Who is God? And, how can we find God - Bible answers.

By Joseph MalekaniReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Who is God? And, how can we find God - Bible answers. episodes

June 19, 2021 Leviticus 21 Commentary
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/19/leviticus-21-commentary/
Leviticus 21 Commentary
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Chapter 21 is written to display and highlight the holiness of the LORD.
The sanctuary systems were designed to reflect the holiness and perfection of the LORD. And they didn’t disappoint. The material specification for the golden box was pure gold. The animals selected met strict conditions such as sex, age and physical wholeness. The flour was of the highest quality possible. The oil had its own special formula and so did the fragrance.
The all emphasized the otherness of God.
Now here in chapter 21 we meet conditions for qualification to be a priest or to serve as high priest. The first station is the strange instruction for the priest never to come near a dead body. Shocking? Not anymore. The LORD had mentioned death to Adam as the consequence of disobedience. The priest standing right in the presence of God must be far away from death. Death is representing disobedience. Its very presence is the essence of sin.
It is indeed little wonder that the LORD seem to love the death sentence for just about every serious sin. Man should not be left in doubt regarding his actual status: he is dead. The death sentence is a real-life movie depicting the realities behind the scenes. You want to contrast death here with the life that the LORD Jesus gives. John puts it this way: “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” John 11 verses 25 and 26. What a beautiful picture!
But our attention is here and we must look deep into the physical qualities being mentioned. Defects? No. Blind? No. Lame? No. Disfigured? No. Deformed? No. Broken foot or arm? No. Hunchbacked? No. Dwarfed? No. Defective eye? No. Damaged testicles? No. The worshipper must be perfect! Crushed testicles may represent disfigured and consequently diminished manhood which is the right spelling for disorder as the consequence of sin.
We saw earlier that monthly periods were a problem. Nocturnal emission of semen was equally a problem. Now crushed testicles are an issue. Note that these are important components in the reproduction system. It is this system that perpetuates life on behalf of the LORD. “Increase in number”, the LORD has said. But we all know what Genesis 3 did to the process. There are deeper things being represented by the symbolism here.
In the same line the process to produce future worshippers must resemble the purity of the intention of the LORD. Virgins. Yes, virgins for the priest come into picture.
Hair is used to cover something. We can call it anointing. We can borrow the thought from Samson and assume that the anointing of the LORD had to be worn at all times. It is a standard requirement for the saint today. You don’t leave your anointing at church!
Again here is the correct view of an offering: it is food prepared for the LORD. How do you look at your own offering at church?
More resources visit www.bibleproject.com
4 min
June 18, 2021 Leviticus 20 Commentary: Punishment for sexual perversion detailed
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/18/leviticus-20-commentary/
Leviticus 20 Commentary
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The consequences for sins listed in chapters 18 and 19 are selectively detailed in chapter 20. Idolatry represented here by child sacrifice to Molek is to be punished by death. The community is expected to execute judgment on such an individual. Idolatry included consulting spiritists and mediums. Again the punishment is exclusion from God's community. In today's language this punishment is equivalent to exclusion from the body of Christ - like having your name deleted from heaven's database. It's intense!
What many saints don’t know is that the number of pastors is nearly half the number of witch doctors and like-minded pagan practitioners. Star reading, palmistry and an endless list of innocent-looking divination practices are strictly forbidden in scripture. Here you have it. Leviticus 20 verse 6. Don’t go to them.
If a man marries both the mother and her daughter and sleeps with both, he and they are punished. The scripture makes no distinction. Our culture has the tendency to put blame on the man. Here we learn that wickedness is punished in both parties. They are willing partners to wickedness.

We notice that child sacrifice has consequences in the wider family. It's not just the man. His entire family is in trouble. As we bring repentance before the LORD today we want to do it on behalf of the entire family. What we do affects us and those over whom we hold responsibility.

