Leviticus 23
Appointed Feasts of the LORDverses 1-2
And the LORD spoke to Moses
saying
Speak to the children of Israel
and say to them
Concerning the feasts of the LORD
which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations
even these are MY feasts
Sabbathverse 3
Six days shall work be done – BUT the seventh is the Sabbath of rest
an HOLY convocation – you shall do NO WORK therein
it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings
Official days of appointed assemblyverses 4-8
These are the feasts of the LORD – even HOLY convocations
which you shall proclaim in their seasons
In the fourteenth day of the FIRST MONTH at
even is the LORD’S Passover
On the fifteenth day of the SAME MONTH is the
FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD to the LORD
seven days you must eat unleavened bread
In the FIRST DAY you shall have an HOLY convocation
you shall do NO SERVILE WORK therein
BUT you shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days
in the SEVENTH day is an HOLY convocation
you shall do NO SERVILE WORK therein
Celebration of First Harvestverses 9-14
And the LORD spoke to Moses
saying
Speak to the children of Israel
and say to them
When you be come into the land which I give to you
and shall reap the HARVEST thereof
THEN you shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your HARVEST
to the priest – and he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD
to be ACCEPTED for you – on the morrow after the
Sabbath the priest shall wave it
And you shall offer that day when you wave the sheaf
an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a
burnt offering to the LORD
And the MEAT (grain) offering thereof shall be two tenth deals
of fine flour mingled with oil – an offering made by fire
unto the LORD for a sweet savor
and the DRINK offering thereof shall be of wine
the fourth part of a hin
And you shall eat neither bread – nor parched corn – nor green ears
until the selfsame day that you have brought
an offering unto your God
it shall be a statute for ever throughout
your generations in all your dwellings
Seven full weeks later: Festival of Harvestverses 15-16
AND you shall count to you from the morrow after the Sabbath
from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering
seven Sabbaths shall be complete
even to the morrow after the seventh Sabbath
shall you number FIFTY days
And you shall offer a new meat offering to the LORD
Offerings for Festival of Harvestverses 17-19
You shall bring out of your habitations
two wave loaves of two tenth deals
they shall be of fine flour
they shall be baked with leaven
they are the firstfruits to the LORD
You shall offer with the bread seven lambs
without blemish of the first year – one young bullock – two rams
they shall be for a BURNT offering to the LORD
with their MEAT offering – and their DRINK offering
even an offering made by fire
of sweet savor to the LORD
Then you shall sacrifice one kid of the goats for a SIN offering
and two lambs of the first year for a sacrifice of PEACE offerings
Priest responsibility for Festival of Harvestverses 20-21
The priest shall wave them with the bread of the firstfruits for a
WAVE offering before the LORD – with the two lambs
they shall be HOLY to the LORD for the priest
And you shall proclaim on the selfsame day
that it may be a HOLY convocation to you
you shall do NO SERVILE WORK therein
It shall be a statute forever in all your dwellings
throughout your generations
People’s responsibility during Festival of Harvestverse 22
And when you REAP the HARVEST of your land
you shall not make clean riddance of the
corners of your field when you REAP
neither shall you gather any gleanings of your HARVEST
you shall leave them to the poor and to the stranger
I am the LORD your God
Festival of Trumpetsverses 23-25
And the LORD spoke to Moses
saying
Speak to the children of Israel
saying
In the SEVENTH MONTH in the first day of the month
shall you have a Sabbath
a memorial of BLOWING OF TRUMPETS
a HOLY convocation
You shall do NO SERVILE WORK therein
but you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD
Day of Atonementverses 26-32
And the LORD spoke unto Moses
saying
Also on the tenth day of THIS SEVENTH MONTH there shall be
a day of ATONEMENT
it shall be a HOLY convocation to you
You shall AFFLICT your souls – and offer an offering
made by fire to the LORD
You shall do NO WORK in that same day
for it is a DAY of ATONEMENT
to make an atonement for you before the
LORD your God
For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be AFFLICTED
in that same day – he shall be CUT OFF from
among his people
And whatsoever soul it be that does any work in that same day
the same soul will I DESTROY from among his people
You shall do NO MANNER OF WORK
it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations
in all your dwellings
