Law and Offering
MOSES R CUNG
Lesson (1)
Four Laws
There are 613 laws in the Bible. These laws can be found in the Books of Law (The Pentateuch) written by Moses in the followings:
These laws, from the Pentateuch, can be classified into four:
1. Ceremonial Law
The law reveals which God and how He is to be worshiped. The law essentially includes the first four from the Ten Commandments that says, "You shall have no other gods before Me"; "You shall not worship carved image"; "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain"; and "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy".
2. Civil Law
It is the law that addresses how the society should be governed. One illustration is, "When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty. If the guilty person deserves to be beaten, the judge shall make them lie down and have them flogged in his presence with the number of lashes the crime deserves, but the judge must not impose more than forty lashes. If the guilty party is flogged more than that, your fellow Israelite will be degraded in your eyes." (Deuteronomy 25:1-3)
3. Moral Law
It is a law that addresses how human being are to communicate and relate with one another. From the fifth to the tenth of the Ten Commandments describe the essence of the Moral Law. "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”(Exodus 20:12-17)
4. Dietary Law
This law reveals which foods are to be consumed and which are to be avoided. Most people know only the moral and civil laws but not so much about the dietary law. They would eat any food because they think that it is not important to know about what they eat. In the same way they worship God without knowing the importance of the ceremonial law. The body suffers when one breaks the dietary law.
The spirit suffers when the ceremonial law is not observed. The mind will suffer if the moral law is broken. In chapter 11 of the book of Leviticus, God provided the dietary law specifying which food is holy and which one is not for consumption.
"You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you. The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you. And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you."(Leviticus 11:3-8)
The Blood and Animal's Fat
God forbids the eating of blood and fat of the animals that He created. "This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.” (Leviticus 3:17) "And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal." (Leviticus 7:26)
"I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood, and I will cut them off from the people. For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood. Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth, because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.” (Leviticus 17:10-14)
Some may be wondering whether salvation can be lost if blood and fat are eaten. The answer is no, salvation cannot be lost for eating blood and fat. However, blood carries diseases and fat can block arteries and thus affect blood circulation. Consequently, one should not eat these if he or she wants to have a healthy and long life. God knows the details about his creation. Therefore, He put restrictions on what human beings should eat and not eat. Those who do not heed His warnings could end up with chronic health problems and living a short life.
Besides blood and fat, we ought to avoid eating egg yolk, bone marrow, animal's brain, butter, and animal skin. We also should avoid all the tasty, sweet dessert (sweets sugar meal). Especially those who live in developed countries should avoid these. We should eat more of vegetable and fruit instead. Those who do not care about what they eat usually suffer from stroke, heart failure, brain aneurysm resulting in premature death. So, when a believer dies as a consequence, the comment usually made is, "Oh, it is the will of God", and when an unbeliever dies, the comment heard is, "it is very unfortunate." Even though God wants everyone to have a long life, when His dietary laws are not followed, the result usually is early death. Even though the dead person does not know what had happened, family members have to endure terrible suffering of loss and inexpressible pain.
Moral Law
People usually use their good character as a measurement of decision about whether they would go to heaven when they die. When one is of good character they would "send" them to heaven, but if the person is of bad character they would "send" to hell.
However, the owner of the heaven, God, uses the "ceremonial law" as the measurement. Now, how do we know that to be true? Pharisees thought of themselves to be beyond reproach when it comes to living a righteous life. Jesus Christ once said to the Pharisees, "the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you". (Matthew 21:31) In those days harlots and tax collectors are thought to be the lowliest of sinners so much so that no one wants to mingle with them. Nevertheless, Jesus Christ said that they would be the one who enter the kingdom of God first.
To the Israelites who were very zealous and religious, Apostle Paul also said, "Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and pray to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness." (Roman 10:1-3) The Israelites did not get saved even though they have a zeal for God because they did not worship God the right way. Instead, they used moral law as their guide and tried to lead a righteous life. So, it is imperative that God should be worshipped according to His instruction.
Incorrect Way of Worship
A popular proverb goes like this:
"Wrong trading may impact one time.
Wrong farming may impact a year.
But wrong marriage would impact one's whole life."
Fair enough, but this proverb should be appended to say,
"Wrong worship would impact all eternity."
If trading has gone wrong, it's possible to lose large sum of money. If farming has gone wrong, it could result in short supply of food that will last a whole year. If a marriage has gone wrong, it could result in lifelong suffering of heartache. However, the biggest mistake that one should not make in life is worshiping God the wrong way. The consequences of wrong worshiping would be felt right after physical death from which one can never recover as it lasts for eternity, and therefore, it needs to be taken care of while one is still alive. Sadly, people generally ignore this very important matter.
Questions from Lesson (1)
Lesson (2)
Two Groups of Men
People of the world can be classified into two groups. Those who have religion and those who do not.
Those with Religion
Those who have religion are living not just for this earthly life but are also prepared for the life hereafter.
Those without Religion
This group of people are living only for the present life and do not make preparation for the next life. God called them "fools". Lord Jesus said, "And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? (Luke 12:16-20)
Therefore, those who do not think about their future life are fools indeed. To them, whether to go to heaven or not is not a consideration at all. In reality, hell is for them because if they do not worship the Lord of heaven, how will they get to heaven? It is very sad.
Two Types of God Worshipers
Those who worship can be further broken down into two groups: those who worship other god and those who worship the living God.
Those Who Worship Other God
There are many different kinds of religion in the world and many worshipers. Many people worship gods other than the living God. The scriptures said " but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons." (1 Corinthians 10:20) It's clear from this bible verse that those who do not worship the living God worship demons. For that reason, the destination of their spirit is obvious: They are heading towards the lake of fire because that is also Satan's final destination. Therefore, their good behavior, sacrifices and trying to do good will not help in the end. What a sad ending it will be.
Those Who Worship the Living God
There are people who worship the living God. Their chance to get to heaven is high because they worship the Lord (Owner) of heaven. However, not all of them will get there because how they worship God will determine their final destination.
Two Kinds of Worship
Those who worship the living God can be broken further into two categories. Those who worship in their own way and those who worship according to the will of God.
Those Who Worship in their Own Way
There are many kinds of worshipers who are in this category. These people do worship the living God. Some people truly love God. They want to live their life according to the will of God, but they do not know how. These people worship God innocently but incorrectly. Some do not even love God. They worship Him because their parents did and that becomes a heredity. In fact, people in this category do not have faith in God. "The will of God" do not play a role in their lives, and therefore, their own self-satisfaction is of paramount to them. They are not interested in knowing the 'will' of God, nor do they really try to find out. They cannot not be taught. How pitiful these people are!
For some, it is not because they believe in God, but it has become their livelihood and therefore they worship God. These people are serving God in name only.
Some worship God because they want to be like others so that they will not be at odd with them. For them the 'will' of God is not of absolute importance.
Meanwhile, some are not concerned about the 'will' of God because they are busy chasing after worldly riches and pursuing personal happiness in life. It becomes quite an accomplishment for them if they could get to church at all on Sundays.
For some young people, the church is a place to find love interests and thus the will of God is not of that crucial. To them, the church is as important as a place to enjoy worship music and meet other people.
For some, running a church or conducting church businesses is rather important that the will of God is not even understood. The church's constitutions and bylaws are their only interests. Increasing the church's funds week by week becomes their goal and vision.
Now, let us further dig in from the bible on how some people worship.
Cain
When Cain, the older son of Adam, brought an offering of the fruit of the ground, God did not accept his offering and so that got him very angry. God explained the reason as follows: " Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin offering is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”. (Genesis 4:6,7)
The manner in which Cain worshiped was wrong. He did not bring what God has asked for but gave what he thought was proper; so, God did not accept his giving. God explained His Will to Cain after his conduct was found to be wrong. God provided an offering near the door to be used. Cain could have used that for offering. If Cain had used what God had provided, his offering would have been accepted. However, at the end Cain walked away from God.
Cain kept on sinning because of his wrong way of worship. Firstly, he got mad, and his face was downcast. He did not accept what God had told him. He was jealous of his younger brother Abel who brought an animal sacrifice as commanded. So, Cain killed him. "Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) He lied. At the end, he ran away from God. Wrong worship will lead one to commit sin after sin, just like Cain.
King Saul
Saul was the first king of Israel. Israelites were to attack the Philistines as said in 1 Samuel 13. Prophet Samuel told king Saul, "Go down ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do." (1 Samuel 10:8) However, Saul became weary as the enemies approached closer and closer. Some of his armies had deserted one by one. Although he had waited for six days for prophet Samuel to arrive, Saul could no longer wait for another day. Thus, King Saul himself offered the sacrifices that is an obligation only allowed to be performed by a priest. "So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.” (1 Samuel 13:9-14)
Saul had done wrong by not following God's command. While he did not break the Moral Law, he broke the Ceremonial Law, which only the priest was allowed to carry out. It was a grave transgression in the eyes of God to perform offerings by an ordinary person who was not a priest. Although Saul worshiped God, he did not get the blessings but reaped God's rejection.