We have mention of the LORD here as one who makes His people holy. This is interesting. Sanctification or being set apart is the LORD’s work.
The chapter repeats the warning to stay away from practices in Canaan - practices so bad that the LORD decides to destroy them. The language used is also important. The land rejects or vomits people when sin occurs. It's the repeat of Genesis 3 where the land was cursed because of man's sinfulness.
The death penalty for nearly all these grave sins is interesting. This could be distorting the picture of the LORD as a loving God. No. It is actually completing or revealing the right picture of the LORD we met in Exodus 34 verses 6 and 7. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.
More resources visit www.bibleproject.com
3 min
June 17, 2021 Leviticus 19 Commentary: I, the Lord your God, am holy.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/17/leviticus-19-commentary/
Leviticus 19 Commentary
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The LORD demands holiness. The reason given is that the LORD Himself is holy. Then the LORD gives a long list of what it means to be holy as human beings. We do well to read this chapter again and again.

It's so strange that the LORD keeps on referring to His name after every instruction. It's like the LORD is telling us, "this is because of me". Indeed every one of these laws exists because of the LORD. Sin is always a transgression against the LORD. A lie may help you. It may injure your neighbor but importantly, it angers the LORD. It is a minus on man but importantly it affects the holiness of God.

Generally, these are laws on personal holiness. Respect for one's parents is repeated and so is the law on Sabbath. We have laws on idolatry, generosity and respect for elders. The list is long. Again we do well to read these lines regularly.

The 'IAM THE LORD' phrase after every line hints on need to relate every piece of law to the LORD Himself. It's about the character of the LORD. Since the LORD doesn't change, so the laws here remain unchanged and relevant even today.

“Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Leviticus 19 verse 17a. This verse directly addresses unseen sin which happens in a man's heart. Even here we can see that the law wasn't as raw as we think of it today. Indeed the New Testament repeats all of these in finer details. We have hints here that the LORD is interested in what happens in a man heart. Sin is birthed here. What we have here are regulations to limit the effects of sin. Later on King David asked the LORD to examine his heart. Righteousness begins here. A question may be appropriate here: what is the color of your heart?
More resources visit www.bibleproject.com
2 min
June 16, 2021 Leviticus 18 Commentary: Sex.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/16/leviticus-18-commentary/
Leviticus 18 Commentary
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You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.
Leviticus 18 verse 3. NIV. The subject is sexual immorality. The chapter shows an entire list of sexual perversion from which the saint must distinguish themselves. The call to come out of her and be separate cannot be any louder for the saint today. We do well to read these lines again and again.

Chapter 18 is underlined by verse 3. God's people are to look at sexuality with different lenses. Views, thoughts and mannerisms concerning sexuality should be different from that of Egypt and Canaan. We cannot be the same. The LORD expects us to be different.

“No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 18 verse 6. NIV

Verses 6 summaries the core message here. But there is more. Wrong sex will either dishonor self or others. Child sacrifice is mentioned. Sex with animals is also included on the list. It's an 'X' list which angers God so much that He decides to completely destroy Canaan.

Israel is to find life by this law. Without this law Israel will suffer the same fate as Canaan. Living by these practices will attract God's wrath. The opposite is also true hence, "Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord" Leviticus 18 verse 5. NIV

So Leviticus 18 gives a detailed reason why Canaan will be destroyed. It is not an act of injustice on the part of the LORD that a land occupied by others is given to Israel. It is an act of just and importantly holy judgment on Canaan that their destruction is ordered.

All the above things were being done in Canaan. Men dishonoring themselves with anyone in skirt regardless - mother, sister, daughter, cousin....anyone. Men dishonoring themselves with animals. Women dishonoring themselves with animals. In addition child sacrifice to demons was common. There was no respect for life. Life today isn't very different. Then you know just how troubled the LORD is.

Interesting there isn't any remedial rituals specified for these sins. The punishment is removal from God's community.