It shall be to you a Sabbath of rest
and you shall AFFLICT your souls
in the ninth day of the month at even
from even unto even shall you
CELEBATE your Sabbath
Festival of Sheltersverses 33-36
And the LORD spoke to Moses
saying
Speak to the children of Israel
saying
The fifteenth day of this SEVENTH MONTH shall be the
FEAST of TABERNACLES for seven days to the LORD
On the first day shall be an HOLY convocation
you shall do NO SERVILE WORK therein
Seven days you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD
on the eighth day shall be an HOLY convocation to you
and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD
it is a solemn assembly
you shall do NO SERVILE WORK therein
Each year these are to be celebratedverses 37-38
These are the feasts of the LORD
which you shall proclaim to be HOLY convocations
to offer an offering made by fire to the LORD
a burnt offering – a meat offering – a sacrifice
a drink offering – every thing on his day
Besides the Sabbaths of the LORD – beside your gifts
and beside all your vows – beside all your freewill offerings
which you give unto the LORD
More instructions regarding the Festival of Sheltersverses 39-43
Also in the fifteenth day of the seventh month
when you have gathered in the fruit if the land
you shall keep a feast to the LORD seven days
on the first day shall be a Sabbath
and on the eighth day shall be a Sabbath
You shall take you on the first day of the boughs of goodly trees
branches of palm trees – boughs of thick trees – willows of the brook
and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days
You shall keep it a feast to the LORD seven days in the year
it shall be a statute forever in your generations
you shall CELEBRATE it in the seventh month
You shall dwell in booths seven days
all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths
that your generations may know that I made the
children of Israel to dwell in booths
when I brought them out of the land of Egypt
I am the LORD your God
Moses gives people these instructionsverse 44
And Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; you shall do no work therein: it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings. (7677 “rest” [shabbathown] means a period for rest that may or may not have been on the Sabbath, Sabbath observance, rest period, complete rest, or solemn rest)
DEVOTION: We have a tendency to think that we can never take time to rest. Our world is too busy to rest for a day a week. Many companies give their employees two days off a week. Those children still in school have Saturday and Sunday off each week with vacations throughout the year.
The children of Israel were given six days to work each week and the seventh day or Saturday was supposed to be a day of rest. They were to consider that day a Sabbath. They were to do no work. If anyone did any work on the Sabbath they were to be put to death.
Once Jesus Christ came the church established Sunday as the time to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each Sunday was to be a day when we worshiped the LORD. It was not the same as the Sabbath in the Old Testament but it was a day to reflect on what Jesus Christ has done for those of us who are genuine believers.
One of the rules that is established in the New Testament was that genuine believers were not to skip church on a regular basis. Hebrews 10: 25 help us understand that we need the fellowship of fellow believers to keep short accounts with God.
Some people I have met feel that they are just as good as those who go to church on a regular basis and they are wrong. They are being consistently disobedient to the LORD. Most of those who attend a good Bible church realize that they have to confess their sins if they want to be blessed by the LORD and grow in their Christian life. Church should challenge everyone in attendance to examine themselves regularly to see what is happening in their relationship with their Savor.
The Old Testament saints had to gather to remember what the LORD had done for them in the past and what HE was doing for them in the present. If they didn’t come they could face death.
The New Testament saints are challenged in the same way according to I Corinthians 11: 30 informs us that some Christians “sleep” because of a lack of examining their life. Sleep is the Christian word for death.
CHALLENGE: Don’t skip attending a good Bible believing church on a regular basis. This is a warning from God.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 14 And you shall eat neither bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, until the selfsame day that you have brought an offering to your God: it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. (2708 “statute” [chuqqah] means an authoritative rule, law, ordinance of the Passover, regulations, custom, ordinance, or something prescribed.)