Israelites
Israelites also worshiped God incorrectly as prophet Isaiah said, “The multitude of your sacrifices what are they to me?” says the LORD. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood." (Isaiah 1:11-15)
Israelites worshiped God; They brought in many burnt offerings. They held many feasts. However, God did not accept their offerings. Instead, activities became annoyance to God. God had to always tolerate them. Yet they failed to realize that they never fulfill God's will. Why couldn't they understand? It was because they worshiped in their own way instead of God's. They did not bother to find out what God's desire is on worshiping Him. It will be very sad if we also worship like what the Israelites did because it would only result in annoying God.
Once again, God said through prophet Isaiah,"These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught." (Isaiah 29:13) It was the same thing during Jesus's time here on earth. Jesus Christ said God was worshiped ineffectually as follows: "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'' (Matthew. 15:7-9)
Israelites worshiped God with their lips without looking into how God wanted them to worship Him. They put more emphasis on the do's and don'ts that they made into laws. Therefore, they worship God in vain. If only they had understood they would not have done such useless thing. Likewise, our worship would be worthless and ineffective if we neglect God's way and keep on pushing our own way.
Apostle Paul also wrote, "Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayed to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness." (Roman 10:1-3)
It is obvious that Paul's prayers for the salvation of Israelites did not materialize. It was because they did not accept God given righteousness. Even though they worshiped God, it was useless since they did it the way they deemed important instead of carrying it out according to His will.
Does it make sense to worship God in vain? You might not realize the consequence of useless worship while you're alive, but you would realize how fearful it is in your next life. So, it is important to do the right thing by finding out God's will NOW and worship Him the way He wanted us to, because it would be too late once our spirit leaves our body.
Questions from Lesson (2)
Lesson (3)
Men Who Worship According to God's Will
Those who worship according to God's will do not put their own will first. They search for God's will first.
Abel
Abel worshiped God according to His will and therefore his offering was accepted. "By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead."(Hebrew 11:4) Although he got killed out of envy, because he worshiped according to God's will, Abel went to heaven to be with God forever and so his short life on earth was rather gratifying. It is awesome to be in heaven with a short earthly life than to spend time in hell forever with a long earthly life. They just do not compare.
Enoch
Enoch lived and walked according to God's will and won the heart of God. "When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God for 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more (living on the earth), because God took him away. When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech." (Genesis 5:21-24)
The writer of Hebrews also recorded about Enoch's life as follows, "By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. (Hebrew 11:5) Enoch was taken because he worshiped God according to His will. God enjoyed being with Enoch so much so that He took him away to heaven. Does God also walk along with us?
Noah
People lived wickedly in the days of Noah, "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:5) Therefore God planned to wipe out these people from the earth. But the Bible said, "This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God." (Genesis 6:9) It said that Noah walked with God, and therefore, it is obvious that he worshiped diligently and lived according to God's will. "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith." (Hebrew 11:7)
Abraham
Abraham once was an idol worshiper. The Hebrew writer said, "8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. The bible indicates that Abraham became a righteous person thru faith. "Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6) Abraham turned away from worshipping idols to worshipping God according to His will and therefore God recognized him as the father of faith.
David
King David who knew the will of God said, "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." (Psalm 51:16,17) David knew that God preferred a broken heart than sacrifice from His worshipers. That is why David was a worshiper who touched God's heart.
Paul
Saul, before he became Paul, destroyed the churches because he didn't know the will of God. He mistakenly thought that the churches were on the wrong track. However, on the road to Damascus, a light from heaven flashed around him and he got blinded temporarily and heard the call of Jesus and started to know the will of God. Consequently, he realized and wrote that things that were tried humanly amount to nothing. "Circumcised on the eighth day of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:5-11)
Once he began to know the will of God, Paul abandoned his old way and tried to serve the churches that he tried so hard to destroy. He ended up serving the Lord through many hardships. He eventually likened anything done in the flesh to human waste. Because he worshiped God according to His way, Paul discovered deep things of God and was able to write the majority of the letters found in the New Testament, which benefits us all.
Questions for Chapter 3
Lesson (4)
While there are many laws regarding Ceremonial Law, only the four most important laws will be addressed here. They are:
1. Only the Living God Must be Worshiped
The owner of heaven and hell is the living God, the creator. How would one inherit heaven if he did not worship the owner? God Himself had said, “You shall have no other gods before me.4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below."(Exodus 20:3, 4) Therefore, one does not even have to ponder whether he will get to heaven or not. It is crystal clear that he must worship the living God in order to get to heaven.
God does not want to give His glory to anyone else. He is very much concerned that people might worship gods other than Himself. For that reason, He warned them again and again not to worship other gods and thus gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites, "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God". (Exodus 34:14) This verse says He is a jealous God. Jealousy usually happens between husband and wife and also between boyfriend and girlfriend. Jealousy is intense when there is an intense love between the two.
As such, when people worship other gods, God becomes very jealous. He, therefore, warned the Israelites time and time again through Moses. “Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips." (Exodus 23:13) God did not want them to even murmur with their lips the name of another god. His jealousy is obvious.
"Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land."(Deuteronomy 6:13-15)
God had forewarned that He would get rid of those who worship gods other than Him from the face of the earth. Therefore, one could see how He becomes full of rage if a person worship other god. That is very important fact one should be aware of. However, it is sad that today's so-called Christians do not pay attention to this fact. As an example, when choosing life partner for their children, some Christians tend to put emphasis on worldly possession of the prospect and overlook their relationship with God. This reasoning provokes God's anger.
"If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you love, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (gods that neither you nor your ancestors have known, gods of the peoples around you, whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other), do not yield to them or listen to them. Show them no pity. Do not spare them or shield them. You must certainly put them to death. Your hand must be the first in putting them to death, and then the hands of all the people. Stone them to death, because they tried to turn you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."(Deuteronomy 13:6-10)
God commanded to kill without hesitation, anyone who entices his or her friend's family member(s) to worship other gods. This indicates how much God detests worshiping other than Himself. Today, many Christians do not seem to take this seriously.
For God, worshiping other god is the same as "playing a harlot or a prostitute" as we read in the following passage: "Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. “Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices. And when you choose some of their daughters as wives for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods, they will lead your sons to do the same. Do not make any idols." (Exodus 34:12-17)
One could see how furious God would become if one worshipped another god, and how sinful it is to do so. Even though God warned the Israelites time and time again, they committed this crime of worshiping idols since their exodus from Egypt to the day they became Babylonian slaves. Only during the reign of King David, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah did the Israelites worship Jehovah God and not other gods. Prophets after prophets were sent to warn them but they did not heed the warnings. Therefore, in the end, the Israelites were made slaves under the Assyrians and Judah under the Babylonians.
Worshiping other god is the most serious committed sin for the Eternal God and is not an ordinary crime. However, today's Christians regard it as not that important. Instead, they consider the violation of moral law more serious.
God was worshipped where he is
Everywhere
From the beginning of the world to the giving of the commandments, God can be worshiped wherever they like. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob wherever went, they built altars and worshiped.
in the tabernacle
God told Moses to build a tabernacle at the foot of Mount Sinai. Since then, God has to be worshiped only in the tabernacle.
Only in the temple
When King Solomon built the temple instead of the tabernacle, he had to worship only in the temple. Because God resided only in the temple. But when the people of Israel forsook God and worshiped other gods because they were not faithful, sacrifices were offered under every green tree and on every hill. Because God foreknows what will happen so he warned; “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully follow in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth. You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you are going to dispossess serve their gods, on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every leafy tree. And you shall tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones to pieces, and burn their Asherim in the fire, and cut to pieces the carved images of their gods; and you shall eliminate their name from that place. You shall not act this way toward the Lord your God. But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and you shall come there. You shall bring there your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. There you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you. “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes; (Deuteronomy 12:1-8)
“Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in any cultic place that you see, but only in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes: there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do everything that I command you.. (Deuteronomy 12:13-14) The Lord commanded through Moses over and over again. Therefore, the people of Israel worshiped only in the tabernacle or the temple. However, when other gods are worshiped, they tend to worship in different places.
A period of transition
The people of Israel worshiped God in the tabernacle in the wilderness. Ever since the building of the temple in Jerusalem, people have worshiped only in the temple. Therefore, the Samaritan woman went to Jesus, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and yet you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one must worship.” Jesus said to her, “Believe Me, woman, that a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” (John 4:20-21) He answered. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that he was about to change the place where he would worship.
Temple destroyed
When the Lord Jesus died, it was seen that the curtain that covered the most holy place in the temple was torn. Then the curtain of the temple was torn from the upper end to the lower end. and the earth shook. The stones are different. (Matthew 27:51) Why was the veil of the temple torn when Jesus died? It shows that the time of worshiping God from the temple has ended. This is because God is no longer in the man-made temple, so he cannot be worshiped in the temple anymore. The temple was destroyed by Roman soldiers in 70 AD. The Israelites plotted to rebuild it around 135 AD but failed. To this day, because there is no temple, sacrifices can no longer be made. One of Israel's main goals is to rebuild the temple and to offer sacrifices. However, the Muslims built a wall on the site of the temple, so their dream could not be fulfilled. God has placed the best guards. Others owned the site of the temple, but the people of Israel bought it and built the temple. Knowing this, God placed the best guards, the Muslims, as guards.
