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March 16

Reading 1 - Leviticus 24

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v.7, 8 - Here we have the memorial bread, associated, not for the first time [ch.2:2] with frankincense - the symbol of Jesus' priesthood - our high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. We also see the idea of continual remembrance every Sabbath and its association with an everlasting covenant. So many passages spring to mind. Here are just two. John 6:35,51, Heb.6:20, 7:25-28
Peter Cresswell
v.19,20 - Familiar words because of the way Jesus quotes them in Matt.5:38 in showing the more excellent way based on love, but do we apply these spiritually? Jesus does - Matt.7:2.
Peter Cresswell
Notice the repetition of 'pure'
24:2 pure olive oil Leviticus
24:4 pure candlestick Leviticus
24:6 pure table Leviticus
24:7 pure frankincense
The oil is for light and the shewbread, typically at least, is for food for those who minister in the tabernacle. Both of these provisions were for the priests who ministered. Yahweh did not deed the light - he dwells in light unapproachable whereas the priest dwelt in 'darkness' which was only lightened by God's law. So purity and holiness are being stressed in worship and service.
24:3 This is the fifth time that the phrase 'a statute for ever' has occurred 23:14 23:21 23:31 23:41 24:3
24:10 - 11 This event seems to be out of place and unrelated to the details given above but it is not. It shows an example of how purity and holiness were not manifest in Israel. The son was born of two 'unequally yoked'. He blasphemed God having striven with one of God's sons. The tension between the origins of the two men is seen in 24:10.
24:12 That they 'put in him ward' stresses that the law did not have an immediate answer to the problem - by contrast to the freedom we have in Christ. Having been 'made free from the law of sin and death' we are governed by principles which answer every aspect of life. Therefore we see that even the purity and holiness of the Law of Moses could not address every problem of life.
Peter Forbes
:2 The command to bring the oil for the lamps matches the request [Exodus 27:20] for the oil which provided the material for the making of the oil which is recorded in Exodus 39. So we might conclude that Leviticus 24 records what was spoken in Exodus 27, and therefore was spoken before Exodus 39. If this is so it is possible to date sections of Leviticus very precisely.
Peter Forbes
:22 That the stranger and the Jew were to live by the same law teaches that God is not a respecter of persons. Also it teaches that we should not expect of the non believer behaviour which is better than that which we manifest. Actually, as we know what God requires, we should expect higher standards of behaviour and thought of ourselves than of those who do not believe.
Peter Forbes

Reading 2 - Psalms 131, 132, 133 & 134   To listen
Ps.132 is a wonderful Psalm. v. 4,5 tell us of David's attitude - that which made him a man after God's own heart, though the 'habitation for the mighty God of Jacob' ultimately was to be his descendant, Jesus, and through Jesus, us - that we might be part of that spiritual temple created on the chief corner stone - clothed with righteousness and joy [v.9]. And so we come to v.13, which effectively is the culmination, as far as the psalms are concerned of all the points we have looked at regarding Zion. Here we have the perfected Christ and his saints - the body of believers - all represented by this single word - and here God has decided to dwell. Ps.48:1-3, 68:16, 76:2, 78:68,69, 87:2, Isa.14:32, Heb.12:22.
Peter Cresswell
133 v.3 - Compare this with Jesus words in John 4:14. Here we have living water provided for those who are in Zion - in Christ.
Peter Cresswell

Psalm 131 David provides a powerful warning about trying to understand things beyond what is revealed. It is so easy to speculate or worry about things which we are not told. So many of the arguments we have can stem from speculation, using non Biblical language, about things we are not told. David says that the 'weaned child' mentality that he had should be ours.

Psalm 132 This Psalm shows that David was thinking about the resting place for the Ark whilst he was a shepherd boy in Bethlehem. 'Ephratah' (v6) is Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). David left Bethlehem around the time he killed Goliath - as a young man. So we see that David's desire to put the ark in Zion was not something that he thought of when he was king. Rather it was the driving force in all his life. - Maybe this is why he is called 'a man after [God's] own heart' (Acts 13:22)

Psalm 133 In likening the anointing of Aaron to unity the Psalmist is showing that there is more than simply ritual in the deals of the law of Moses. Maybe we should look for other indications of the importance of fellowship in the Law of Moses?

