Leviticus 23:26-36 - Day of Atonement

23:26-32

We then come to the Day of Atonement. This is the day when atonement was made for their sins. The emphasis of the chapter is on the people doing no work, and very severe punishment for anyone who does do work. To put in gospel terms, we contribute nothing to our salvation, we are to put our trust completely in Christ and His work. If we do otherwise then we have no part in the gospel. Paul took a very severe line on this in his letter to the Galatians.

23:33-36

Few details are given for the rationale behind this festival, though the term “tabernacles” (or tents) may well arise from people living in huts during the harvest. Yet again the people are not to work. No details are given on the nature of the offerings, except to briefly mention “food offerings”. More details are given in Num 29:12-38. Zech 14:16-19 does talk about all nations celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles.

Romans 9:19 - Who can resist His will?

9:19

Paul has been talking about the sovereignty of God, and that He alone decides who He has mercy on. Paul then anticipates the objection “Why does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?”. Behind this objection is the assumption that if God is sovereign then we are not responsible for our actions. The sovereignty of God and human responsibility are seen as being incompatible. Arminians essentially follow this reasoning, and Molinism seeks to solve the apparent incompatibility. The most important thing we need to realise is that the Bible sees not contradiction between the two. We are time bound creatures, limited in knowledge and understanding. God is eternal and unlimited in knowledge and understanding. We are actually not qualified to make definitive statements on the matter. This does not mean we should not think about it at all, but we should remember who we are. Above all else, what the Bible says must be the starting point, and set boundaries. If our “wisdom” leads to a conclusion that is contrary to what the Bible says, then it is our wisdom that is wrong, not the Bible.

Leviticus 23:15-25 - You shall count seven full weeks

23:15-22

We now come to the Festival of Weeks. This is so called because they were to hold it about seven weeks after Passover. It is also known as Pentecost , which means fifty (Acts 2:1). It was associated with giving thanks for the harvest. There were to be grain and lamb offerings. There were sin and fellowship offerings. Without our sins being atoned for there can be no fellowship with God. At the end there is a repeat of the command not to harvest to the edges of the fields, something was to be left for the poor and the foreigner. Neither of whom would have any land in the country.

23:23-25

Next is the festival of trumpets. This was so-called because it involved being commemorated with trumpet blasts. It took place half way through the year. As with other times, no work was to be done. There is a clear emphasis on the fact that these festivals were for the Lord, and that the people were not to work. Likewise, we add nothing to our salvation, it is all the work of Christ, and we are to celebrate it “in remembrance of Him”.

Romans 9:17,18 - He has mercy on whom He wills

9:17

So why does God allow evil to prosper? Paul looks to the example of Pharaoh. God raised him up for a purpose. Pharaoh was responsible for his own hardness of heart, but he was also part of God’s plan. We want something to be entirely down to us, or entirely down to God. That is an unbiblical way of thinking. Pharaoh was evil, but God used his evil for a good purpose, namely that His power might be shown, and His Name known throughout the earth. We might despair at many of the things happening in our world, but God will use these to demonstrate His power and make His Name known.

9:18

Paul rounds up this small section with the statement that God has mercy on whom He has mercy, and hardens whomever He wills. There is a key question, who is ultimately determinative? Is it God or is it man? In our sinful rebellion we want the answer to be “man”. And the urge to do this is very strong and subtle. Natural man finds the idea of the absolute sovereignty of God to be repulsive. We need to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, as we will read about in Romans 12:1,2. And a key part of that renewal is our accepting the sovereignty of God.

Leviticus 23:4-14 - These are the appointed feasts of the Lord

23:4-8

Two appointed festivals are mentioned here, with their dates. These are the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. Note that in both cases it says “The Lord’s Festival of ...” The festivals belong to God. The church goes astray if we forget that we belong to God, and the church belongs to God. We need to be God centred in all that we do.

23:9-14

This section looks forward to the time when they finally enter the promised land. They are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain harvest. This would be a reminder that it was the Lord who brought them into the land. There was also to be the offering of a lamb and a grain offering. They were not to eat any grain or produce from the grain until they had made the offering. We are to put the Lord first in all things. This is the way things are. Without God there is nothing, we would not even exist unless He had created us.

Romans 9:14-16 - What shall we say then

9:14,15

Paul has just made the point that God chose Jacob over Esau before they had done anything good or bad (9:11). This raises the question “is God unjust?” The answer, of course, is no. Paul explains this by quoting from God’s words to Moses in Ex 33:19: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion”. Now, at first glance this doesn’t seem to be much of an answer nor an explanation. But this response is symptomatic of our rebellion against God. First of all, if God was to treat us all “justly”, then every single one of us is destined for hell. All of us are guilty, so to demand “justice” is actually a very foolish thing to do! Then look at the words in Ex 33:19, mercy and compassion are the key words. If things are to be determined on our own merits we are done for. But things are determined by God’s mercy and compassion. Now someone then objects why does God not show mercy to all? No one has the right to demand mercy, to be declared innocent when we are clearly guilty.