Christians today think that God can be worshiped in a church building built by human hands. In other words, it is true. But not perfect. The Catholic Church continues to maintain what the Israelites did. Other Christians do not even know the shadow; They don't know how to maintain it, they do as they like.
However, even if the temple was built as intended by the Israelites, there would be no benefit. Because God is not in the man-made temple. The temples built by Catholics are also meaningless. God does not dwell in the church of other Christians. So who is right? Where should God be worshipped? We will continue to study those things. Read on.
Questions for Chapter 4
Lesson (5)
2. God Must be Worshiped Only Where He Is
Anywhere
Since the beginning of creation to the time until the Law was given, God allowed man to worship Him anywhere. We know that because Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob erected altar and worshiped God wherever they went.
In the Tabernacle
Next, God directed Moses to build tabernacle at the foot on Mount Sinai. Since then God was worshiped only in the tabernacle.
Only in the Temple
Once King Solomon built the temple, God was worshiped only in the temple because He resided in the Temple. However, the Israelites broke their loyalty to God and began worshiping other gods and offering sacrifices under every green tree and on all high hills and mountains. Knowing in advance that they will do this, God forewarned them through Moses, "These are the decrees and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess as long as you live in the land. Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains, on the hills and under every spreading tree, where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and burn their Asherah poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names from those places. You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the first born of your herds and flocks. There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you. You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit,." (Deuteronomy 12:1-8)
"Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you." (Deuteronomy 12:13-14) Therefore, Israelites worshiped God only in the tabernacle or in the temple, but when they worshiped other gods, they worshiped everywhere.
Transitional Period
Israelites worshiped God in the tabernacle during their exodus from Egypt but worshiped only in the temple once construction of the temple was completed. Therefore, the Samaritan woman said to Jesus,"Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." (John 4:20-21) Jesus effectively was telling the Samaritan woman that the place of worship was about to change soon.
Temple Destroyed
When Jesus died on the cross the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom: "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split."(Matt. 27:51) This incident was a declaration that the temple worship has effectively ended. It was to announce that God no longer resides in a place built by human's hands and therefore temple worship is no longer possible.
The temple was destroyed by the Roman soldiers in AD 70 and thus no longer exists. Israelites tried to rebuilt it in AD 135 without success. Therefore, sacrificial offerings can no longer be performed until today. One of the major goals of Israelites today is to rebuild the temple. However, their plan cannot be realized because a mosque that belongs to the Muslim, the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is already built at the very site where the temple once stood. It seems as though God has placed the best security guard to prevent the Israelites from attempting to build a new building. Had someone else owned the land other than the Muslims, the Israelites could have bought the place and would have built the temple by now.
Today, Christians think that they can worship God in a church built by human beings. In a sense that is true, but it's not completely true. The Roman Catholics build large shrines and cathedrals to imitate the temple of the Israelites. In the Catholic Church, the altar is the structure upon which the Eucharist is celebrated where candlesticks with lighted candle are placed. Only the priests may go and serve in the area designated as the "altar".
All other Christians do not set aside such a "holy area" and thus everyone is permitted to go up to the pulpit area. So, while the Catholic church imitates and maintains the shadow, other denominations do not attempt to imitate nor even recognize the shadow, and thus do not know what to maintain; so they do everything according to their heart desire.
Even if a temple is built exactly like the one built by the Israelites, it would not be beneficial since God no longer resides in the temple built by human hands. Thus, the "temples" built by the Roman Catholic church do not have any considerable meaning. In the same way, God does not dwell in the buildings constructed by other denominations either.
If so, who is right? Where should God be worshiped. We will learn this in the lessons to come.
Questions for Chapter 5
Lesson (6)
3. Worship Only Through the Priest
When employees wanted to see the CEO, only the leader among them would go into the office and meet with the boss. The reason is because not all of them would fit inside the office but also because not all of them need to address the issues with the boss. Only the representative needs to represent them and have a discussion with their boss. Likewise when meeting with God, not all people would need to go and meet with God but only a leader who is referred to as the Priest would.
Head of the Household
Since the beginning of the creation until the time of Moses when the ceremonial laws were given by God, there were no designated priest. Every head of the household functioned as the priest. Cain and Abel were the priests, thus they offered sacrifices (Genesis 4:1-5). Noah himself was also the priest (Genesis 8:20). Abraham was also the priest (Genesis 12:7). Isaac and Jacob also were priests of their respective household (Genesis 26:25; 35:1)
Aaron and Sons
However, after the exodus from Egypt started and the Israelites reached Mount Sinai, the Ceremonial Laws were given to Moses; since then the rule of becoming a priest changed. Only Aaron and sons could become priests for all people and who could offer sacrifices. God reminded Moses - "Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests."(Exodus 28:1)
When Gorah, Dathan, and Abiram revolted by wanting to take the priesthood from Aaron, God wrath befell on them with the ground under them split opened and swallowed them up as shown in the following passages: "Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to the assembly, ‘Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.’” Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. He warned the assembly, “Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins.” So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents. Then Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me. But if the LORD brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the LORD with contempt.” As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, and all those associated with Korah, together with their possessions. They went down alive into the realm of the dead, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community." (Numbers 16:23-33)
Two hundred fifty men who sided with them were also burnt by fire fallen from God. "And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense."(Numbers 16:35)
The priesthood is only for Aaron and his sons as can be seen in the following passage.
The LORD said to Aaron, “You, your sons and your family are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons alone are to bear the responsibility for offenses connected with the priesthood. Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the tent of the covenant law. They are to be responsible to you and are to perform all the duties of the tent, but they must not go near the furnishings of the sanctuary or the altar. Otherwise both they and you will die. They are to join you and be responsible for the care of the tent of meeting—all the work at the tent—and no one else may come near where you are. “You are to be responsible for the care of the sanctuary and the altar, so that my wrath will not fall on the Israelites again. I myself have selected your fellow Levites from among the Israelites as a gift to you, dedicated to the LORD to do the work at the tent of meeting. But only you and your sons may serve as priests in connection with everything at the altar and inside the curtain. I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift. Anyone else who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death." (Numbers 18:1-7)
Saul
God rejected Saul from being the king of Israel because he could not wait another day for Samuel the prophet to arrive and offered burnt offering himself (1 Samuel 13).
Jeroboam
Jeroboam violated all of the ceremonial laws when he became a king. He made molded image and worshiped as god. He also made priests from every class of people. "Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites." (1 Kings 12:31)
Not only Jeroboam made priests from ordinary class of people, but he also chose the date for the feast. Therefore, he was reprimanded by God's prophets. But he kept on sinning against God without remorse. "Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places. This was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its downfall and to its destruction from the face of the earth."(1 King 13:33-34)
Therefore, God was very angry with him and said through prophet Ahijah, " Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you, but you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes. You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made for yourself other gods, idols made of metal; you have aroused my anger and turned your back on me. Because of this, I am going to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam. I will cut off from Jeroboam every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung, until it is all gone. Dogs will eat those belonging to Jeroboam who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country. The LORD has spoken!" (1 King 14:7-11)
We have learned how the lives of Korah and group ended because they want to be priests. We learned that God rejected King Saul for not relying on the priest. We also learned about the sin of King Jeroboam who appointed priests form every class of people. Therefore, it's clear that becoming a priest is very important matter. So then who is our priest? Are Catholic fathers priests? Are the ministers priests? Are the offsprings of Aaron still priests? Are you a priest yourself? Who would you turn to without knowing who the priest is? How is God to be worshiped without the priest presence? These topics will be explored more.
Questions for Chapter 6
Lesson (7)
4. Worship Only With Sacrificial Offerings
God cannot be worshiped empty handed. Eternal God himself said, "Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt. No one is to appear before me empty-handed." (Exodus 23:14-15)
"Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread. For seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt. “The first offspring of every womb belongs to me, including all the firstborn males of your livestock, whether from herd or flock. Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your first born sons. “No one is to appear before me empty-handed." (Exodus 34:18-20)
"Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Weeks and the Festival of Tabernacles. No one should appear before the LORD empty-handed: Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you." (Deut. 16:16-17)
Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. (Hebrew 8:3)
Sacrificial Offerings Needed
Therefore, one must not appear before God empty-handed but bring something along. Israelites usually brought bulls, sheep, doves, pigeon, rams, grain, cakes, etc. So, what should we bring when we approach the eternal God? Shall we bring prayers, offerings, and our good deeds? Will these help us find favor in the eyes of God? God himself said that no one shall appear before Him empty-handed. Have you ever thought about what you would bring to Him?
Cain
We already learned that Cain brought the wrong offering to God. When he brought the fruit of the ground to the Lord, God rejected it. To be fair to Cain, grain offerings in the forms of fine flour, unleavened baked cakes, and first fruits were usually taken to God. (Lev. 2) However, God explained why He did not accept Cain's offering.
