The Book of Law...

...after a question in small group the other night, my sweet husband challenged me to find the answer. It was brought up that the Talmud laws were ones that man made and they far out weighted the original laws that God gave to the Israelites.  The question?  How many laws are in the book of Leviticus? And so I decided to compare them to what we are doing today as believers, not Jews but Christ believers. This will be my record of each law.

Leviticus 1: The Burnt Offering (1 Astrix = the offerer  2 Astrix = priest)
*unblemished cattle, sheep, goats or turtledoves/pigeons---the very best of these were to be offered
**Priest would bleed out the animals and sprinkle blood upon the altar
**Skin animal, lay head and parts upon the altar of wood
* washes out the inners of animal then gives these as well to the priest for the burnt offering

As it burns  V9 states it is a "fire offering of a pleasing aroma to the Lord."

This Burnt Offering was a personal/private offering between man and God.

 It was: the first altar you saw as you entered the tabernacle,  the most common of offerings, to be observed daily (am /pm), purified the offerer, the only offering that was totally consumed. (other offerings helped to feed the priest), to help the offerer understand his need for atonement ( reconciliation of God and man) not so much for forgiveness (willingness to forgive) , to symbolize O.T. faithfulness in God and the intention to love God with his heart, soul, mind and strength.

So if I could take away anything from this first law it would be....

My need: to have a daily personal time with God especially when I wake up and fall to sleep, to remember I need to be pure and unblemished before Him b/c He is a Holy God, to be totally "sold out" to this relationship b/c of what God sacrificed on the cross in my behalf, to recognize my need for my Savior, to give my all to follow Christ with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, to keep this FIRST in my life (and all else will fall into place)

Sounds pretty hard to do, can it be done?  I am an imperfect soul who accepted Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of my sins.....past present and future sins. I am so glad that I do not have to work out my salvation in the sense of always trying to stay on Gods good side..I work out my salvation b/c I want others to know of His great love for them.. I am free in Christ!  I am no longer in bondage and I hope what I do daily is a pleasing aroma to the Lord!