DEVOTION: The children of Israel were not to eat any of the harvest until after they had brought their sacrifice to the LORD at the Tabernacle at this time. In the future it would be to bring it to the Temple.
So the LORD expected immediate firstfruits from HIS people when they entered the Promised Land. They didn’t produce much fruit while they were wandering in the wilderness.
Today we are told that we need to bring the tithe or ten percent into the storehouse or the church. The first check that we should write each payday should be to the local church if it is teaching the truth of the Word of God. The offering, which is over and above the tithe can be used for other Christian groups that you want to support.
Many local churches are suffering because even the members of the church are not writing their first check to the church they are a member of and attend each week.
God expects a love gift from us on a regular basis. It is not because HE needs the money or the gift but it is to show HIM that we are genuine in our belief and service to HIM.
The Old Testament saints supported the priesthood with their gifts as well as the care of the Temple. New Testament saints are to do the same with their gifts to support the pastor and the upkeep of the building and the other programs of the church to reach the community for the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Remember to give the firstfruits to the LORD regularly. HE will bless you if you give the right amount with the right attitude. Also only support those outside groups that genuinely believe the Bible.
: 27 Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and you shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire to the LORD. (6031 “afflict” [anah] means oppress, humble, bow down, or become low.)
DEVOTION: The chapter gives us a list of instructions regarding the feasts of the children of Israel. There was a reason for each feast. God had done something special for HIS people. They were to celebrate these special occasions.
On this one occasion called the Day of Atonement, the High Priest was to do some special things. This special feast was the time when the High Priest annually went into the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle to offer a sacrifice first for his own sin and then for the sins of the people.
On this one occasion all the people were to humble their soul. When the children of Israel humbled their soul, it meant that they were too fast before the LORD and pray for HIS forgiveness.
The soul is sometimes referred to as the seat of appetite. When they fasted they went without food or drink from six in the evening until the next day at six in the evening. For twenty-four hours they didn’t eat or drink anything.
Christ told the Pharisees that HIS disciples would fast when HE was gone from their presence. The Pharisees fasted two days a week and thought the disciples should do the same. They were doing it for show. They wanted people to look up to them. The purpose of the fast was to humble the individual before the LORD. Others were not to know when a person fasted except on the Day of Atonement when everyone was supposed to fast.
We are commanded to fast and pray on special occasions. The early church fathers fasted two days a week. They picked the opposite days of the Pharisees. The early pastors of the Methodist church had to fast twice a week or they would not be ordained to the ministry by the founder of the movement, John Wesley.
We need times in our schedule to fast and pray before the LORD. Married couples are told to fast and pray together over major decisions. They are not to do it for too long, otherwise, they were giving the Devil a foothold in their marriage.
But on special occasions all Christians are too fast to humble themselves before the LORD for HIS direction for their lives.
The LORD can speak to humble people better than to those who don’t humble themselves before HIM. When was the last time we humbled ourselves before the LORD? When was the last time we appreciated the fact that the LORD forgave us of our sins? Do we realize all that HE has had to forgive? Are we thankful for HIS forgiveness? Or do we think we deserve it?
CHALLENGE: Find a time when you can go without food or drink and spend time with the LORD to seek HIS direction for your life. It will amaze you when you enter into HIS presence in this way!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (5521 “booths” [cukkah] means tabernacle, pavilion, cottage, tents, thicket, temporary shelter, enclosure, dwelling place or hut.
DEVOTION: The LORD established feasts to remind the people of the past. HE wanted them to remember what the previous generation went through to get into the Promised Land. HE wanted them to be thankful for their past. HE wanted them to be thankful for HIS provisions in the past.
Humans have short memories. They only remember what they want to remember and God wanted them to remember more. So the feasts were set up to make sure that the men of Israel came to celebrate together at least three times a year for the three important feasts.
Today we can use Christmas and Easter to remember what the LORD has done for us in the past. We can celebrate together the coming of our LORD Jesus Christ and HIS death for us on the cross of our sins. We celebrate Easter to commemorate HIS resurrection from the dead. HE appeared to many to show that it really happened. We celebrate Christmas to show that we believe that HE came as a baby to live a perfect life and die as the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins.