"If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin offering is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)
Genesis 4:7 is translated in most English Bibles as "sin is crouching (or lies) at the door." A closer look at that verse yields some interesting interpretations. If one looks at the Hebrew word, "חַטָּאת (chattat)," the phrase "sin is crouching at the door" could mean "sin offering is lying at the door." Since sin does not have a physical body, it cannot lie at the door. Therefore, the object that lies at the door could be an animal (suitable for sin offering).
God provided an offering to be used, but Cain refused to use it. Therefore, God refused Cain and his offering (fruit of the ground). Unable to bear the rejection of God, Cain walked away from Him. If one walks away, it is impossible to receive eternal life and blessings from God.
Israelites
Although Israelites used to bring animals for offerings, the animals were blemished and thus God said to them, "A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?” says the LORD Almighty. “It is you priests who show contempt for my name. “But you ask,‘How have we shown contempt for your name?’ “By offering defiled food on my altar. “But you ask,‘How have we defiled you?’ “By saying that the LORD’s table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty." (Malachi 1:6-8)
“But you profane it by saying, ‘The Lord’s table is defiled,’ and, ‘Its food is contemptible.’ And you say, ‘What a burden!’ and you sniff at it contemptuously,” says the LORD Almighty. “When you bring injured, lame or diseased animals and offer them as sacrifices, should I accept them from your hands?” says the LORD. “Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord. For I am a great king,” says the LORD Almighty, “and my name is to be feared among the nations."(Mal. 1: 12-14)
The Israelites abandoned God and worshiped other gods. Therefore, God made them slaves of the Babylonians and pierced their ears. After being freed from the Babylon slavery, they learned their lessons and stopped worshiping idols, turned back and worshiped their God. Though they came back to worship God, the Israelites used blemished offerings as we read in the book of Malachi. Therefore God rejected them and their offerings.
As such, what will you bring to God as your offering? Will it be your good deeds, your tithes and offerings, prayers, faithful Bible readings? Do you expect God will accept those? If you come to Him empty-handed, will He accept you? We will explore more on this.
It is possible that you might not have all the answers. It is also possible that nobody has explained it to you, or you may not be interested in it. Thus you end up worshiping God the way you want. The Israelites of old had made this mistake, and many Christians today are still following their footsteps. Our next studies will be about how to worship God the right way or rather the way He wanted us to worship Him.
Questions for Chapter 7
Lesson (8)
True Worship
Under the Ceremonial Law, one must worship only the Eternal God. Let us assume that all Christians worship the only eternal God. (If one worships only the eternal God, He would be much loved, most revered, respected, and feared. But in reality, God is remembered only when confronted with problems, and when help is expected from Him. This type of worship is a courtesy worship) God requires us that we worship Him according to His Will.
True Sanctuary
When worshiping God, He must be worshiped where He is. It is true that God is present everywhere. Like the Psalmist said, "God's presence is in the heaven, in hell, and in the remote part of the sea." (Psalm 139:7-9) But God resides on His throne in the designated place. This place is in Heaven. Heaven is the sanctuary, the holiest place since the beginning. But man do not know this. Since man cannot get to Heaven, God Himself came down to earth and lived with man.
God reminded Moses as follows: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you. (Ex. 25:8-9) Moses constructed a tabernacle for God as he was instructed in the wilderness. No one could enter the tabernacle except the priest because God resided in it. No one was permitted to enter it. One would die if entered. Moses was shown the tabernacle during his forty days stay on Mount Sinai. Therefore, the tabernacle in Heaven was real and the one on earth was a shadow.
Moses was the first person to see the real tabernacle of Heaven. Subsequently, prophet Isaiah and Ezekiel were allowed to see. Apostle Paul wrote that he also saw the tabernacle of Heaven as follows: "I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows - was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell." (2 Cor. 12:1-4) Apostle John also saw and wrote about it in Revelation chapters 1,4 and 5.
1,500 years Under the Shadow
The tabernacle constructed on earth was the shadow of the one in heaven as described as follows. "They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: 'See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.'''(Heb. 8:5)
The Israelites worshiped God in the tabernacle built by Moses for about 500 years. After King Solomon built a temple, Israelites worshiped in the temple for about 375 years. Because of their sin the temple was set on fire and destroyed by the Babylonian in 585 BC. Then another temple was built by Zerubbabel under the direction of Persian king Cyrus the Great in 516 BC. That second temple was set on fire and destroyed by the Roman soldiers in 70 AD. Hence, the Israelites worshiped God in the temples for about one thousand years all together. The reason God allowed man to worship in the tabernacle and temple for these many years was because human beings were sinners and could not go to heaven. Therefore, God gave them intensive training on earth on how they should worship God so that they will never forget all throughout their lives.
In the Authentic Temple
It was not God's idea that man would worship Him in man-made tabernacle forever. God had a plan since the beginning. Therefore, Jesus indirectly explained the Samaritan woman that the worship location was about to change. "Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem." (John 4:20-21)
Accordingly, when Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn: "And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split." (Matt. 27:50,51)
Why did the veil in the temple was torn when He died? It was to show that the time of worshiping God in the temple made by human's hand had come to an end. The Hebrews writer also said as follows: "But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption."(Hebrew 9:11-12)
"Jesus Christ, our High Priest, did not enter into the man-made tabernacle or temple but entered into the real throne built by God instead to sacrifice His own blood. Therefore the earthly temple is no longer needed. Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being." (Heb. 8:1-2)
The scriptures above show that Jesus Christ now worshiped God in the true tabernacle in heaven on behalf of all believers. Since our High Priest now worships God in heaven on our behalf, God can accept our worship here on earth. It is important to know this truth.
Questions for Chapter 8
Lesson (9)
Shadow of Temple in Heaven
God commanded to construct the shadow tabernacle on earth. We have learned that the era of worship in the shadow tabernacle has ended. Let us now look at those who are not aware of it and thus still worshiping their own way.
Those Wanting to Continue with Shadow Worship
Because they did not know about the annulment of the shadow, the Israelites continued their worship in the earthly temple in Jerusalem for about forty years. Even though the Scriptures did not mention what happened to the veil of the Holy of Holies that was torn from top to bottom, some people assumed that it might have probably been sewn it back up. Since the shadow would not be needed any longer, Jesus had spoken to His disciples about the intention of destroying the temples as follows: "Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 'Do you see all these things?' he asked. 'Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down'" (Matt. 24:1-2)
As Jesus Christ had foretold, the Jerusalem temple was destroyed by the Roman soldiers in AD 70. However, because they did not understand the destruction of the temple was God's will, the Israelites again tried to rebuild a new temple in AD 135 but without any success. Shortly after that, the Muslims built their mosque at the very location where the temple once stood, and thus it seems God has put the best caretaker of the location to prevent Israelites from ever attempting to build another temple. Had there been custodians other than the Muslims, the Israelites might have bribed them and rebuilt their temple already by now.
It's interesting to know that the Israelites' prayer request today is to rebuild the temple and worship God the way they did before. However, God has not honored their request no matter how hard they cried and prayed. The reason being, the era of shadow worship is over and the time has come to worship God in the real temple. How sad is it that Israelites have not yet realized it. But being ignorant or not knowing the fact would not persuade God to change His mind.
Those Who Continue Shadow Worshiping
While the Israelites are hoping to rebuild the shadow temple, the Roman Catholics build large buildings in the likeness of the temple around the world. They set aside an area for the altar and the tabernacle where their priests may come and administer the Eucharist. The priests also dress and perform like the priest of Old Testament, wearing long robes and swinging censers, sending clouds of incense wafting through the air. They are maintaining the old testament tradition that Jesus Christ has already fulfilled, and thus are still continuing the shadow worshiping. The same way the Israelites were silent when the priest entered the temple, Roman Catholics also stay quiet when they are in the church.
Neither Seeing the Shadow nor the Real One
We have learned that while the Israelites are still yearning for the shadow, Roman Catholics are imitating the shadow. Unfortunately there are yet another group who neither see the shadow nor the real one. These are some protestant denominations who do not belong to the Roman Catholics.
Some protestant groups do not understand the shadow worshiping and therefore they also do not think about replicating it either. They thought of these things as the tradition of Israelites and therefore they do not even try to imitate. Therefore they construct church buildings without a place set aside for Holy of Holies inside the church building. Therefore everyone goes up on the pulpit and preach, sing, play drama, and do every thing else that they feel like doing. As a result, the protestant churches are noisy and look very much like theaters during the worship services.
Because these Protestants do not understand the shadow, they do not understand the real one. Therefore, they worship God the way they feel like worshiping. They only emphasize the importance of the New Testament (NT) and not the Old Testament(OT). They look down on those who put emphasis on the Old Testament. They usually thought that OT has nothing to do with them so they usually claim to be NT churches.
They also thought of the pastors as priests. The offerings and good behavior are being thought of as sacrifices. Though they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior they do not know about what the Savior has done for them. Therefore, they expect their good deeds and good behavior will get them to heaven. However, knowing that they themselves are not perfect, they do not have the assurance that they will get to heaven.
