Revised Common Lectionary

Beyond the darkness of sin, there's the light of salvation (Genesis 1-3). This is not only about creation. It's also about sin. There's also the promise of salvation ( Genesis 3:15 ). Even in the darkness of sin, there's a glimpse of the light that will come. God created us. He has not forgotten us. He has sent His Son for us. He has not left us in our sin. He has delivered us. We have just a hint of this here - "The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent" ( Genesis 3:15 ). There is enough of a hint to persuade us that there are better things still to come. We do not get bogged down in sin. God is calling us beyond that. He is calling us on to salvation. He is calling us to come to the Saviour - our Lord Jesus Christ.

God wants “to heal Israel” (Hosea 7:1). Sadly, there is so much “sin” in the hearts of Israel - “I trained them and made them strong. Yet, they plan evil against Me” (Hosea 7:15). God wants to send His blessing. Sadly, “they don’t return to the Most High” (Hosea 7:16). This is Israel’s story. It’s also our story. God is calling us to return to Him, to be trained by Him, to live in His presence, to enjoy His blessing, to give praise and glory to Him. In Hosea 8, we read about God’s judgment on the sinful nation of Israel. His standard is perfect holiness. Every one of us falls short. None of us can stand before God’s righteous judgment. There is, one Man who has not fallen short. God’s Son, Jesus, our Saviour, has taken our sin upon Himself so that we might receive His salvation. This is the Gospel. It is Good News for sinners. “The prophet, along with my God, is the watchman over Ephraim” (Hosea 9:8). Being a watchman will involve speaking strong words of warning. It’...

Leviticus 1:1-3:17 We may note the frequent recurrence of the phrase, “a soothing aroma to the Lord” (Leviticus 1:9,13,17: Leviticus 2:2,9,12; Leviticus 3:5,16). The presence of the Lord is “like a fragrance that fills the air.” Not all people welcome the presence of the Lord. To some, it is “the aroma of Christ”, ” a life-giving fragrance.” To others, it is “a deadly fragrance” (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). We are to pray that our life – in every part – will be pleasing to the Lord, bringing glory to Him. This will involve our worship in the holy place. It will also involve our living for the Lord in the many and varied situations of everyday life.

Leviticus 8:1-9:24 Aaron was anointed with “the anointing oil”, set apart or “dedicated” to the Lord for “holy duties” (Leviticus 8:12,30). Anointed by the Lord and dedicated to Him, “Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded, through Moses” (Leviticus 8:36). Concerning the Lord’s commands, “Moses said, ‘The Lord has commanded you to offer these sacrifices so that you may see the Lord’s glory'” (Leviticus 9:6). Together with Moses, Aaron was obedient to God, bringing the blessing of God to the people – “Then the Lord’s glory appeared to all the people” (Leviticus 9:23). The principles of God’s blessing are still the same. We need the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He calls us to obedience. This is the way of receiving God’s blessing. This is the way in which the glory of God comes down upon the people of God. We receive God’s blessing when the Holy Spirit comes down upon us in His mighty power.

Exodus 34:1-35 Moses received the Word from the Lord. He brought God’s Word to the people. With God’s Word of grace – “the Lord, a compassionate and merciful God …”, there is also His Word of warning – “He never lets the guilty go unpunished … ” (Exodus 34:6-7). Hearing God’s Word of warning, together with His Word of grace, Moses pleads with God for mercy – “Lord, please go with us … ” (Exodus 34:9). The Lord promises to give His blessing – “I’m making My promise again.” This promise of His blessing is accompanied by His call to obedience – “Do everything that I command today” (Exodus 34:11). When Moses came, from God’s presence, to the people, his “face was shining” (Exodus 34:30,35). This was a sign of the power of the Spirit – filling Him, giving Him strength, equipping Him for the work of ministry,

Leviticus 12:1-13:59 Again and again, we read the word, “clean.” Looking beyond the teaching “regarding health”, we may recall that “the blood of Jesus Christ – God’s Son – cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). This is the cleansing which everyone needs. No matter how healthy we may be in our bodies, we are spiritually diseased because of sin, and we need Christ’s cleansing.

Leviticus 19:1-37 Again and again, we read the words, “I am the Lord your God”, or, more simply, “I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:3-4,10,12,14,16,18,25,28,30-32,34,36-37). The whole point of this is that our moral practice is grounded in our spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).