When we remember these special events it should cause us to take time to humble ourselves before HIM. That would mean that sometime in the Christmas and Easter season we should take a time period to fast and pray to see how we are doing in our remembering HIS sacrifices for us.
This should help us to be a more thankful people.
CHALLENGE: Take time to remember all that God has done for you. It might be good to write down all the blessing you have right now and thank HIM.
:44 And Moses declared to the children of Israel the feasts of the Lord. (4150 “feasts” [mowʿed] means 1 appointed place, appointed time, meeting. 1a appointed time. 1a1 appointed time (general). 1a2 sacred season, set feast, appointed season. 1b appointed meeting. 1c appointed place. 1d appointed sign or signal. 1e tent of meeting. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship].)
DEVOTION: God’s way of helping the children of Israel remember what He had done for them and their need for devotion to Him was to institute a series of feasts. These are the same as the kinds of holidays we celebrate today (such as weddings, Thanksgiving and Christmas), but all of them had religious overtones. Not only were the children of Israel to take time to reflect on the providence of God in their lives, they were to have a great meal together! God wanted them to enjoy their food.
Eating today is less a form of fellowship and more an exercise in completing a task. It is difficult for us to get a family or group of people together to eat, and usually this only happens when we offer to take someone out to eat. Yet eating by its cultural intent was to be a communal (not individual) activity (contrary to modern Western culture). It was a time to pause from the activities of the day (week, year) and talk about the things that mattered most. And when people were invited for a feast, it was costly to the one who provided it (see the parable of the Prodigal Son, for example, in Luke 15:23)
There is at least one more feast yet to come where we will celebrate what God has done for us. This is called the marriage supper of the Lamb, and all those who have believed in the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior have been invited. We will join together in remembering the great things that God has done for us, and there will be a time of enjoying good food and drink. God could have made us like the plants where we get all our nourishment directly from the air and the soil, but He made us to have taste buds to enjoy what it is we eat.
CHALLENGE: Who can you invite to dinner today and spend some time with discussing how God has been active in your life? (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Afflict your soulverses 27, 29, 32
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Feasts of the LORDverse 1
Lord’s Passover 1/14
Feast of unleavened bread 1/15
Seven days eat unleavened bread
Holy convocationsverses 2, 3, 7, 8, 21
No servile work done
Six days shall work be doneverse 3
Seventh day = Sabbathverse 3
Priestverses 10, 20
Bring firstfruits
Sabbathverses 11, 15, 16, 32, 38
Burnt offeringverses 12, 18, 37
Meat offeringverses 13, 16, 37
Drink offering: wineverses 13, 18, 37
Wave offeringverses 15, 17, 20
Sin offeringverse 19
Peace offeringverse 19
Feast of Trumpets 7/1-10verses 23 -25
Day of Atonement 7/10verses 26-32
Gifts brought to the LORDverse 38
Vowsverse 38
Freewill offeringsverse 38
Gathering of fruit 7/15- 21verse 39
Rejoice before the LORD seven daysverse 40
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Statuteverses 14, 21, 31, 41
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1-6, 8, 9, 11-13, 16-18, 20, 22, 23, 25-28, 33, 34, 36-41, 43, 44
Feasts of the LORDverses 2, 4, 37, 44
LORD’s Passoververse 5
God (Elohim)verses 14, 22, 28, 40, 43
I am the LORD your Godverses 22, 43
LORD your Godverses 22, 28, 40, 43
Feasts to the LORDverse 37
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Strangerverse 22
Land of Egyptverse 43
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Sinverse 19
Any work on Day of Atonementverses 28-31
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Care for the poor and strangerverse 22
Atonementverses 27, 28
Afflict your soul [fasting]verses 27, 29, 32