So do not defile the land and give it a reason to vomit you out, as it will vomit out the people who live there now. Leviticus 18 verse 28. The key point here is that the LORD is repeating the Genesis chapter 3 curse. The land remains cursed because of sin. Hidden in these lines is a promise that holiness would null or slow down or blunt the curse. With holiness the LORD would allow the land to be productive and the community of God's people would thrive in it.

With chapter 18 we see the beginning of sacred laws reflecting the holiness of God. The LORD refers to His name each time He takes a breath in between the instructions to Moses. It's a reference to the holiness of the LORD and an emphasis on the one and only reason why man must keep these laws.

We do well to read these chapters again and again. Chapters 18 and 19.
4 min
June 15, 2021 Leviticus 17 Commentary: Don't eat blood
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/15/leviticus-17-commentary/
Leviticus 17 Commentary: Don’t eat blood.
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We first learn about blood when Abel is killed. And this blood is talking! In this chapter we are told the blood is the life itself or represents the life of an individual. It must not be eaten!

From what we have seen already we can easily guess the importance of blood. It is however when the LORD equates sacrificing to demons to bloodshed that we start thinking more about these symbols. One who sacrifices to demons is as good as one who sheds blood. This is serious!

The temptation to think of these symbols and pointers as ancient and primitive is very high. But when these symbols repeatedly appear in the New Testament, you immediately know there is much more than the immediate context. Blood must not be eaten. Never. But again, there is a meal of blood and flesh that we are commanded to enjoy. The ordinance of Holy Communion is a celebration of the only permitted meal of blood. You immediately know we are looking at some very important heavenly concept though our mortal minds cannot quite register it.
Remember the barrier around the tree of life in the Garden? Like the fruit from this tree, blood should not be eaten. The life of the individual is in the blood. There is always a deeper lever for these symbols which is clearly hidden from the human eye.
Israel is forbidden from conducting sacrifices outside the tabernacle system. They are specifically banned from sacrificing to demons. For many saints these regulations are boring. But there are still many people, including some saints who feel witch doctors are options. Universalism is convincing us that we are the same - that we worship the same God. The instructions here are exclusive. We worship at a designated place and in a prescribed way.

These instructions are repeated in a more forceful way when the scripture tells us, "No one comes to the Father except through me". Calvary is the physical place and the procedures and rituals are the fruit of the Holy Spirit resident in every saint.

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.
Leviticus 17:11 NIV

Finally, we can begin to put a finger on the mystery of blood. We know why it shouldn't be eaten. We know why it should be splashed against the altar. We know why monthly periods for women are here looked at with 'closed eyes' as they, in part, represent lost life opportunity. It resembles the shedding of blood which the LORD forbade. Seeing blood on the ground is like seeing life being terminated.

Blood must not be eaten. A dead animal still has blood in it. An opportunity to spill blood is symbolically an opportunity to ensure that people don't eat life. It belongs to God.
More resources visit www.bibleproject.com

3 min
June 14, 2021 Leviticus 16 Commentary: Entry into the Most Holy Place restricted.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/14/leviticus-16-commentary/
Leviticus 16 Commentary
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After the death of Aaron's two sons the LORD forbids 'free and anytime' entry into the Most Holy place. A procedure is put in place. In essence the LORD shields Himself from regular interaction with man. The tabernacle was meant to be a place of regular interaction but we have two deaths even before we take off. How do we reach out to the Creator God without endangering our lives? For sure even this physical symbol isn't safe! So detailed instructions are given here but with heavy, history long consequences. The curtain shielding the Most Holy place would remain in place until the LORD Jesus tore it apart on His earthly exit. A new Era had begun!

So we take a look at these rituals with the Jesus lens. We see what it took the LORD Jesus to break through on man's behalf.

The day for this grand entry is called the day of Atonement. It's was a single entry on Israel's calendar. Aaron carried two sets of animals for both sin offering and burnt offering. One set was for himself and the other was for the community. Physical cleansing was important before putting on the vestments. The LORD Jesus carried within himself all these animals and the processes required for entry into the LORD's presence.