Earthly offerings and worshiping do not satisfy the principles of God. The Bible said, "This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper." (Heb. 9:9) In other words "if a person cannot achieve a complete understanding, he cannot have a clear conscience." If that's the case, the person cannot have a clear understanding of his worship of God. He will not be sure whether he would go to heaven or not. He will not have the knowledge that if he believes he had been completely forgiven from the judgment of sin. Therefore, this results in not having energy even to attend worship service. He would be worshiping either because it becomes a habit or because other people around him are also doing it.
Solving Math Problems
There are three parts in solving math problems: the question, the solution, and the result. Only when the problem is clearly understood, the solution can be derived. The correct result can be obtained only if the right method of calculation is used.
The Israelites have been solving the problem but could not get the answer. Then they stopped halfway down the road without reaching the answer. When conscience pushed them up, they began looking for the answer once again. But time has run out on them. That means, they are still yearning to maintain the shadow worship without realizing that it has been overtaken by the factual worship. No matter how determined they are to resume the shadow worship, God no longer allows them to get that chance.
This is the fulfillment of Hosea prophecy. "For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or house hold gods." (Hos. 3:4). True to Hosea's words, Israelites haven't been able to enjoy temple worship since AD 70 until today for almost 2,000 years. They have not been able to offer animals sacrifices to God. Nor they able to worship idols.
The same way Israelites are unable to finish solving the problems, Roman Catholics are still in the midst of solving the problem without any solution insight. The difference between the Israelites and the Roman Catholics is that the latter group is simulating the former without offering the real sacrifices. While these two are still trying to solve the problems, there are yet other groups who do not know what the problem is, how it is to be solved, and not putting any effort to solve but already seem to have the result. These people are the Protestants. The Protestants do not see the shadow, nor do they see the substance but yet already have the answer. But they cannot explain the details of how they get to the answer.
While the Protestants do not imitate the Israelites priests, their ministers are now beginning to wear long robes. If the ministers started doing it, all believers should also be wearing the same since they are called "a royal priesthood" (1 Peter 2:9). Today, many Protestants worships are like festivals of loud noises. On the contrary, when the Roman Catholics hold their services their sanctuary is almost dead quiet. They seem to be imitating the Israelites who stayed quiet outside when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies.
Question for Chapter 9
Lesson (10)
Most Excellent High Priest
We have learned about the earthly High Priest. They were only the representation and they themselves lack the qualification to be the Most Excellent High Priest. Let us now explore about that Most Excellent High Priest.
Jesus Christ Our High Priest
The era of shadow had ended when Jesus Christ died on the cross. When the temple was destroyed the High Priest was also changed. The sons of Aaron were no longer priests, but Jesus from the tribe of Judah had become the high priest. This can be found in the book of Hebrews.
Aaron and the Priesthood
We have found previously that priests were chosen by God. About the priests chosen by men can be found as follows. "Every high priest is selected from among the people and is appointed to represent the people in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. And no one takes this honor on himself, but he receives it when called by God, just as Aaron was." (Heb. 5:1-4)
As seen in the above verses, human priests are weak because they themselves are human beings with sin and need to offer sin offerings for their own. As human beings, they can sympathize with fellow human beings. Even though they're weak, it is not allowed to take over their position at will. The reason is that they symbolize the priesthood of Jesus Christ who cannot be replaced by anyone else.
Jesus Christ Exalted by God
The following verses indicate that Jesus Christ did not exalt Himself to become a High Priest. "In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” (Hebrew 5:5) Also Psalm 2:7 said of Jesus Christ as “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You'" Therefore Jesus Christ was ordained as High Priest by God Himself.
To the Order of Melchizedek
The descendants of Aaron became priests by mean of inheritance. However, Jesus Christ did not attain the position of High Priest by inheritance. The Scriptures said, "'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'" (Heb. 5:6). This verse was taken from Psalms 110:4 that said, "The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.'" Therefore, the priesthood was not through the inheritance for Jesus Christ but through an oath.
Who was Melchizedek?
Melchizedek was a person who greeted and blessed Abraham. The Old Testaments mentioned Melchizedek only in a few words. "Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. (Gen. 14:18-20)
Lot became a prisoner of war when the enemy made war with Bera king of Sodom. Then his relative Abraham took 318 slaves with him and chased after the enemy and rescued his nephew Lot and regained all the possessions. At that time Melchizedek, king of Salem, greeted Abraham and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything he had. Melchizedek also blessed Abraham in return.
The Hebrews writer provided explanation in regards to the king of Salem as follows: "This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, the name Melchizedek means 'king of righteousness'; then also, 'king of Salem' means 'king of peace.' Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever". (Heb. 7:1-3)
Here, Jesus Christ was liken to king of Salem. The similarities between the two was that they were just(upright)kings. They each were the prince of peace. Jesus did not become human because of his parents even though he had them both. Like wise, King of Salem was said to have no father nor mother. Their genealogy cannot be traced. However, they each were Priest of the Most High.
Melchizedek More Prominent
According to the Scriptures we found that Melchizedek was more prominent than the descendants of Aaron. "Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites—even though they also are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by people who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor."(Heb. 7:4-10)
Melchizedek was older than Abraham according to the above verses. That's because older man usually blesses the younger one. We can tell Melchizedek was older because he blessed Abraham. Moreover, Melchizedek was more prominent than the tribe of Levi. The Levites used to accept one tenth offerings from their relatives. However, it was said that Levi offered Melchizedek the one tenth through Abraham. Therefore Melchizedek was more prominent than the Levites.
Through Priest Jesus
Israelites usually worshiped God and brought offerings through the priest. If they channeled their worship through the descendants of Aaron, it would be logical to channel their worship through Jesus who was liken to Melchizedek who was prominent then the descendants of Aaron. The writer of Hebrews said that "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."(Heb. 7:25)
Moreover, offerings through Jesus Christ the Priest is more perfect because He was without sin. "Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever." (Heb. 7:26-28)
"Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being." (Heb. 8:1-2)
God had prepared such a prophet for us. God will not deny our worship if it is approached through the Priest chosen by God Himself. Therefore Christ Himself said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."(John 14:6)
Therefore, if your worship God without going through Jesus Christ the Priest, you're worshiping in vain.
Questions for Chapter 10
Lesson (11)
Better Sacrifice
From the beginning of time until the time of Jesus, animals were offered as sacrifice. Fine flours were also used. But those were the shadow, and the eternal God did not intend those requirements to be permanent. God said, "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’” First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law." (Heb. 10:5-8)
The reason God prepared a body for Jesus Christ was to be used as the sacrifice. Jesus Christ existed as Spirit in Heaven and thus He could not be the sacrifice, since the spirit cannot die. So God prepared a body for Him so that He could become a sacrifice or an offering to God. Moreover, He was to sacrifice on behalf of human kind and thus needed to have a body like man. The Bible said, "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Heb 10:10)
When God was not satisfied with the offering of animal any longer, He prepared a body for His Son Jesus Christ. This was to become the ultimate sacrifice. The plan of His body to become the sacrifice was pre-planned before He created the earth. "He was chosen before the creation of the world, but it was revealed in these last times for your sake." (1 Pet. 1:20)
Therefore, whoever approach God by bringing his or her goodness, obedience, tithes and offerings, prayers, humbleness, human love, etc.., are like dirty rags to God, and thus will get rejected by God like that of Cain. However, if one would bring Jesus Christ, the sacrificial offering that God Himself had prepared, He will be satisfied and the offering will be gladly accepted.
"But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."(Heb. 9:11-15)
According to the scriptures above, Jesus Christ, Himself the High Priest, went into the heavenly Most Holy Place, not into man-made tabernacle, once and for all, not with the blood of goats and calves but with His own blood. The reason He entered the Most Holy Place once and for all was because there is no need to ever enter into it again.
In the Old Testament time, a person who touched a dead body became unclean and had to be purified himself with ashes of the heifer (a young cow) (Num. 19) The unblemished sacrificial blood that Jesus offered is capable of cleansing our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God. Therefore, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is more superior than the animals sacrifice.
Questions for Chapter 11
Lesson (12)
(1) Burnt Offerings
Various Offerings
The Israelites' offerings were not invented by themselves. They were done according to the command of God. We will look into the various kinds of offerings that were given different names.
"The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. “‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, you are to offer a male without defect. You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD. You are to lay your hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on your behalf to make atonement for you. You are to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. You are to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD." (Lev. 1:1-9)
Burnt offerings were not initiated by Moses; God Himself instructed Moses with a loud voice from inside the tabernacle. Therefore, those were the plans of the Almighty God Himself. Only domesticated livestock such as bulls, sheep, and goats were used for offerings. Man did not have a choice in choosing which animals he wanted to use. Strict guidelines were put in place by God in regards to ceremonial law.
If using Bull for Burnt Offering
This offering was called burnt offering. This offering is found frequently in the Scriptures. Burnt offering had nothing to do with committed sin and therefore it was not mandatory. One may offer this only if desired.