Rejoice before the LORDverse 40
Celebrateverse 41
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mosesverses 1-44
Children of Israelverses 2, 10, 24, 34, 44
Feasts of the LORDverse 2
Holy convocationverses 2-4, 7, 8, 21, 24, 36
Sabbath of restverse 3
LORD’S Passover 1/14verse 5
Feast of Unleavened bread 1/15verse 6
Feast of First fruitsverses 10-14
fifty days
Day of Atonement 7/10verses 26-32
Holy convocation
Afflict souls
Offer an offering
No work
Feast of Tabernacles 7/15- 21verses 33-43
seven days
dwell in booths
no work
dwell in booths
Not make clean riddance of corners of your fields – give to poorverse 22
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Statute foreververses 21, 31, 41
Cut offverse 29
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QUOTES regarding passage
6–8 More details on the Feast of Unleavened Bread are given elsewhere (cf. esp. Exod 12; Deut 16). In the latter passage unleavened bread is called the “bread of affliction” (Deut 16:3). It commemorated the fact that the Israelites left Egypt in haste with no time to let their dough rise. The Passover and the time of Unleavened Bread were so closely intertwined that in the NT the whole week is called the Passover (Acts 12:3–4; cf. John 19:14). Directions for the special sacrifices to be offered on this and on the other feast days are given in Numbers 28–29. (Harris, R. L. (1990). Leviticus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 624). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
23:6–8. The Lord’s Feast of Unleavened Bread was to begin on the morning after the Passover lamb was sacrificed and to last for seven days (the 15th through the 21st). It was so called because it commemorated the hasty flight from Egypt when God told Israel not to leaven their bread (Ex. 12:14–20). The first and last days of this week were to be a time of sacred assembly (a holy convocation) when no regular work (i.e., occupational work such as farming or trading) was to be done. On this occasion it seems likely that the absence of leaven signified discontinuity between Israel’s new sustenance from God and her old sustenance, the bread of Egypt. The continuity was broken because God did not allow the Israelites to continue the normal leavening process (using a lump from an old loaf as yeast for the new bread). (Lindsey, F. D. (1985). Leviticus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 206). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
For seven days following Passover, the Jews ate only unleavened bread with their meals, and they carefully cleansed all the yeast out of their homes (Ex. 12:15–20). In many places in Scripture, leaven depicts sin. Thus, the putting away of leaven illustrates the cleansing of one’s life after he or she has been saved through faith in the blood (2 Cor. 6:14–7:1).
We must get rid of the “old life” leaven (1 Cor. 5:7). Those things belong to our unconverted days and have no place in our new Christian walk (1 Peter 4:1–5). We must also put away “the leaven of malice and wickedness” (1 Cor. 5:8; Eph. 4:31–32), the leaven of hypocrisy (Luke 12:1), and the leaven of false doctrine (Gal. 5:7–9). The “leaven of Herod” (Mark 8:15) represents the attitude of pride and worldliness that was evident in that evil king’s life. And the “leaven … of the Sadducees” was unbelief (Matt. 16:6).
The people weren’t saved from death and bondage by getting rid of leaven but by applying the blood of the lamb by faith. People today think they’ll be saved because they reform or get rid of a bad habit, but good as doing these things are, they can never do what only the blood of Christ can do. Salvation is through the blood of Christ alone, the sinless Lamb of God, but “let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Tim. 2:19, NKJV).
The Christian life is not a famine or a funeral; it’s a feast. “Therefore, let us keep the feast … with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8). Sin can be secretly introduced into our lives and quietly grow so that it pollutes the inner person. One “toxic” Christian in a church body can defile the whole body if given enough time. One false doctrine, if allowed to grow, will destroy an entire ministry.
