THE RHYTHM OF LIFE LEVITICUS 23:1-22 IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND COMMITMENT TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

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1 THE RHYTHM OF LIFE LEVITICUS 23:1-22 IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND COMMITMENT TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. I. TIME FOR RELATIONSHIP (VS 1-4) Being With God Takes Intentionality. A. GOD SETS THE TIME (1-2, 4) B. RELATIONSHIPS TAKE TIME (3) II. TIME FOR REFLECTION (VS 5-8) Knowing Who We Are And Who We Belong To Is Necessary For Us To Live As Authentic Christians. A. HOW WE GOT HERE (5) B. HOW WE RE SUPPOSED TO LIVE HERE (6) C. HOW WE DETERMINE VALUE (7-8) III. TIME FOR THANKFULNESS (VS 9-14) Learning To Live With Constant Thanksgiving Takes A Great Deal Of Practice And Commitment. A. GIVING OUR FIRST AND OUR BEST (9-10) B. GIVING OURSELVES (11-13) C. GIVING EVERYTHING (14) IV. TIME FOR COMMUNITY (VS 15-22) Authentic Christianity Demands Commitment to the Church. D. THE WORK OF PRAYER (15-16) E. THE WORK OF WORSHIP (17-21) F. THE WORK OF JUSTICE (22) V. EPILOGUE

2 The Rhythm of Life Leviticus 23:1-22 Leviticus has dealt with all sorts of issues related to worship, to ethics, to justice, and to personal holiness. Chapter 23 lays out the religious calendar for the nation of Israel. It appears to be another case of putting dates on an already busy schedule. However, as I studied it carefully, I came to realize that God gave these holy days to Israel in order to give them a healthy rhythm for life. Think about how we live our lives. We have no boundaries when it comes to time. If we have a day off, we tend to fill it with all sorts of activities. Most of us run around tired constantly. We don t know how to relax. Our holiday seasons are characterized by a flurry of activity. We have lost God s rhythm for life. And because we are always busy, we sometimes become a little impatient, especially if unexpected chores or work appear. Let me give you an example. You remember that church I used to pastor, the one that was so tough. (How tough was it?) You know, now that I am able to look back on it all, I can see where I may have been part of the problem. All of you who know me know that I don t even relax when I m on vacation. At any rate, I was really busy. It was around the holiday season. I came to church one morning, and there on the front steps was the biggest, hugest, ugliest rat I had ever seen. I m not sure what it was. It was huge. It was a big as a small dog. It had this long tail, claws beady eyes, and razor sharp teeth. Thank God, it appeared to be dead. I wasn t about to go near that thing. I called up our deacon who was in charge of the building and grounds. He was extra busy as well because of the holidays. I got him on the phone and told him about this rat. He said to me, Why are you telling me? Isn t it the minister s job to look after the dead? Yeah, I said, But we always notify the next of kin first. So you see, I may at times be a little insensitive. But my point is that we really have lost God s rhythm for our lives. I am now in my 36 th year of marriage. We have raised two children who are now adults. It takes a great deal of time and commitment to be in a marriage relationship and a parent relationship. It seems to me that if we want to be involved in any type of personal relationship, it takes time, energy, and commitment. God invites each of us to be in a personal relationship with Him. And that brings me to the main idea of this morning s text. IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND COMMITMENT TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. That sounds like good common sense. But if we were to take time and reflect on how we spend our time and live our lives, we could easily see that we are out of step with God s timing and plan. I. TIME FOR RELATIONSHIP (VS 1-4) Being With God Takes Intentionality. Verses 1-4 illustrate that we need time for a relationship. In other words, BEING WITH GOD TAKES INTENTIONALITY. Many people find it strange that this chapter of national and religious holidays starts with a description of the weekly Sabbath. But understanding the concept of the weekly Sabbath is critical in understanding what the other holy days are all about. Verses 1, 2, and 4 clearly state that God sets the time. I hear people say that it s not necessary to go to church and worship on Sunday. If God is everywhere, then I can worship Him at home, I can worship while watching my children s sporting events, recitals, or other activities. I have said that many times in my own life. But those are lies that take us off God s timing and rhythm for our lives. If you need any evidence of that, look around and see if you see my children here.