Psalm 134 A call to the priests to think about the majesty of God. It must have been so easy just to view working in the temple as just another job. The call to think about the majesty of God was necessary to correct the balance. Likewise we have to realise that whilst we routinely go to the meeting that we are involving ourselves in very important matters.
Peter Forbes

131:2 If we view ourselves as mature, no longer babes, we will desire the 'meat' Hebrews 5:14. Indeed if we think that we still need the milk we have to view ourselves as 'unskilful' [Hebrews 5:13] and immature. So seeing ourselves as needing milk is not a sign of humility. If we need milk we are immature.

Psalm 132 - In linking bringing the ark to Zion and :11 the promise of the one who would sit upon God's throne David shows us that we should see a relationship between the bringing of the ark to Zion and the promises of 2 Samuel 7.

133:1 Unity is such an important issue that it forms the first thing that Paul speaks of when describing a living sacrifice [Romans 12] and amongst all the problems the Corinthian ecclesia had it was the first thing he addressed - 1 Corinthians 3.

134:3 The Lord who had created the universe is quite capable of providing blessings to His servants. A certain belief in creation provides the confidence to believe that God will work in our lives.
Peter Forbes

131:1-2 Even though the Psalmist sees himself as mature he does not elevate himself in his own eyes.

132:6 In saying that he heard about the ark at Ephratah - Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) the Psalmist shows that David was thinking that the ark should be in Zion even when he was a shepherd boy in Bethlehem - before he was anointed king or had killed Goliath.

133:1 In likening unity to the anointing of the high priest we see the way in which true unity will come - through the work of our high priest, Jesus Christ.

134:2 'lifting up … hands' is a recurring theme with respect to prayer (Psalm 28:2 63:4 141:2 1Timothy 2:8)
Peter Forbes

Reading 3 - Luke 7

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v.9 - The level of faith of certain individuals is recorded for us to take note of. We need to have faith - we need to believe that God will heal our problems from a distance in the same way that this centurion did - and our problems involve death too - that which is inevitable for each one of us and would be final, were it not for faith. Let us then try to develop it and use the example of Israel as a starting point from which to do better, that we might not suffer the same punishments as they did, but that we might be grafted into their stock and share in their promises by our faith. Matt.15:28, Rom.3:1-3, 9:4,5.
Peter Cresswell
v.23 If we wish to think of Jesus as being one who went about bending over backwards in order to please men we would be mistaken. Matthew 11:6 13:21 57 Mark 6:3 John 6:61 Whilst Jesus knew that what he had to say would offended many he was concerned that his followers would not be so dismayed. Matthew 11:6 His concern was that his Father's will might be known. This is offensive to the flesh - therefore he prayed that his disciples would not be caused to stumble as did his adversaries. John 16:1
Peter Forbes
7:36-49 Given that the Pharisee knew what sort of woman it was who was washing Jesus' feet we must question how she had managed to get into the house. The Pharisee must have seen it as a wonderful unexpected opportunity to trap Jesus.
Peter Forbes
:2 Not only was the centurion a gentile. He was an important man in the occupying army. One would, therefore, think that the Jews would have little love for him. However they describe him as 'worthy' (:4). From this we must conclude that he was a very special gentile as far as his attitude t the Jews was.
Peter Forbes
LOVE AND FORGIVENESS

We all owe a debt to God for the wrong we have done. Some of us owe more than others and yet, no matter how many times we have sinned, or how bad our sins have been, or how incurable we think we are, by the love of God we can be forgiven and be saved from sin and death.

We need to do as the sinful woman did when she came to Jesus. She wept and anointed him in an action of love and showing in her actions a new beginning. After her encounter with the Lord Jesus he told her that her sins were forgiven and to go in peace. She had shown a great amount of love and had been forgiven for a great amount of sins.

Forgiveness breeds love, and love helps us to forgive and be forgiven. The more we forgive, the more loving we will become and the more God will forgive us. If we have been forgiven a lot we will love God more and our anguished, guilty lives will be freed from their pain, and we, like the sinful woman, will be able to go in peace.

So let us repent of our sins, show our love for our Lord, forgive each other and enjoy the love, peace and forgiveness that flows from our Lord.
Robert Prins