9:16

“So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy”. Appreciating this is central to having a proper understanding. Human rebellion says it all depends upon us, that we can manage without God, including that we can prove our righteousness without God. This is manifestly untrue. Salvation depends upon God’s mercy. Not our will or efforts. This is fundamental to our whole understanding of life, it is also fundamental to a proper understanding of evangelism. So much evangelism is built on the premise that human will and effort is the key, when it is God’s mercy that is the key. Now none of this means that we do not work, a proper look at the whole of Scripture makes it very clear that this is not so. Nor does it mean that what we do with our lives does not matter, again a look at Scripture should quickly dispel any such notion. But it is essential that we have a proper understanding of how things work.

Leviticus 23:1-3 - A Sabbath of solemn rest

23:1,2

We now come to the calendar of festivals that the Israelites were to observe. The instructions are given to “the Israelites”, through Moses. Unlike much of what has gone before there is no mention of Aaron or the priests. These instructions were for all the people, the role of the priests was to facilitate the festivals and offerings. The festivals were God’s appointed festivals, and were to be “sacred assemblies”, i.e. the focus is upon the Lord.

23:3

This deals specifically with the Sabbath, so there was a “sacred assembly” every week. This points back to the fifth of the ten commandments. It was to be a day of rest. The rule applied wherever they lived. Now we know that the Sabbath was a major point of contention between Jesus and the Pharisees, many of the recorded conflicts occuring on the Sabbath. The Sabbath was very important, yet we also see that the religious leaders had developed a very skewed idea of what it was all about.

Romans 9:10-13 - Jacob I loved

9:10-12

This principle of the sovereignty of God continues through to the next generation. Isaac’s wife Rebekah had twins. According to the traditions of the time Esau would have been the primary heir, but it was the younger son, Jacob, who gained the inheritance. All this was a result of God’s choice, and it was not based in any way on what Jacob and Esau did or did not do. The reason for everything is the will of God. Some have tried to explain this by saying that God knew what Esau was going to do, and His choice was based on what He foresaw, but this is not what the Bible says. It urges us to focus on the sovereignty of God.

9:13

“Jacob I loved and Esau I hated.” This is almost an example of hyperbole, in the same way Jesus spoke in Lk 14:26 where He speaks of hating our father, mother, wife, children. Jesus is not urging us to actually hate them, but is saying we must love Him above all else. We must love Him much more than we love our father, mother, wife etc. So this phrase here is emphasising the choice of God. God chose Jacob, He did not choose Esau.

Leviticus 22:29-33 - Keep the commands and follow them

22:29,30

Thank offerings had to be eaten on the same day as the offering, and it had to be offered in an acceptable manner, i.e. a manner acceptable to the Lord. Note that often the giver shared in eating the offering. The offering was part of a communion with the Lord, hence the time restriction.

22:31-33

This section concludes the matter, summarising the key principles. First, keeping God’s commands and following them is central. Is there any difference between “keeping” and “following”? It could just be an example of Hebrew parallelism, or it could be that “keeping” could simply be compliance, whereas “following” entails a more dedicated commitment.

Then they are to keep God’s name as holy. This is something we all need to pay heed to. God was to be acknowledged as holy before the people. Note that this is where Moses failed badly, as we will see in Numbers (Num 20:12).

Finally God is the one who brought them out of Egypt. He was their salvation.

All these lessons apply to us today and we do well to dwell upon them.

Romans 9:7-9 - Not all are children of Abraham

9:7

Paul goes back to Genesis and Abraham. First he points out that not all Abraham’s children were children of the promise. Isaac was a child of the promise, Ishmael was not. Paul expands greatly on this point in Gal 4:21-31. God made it quite clear to Abraham that it was through Isaac that His promises would be fulfilled, and no Jew would dispute this.

9:8,9

The point Paul is making is that natural descent has very little to do with it, and this has always been the case, it is not a newfangled idea. It is not the “children of the flesh” (i.e. by natural descent) that are children of God. It is children of the promise who are children of God. And God gave a specific promise about when Isaac would be born (Gen 17:21). Likewise, there was a specific time when the Messiah would come to earth. 

Leviticus 22:21-28 - They will not be accepted on your behalf

22:21-25

We now turn to fellowship offerings, and again the mention of fulfilling a vow or making a freewill offering. The requirement to fulfil a vow, or the desire to make a freewill offering, did not override the need for the offering to be perfect. Having the “right motives” is not enough, something must also be done in the right way. It isn’t clear why 22:23 allows a deformed ox or sheep to be offered as a freewill offering. However, the words used here imply that the animal was either smaller or larger than the norm. So the animal may not have been deformed as such, but just of an unusual size. 