In many parts of the Western world, you will find churches and schools that once were true to the Christian faith but today deny that faith. How did this happen? At some point a board hired a professor or called a pastor who didn’t wholeheartedly agree with the evangelical statement of faith, and the yeast of false doctrine was quietly introduced. Before long, the whole lump of dough was leavened, and the ministry was no longer evangelical. Christian leaders must be on their guard and courageously seek to keep God’s work as free from leaven as possible. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Holy (pp. 104–105). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Ver. 8. But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord seven days, &c.] A burnt-offering was to be offered unto the Lord on every one of the seven days, which were two young bullocks, one ram, and seven lambs; besides a meat-offering, and a goat for a sin-offering, Numb, 28:19–24 in the seventh day is an holy convocation, ye shall do no servile work therein; as on the first day, that was on account of the Israelites going out of Egypt; and this is said, on account of Pharaoh and his host being drowned on it; see the note on Exod. 12:16. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 669). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
1 Corinthians 2
When Paul ministers to the Corinthians, he relies on the work of the Holy Spirit.
INSIGHT
When we speak, teach, or preach to the unsaved, we are not speaking to those who are merely blindfolded; we are speaking to those who are blind. It is not as though we can appeal to them to remove their blindfolds. Rather, we must appeal to the Lord to remove their blindness through the power of His Holy Spirit. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Therefore, it is foolishness on our part to attempt to minister to others without first praying fervently for that ministry, asking the Lord to draw those hearts to Christ. (Quiet Walk)
THE ADVOCATE, PART 1
We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1
How does Christ accomplish our restoration to fellowship with God? John puts it here in these verses in a very beautiful way. Christ does it, says John, by being our advocate. “If any man sin”—if any of you should happen to fall into sin—then you, we, all of us together—”have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” John uses the same [Greek] word in his Gospel, in chapter 16 verse 7, where our Lord said that He would send us another comforter. So what is an advocate? An advocate is one who represents another. He stands before a court, and he presents the case of someone else; he represents this person and puts forward the pleas. And John tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is, for all who believe on Him and trust Him, “an advocate with the Father.”
However, this word merits our closer attention. We must never think of it as if the Lord Jesus Christ were there pleading for us before an unwilling God. You will find that certain hymns suggest that, and statements have often been made that sound as if God were opposed to us and as if God, who is utter righteousness and absolute perfection, is insisting on His pound of flesh and insisting upon His right to punish us for our sins. They picture the Lord Jesus Christ as pleading desperately and urgently, trying to persuade the Father and at last succeeding in getting Him to change His opinion.
But that is an impossible suggestion, and we must be very careful not to view this idea of advocacy in that way. It is impossible because we are told so plainly and clearly in the Word of God that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). So as we consider the advocacy, let us get rid of the idea that God is unwilling and that He is one who is not prepared to forgive.
A Thought to Ponder: We must never think of it as if the Lord Jesus Christ were there pleading for us before an unwilling God.
(From Walking with God, pp. 36-37, .by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Longing for the Word
“My soul fainteth for thy salvation: but I hope in thy word. Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?” (Psalm 119:81-82)
Those who “love the LORD” with all their heart, soul, and might (Deuteronomy 6:5) and those who seek the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) deeply long to “understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” (Proverbs 2:5).
Yet in spite of such longing, the saints of God are often perplexed by the apparent success of the wicked. This psalmist is no exception:
- “When wilt thou comfort me?” (Psalm 119:82).
- “I am become like a bottle in the smoke” (v. 83).
- “When wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?” (v. 84).
- “The proud have digged pits for me” (v. 85).
- “They persecute me wrongfully” (v. 86).
- “They had almost consumed me upon the earth” (v. 87).
Among all the heartfelt complaints, however, is the continual reliance on the promises and principles of God’s Word. The psalmist promised not to forget the statutes, though he felt invisible to God (v. 83). And though he knew that his days are not guaranteed, he expected God to judge the wicked (v. 84). He knew the “commandments are faithful,” and he promised the Lord that he would not forsake the precepts (vv. 86-87).
The final request should be ours as well: “Quicken me [enliven, revive] after thy lovingkindness” (v. 88). Even though God “hast shewed me great and sore troubles,” the confidence is that God “shalt quicken me again” (Psalm 71:20). On the basis of that assurance, our response should be like this godly man’s: “So shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth” (Psalm 119:88). (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
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