3 They re not. We still have a very good and close relationship with our children. We re together all the time. However, we never communicated to them that Sabbath was important. It is something that is a painful reminder that God is serious about what He commands and what He expects us to teach our children. A. GOD SETS THE TIME (1-2, 4) In verses 1 and 2, the progression is this. Jehovah will speak to Moses and Moses will convey these commands to the Israelites. And verses 2 and 4 inform us that this chapter is all about specific times and methods for the people to assemble together to celebrate God s holy days. Now the NIV calls these sacred assemblies. The word sacred is actually the Hebrew word qodesh that means holy and is the common theme throughout the entire book of Leviticus. The word for feasts is mowed which is a synonym with the word miqra that is translated here as assemblies. I like the way the NIV translated it because these words for feasts and assemblies carry the meaning of appointed seasons, times, celebrations, readings, and gatherings. It really is the way our religious years are laid out in seasons and celebrations. By the way, starting with Advent in 2008, I will be preaching through the religious calendar. Advent is the starting season for the Christian Calendar. It usually starts the week after Thanksgiving in the United States. I will be explaining the colors, themes, and ceremonies. As we study through this passage, you will easily see some of the origins of our Christian holy days. If you carefully study through this passage, you will notice that the number 7 is important. Passover will be celebrated on the 14 th day of the first month. 14 = 2 X 7. The Feast of Unleavened Bread lasts for 7 days. In the 7 th month 3 more festivals will be celebrated. God rested on the 7 th day. The Sabbath is celebrated every 7 th day. There are 7 festivals and 7 days of rest. In the creation account, the 7 th day of rest is not because God got tired from working, the 7 th day was meant for fellowship and relationship. In other words, if Adam and Eve had not sinned, every day in the Garden of Eden would have been spent in fellowship and relationship building. But there is another number at work here. I call it plus one (+1). We have seen throughout our study of Leviticus the phrase, on the eighth day, referring to a new work on the part of God. It symbolized a new beginning. The Feast of Pentecost will take place on the 50 th day. That is 7 X The Feast of Unleavened bread starts on the 15 th day. That is 2 X Keep this in mind because the 8 th day is the first day of the week. That is significant for Christians because Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. So the early church changed their traditional day of worship on Saturday, to Sunday. B. RELATIONSHIPS TAKE TIME (3) The point is that God set aside specific times and dates on the Hebrew calendar that He expected His people to meet with Him in personal and intimate ways. In describing the weekly Sabbath in verse 3, God was telling them that relationships take time. Here we find that the Sabbath concept is the basis for all the other festivals. In other words, relationships take time to build and to nurture. Again I have to remind us of the context of this passage. Moses gave these instructions to the Hebrews about one year after they had been set free from their slavery in Egypt. In Egypt, they were forced to work without rest. There was no real time for leisure and no time for relationship. This command to rest on the Sabbath was meant to be in direct contrast to their slave days. And further, God had commanded the Israelites that no one was to work on the Sabbath, not them, not hired servants, not slaves and not even animals. The Sabbath was to be a time of leisure, of rest, of reflection, and most importantly of relationship. I just want you to get a feel for how serious God was about the concept of Sabbath. This incident took place around the same time of this morning s passage: 32 One day while the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they caught a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. 33 He was apprehended and taken before Moses, Aaron, and the rest of the community. 34 They held him in custody because they did not know what to do with him. 35 Then