22:26-28

We now get some restrictions on the offering of animals, namely that they cannot be offered until the eighth day after their birth, and that the mother animal is not to be slaughtered on the same day as its offspring. Hess says this reflects “compassion for the livestock”. I have to say there doesn’t really seem to be much in the way of compassion for the livestock in them. The animal is going to be slaughtered within a few days anyway. The reason for the rules must either be related to God’s requirements for the sacrifice, and/or concern for the family. Though I have to say I don’t know what the actual reasons are.

Romans 9:4-6 - They are Israelites

9:4,5

Earlier in Rom 3:2 Paul has listed one advantage in being a Jew, namely having the word of God. Now he lists a whole host of advantages or privileges that the Israelites have. They have adoption, the covenants, the glory, the Law and the promises. All that we find in the Old Testament was given to the Jews. There are promises of salvation for the whole world, especially in Isaiah, but God’s dealings are most directly with the nation of Israel, a nation created by God. The heroes of the Old Testament, the patriarchs, were all from Israel. And Paul has made great play of Abraham, both in Romans and in Galatians. And in human terms (“according to the flesh”), Jesus is an Israelite. There are those who seem to completely denigrate the role of Israel, even to the point of hating Israel. Such people are on very dangerous ground and lack understanding. God loves Israel.

9:6

So has the word of God failed? Such a thought is unthinkable. The word of God is utterly foundational. It is foundational to understanding the world, and to our relationship with the Lord. Paul will now go on to show that the Jews were deeply mistaken in their assumption that natural ancestry was the key to being an Israelite, in the sense of being one of God’s people. John 8:33-47 is an example of the Jews relying on their Abrahamic ancestry, and Jesus’ response to it.

Leviticus 22:15-20 - Do not bring anything with a defect

22:15,16

The priests were responsible for making sure that the people did not eat the sacred offerings. This would desecrate the offerings, and bring guilt upon the people. Payment would be required in order to bring about restitution. Again, this is followed by the reminder that God is the Lord, and it is He who makes them holy. 

22:17,18a

We get the normal introduction. God speaks to Moses, and he, in turn, is to speak to Aaron and his sons. There is one change, this time he is also to speak to all Israel. The instructions about offerings in this section apply to all the people, they are not focused just on the priests.

22:18b-20

We start with burnt offerings. This is the first time that burnt offerings are spoken about in the context of freewill offerings, or to fulfil a vow. The emphasis here is on the requirement that the offered animal be without defect. This applied to Israelites and foreigners who were living in the land. The offering must be perfect. Christ is the only truly perfect sacrifice.

Romans 9:2,3 - I have great sorrow

9:2

From the outset Paul expresses his deep desire that Israel be saved. Paul is deeply upset at the state of Israel and their general rejection of the Messiah. We should note that the place of Israel in God’s plans is no mere academic theological question (it is actually deeply theological). A fact that anyone addressing the question of Israel has to face is that God loves Israel. It is also noteworthy that up until this point Paul has referred to the “Jews”, now he talks about “Israel”. It may be that when talking about “the Jews” Paul is using the phrase somewhat like John normally does, and is referring to the Jewish religion and its leaders.

9:3

Paul says he would even give up his own salvation “for the sake of my brothers”. He is almost certainly using hyperbole here, but it nevertheless expresses his deep desire to see Israel saved. Despite all the persecution and opposition that Paul faced from the Jews he had no animosity towards them, quite the opposite. He refers to them as “my kinsmen according to the flesh”, Paul saw relations in Christ as being deeper. This is somewhat like Jesus when He said that those who do the will of God are His true relations (Mark 3:34,35).

Leviticus 22:12-14 - No unauthorised person may eat it

22:12,13

A daughter married someone who was not a priest, then she was not allowed to eat the sacred food. This is because she has left her father and mother and cleaved to her husband. So she is no longer part of a priestly family. However, if she was widowed or divorced, and had no children, then she could return home and partake of the food. So again we see a rather liberal attitude. The reason for the bit about her not having children was that if she had children then a new family unit had been established, which was not part of the priesthood. 22:13 finishes with a reminder that no “unauthorised person” may eat it.

22:14

Someone, who was not a priest, might inadvertently eat some of the food. It is not clear how this could happen, but we will leave that aside. If this did happen, then the person had to make restitution, returning the value of the food plus a fifth.

Romans 9:1 - I am speaking the truth in Christ

9:1

Some people regard chapters 9-11 as something of an aberration in Romans, not really fitting into the letter as a whole and being something of a nuisance. Such ideas are absolute nonsense. They are an integral part of the letter, and fit perfectly well with the rest of it. There are also some Calvinists who seem to think the sole purpose of chapter 9 is to prove predestination. I believe in predestination, and chapter 9 contains examples of this, but that is not its primary purpose. Indeed the Bible has little interest in “proving” predestination, the whole Bible is founded on the premise of the absolute sovereignty of God.