The LORD Jesus wasn't following a script from Leviticus, rather Leviticus is written following the script of the life of the LORD Jesus in his redemption work. It's amazing! The events we are reading about in Leviticus are telling us a story of the completed work of the LORD. It remains true that access into the Most Holy Place is restricted and only through the Son can man reach out to his Creator. The blood of bulls and the rituals are still important but in reality we are talking about the blood of Jesus. Repentance is still important. As the LORD put it, "“This is to be a lasting ordinance for you'"
More resources visit www.bibleproject.com
2 min
June 13, 2021 Leviticus 15 Commentary: Natural and unnatural bodily discharge cause uncleanliness
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/13/leviticus-15-commentary/
Leviticus 15 Commentary
www.lovingscripture.com
The closing verses summarize the chapter perfectly and explains the why of the regulations. Chapter 15 is about regulations for a man with a discharge, for anyone made unclean by an emission of semen, for a woman in her monthly period, for a man or a woman with a discharge, and for a man who has sexual relations with a woman who is ceremonially unclean. We have suspected hygiene as the main reasons for some of these unusual regulations. However, the bible has explained itself in verse 31. Uncleanliness is a disturbance to the LORD’s dwelling among the people.
The unnatural discharge is like a skin disease. Both should not exist in the very first place. They are a disturbance to the natural flow of wellbeing as initially intended by the LORD. The LORD hates them. They are a disturbance to His creation. No one wants a black spot on their viewing screen. No one loves a leaking juice bottle! Discharge or a skin disease is exactly that.
The natural discharge of semen for men or monthly periods for women is interesting. They cause uncleanliness! But really, didn’t the LORD create things that way? We need to look further for answers. The obvious guess is that uncleanliness of this kind is meant to create a sense of detest and distancing from such creates a sanctity for reproduction activities. It shouldn’t be commonplace in the manner of dogs. The ‘No Contact’ rule means that these processes can preserve privacy and godly dignity. The chapter dares today’s nudity and commonplace pornography.
Child bearing is a delegated task. Sanctity would help against mindlessness, prayerlessness and outright rebellion in these life-giving processes.
The physical benefits are clearly alluded to when we hear mentions of bathing with water as part of the cleansing process. Is the LORD interested in cleanliness? On the evidence of chapter 15, yes.
More resources visit www.bibleproject.com
3 min
June 12, 2021 Leviticus 14 Commentary: The LORD goes not so scientific.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/12/leviticus-14-commentary/
Leviticus 14 Commentary
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The cleansing process is detailed here for anyone suffering from a skin disease. At this point the picture given is that this man is no longer sick and must be integrated back into the community.

Again we see a requirement for both sin and burnt offerings. A burnt offering is usual. With every burnt offering man is reconnecting back to God. It's like a son reporting back from duty and enjoying the company of the LORD. It's the sin offering which is interesting here. What is sinful about a man getting a skin disease? It's a picture of the LORD'S view of sickness. The LORD hates sickness and doesn't want man to suffer from it. It shouldn't happen. It is like something foreign has happened to man from which he must come out.
Though sickness happens to one without invitation, the victim isn’t entirely innocent. Long before the victim was born sin entered the world and so did sickness, all at the initiative of man. So man is to blame for sickness. The sin offering is in order. But the complicated process for cleansing leaves us sweating!

While the rituals of cleansing are going on we notice a combination of medical procedures. We have complete shaving, washing of both self and clothes, and a complete repeat of some of the medical processes to ensure complete healing. There is some kind of a medical review process.