A Male Without Blemish
Cow (female) was not allowed to use for burnt offering. Only bull (male) without blemish must be used. Years later it was found that Israelites used bulls with blemish (Mal. 1:6-7)
To Appease Eternal God
In order for it to be meaningful, the offering must be done to the satisfaction of God. When inviting over someone for a meal, it is important to prepare the meal that would satisfy the guest. If the host prepared the meal the way he liked and enjoying it but the guest did not like the meal, it would be a useless effort. In the same manner, the offering would be a useless effort if God was not satisfied with it.
Many Christians today worship God without knowing what the will of God is. They don't have the willingness to find out what He likes. They seem to be content with the way they conduct their worship. It is not important to them to find out whether God is satisfied or not. To them getting along well with one another is more important. Because they do not know whether their worship is pleasing to God, they do not find their action to be problematic. Unity within the church is all that matters to them.
Offering Must be Brought by Door of Tabernacle of Meeting
Offering cannot be brought to random places. It had to be brought to the area of the Great Altar near the entrance of the tabernacle. That is the public gathering place near the entrance, also known as the Outer Court. This was also a commandment.
Laying Hand On Head of Burnt Offering
Laying hand on the head of the bull was not an act of blessing the bull. It is the act to symbolize that the bull represents the person who laid hand on it, meaning the bull would die on their behalf.
To Forgive His Sin
Burnt offering was not carried out for the forgiveness of sin. It was done to signify that man was a sinful kind and is in need of forgiveness. If it was for sin, burnt offering would be compulsory. Burnt offering was only an act for one to present offering much like a prayer.
Bull Must Be Killed Before the LORD
The bull cannot be offered alive. It must be slaughtered before GOD. The dead bull could then be burnt. The priests, sons of Aaron, then took some of the blood and bring it to the tabernacle of the meeting and sprinkled all around on the altar.
The blood of animal used for the burnt offerings was not to be brought inside the tabernacle. Instead it was to be sprinkled around the Great Altar located in front of entrance to the tent of meeting. The altar represents the cross.
Bull skinned and flesh cut
The person who offered the offering need to skin the bull and cut its flesh into pieces. It was to be burnt but must properly cut them into pieces. "You are to lay your hand on the head of your offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash the blood against the sides of the altar. From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering to the LORD: the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is lying on the burning wood; it is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD."(Leviticus 3:2-5)
After the person cut the animal into pieces, the priest then burnt the flesh on the altar. The head, the feet, the entrails and the fat that covers the entrails were burnt on the altar. There were none left to eat for the one who offered the sacrifice. The whole bull was offered to the LORD. This is called burnt offering.
Offering Made by Fire, a Sweet Aroma to the LORD. (Leviticus 1:9)
The purpose of burnt offering was to release sweet aroma to the LORD. Man is filthy in the sight of the LORD. The Psalmist said, "My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly." (Ps. 38:5) Man is dirty and need to take a bath daily. Man stinks before God, spiritually speaking. Being stinky before God symbolizes not finding favor in the eyes of God. Paul said in Romans 3:23, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Man is filthy in the sight of God and cannot find favor in His eyes. For that reason, man cannot approach God, thus he cannot pray to God if he cannot not approach God.
What Should be Offered
Israelites usually offered burnt offering in order to present themselves as sweet aroma to God. If so what about us, what should we be offering to God? Should we bring our good behavior, tithes and offerings, helping others, prayers, fasting, reading the Bible? Will these be enough to make us sweet aroma before God? If we are not sweet aroma before Him, we will not be getting any reaction from Him. We have to bring gifts to a person of authority in order to find favor in his eyes that will give us opportunity to ask from him what we have in mind. There is a catch though. The present we bring along must be of the kinds he likes. If we bring what he does not like then wouldn't it be better to not bring anything at all? Since the person in authority does not know us personally, we are using the presents to introduce ourselves and capture his attention. Therefore it is important that we carefully research ahead of time what kind of present is acceptable to the person in authority. We simply cannot just say we don't know what he likes. We would ask others who know. Even if we cannot afford to buy the present, we would try to get it by using credit card or by any mean necessary. Only then will we be able to secure what we want from the authority.
Offered Sacrifice
The offerings made by the Israelites represents the shadow that was to come. God had a plan for man. That was to send His Son Jesus Christ into the world to offer Him as a burnt offerings. It is found in the Scriptures: "Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—I have come to do your will, my God.’"(Heb. 10:5-7)
Here we find that when God was not satisfied with burnt offering and peace offerings, Jesus volunteered to go down to the world to fulfill His Fathers desire. This meant He would be the burnt offering and peace offering to fulfill His Father's will. The reason why God no longer want the burnt and peace offerings by the Israelites was because they were only intended as a demonstration of which was to come until Jesus actually showed up. God's original plan was to send His Son into the world as a burnt and peace offering. "He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake." (1 Pet. 1:20)
Apostle Paul also said as follows, "walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Eph. 5:2)
Even though Paul did not say outright that Jesus Christ was a burnt offering, Apostle Paul said His offering would be for a sweet-smelling aroma - that was to say Jesus would be a burnt offering. Jesus Christ had been offered as a sweet-smelling aroma before God. Therefore, if we accept and trust Jesus Christ's offering, we also have become a sweet-smelling aroma before God. For this reason, God Almighty had given Jesus Christ to us. We no longer have to bring animal offerings to God like Israelites had. We need to believe and accept that Jesus Christ is our burnt offering.
Jesus Christ had sacrificed His own body for us because He loves us. However, many do not understand it and still rely on their good behavior, their endeavor, their givings, and their sympathy toward the poor and the less fortunate. If these would made us sweet-smelling aroma before God then Jesus Christ did not have to come and offered Himself as a burnt offering. It is necessary that we recognize Christ's offering on behalf of us. God Himself had recognized Jesus Christ's offering of Himself. All these are the plan of God for us. Unfortunately, not understanding this and not accepting it results in not becoming sweet-smelling aroma before God.
Why do we have to become sweet-smelling aroma before God? Becoming sweet-smelling aroma means getting the attention of God, and that He is pleased with us. If we are unable to please God, He will not grant us anything that we ask from Him. It is important to accept Jesus as our offering. There is no other person to whom could rely upon. Therefore, Jesus Christ Himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
That is why we need to rely on Jesus when we pray to God. That is why we need to pray in Jesus name. Jesus Christ said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you." (John 15;16). He also said, "And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you". (John 16:23) Therefore, when we pray we need to pray in the name of Jesus Christ.
Questions for Chapter 12
Lesson (13)
(2) Grain Offering
“‘When anyone brings a grain offering to the LORD, their offering is to be of the finest flour. They are to pour olive oil on it, put incense on it and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the LORD." (Lev. 2:1-3)
Grain consists of many kinds of edible grain products. Grain offering consists of three kinds of elements: fine floor, oil, and frankincense. The priest would pour oil on the fine flour and frankincense and burn it on the altar. This was a sweet aroma to the LORD. It does not have anything to do with sin.
The left over of the grain offering was for consumption of priests. It is a way of God sharing from His belongings. God provided the priests since they did not do any worldly work. It was not the Israelites who provided the priests. In the same manner, those who work in God's ministry today are provided by God, not by the believers. If the believers thought they are the provider, then their tithes and offerings are not for the LORD. This would result in not receiving blessings from GOD since their offerings were not for Him. Therefore when giving, one needs to have a clear understanding that they are giving it to God, not to the workers.
Different kinds of bread
“‘If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of the finest flour: either thick loaves made without yeast and with olive oil mixed in or thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with olive oil. If your grain offering is prepared on a griddle, it is to be made of the finest flour mixed with oil, and without yeast. Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering. If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it is to be made of the finest flour and some olive oil. Bring the grain offering made of these things to the LORD; present it to the priest, who shall take it to the altar. He shall take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the food offerings presented to the LORD.. (Lev. 2:4-10)
According to God's commandment, Israelites used varieties of grains for burnt offerings. They were prepared in a variety of ways. If it was baked in the oven, it was to consist of fine flour cake made without yeast and mixed with oil or unleavened wafer spread with oil. If the grain offering was baked in the pan, then the fine flour mixed with oil and without yeast. Crush it into pieces and pour oil to make grain offering. If it was baked in a covered pan, it shall be made with fine flour with oil. These offerings were prepared without yeast and mixed with oil.
Leaven
Grain offerings were prepared without yeast or leaven. Yeast symbolizes sin. Apostle Paul said, "Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the un-leavened bread of sincerity and truth..(1 Cor. 5:7-8) Therefore, yeast symbolizes malice and wickedness.
“Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” "How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matt. 16:6; 11-12)
Pharisee's Leaven or Yeast
If so what does it mean by Pharisee's Leaven? Pharisees were said to be hypocrite by Jesus Christ (Matt. 23:13, 15, 23, 25, 27, 29). Hypocrisy means, the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; (pretense)" Jesus Christ said to his disciples: “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." (Luke 12:1) Therefore, hypocrisy has no place when one worships God.
Sadducee's Yeast
Sadducee's yeast means non-believing. "The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things."(Acts 23:8) The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, angels, nor the spirit, and therefore to them, there was no reason to worship God. There are people today who believe the same. There are called "liberal" in today's term. So Sadducee's yeast simply means 'disbelief'.