Anyway, to the text. An important thing to note is that chapter 9 follows on from chapter 8, and that there were no chapter divisions in the original text. At the end of chapter 8 Paul has been talking about how nothing can separate us from the love of God. That leaves an important question, what about Israel? Most of the early opposition to the church came from the Jews, and the Jewish leaders had played a leading role in the crucifixion. So was Israel separated from the love of God? This is the question that Paul deals with in chapters 9-11, and the answer is a resounding no.

Leviticus 22:9-11 - Who makes them holy

22:9

This verse sums up the whole matter. God is the Lord, and it is He alone who makes the priests holy, they have no inherent holiness of their own. God making them holy does not mean that the priests have no responsibility, quite the opposite in fact. They must perform their duties according to the Lord’s instructions, otherwise they would become guilty and die!

22:10,11

These two verses are interesting. Only the priest and his household were allowed to eat the “sacred offerings”. Neither a guest nor a hired worker were allowed to eat it. However, slaves that belonged to the priest were allowed to eat it! Much of the criticism  of the Bible for its supposed attitude towards slavery is ill-informed and demonstrats little but the lack of thinking on the part of the person making the criticism. Slavery has been endemic in all societies, and the Bible promotes a far more liberal attitude than any other society ever did.

Romans 8:36-39 - More than conquerors

8:36

Paul quotes from Ps 44:22, a psalm which recounts all sorts of troubles. Sometimes we seem to think that if only we had enough faith we would not have any troubles, and if we did encounter troubles they would not bother us. That is not the picture that the Bible paints. The Bible deals with real people, and through Christ we overcome troubles.

8:37

It is not just a matter of surviving, of getting through. In all these things we are more than conquerors. With Christ we overcome, we can do useful things in all circumstances. We can be a blessing to others in all circumstances, we can declare the goodness of God in all circumstances.

8:38,39

Paul finishes the chapter (though, of course, it wasn’t a chapter for him, just a section of the letter) by declaring his absolute confidence in the Lord. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. Under the Law one’s confidence would in our ability to fulfil the Law. Paul has shown this to be a very dodgy foundation on which to build. Our confidence is entirely in God’s love for us, and this is demonstrated and ministered to us through Jesus Christ. It is built upon what Christ has done.

Leviticus 22:3-8 - I am the Lord

22:3

If a priest is ceremonially unclean yet still “comes near the sacred offerings”, then he is to be cut off from the Lord’s presence. We need to note that the issue here is not becoming ceremonially unclean, but knowingly going near the sacred offerings knowing you are ceremonially unclean. Things will inevitably happen to make a person ceremonially unclean, as the next few verses will illustrate, and proper steps can be taken.

22:4-8

We now get examples of ways in which a priest could become unclean. These include: having a defiling skin disease; a bodily discharge, touching something defiled by a corpse, or by someone who had an emission of semen. Earlier chapters in Leviticus gave details on all these matters. Further examples include touching a crawling thing. Also a priest must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals. If a priest did become unclean he had to wait until he was clean before resuming his normal priestly duties. This often involved bathing and waiting until evening.

Romans 8:34,35 - Who shall separate us

8:34

Suppose someone seeks to condemn us. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for us. Moreover, He didn’t just die for us, He was raised from the dead for us. He was raised to the right hand of God, and He intercedes for us. The ones who count are on our side!

8:35

Having dealt with accusers and condemnation and their ineffectiveness, Paul now turns his attention to various physical threats. Condemnation and physical threats are things that all of us are prone to fearing, but in Christ we can find peace. Remember that Jesus said “in this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Our peace lies not in a life free from trouble, but in who Christ is and what He has done. None of the troubles listed (and they are very general, so apply to whatever trouble you or I might be facing right now) will separate us from the love of Christ. Note also that it says “who shall separate ...”. Either humans or spiritual forces may try to use these things threatening that we will be separated from the love of Christ. They will not succeed.

Leviticus 22:1,2 - Treat sacred offerings with respect

22:1

“The Lord said to Moses” is a common introduction to a section in Leviticus. God’s instructions to Israel were given through Moses. Moses is a “type” of Christ, i.e. he demonstrates some of the characteristics of Christ, albeit highly imperfectly. So in the same way all of God’s instructions to us come through Christ. 

22:2

Aaron and his sons are reminded to treat the sacred offerings of the Israelites with respect. Remember that two of Aaron’s sons died because they did not follow God’s instructions. If they did not obey this instruction they would be profaning the name of the Lord. Then the ultimate motive for obeying the instruction is given, “I am the Lord”. If we forget that God is the Lord, then our thinking, soon to be followed by our actions, goes astray, even badly wrong. Ministers today who do not treat the congregations’ offering with respect are in great danger. This can involve mistreatment of money faithfully given by the people, or, more generally, the treating with contempt the faith of the people.