Similar processes are detailed for a mold. Interestingly the LORD says, "if I cause mold". We are talking about a problem that the LORD allows to happen. There is still a process for such problems. You would think it is easier for the LORD to simply stop it or prevent it from happening in the very first place. But the LORD is lord of creation and we don't know all things. What we have are instructions and principles for our day-to-day living.
Like the previous chapter, chapter 14 is long. You can almost read it as wrong. The procedures appear illogical and loosely connected to the matter at hand. While understanding, let alone appreciating this chapter is a difficult call, one thing remains intact. The difficulty we feel is intended to dull and in a way discredit the processes in order to create a yearning for something better. It should be shocking, wrong even, if these pages left us fully happy. Completeness is only found in Christ. The opposite is quite true of the saint who feels the Jesus life is incomplete and must be supplemented by rituals. These lines here are satirical in effect. We should however be grateful that we can now pray from the comfort of our sofas.
More resources visit www.bibleproject.com
3 min
June 11, 2021 Leviticus 13 Commentary: The LORD goes scientific!
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/11/leviticus-13-commentary/
Leviticus 13 Commentary
www.lovingscripture.com
We take a look at skin diseases and the processes and procedures required. In chapter 12, a mother's condition after childbirth required isolation for her protection, among other reasons. In this chapter a man with a skin condition requires isolation for the sake of others (and also himself).

This chapter is very interesting because the priest is not waving pieces of meat in the air or lifting hands to bless but rather he is conducting a medical process on the sick. It says a lot about Christianity today. Not everything requires prayer alone. Many things need both: prayer, always present and a physical logical process.
Check condition. If condition is A, take action X. Otherwise wait seven days and check condition again. If condition is A, take action X otherwise take action Y. This is computing! This is a scientific process. And it is in the Bible!

There are things that require offerings and intersession and there are things that require processes - medical procedure in this case. Detailed procedures are given in what should be the longest chapter in Leviticus (actually among the top 10 longest chapters in the entire Bible). Every case possible is detailed so that the priest is left fully informed. The LORD can be this detailed!
The general feeling here is that people must distance themselves from uncleanliness to protect the community from disaster. Uncleanliness wasn’t meant to be a tag of shame but a means to achieve a purpose. It is actually easy to guess the purpose for each and every case of uncleanliness as we go through these pages.
The pick from this very long chapter is that the LORD is aware of the ‘skin diseases’. The processes required to resolve these problems is equivalent to ordering the priests to go to a medical school. The processes are very much scientific and very detailed. The priest compared results of investigations and made decisions based on logical conclusions. This is beautiful, absolutely!
More resources visit www.bibleproject.com
2 min
June 10, 2021 Leviticus 12 Commentary: Uncleanliness in child-bearing process.
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://lovingscripture.com/2021/06/10/leviticus-12-commentary/
Leviticus 12 Commentary
www.lovingscripture.com
Chapter 12 is very short and covers one item: purification rituals for women after childbirth. The law served many purposes. The obvious purposes are detailed here. The burnt offering was an act of worship by the mother. It reconnected the process of child bearing to the creator God. The sin offering is best described as 'sin offering' and not as 'purification offering'. A sin offering was an obvious item on the agenda for just about every trip to the tabernacle. Errant man needed to seek forgiveness quite regularly.

The less obvious purpose would be to give rest to the mother. She is ceremonially unclean and isolated for her protection and safety. This chapter reveals the tender-loving kindness of the LORD.

You would easily understand why a mother's rest, taken as uncleanliness in this case, is shortened when the child is a boy. A boy must be circumcised on the eighth day which required the presence of the mother. Without need for circumcision a girl birth has 14 days of bed rest or days of uncleanliness.
Ritual uncleanliness is not equal to physical dirty or physical uncleanliness. Child bearing is a divine process. The mother is definitely on divine duty. You would expect everything to do with this duty to be sanctified. No. We can blame Genesis 3 for this loss of sanctity. The factory produces children not after the image of God as initially designed. The uncleanliness of this divine process may seek to draw man’s attention to the need of rebirth – the process that the LORD describes as being born again in the gospel of John. Whatever it is, and God knows, we are looking at symbols whose meaning is definitely deeper than the guesswork presented here. But let’s keep reading. The LORD will reveal more.
For more resources visit www.bibleproject.com
2 min

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