4 the LORD said to Moses, The man must be put to death! The whole community must stone him outside the camp. 36 So the whole community took the man outside the camp and stoned him to death, just as the LORD had commanded Moses (Numbers 15:32-36 / NLT). Furthermore, once they entered the Promised Land, even the ground was given a Sabbath rest. Every 7 th year, the ground was supposed to be left unplanted and uncultivated. And every 50 th year, that is one year added on to the Sabbath of the 7 th cycle of 7 years, society was to redistribute the wealth. All land was to revert to the original families who owned each parcel. Slaves were given their freedom and debts were forgiven. It was truly a year of grace. The interesting thing about the Sabbath command was that there weren t many complicated rules. They were simply told not to work. By the time Jesus came on the scene about 1500 years later, the religious people had all sorts of rules about keeping the Sabbath. But the simple meaning of Sabbath is to withdraw from the normal work-a-day hectic pace we live in. It is a time to withdraw from the timetable of society and the world. It is a time to be refreshed mind, body, soul, and spirit. It is a time to connect with God. Again for us, there shouldn t be too many rules. But nowhere do I see in the Bible that the Sabbath concept is no longer applicable to us. When talking about morality, I hear people talk about keeping the Ten Commandments. Well, one of the Ten Commandments is to keep the Sabbath holy. Could we look at our lives and say that one out of every seven days of our lives is given to stepping away from our worldly time, activities, and schedules? Do we take one out of every seven days to rest, to reflect, and to build our relationship with God? It seems to me that God takes Sabbath seriously. We would probably do well to take Sabbath seriously as well. Again, don t try to put a lot of rules and regulations on it. But the clear message of this section is this. BEING IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD TAKES INTENTIONALITY. II. TIME FOR REFLECTION (VS 5-8) Knowing Who We Are And Who We Belong To Is Necessary For Us To Live As Authentic Christians. If you re anything like me, you often find yourself racing through life mindlessly. Verses 5-8 remind us to take time for reflection. KNOWING WHO WE ARE AND WHO WE BELONG TO IS NECESSARY FOR US TO LIVE AS AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANS. Passover is the first holiday on the calendar. It takes place on the 14 th day of the first month. Listen to what God says about this festival and its meaning: 26 Then your children will ask, What does all this mean? What is this ceremony about? 27 And you will reply, It is the celebration of the LORD S Passover, for he passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he killed the Egyptians, he spared our families and did not destroy us. Then all the people bowed their heads and worshiped (Exodus 12:26-27 / NLT). That first Passover came after many long years of the Israelites being slaves in Egypt. In one night, God set them free from their captivity. And as you just heard me read from Exodus, it is clear that the Jews were just as guilty, evil, sinful, and dirty as the Egyptians. They deserved death as well. But because of God s mercy, He provided a way in which the Hebrews could escape their death sentence. They would take a perfect lamb, sacrifice it, and put its blood on the doorposts of their houses. When God s Angel of Death saw the blood, he passed over that house without killing the firstborn. However, in every house that didn t have blood on the doorposts, the firstborn was killed by the Angel of Death. A. HOW WE GOT HERE (5)

5 Notice also that here in verse 5 it is referred to Jehovah s Passover. Every time the Hebrews celebrated Passover, they were to recall how graciously and mercifully God demonstrated His love for them. We would do well every night before we go to sleep to preach the Gospel to ourselves. We only have physical life because God grants breath to us. We are only alive spiritually because Jesus died for us. We are no different from the rest of the world. The only difference in our lives is that Jesus covered the doorposts of our hearts with His blood when He moved in and took up residence in our hearts. It is important to remind ourselves that we have been saved by grace through faith. B. HOW WE RE SUPPOSED TO LIVE HERE (6) If we successfully come to realize that Jesus died to make us holy, we can understand how verse 6 tells us how we are supposed to live here on earth. On the day after Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread began. It lasted for 7 days. For one week, the Hebrews had to make sure there was no yeast in the house and they could only eat bread made without yeast. This was to remind them how quickly they were freed by God. 17 Celebrate this Festival of Unleavened Bread, for it will remind you that I brought your forces out of the land of Egypt on this very day. This festival will be a permanent regulation for you, to be kept from generation to generation. 18Only bread without yeast may be eaten from the evening of the fourteenth day of the month until the evening of the twenty-first day of the month. 19During those seven days, there must be no trace of yeast in your homes. Anyone who eats anything made with yeast during this week will be cut off from the community of Israel. These same regulations apply to the foreigners living with you, as if they had been born among you. 20I repeat, during those days you must not eat anything made with yeast. Wherever you live, eat only bread that has no yeast in it (Exodus 12:17-20 / NLT). In the Hebrew culture and religion, yeast came to be symbolic of evil. In the New Testament, Jesus and the Apostle Paul talked about yeast in terms of false teaching and immoral living. I think we all know the danger of immoral living. But I don t think that we take false teaching seriously enough. I know I shouldn t be surprised, but I always am. Most people who call themselves Christians, haven t read through the Bible. And I m also surprised to see how passionately these same people hold on to points of theology and are even willing to argue about them. How can people make good decisions and argue about morality if they haven t even read God s word? False teaching is considered as dangerous as immoral living. We Christians need to read and study the Bible before we argue theology. C. HOW WE DETERMINE VALUE (7-8) Along with that whole concept, verses 7-8 instruct us on how we are to determine value. This is a very special week. It was a time for the Hebrews to step away from their normal routines. They were to celebrate Sabbath on the first and last day of the festival week. Every day, there were to present some sort of sacrifice at the Tabernacle. Again, the interesting thing here is that no particular animal is specified. Sabbath was to be a time for relationship. Sabbath rejects the values of this world. During this week of Passover and Unleavened Bread, the Hebrews would reflect on God s values, God s standards, and God s love. We Christians would do well to stop, take time out of our crazy schedules, and invite God to evaluate our goals our words, our thoughts, and our actions. I know that most of us look like good people to our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers, our classmates, etc. But as we have said before in our study through Leviticus, we are not to measure ourselves according to the world. We can only see how off our value systems are when we take time to reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus that bought us and set us free from our slavery. We can only come to see how