Romans 8:32,33 - He who did not spare His own Son

8:32

God did not spare His Son. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (John 3:16). We need to meditate on what God has done if we want to have a right perspective. God is not going to have given up His Son of our sake and then let all that go to waste. Since God has already given up His Son for us we can be confident that He will do whatever is necessary to see to completion the work that He has started in us (Phil 1:6).

8:33

Paul then considers various specific attacks. What if someone brings a charge against us? Accusing us of some sin or other? God has justified us in Christ. When the devil accuses, which he does, God just looks at the cross and says “that has already been paid for in full”.

Leviticus 21:16-24 - The Lord said to Moses

21:16-23

We now have a list of defects which people who have these defects are not allowed to offer food to the Lord. We need to be careful how we understand this. For we naturally, and in a sense rightly, react against this. People with disabilities must not be treated as second class in any way, but must be respected and valued. And Jesus treated everyone well. So what are we to make of this? I think it is an indication that in heaven, at Christ’s return, there will be no blind or lame, nor any of the other disabilities listed here. Everyone will be completely whole. We should also note that while prohibited from offering the food, they were allowed to eat the most holy food. When we read these verses we need to focus on what the passage is focusing on, we need to read it in a God-centred way, not a man-centred way.

21:24

This verse corresponds to 21:1, and so bookends the chapter. So now Aaron, his sons and the whole of Israel knew the instructions for priests and high priests.

Romans 8:30,31 - If God is for us

8:30

God chose us before time began, and that began a process. God called us, He justified us, and He glorified us. Note that “glorified us” assumes it has already happened. Man rebelled against God wanting independence, and became enslaved as a result. When we walk in humility with God we find that we have true freedom, and we will be glorified.

8:31

We now come to the well-known final section of chapter 8. “If God is for us, who can be against us”, or “who is against us”. The thought is not so much can anyone be against us, as whoever is against us pales into insignificance compared to God. God is for us, so we have nothing to fear. There are two primary reasons for fearing separation from God. One, and actually the most important, is that God is against us. Now at one time we were enemies of God (Rom 5:10), He was against us. But now He is for us. In fact He was always for us, but expressing things in time He was against us because of our rebellion. The other is that events or outside forces may somehow get the better of us, separating us from God. But if God is for us, then no opposing force or circumstance can overcome God. For someone or something to defeat me they don’t just have to overcome me (which they could quite possibly do) they have to overcome God.

Leviticus 21:10-15 - I am the Lord who makes him holy

21:10-12

We then get instructions for the high priest, which are very similar to those given for the priests. This is the first occurrence of the term “high priest” in the Bible, and the only one in Leviticus. The presence of the high priest was perhaps an indication that there was one day going to be the one true priest, Jesus Christ. The high priest was not to let his hair become unkempt, nor to tear his clothes.  He also had to ensure that he did not become unclean by entering the house where there was a dead body.  He had to maintain his ceremonial purity, so was not allowed to leave the sanctuary. The sinlessness of Christ is absolutely essential.

21:13-15

Much of this section was included in the instructions for priests, but are even stronger. He was not allowed to marry a widow, but only a virgin from his own people. This was no slur on widows, who were ordinarily allowed to remarry, and it was perfectly alright for them to do so. The point here is the purity of the high priest, and of his offspring. The latter is related to the prohibition on marrying anyone else but an Israelite. 

Romans 8:28,29 - All things work together for good

8:28

This is possibly the most well known verse in Romans, but often poorly understood, and it needs to be taken with 8:29. First, it applies to those who love God and were called according to His purpose. This does not mean we earn God’s help, but that the fruits of salvation are for those who love God. Loving God is part of our salvation. Salvation is God focused. God causes all things to work together for our good. However, it is “our good” as defined by God, not by us!

8:29

And God’s purpose is that we be conformed to the image of Christ, that we become like Jesus. God is continually working to make us more and more like Jesus. He has predestined us. Now some people get upset by the notion of predestination, they really shouldn’t. Predestination does not mean we are passive, nor does it mean that we are puppets in God’s hands. If you read the Bible you will not find any puppets in there. It is God’s settled purpose, and He will achieve that purpose. God’s purpose is that Christ is the “firstborn among many brothers”. Firstborn implies preeminence. Jesus lived a life of perfect love, trust and obedience to the Father. God’s purpose is that there will be many more like Him!

Leviticus 21:7-9 - They must not marry women defiled by prostitution

21:7,8

They were to be careful whom they married. They were not to marry anyone who had been involved, and therefore defiled, in prostitution. Nor were they to marry divorcees. In 21:6 it says “They must be holy”, here it says “Regard them as holy”, it seems that the community is involved in maintaining this rule. The community must not put any pressure on them to break the rule. In the New Testament it says we are all part of the priesthood, a royal priesthood. This includes being holy to the Lord, and the subsequent requirements onus.