Leaven of Herod
"The disciples forgot to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. “Be careful,” Jesus warned them.“Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.” (Mk. 8:14-15) The leaven of Herod is the one who is egocentric (self-centered). Herod did not like to be governed by Jesus Christ but wanted to be the governor. Therefore, he planned to kill Him upon hearing of the birth of Jesus. Egocentric people are considered the leaven of Herod.
When offering sacrifices to God the followings should not be allowed: hypocrisy known as the leaven of Pharisee, disbelief known as the leaven of Sadducee, and egocentrism known as the leaven of Herod.
Grain of Wheat
The burnt offering that the Israelites offered to God represented the thing that's to come. The real thing or completeness was materialized when Jesus offered Himself. Flour is a powder made by grinding grain of wheat. The grain of wheat also came from the stem of tree. So then how did Jesus Christ became the flour? In order to become flour, it begins with a grain of wheat. Jesus Christ became one when He was born as human being. He Himself said, "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." (John 12:24) Jesus became a small seed of wheat when He was born out of Mary's womb. Also, Jesus was the grain of wheat that falls to the ground.
Drying Under the Sun
The grain of wheat need drying under the Sun, and be ground to become flour. If so when was Jesus being left to dry before being ground. The Scripture said, "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." (Luke 4:1-2) That was how. Jesus had to endure the hunger for forty days, or fasting for forty day, when temped by the devil. However, He still had not become flour and thus was not fit for burnt offering.
Grind into Flour
Jesus went under grinding and became flour when He was praying in the Gethsemane garden. There, He felt distressed and frighten. There was no more life left after the grain seed is crushed into flour. Likewise, Jesus died after He was crushed and turned into flour. Thus He prayed like this, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweet was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:42-44)
When Jesus Christ was crushed and turned into flour in the Gethsemane garden, His sweat became like drops of blood. In the past, He always escaped from the plot to put Him to death (John 11:53) because His time had not yet come. However, from the moment He died in Gethsemane garden, He could no longer escape from His enemy but had to surrender.
Kneading the Flour
Flour needs to be kneaded to turn into dough. Properly kneading the dough results in perfect cake products. So then where was Jesus kneaded? After being ground to become flour, Jesus was kneaded properly to be come a good dough. The Bible said; "Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, "Prophesy!" And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands." (Mk. 14:65) "Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him." (Mk. 15:19)
Before He was crucified on the cross, Jesus Christ had to endure harsh physical beating. This was the same as kneading the dough. However, sacrificing was not possible at this stage. Nobody drool over the dough while being kneaded. Likewise, while he was being beaten, no one accepts Jesus Christ yet.
Baked, toasted, broiled Grain
Uncooked grain is baked, toasted, or broiled after it has been kneaded sufficiently. Only then can it be consumed, and also offer it to God as burnt offering. If Jesus Christ had been properly kneaded then how and when was He baked, toasted, and broiled? That process was completed when He was nailed and crucified on the cross. Only then He can be partaken. The thief who was crucified next to Jesus Christ was the first person to consume Jesus Christ. At that time, other followers including the apostles were nowhere to be found, let alone consume Jesus Christ. Later on, He was consumed by many people. We ourselves have the opportunity to consume Him. Jesus said "I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6: 48-51)
Jesus Christ's act of sacrifice was to God first and foremost. When He was offered as the grain offering, the offering became a sweet aroma to His Father. This is for all human being. His offerings make every believer to become sweet aroma before God because of our belief in Jesus Christ. Becoming sweet aroma is the same as finding favor in God's eyes. Because the Father sent the Son on earth to become sweet aroma and the Son submissively accepted the role, we are able to become the sweet aroma to God and are accepted as well. We should all be thankful to God and His Son for their graciousness.
The burnt offering is no longer needed because Jesus has offered Himself on our behalf. God has accepted it so His offering is sufficient. In His grain offering, there was no offering of Pharisee's yeast of Hypocrisy, the Sadducee's yeast of disbelief, and the Herod's yeast of egocentrism. Jesus is the unleavened bread.
Questions for Chapter 13
Lesson (14)
(3)The First Fruit
“If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the LORD, offer crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire. Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering. The priest shall burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together with all the incense, as a food offering presented to the LORD" (Lev. 2:14-16)
“Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God." (Ex. 23:19)
The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter the land I am going to give you and you reap its harvest, bring to the priest a sheaf of the first grain you harvest. He is to wave the sheaf before the Lord so it will be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. (Lev. 23:9-11)
Israelites usually bring the firstfruits at their grain offering to God as they were commanded. The firstfruits offerings consists of the fresh heads of grain roasted in the fire, put oil, and lay frankincense on it. The Israelites did not know why the first fruit were required by God from them. The offerings in fact was the shadow of what was to come in their future. If so then what did it represent? The first fruit requirement had also been accomplished when Christ offered Himself to God after His resurrection.
Accomplished in Christ
"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[a] went into the holy city and appeared to many people." (Matt. 27:50-53)
According to the above verses, Jesus Christ was the first to rise up from among the death. There were those who rose from the death prior to Jesus Christ but with mortal bodies; meaning they eventually died again. But among those who rose again with immortal or glorious bodies, Jesus Christ was the first. When He died, graves were opened, and even though many bodies of the saints who had died were raised, only after He was resurrected, they went into the holy city. Apostle Paul said, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Cor. 15:20)
After His resurrection, Christ who is the first fruit, do not have to offer to God again. However, since the Israelites do not realize that Christ had offered Himself as the firstfruit, they will still be making firstfruit offering. Likewise, because of lack of understanding, many Christians living in villages will still be bringing their first fruits as offering to the church to get emotional satisfaction(gratification). In the one hand, it is good to take the first fruits to church as a thanksgiving and not as an offering. God's command for firstfruits offering had been fulfilled by Christ's offering of Himself. Why do then Christ's resurrection is called the firstfruit? The reason is that when seeds were sown, sprouted, developed into having stems and branches to bear first fruit originated by the seed. Likewise, Jesus was sown into the soil like seed and became the first one to rise again among all the dead people.
Questions for Chapter 14
Lesson (15)
(4) Fellowship Offering
"If your offering is a fellowship offering, and you offer an animal from the herd, whether male or female, you are to present before the LORD an animal without defect. You are to lay your hand on the head of your offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall splash the blood against the sides of the altar. From the fellowship offering you are to bring a food offering to the LORD: the internal organs and all the fat that is connected to them. both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which you will remove with the kidneys. Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is lying on the burning wood; it is a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord." (Leviticu 3:1-5)
Fellowship offering consists bringing the internal organ fat and the two kidneys to the priest and the rest of the meat are to be consumed by the one who offers the fellowship offering. There are two types of fellowship offering. The main difference between the two are:
"The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning." (Lev. 7:15)
“‘If, however, their offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day." (Lev. 7:16)
The Israelites used to offer fellowship offering. The purpose of the offering was to appease God because they believe there was animosity between man and God. Their offering was only the shadow of what was to come in the future.
God's Enemy
Man is an enemy of God. Therefore, man doesn't want to hear anything about God. As soon as the preaching begins he starts to feel sleepy, or want to run away. Man does not have any interest nor have a desire to know about God. No matter how many times he had heard about God, he cannot understand and has the desire to talk to others about Him. Although he knows that in heaven, there are no sickness, aging, and poverty, that knowledge does not interest him. As such, there is no desire to go there. Even though God repeatedly told not to love the world owned by Satan, his heart desire is in the world and what the world has to offer. He does not realize that he is an enemy of God, but even if he does, it does not concern him. Even when worshiping, it is not to please God but to please himself. Therefore, he worships God outwardly but his mind is somewhere else. This scenario was described by Jesus Christ: "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’"(Matthew 15:7-9)
How Man Became Enemy of God
How did man became the enemy of God? The father of all man, Adam was created by God as a friend and a son. Bible says, "... Adam, the son of God."(Luke 3:37) However, Adam listened to Satan and became the enemy of God. Thus the descendants were born as the enemies of God. Therefore all the descendants do not understand the way of God nor have the interest to know it.
No Longer God's Enemy
However, because of the one-sided love, God ceased being hostile with man and try to revive the fellowship instead. Since man might not understand His plan, God gave training's to the Israelites by commanding them to implement fellowship offering as a foreshadow of what was to come. Then, when the time actual did come, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to give Himself as a peace offering that would end the hostility between God and man. As a result of the peace offering by Jesus Christ, man and God can now have fellowship. We found in the Bible that, "For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (Romans 5:10)
"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5: 18-20)
The Israelites
The shadow of the essence of the fellowship offering had been fulfilled by the death of Jesus Christ. However, not knowing this, the Israelites kept on presenting peace offering. Needlessly they continued the practice for another 40 years after the death of Jesus Christ. Therefore, in AD 70, God allowed the Roman Ruler to destroy the temple. Since then they lost their place to offer the peace offering to this day.