6 off our value system is when we take time to reflect on God s command to us to be holy and to live holy lives. Truly the way to readjust our value system is to spend time studying the Bible and asking God the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and to reveal our wickedness to us. God set us free through the blood of our Passover Lamb, Jesus. He commands us to get rid of all the yeast in our lives. We are to embrace the truth of the Bible and to live according to it. God wanted the Hebrews to know they were His chosen people and they had a holy mission. KNOWING WHO WE ARE AND WHO WE BELONG TO IS NECESSARY FOR US TO LIVE AS AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANS. III. TIME FOR THANKFULNESS (VS 9-14) Learning To Live With Constant Thanksgiving Takes A Great Deal Of Practice And Commitment. The next holiday reminds us that we are to take time to be thankful as described in verses Being truly thankful doesn t come naturally to us. LEARNING TO LIVE WITH CONSTANT THANKSGIVING TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF PRACTICE AND COMMITMENT. Actually there are two holidays mentioned here. The other interesting thing about this holiday is that there is no particular date. It all depended on where you lived, what the weather was like, and when the crops were ready for harvest. A. GIVING OUR FIRST AND OUR BEST (9-10) Giving our first and our best to God demonstrates our love and thankfulness as the Festival of First Fruits is described in verses When the very first crops were ready to harvest, the Hebrews were to take the first and the best from this first harvest and offer it to God. People who are not thankful give God their leftover time, money, and energy. Thankful people give God their best. Listen to God s command concerning this harvest of firstfruits: 2 put some of the first produce from each harvest into a basket and bring it to the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored. 3 Go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, With this gift I acknowledge that the LORD your God has brought me into the land he swore to give our ancestors. 4 The priest will then take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar of the LORD your God. 5 You must then say in the presence of the LORD your God, My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live in Egypt. His family was few in number, but in Egypt they became a mighty and numerous nations. 6 When the Egyptians mistreated and humiliated us by making us their slaves, 7 we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors. He heard us and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with amazing power, overwhelming terror, and miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! 10 And now, O LORD, I have brought you a token of the first crops you have given me from the ground. Then place the produce before the LORD your God and worship him (Deuteronomy 26:2-10 / NLT). You can see that this whole ceremony is like our Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. We are to be thankful for God s provision. I think that it s important to note that the New Testament refers to Jesus as our firstfruits. How can we help but be reminded that God gave us His first and His best. He gave us His One and Only Son, Jesus. It is something we should constantly keep in mind.