21:9

Prostitution is clearly regarded as extremely serious and abhorrent. Today there are moves to normalise prostitution, referring to it as “sex work”. This is a serious mistake. Prostitution defiles those who are prostitutes, along with those who use them. In practice prostitutes become victims of violence and exploitation. In short there is nothing good about prostitution. “She must be burned in the fire.” Do I think we should carry out such sentences on prostitutes? Absolutely not. And it seems that this was rarely if ever carried out. Remember that some of the women who followed Jesus had been prostitutes. I think we are better to take the various sentences that we find here as an indication of the seriousness of the sins, and that such things will not exist in God’s kingdom.

Romans 8:26,27 - The Spirit helps us in our weakness

8:26 

So we have been told that creation is groaning in anticipation, and that we ourselves have a glorious future ahead, but also that that involves suffering with Christ. That still leaves a problem. We may agree that suffering with Christ is good, is well worth the cost, achieves a good purpose, but even so there is the problem of our weakness. No one likes suffering, and everyone finds it difficult, even to the point of feeling we are close to the edge of failure. Paul now addresses this point. The fundamental point is that the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We are not under Law, we are not left to deal with the trials in our own strength. We are children of God, we have received the Spirit, and He helps us. The area where Paul highlights how this works is prayer. In the midst of trials we may well not know what to pray, but we need not fear. For the Spirit helps us to pray. More than that, He intercedes for us. Now some may interpret the “groanings too deep for words” as praying in tongues. Praying in tongues is a good gift, but the teaching here is not restricted to that. Paul’s words apply to all Christians. We are in a relationship with God. 

8:27 

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, and God knows the mind of the Spirit, and the Spirit knows the mind of God. There is no danger of miscommunication! The Spirit prays perfectly for us. He knows what is on our hearts and minds, and therefore what needs sorting out, and where we need strengthening.

Leviticus 21:1-6 - Speak to the priests

21:1-4

This and the following chapter contain rules for priests, and the emphasis is on maintaining ceremonial cleanness. The first set of instructions focus around the dead. To touch a dead body rendered someone unclean. The priest must be most careful to avoid doing this, except in the case of very close relatives.  So, in general, the priest must ensure that he is able to perform his duties for the community. However, family responsibilities were allowed to overrule this.

21:5,6

21:5 repreats 19:27. The reason for the prohibition is that these practices of cutting oneself, and shaving were carried out by pagan religions.  Then we get the reason for the rule. The priests were God’s servants, they were to be wholly devoted to the Lord. 

Romans 8:24,25 - For who hopes for what he sees

8:24

“For in this hope we were saved”. Let’s remind ourselves again that hope in the Bible is usually “a sure hope”. Something we look forward to knowing that it definitely will happen. God knows what His final goal is, and saved us as part of the process of achieving that goal. We don’t see anything like the fulness yet, but then no one hopes for what he already has! If we already have something, then it isn’t hope. 

8:25

In the trinity of “faith, hope and love” hope is often overlooked, this should not be. Part of the reason is probably that hope in a worldly context is usually highly uncertain. In the Biblical context the exact opposite is true. The future goal is what God is working towards, and what all that He does in us as individuals, in the church as a whole, and in the world as a whole, is geared towards. If we want to live properly today, and to better understand what is going on, then we need to have this sure hope. We need to look at life through the lens of hope. This is not looking at it through a rose tinted lens, but looking at it through the lens of God’s purposes and plans. So we wait with patience. This does not mean waiting passively, but waiting actively doing the things that Christ commands us to do.

Leviticus 20:26,27 - You are to be holy

20:26

We get another repeat of the rationale of all God’s instructions and dealings with Israel. The Lord has set them apart. We are defined by how God created us, we find our true identity in who God has created us to be. So we are to be holy to the Lord. See how this is God-centred, whereas all the present talk of identity we find today is self-centred. Being God-centred works, being self-centred only brings destruction. 

20:27

The chapter starts with a prohibition on consulting spiritists or mediums, and it ends with the death penalty for anyone practising these things. Many of the surrounding nations did practice consulting the spirits of the dead. Clearly consulting the dead was a very serious matter, and one that God’s people should play no part in. The power of life and death rests with the Lord, and when someone dies they no longer have any part in this world.

Romans 8:22,23 - As we wait eagerly for adoption as sons

8:22

“The whole of creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.” Creation is not the way it should be because of the fall. However, all is not lost. For creation is groaning with the pains of childbirth, i.e. the pain is real but there is the prospect of something wonderful. We do need to be aware of the wrong thinking of much environmentalism. We absolutely should take good care of the environment, but the environment was put there to provide for us.