The Christians
There are also many Christians who do not know the plan of God and the meaning of peace offering today. There are many reasons as to why they do not understand: lack of interest and concern on God's will; there is none to explain to them; the thinking that peace offering is only for the Israelites and not for them. However, the peace offering by Jesus Christ is for every one. Ending hostility with God is possible only because of His peace offering. Understanding this made it possible to end hostility between man and God, and true peace can be had by anyone.
Fellowship Between Man and Man
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." (Eph. 2:13-18)
According to the above verses, the peace offering of Christ provided the end of hostility between not only God and man but also between man and man. There's hostility between men because of ethnic and cultural differences. The Jews regard the Gentiles as sinners and therefore don't want to have anything to do with them. But now Christ's peace offering has made cessation of the hostility and possible to have fellowship. Therefore Apostle Paul said, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28)
However, it is a sad thing in this last days that while Christ was destroying the barriers between human beings by His death on the cross and thus made possible to bring all together, there are some who are building the barrier instead. All human races give priority to fulfill their own objective rather than the will of God. Is it not true that establishing churches based on races or ethnicity results in re-establishment of the barriers between each other? If this trend continues, how will it be possible to have fellowship with other groups? How will it be possible to proclaim the salvation to others? How will it be possible to explain the love of God?
There ought not be division based on races and ethnicity, discrimination, fighting among those who have accepted the truth. Only then will it be possible to develop friendship with one another. If too much emphasis is put on ethnicity, the purpose of God will not be fulfilled in our lives; Christ death will not have any impact; and all attempts for unity in Christ will be futile. No matter how the group is growing and satifying it may be, God cannot shower His blessings on such a group. Therefore, in order for the plan of God to be fulfilled, and the death of Jesus Christ to be meaningful, let us not build churches for only a particular ethnic background, but build ones that embrace all.
Questions for Chapter 15
Lesson (16)
(5) Sin Offerings
[NOTE: Burnt Offerings and Sin Offerings are easily confused. Burnt Offerings are found in Leviticus 1. Sin Offerings are found in Leviticus 4. In the case of Burnt Offerings, the whole animal is burnt, unless it's a bird. In the case of Sin Offerings, only the blood and fat are offered in the Tabernacle. The rest of the animal is burnt outside of the camp.]
God taught Israelites how to present sin offering through Moses. It is not enough to repent for forgiveness of sin. God will not listen to sinner's prayers (Is. 59:2). The wages of sin is death.(Rom. 6:23) Therefore sin is traded with lives. Let us look into the following Bible verses in order to understand.
1The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands—3 “‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed. 4 He is to present the bull at the entrance to the tent of meeting before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it there before the LORD. 5 Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and carry it into the tent of meeting. 6 He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. 7 The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is before the LORD in the tent of meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 8 He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering—all the fat that is connected to the internal organs, 9 both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys— 10 just as the fat is removed from the ox[b] sacrificed as a fellowship offering. Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering. 11 But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the internal organs and the intestines. (Lev. 4:1-11)
In the above passage, the priest was the one who had committed sin. Priests were God's people and they served Him. The sin he committed was unintentional. It was unknowingly committed. Nevertheless, God did not let it go without imposing punishment. With God, unlike man, there's no leniency with committed sins. The Bible said, "24For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."(Deut. 4:24) Fire consumes everyone regardless of whether the person is a believer or not; a known person or not. Likewise, God punishes anyone regardless of whether he knows the person or not. Only then will God be a just (righteous) Judge.
Priest Must Die
Priest must die because of his sin. However, since God is not only a just Judge but also a loving God, He allowed the bull to die to preserve the priest's life. The bull was without sin but it needed to die in the place of the priest. Since the wages of sin is death, the priest's life must be ended. If the priest had to pay the price of his sin with his own life then forgiveness of sin would not be there. (Forgiveness has no meaning if the person is already dead) So someone else is needed to die in his place. That's where the role of bull comes in. Therefore, God required the bull's life in order to forgive the priest.
Lay Hand on Bull's Head
The priest laid his hand on the head of the bull. As has been mentioned, it was not the act of blessing the bull. It's symbolic meaning is that the bull is dying on behalf of the priest. The life of the bull represents the life of the priest.
The Bull is slaughtered
The priest then took the blood of the bull, which gave its life for him, and entered the tent of the meeting and dipped his finger in the bull's blood and sprinkled seven times in front of the curtain of the court of tabernacle. Behind the curtain was the holy of holies where the Ark of Covenant was placed and the presence of God appeared over the Ark. The priest then put some of the blood on the horns of the incense altar. Burning incense at the altar released a soothing aroma to the LORD. Burning incense on the altar symbolizes praying.(Ps. 141:2; Rev. 5:8, 8:3) The horns represent animal's might. Therefore, burning incense at the altar with horns symbolize the power of prayer. The leftover blood of the bull are poured out at the base of the the great altar located at the doorway of the public tent meeting. The altar of burnt offering represents the cross. Thus, the blood of the bull were applied at three places.
Fat that Covers Entrails and Kidney
When offering sin sacrifice, the fat that covers the bull's entrails, fat that are on the entrails, two kidneys with fat which are by the loin, and the lobe of the liver were placed on the great altar. All fat on the entrails and kidneys belong to God and to be burned on the altar for all offerings.
Burn Outside of the Tent
The hide of the bull and all its flesh with its head, legs, entails, and its refuse were taken out to a ceremonially clean place outside the camp, where the ashes were poured out after they were burnt in the fire. None of the flesh of the bull were consumed by the person who offered the sacrifice. All belong to God. The whole bull became ashes after it was burnt.
Sin Forgiven
God forgave the priest's sin after the blood of the bull was sprinkled and all the body parts of the bull were burnt. He could not simply say that he regret sinning and vowed not to sin again then ask for forgiveness. This would not work. A life must be expended for forgiveness of sin. According to the command from the court of God, sin can only be redeemed with a life. But the priest cannot give his own life. If he were to give his own life, he would die as a sinner and would not enjoy forgiveness. Therefore, the bull had to give its life to set the priest free from sin.
The reason for sprinkling the blood is that the life of the body is in the blood. (Lev. 17:11) God required of the life of the priest for forgiveness of sin. The bull gave its life on behalf of him. The bull confirmed that it had given its own life for the priest by showing its blood. When God saw the blood of the bull, He regarded that as though the priest had given his life for his sin.
God could no longer demand the priest's life for his sin again. God would then regard the priest as righteous without sin. The ashes of the bull also is an indication that the price of the sin has been paid for in full. There is nothing else to do after it has turned into ashes.
Completed in Christ
The giving of the lives of animals for sin offering was only a shadow. In reality, animal cannot represent human being. The reason being the value of the life of human being is much higher than that of the animal. Therefore God had a plan from the beginning to prepare a human body for His Son and send Him down to earth to redeem all mankind. However, it would have been difficult to understand had Jesus simply came and die for them. That's why God used animal sacrifice as a foreshadow or an illustration.
Finally, God sent His Son to earth in human form when the time came. Therefore, the purpose of the Son of God becoming a human was to die and save the sinner. The Bible said, "3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures..." (1 Cor. 15:3) Also, "11But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." (Heb 9:11-12) "10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."(Heb. 10:10)
The Wages of Sin is Death
The wages of sin being death is mentioned as follows: "23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 6:23) Also, "12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned" (Rom.5:12) As seen in the book of Genesis, "demanding of life for sin" originated at the time when God gave a command to Adam and Ave. "15The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.'" (Gen. 2:15,17)
Why did God prescribe death as the punishment (wages) of sin? Why not imprisonment, hard labor, whipping, etc... This can be explained as follows. A father bought a car for his son. The car was to be used for going to school, church, or shopping. However, when the son did not use it for the intended purposes but for joy riding with friends, the father took the car back from him.
Life Demanded
Likewise God gave life to man. This life was meant to be used according to His will. But man did not spend his life according to the will of God but according to his own. Not living a life according to God's will is called sin. Therefore God required man's life back from him. In other words, God demanded the life because man has sinned. But instead of giving what God has asked of him, man tried to give tithes and offerings, good character, prayers, scriptures reading, attending church regularly, dedication, helping the poor, doing good deeds, etc... to appease God for his sin. But these are not what God demands. It is his life God is demanding.
Cannot Give Life
Man cannot give what God has asked of him. If man were to give his life to God, he would go straight to hell because that is the final destination of a sinful person. God did not want him to end up in hell because of His love for the man. However, man cannot be simply let go without his sin being judged. If the judge just let him go because he's fond of the person, then that judge would not be a righteous judge. He would be a dishonor judge who does not do what he said he would do.
Prepared One to Take on Behalf of All
God prepared someone to take his life on behalf of man because of love. This life was of His Son Christ. According to the will of His Father, Jesus had given His own life for the sin of man. All of us owe it to believe this and accept it. Now, Christ has given His life for your sin so that you do not need to die again for your sin. Dying again, second death, means going to hell. Even if your body dies after receiving Jesus Christ, you will rise up again. Therefore, the Bible describes death as falling asleep.
Questions for Chapter 16
Copyright © Moses R. Cung. 2001-[y] All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the author to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotation in critical reviews or articles. All Scriptures quotations in this book are taken from the New International Version (NIV)
