are you being an willing and able priest, representing God to all to whom you witness your faith; and are you leading a life which is a festival of worship to the One, true, and holy God?” … I have to admit that I’m not taking my duties as a PRIEST of God seriously enough. And when I’m honest, I must say that I need to come under the truth of 1st John 1: 9 and cleanse myself for my priestly practices of living worship today.

How about you?

My Prayer Today: … Lord, I come to the Holy of Holies, which You have opened for me as Your priest, wearing the Robes of Righteousness which You, Lord, give freely for me; and I’m an consecrated for worship by Your blood and my confession this day, ready to be Your priest of living worship.