8:23

Paul now moves the groaning onto our groaning. Just as the natural environment knows there is something not right, we too know that things are not the way they should be with ourselves. And not the way we would like them to be. This includes not being able to do and be all the good that we would like to do and be. We groan with expectation and hope, i.e. we look forward to the complete redemption of our bodies. Notice that it says we “have the first fruits of the Spirit” and talks about our “adoption as sons”. Are we not already adopted? Yes, for we can call God “Father”, and the Spirit tells us to do so. But there is much more to come. We have only a hint of what it will be like to be fully adopted and redeemed.

Leviticus 20:24,25 - You will possess their land

20:24

God had promised to Israel that she would possess the land. Romans speaks of the Law being weakened by the flesh. These promises to Israel were not fulfilled at the time because of Israel’s disobedience. They will be fulfilled when they repent and believe in Christ as their Lord and Saviour. The land was a rich land, “flowing with milk and honey”. “I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.” This is the definition of Israel, it is definitional for the church, and we need to remember our definition.

20:25

We then get what seems a rather out of place reference to the food laws. As noted before, there have been various attempts to find a rational explanation of the reason for the food laws. None of these are wholly successful, partial success being all they can achieve (i.e. explain some, but never all, of the laws). But here it says “therefore make a distinction”, this comes immediately after “has set you apart”. Maybe the primary purpose of the food laws was to set Israel apart as different, to provide a visible distinction, and there is no all pervading logic to them apart from this.

Romans 8:20,21 - Creation subjected to futility

8:20

Creation was subjected to futility. This was a deliberate act on the part of God. We read about it in Gen 3, when God cursed creation in response to man’s sin. Creation has not been functioning at its best ever since. So the cursing was deliberate, it did not “just happen”. But it was also done in hope. God knew His plan of salvation from the very beginning, and He knew that the cursing was temporary, it was until the plan of salvation was completed. There is a lot of talk and protests these days about the environment. The best thing that could happen for the environment is for man to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. We should note the Biblical use of the word “hope”. In common usage it usually means something that might happen, or something that we would like to happen. In the Bible it is usually a sure hope, something that is guaranteed to happen.

8:21

When God’s plan of salvation is complete, i.e. when Christ returns and we are all raised or transformed, then creation will be set free from its bondage. Creation will then function precisely as it is meant to function. It will “obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God”. Man is absolutely central to God’s plans, because God has ordained it to be that way. Then there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and we will be amazed at the results.

Leviticus 20:22,23 - Keep all my decrees

20:22

The people are urged to “keep all my decrees and laws” so that the land will not vomit them out. Note the word “all”, God’s laws are not a pick-and-mix selection. The previous inhabitants of the land were vomited out because of their evil practices. Israel’s continued occupation of the land was dependent upon their obedience. As we know, they did not obey, and were eventually vomited out, though only after many warnings.

20:23

Israel was not to be like other nations, this is a repeated refrain of the Law. And it applies to us today. The church is not meant to be like the world, we are meant to be different, and the church is utterly foolish when it chooses to try and imitate the world. God abhorred the occupants of the promised land because of their detestable practices.

Romans 8:18,19 - The glory that is to be revealed in us

8:18

Paul has dealt with the internal struggles we have with sin, having earlier addressed the fundamental problem of guilt. Now he turns to suffering. There had been persecution of the Jews in Rome, there being evicted from the city for a time, and Christians (including Jews) endured persecution, and this would actually get worse. Then there is the general suffering of life. Paul declares that they are “not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us”. We do need to realise that there is a future glory for those who are in Christ. The sentence can be taken in two ways. The most obvious is to say that the future glory is far greater than any present sufferings. I have to say I think this is the most likely, especially as Paul has spoken of us sharing in Christ’s sufferings in 8:17, there even being an essential part of the package. Garland seems to favour saying that the present sufferings do not threaten the future glory. I.e there is nothing that the world or the devil can throw at us that can take away our future glory. The difference between the two interpretations actually is not that great, and is really just looking at the same thing from a slightly different angle.

8:19

Back in Rom 1:20 Paul said that many of God’s attributes are clearly demonstrated in creation. I.e. creation shouts out that there is a God. Paul now speaks again of creation, and says that creation is “longing for the revealing of the sons of God”. Creation here refers to all of creation, but speaking specifically of all of creation excluding mankind. God’s plan as revealed in Genesis 1 and 2 was based around man and woman living in loving obedience to the Lord. The fall messed things up, but God’s plan has not changed, and creation will function properly when man functions properly. All of God’s plans are based around the salvation of mankind. So we need not fear that it will not happen (just in case anyone was wondering, I am not referring to universalism).

Leviticus 20:9-21 - Anyone who curses their father

20:9

In the ten commandments we are told to honour our father and mother. Here we have a warning against doing the opposite, i.e. cursing them. If we do honour them we are promised long life, if we don’t we can expect the opposite! The natural relationships have been set in place by the Lord, and to go against them is a very serious matter.