7 Here is also what is interesting to me. Jesus is the firstfruits of the resurrection. Remember this festival has two parts. The second part takes place 50 days later. We look for the second part of Jesus resurrection. We look for our resurrection also. B. GIVING OURSELVES (11-13) The interesting thing about God is that He not only wants the stuff we have, verses demonstrate God s desire to see us give ourselves. The description of the sacrifice here kind of looks like a Thanksgiving or Peace Offering. However, there is one notable difference. The animal is not divided up with some of it being offered to God, some going to the priest, and some to the worshiper. In this case it becomes a Burnt Offering, meaning that it was all offered up to God and all consumed on the altar of God by fire. There was nothing held back. I know this is very easy to say, but much harder to live out. But the fact is God wants all of us. He wants every part of our life. He wants all our thoughts, all our words, and all our actions. These are things we can think about during our times of rest and reflection. C. GIVING EVERYTHING (14) Verse 14 reminds us that giving everything allows us to truly enjoy what God gives us. The Israelites were not allowed to eat or drink anything from their harvest until all their obligation of Firstfruits was fulfilled. Again we are reminded that God wants our first and our best. He wants all of us. Listen to the sentiment of this: 11 Afterward go and celebrate because of all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household. Remember to include the Levites and the foreigners living among you in the celebration. 12 Every third year you must offer a special tithe of your crops. You must give these tithes to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows so that they will have enough to eat in your towns. 13 Then you must declare in the presence of the LORD your God, I have taken the sacred gift from my house and have given it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, just as you commanded me. I have not violated or forgotten any of your commands. 14 I have not eaten any of it while in mourning; I have not touched it while I was ceremonially unclean; and I have not offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the LORD my God and have done everything you commanded me. 15 Look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us a land flowing with milk and honey just as you solemnly promised our ancestors (Deuteronomy 26:11-15 / NLT). Since we always think we are entitled to stuff, it s really hard for us to be thankful. But LEARNING TO LIVE WITH CONSTANT THANKSGIVING TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF PRACTICE AND COMMITMENT. IV. TIME FOR COMMUNITY (VS 15-22) Authentic Christianity Demands Commitment to the Church. These holy days were also meant to remind the Hebrews of taking time for the building of community in verses For us that means AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY DEMANDS COMMITMENT TO THE CHURCH. I think this is probably the most difficult thing for us to develop. I know it s the hardest thing for me to understand. It s hard for us to balance the needs of an individual with the needs of the community. A. THE WORK OF PRAYER (15-16)

8 Verses remind us of the work of prayer. The festival described here is Pentecost. It took place 50 days after the festival of Firstfruits. This was another offering of the harvest. For 50 days the Hebrews would be working and the second harvest would now come in. Again let me point out that this is a day after the normal Sabbath. This is 49 plus 1. Between the time Jesus was taken back to heaven and the day of Pentecost, the book of Acts says this of the disciples: 13 Then they went to the upstairs room of the house where they were staying. 14 They all met together continually for prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus (Acts 1:13-14 / NLT). Assuming Jesus ascended into heaven on the Festival of Firstfruits, the disciples went to an upper room and prayed for 50 days with about 100 other people. That s what you call a prayer meeting. B. THE WORK OF WORSHIP (17-21) Verses describe the work of worship. This section describes various offerings. What is interesting about this first offering in verse 17 is that this time the grain offering is offered with yeast. In other words, two loaves of bread baked with yeast are offered here. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says about the spread of holiness: 16 If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches (Romans 11:16 / NIV). We know how quickly evil spreads in the church. But the counter point is that goodness and holiness can spread just as quickly if we dedicate ourselves to living holy and upright lives. The Hebrews followed this with the Burnt Offering, a Sin Offering, and the Peace Offering. Notice the phrase in verse 18, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. Listen to the birth of the Christian Church on the Day of Pentecost: 1 On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks after Jesus resurrection, the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them, and it filled the house where they were meeting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability (Acts 2:1-4 / NLT). If Jesus ministry was the Firstfruit Offering, think about what a ministry we can have as the fulfillment of that. C. THE WORK OF JUSTICE (22) Verse 22 clearly reminds us that if we are truly believers that we will be about the work of justice. When the people harvested their crops, they were to intentionally leave fruit behind so the poor could eat and not starve. God is concerned for the poor. Listen to this amazing description of the early church: 34 There was no poverty among them, because people who owned land or houses sold them 35 and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need (Acts 4:34-35 / NLT). Please let us never forget that just as powerful as evil is to spread throughout the church, holiness is even more powerful. Let us commit ourselves to holy living and keep our minds focused beyond ourselves to the good of the church. God gave birth to the church on Pentecost by sending the Holy Spirit. Let us take great care to keep it strong and healthy. AUTHENTIC CHRISTIANITY DEMANDS COMMITMENT TO THE CHURCH. V. EPILOGUE

9 We are so caught up in chasing after the things our culture values that we have lost the rhythm of life God has given us in order to be in a vital relationship with Him. The truth is this. IT TAKES A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AND COMMITMENT TO BE IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. I got this from a friend. I think that we can only understand this as we take time to spend in the presence of God where all our values and goals can be recalibrated to His will for us. A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee. When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering. You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems! He continued, Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups. Then you began eyeing each other s cups. Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee! The happiest people don t have the best of everything they just make the best of everything they have. So, please remember: Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God. And, the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least. There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart pursue those. I couldn t agree with this more. But the trick is for us to start living according to God s rhythm for life where we can take time to rest, reflect, and build our relationship with God. Only then can we know the true value of things.