20:10-21

We now come to a whole load of sexual sins. They all have parallels in chapter 18. There are a number of points to note. The first is that sexual purity is very important. The world often speaks as if who you sleep with is of no real importance, do what you like! This is nonsense, and we actually see the harmful effects in society. Homosexuality, or rather homosexual acts, are forbidden. The concept of “being homosexual” is a relatively modern invention, and we are not defined by our sexual desires. We should also note that the ban on homosexual acts is only one of the prohibited acts. The prohibitions are also related to maintaining proper respect for people, and breaking them causes harm to society.

Romans 8:16,17 - We are children of God

8:16

“The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”. This is a most amazing statement, a most amazing truth. It is amazing in the very fact that we are children of God. It is also amazing in that the Spirit bears witness with our spirit. It isn’t just an idea we have made up, or something that we believe, it is something that God Himself says to us.

8:17

There are consequences of this in how we live, which is perhaps the main thrust of this chapter. But there are also eternal consequences. We are heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. This again is a most amazing statement, a most amazing truth. But notice then the talk about our suffering with Christ. We do not earn our inheritance by suffering, rather it is part of the deal. We share in all things with Christ, and that includes sharing in His sufferings. So how do we suffer? The most obvious is persecution. In the West this is still very rare, but not totally, and the atmosphere is becoming increasingly hostile and who knows what will happen in the future. In many countries in the world the persecution is real and frequent. It may happen in God calling us to care for people in a way that involves a great cost. This is all part of being “in Christ”. I chose that term because if I say it is part of “following Christ” (which it is) we can get the idea that it is something we do ourselves. It isn’t, we do it together with Christ, it is part of His working in us. But being glorified with Christ is also part of being in Christ. We need to learn to rejoice and delight in being “in Christ”.

Leviticus 20:6-8 - Consecrate yourselves

20:6

As in Lev 19:31 we have a clear prohibition of consulting mediums or spiritists. This would normally be done in an attempt to find out what was going to happen in the future. God speaks of people who seek out mediums or spiritists as prostituting themselves, they are giving themselves over to evil spirits. The people of God should be a people who put their complete trust in the Lord. He is our security.

20:7,8

Most of the commands here are about things that we should not do. In these two verse we have a reminder of what we should be like. We are to be wholly dedicated to the Lord, we are to be holy. This involves keeping His decrees, because He is the Lord. He is the only one with all power and authority. And He makes us holy. He sets us apart. We should not expect to be like the world, for God has set us apart for His purposes.

My Youtube Channel

As well as these daily notes on the Bible, I also publish short (usually) video talks, typically one or two a week.

These can be found at BibleMusings,(https://www.youtube.com/@BibleMusings)

Currently I am typically producing a couple of videos a week, one series working through John's gospel, and one working through Romans 8.

Here are some of my playlists:

The Nature of Sin - I look through Romans 7 - complete

In the Spirit - The sequel to Romans 7! Working through Romans 8. This is current

Psalms - An occasional video on on of the Psalms

John's Gospel - Working through John's gospel. This is current.

Isaiah - Lots of videos on Isaiah! - complete

The Trinity - A short series on the Trinity

Habakukk - complete

James - complete

Romans 8:14,15 - You did not receive a spirit of slavery

8:14

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”. Living by the flesh leads to slavery, being led by the Spirit is part of being a son of God. There is a whole world of difference between living by the flesh and living by the Spirit, the two could not be more different.

8:15

We did not receive the Spirit of slavery. You read the chapters 7 and 8 as if they are talking about “not sinning” in the sense of our slavery to overt sinfulness. I.e. the things we generally think of as sinful, such as the works of the flesh listed in Gal 5:19-21. Or, as I tend to take it, as talking about living out of our own strength as opposed to living by the Spirit. I very much think this latter angle is the more likely. If we look at the gospel as God setting out demands and then leaving us to meet these demands by our own strength then we are no better off than we were without the gospel. For we would still be slaves to sin. If we live by the flesh then we cannot please God and we cannot be free from sin. And so often we fall into effectively calling on people to live by the flesh, by their own strength. Just think of the way we seek to encourage people to be more evangelistic. Most approaches use a combination of trying to make people feel guilty, and teaching them techniques or methods. And, if we are honest, this has not yielded much fruit. But we were not called to slavery, we have received “the spirit of adoption by whom we cry “Abba Father”. There is such a difference. By the way, sometimes we talk about “Abba Father” as if it means “Daddy”. Its meaning is much deeper than that. Jesus cried out “Abba Father” once (Mark 14:36) and that was in the Garden of Gethsemane. “Abba Father” speaks of an incredibly deep relationship with God, one which enables us to do whatever He calls us to do.