​Key Verse
2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I
 
Meditation
God’s steadfast love gives higher ground on which to stand during life’s storms. Flash floods flow from heavy rains. Tsunamis result from seismic shifting of the earth under the sea. When our world is flooded with frustration, the earth shaking beneath our feet causing tidal waves of worry in our lives, eyes of faith look to God and His sovereign grace to find higher ground.  
 
In today’s reading, God is celebrated as a “Rock that is higher… our refuge and strong tower.” (2-3) We cry to the Lord and He hears our prayers (1). The Lord is our refuge in the storms of life because, like a bird protecting their young, God offers refuge under the wings of His steadfast love (4).
 
David’s prayer for the life of the king (6) points to the greater King who is enthroned forever, Jesus Christ (7).  Jesus was overwhelmed with the flood of the Father’s wrath against our sin so we can be forgiven and fortified in Him. Jesus and His teaching is the rock we build our lives upon, a foundation that will not shift in seismic activity or severe storms (Matthew 7:15).
 
Believers can sing in storms when our Savior is our rock (8). We dance in the rain knowing our foundation will not change. The word of Jesus controls life’s storms (Mark 4:34-41). In this world we will have troubles, but Jesus has overcome the world and offers peace.  Jesus invites us to stand on the ground of His grace and His word of promise, a higher rock than ourselves.
 
Today’s Reading
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; 2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, 3 for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. 4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!  Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah

5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name. 6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations! 7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him! 8 So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.
 
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the celebration of God’s power and provision for His people during the pain and problems of our lives?
 
-Where do you look for higher ground in hard times, places other than our Savior and King- Jesus? How is that working for you?
 
-Psalm 61 is a psalm of confidence, a prayer FOR security. Consider flood of frustrations in your life, or a storm of struggle, and use the language of the Psalm to inform and form your prayers.
 
Key Verse
2 from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I

Key Verses
4 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.
 
 
Meditation
God credits His people with a bulls-eye because Jesus shot the perfect arrow into the bullseye before becoming the target of the Father’s just judgement. Meditating on God’s just judgment in today’s reading ultimately pushes us to the cross of Christ and empowers believers to walk in a newness of life.
 
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 6:23a) The Greek word for sin is “Missing the mark,” the most common description of sin in the New Testament. Like an archer seeking to hit a target, every person has aimed at holiness and missed. All of us fall short of God’s glory.
 
Amos takes aim with the arrow of God’s judgement. After warning the nations surrounding the Promise Land (chapter 1), Amos puts Judah & Israel in the crosshairs. God’s people had rejected God’s rule, forgotten God’s faithfulness, and like the pagan nations around them, were going to be hit with God’s judgement. All have sinned and all deserve judgment- no one is exempt.
 
“…But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:23b) Humanity misses the mark. Jesus Christ hit a bulls-eye as our representative. Where we reject God’s law, Jesus embodied it (Matthew 5:17-18). Jesus became our sin that believers may become righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

Jesus succeeded where we fail, and then became the target of God’s judgement on the cross. From faith in the finished work of Jesus, Christians are forgiven and freed by receiving God’s Spirit that we might walk in a newness of life.
 
Today’s Reading
Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Moab,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because he burned to lime
    the bones of the king of Edom.
2 So I will send a fire upon Moab,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Kerioth,
and Moab shall die amid uproar,
    amid shouting and the sound of the trumpet;
3 I will cut off the ruler from its midst,
    and will kill all its princes with him,”
says the Lord.

Judgment on Judah
4 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Judah,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they have rejected the law of the Lord,
    and have not kept his statutes,
but their lies have led them astray,
    those after which their fathers walked.
5 So I will send a fire upon Judah,
    and it shall devour the strongholds of Jerusalem.”

Judgment on Israel
6 Thus says the Lord:
“For three transgressions of Israel,
    and for four, I will not revoke the punishment,
because they sell the righteous for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals--
7 those who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth
    and turn aside the way of the afflicted;
a man and his father go in to the same girl,
    so that my holy name is profaned;
8 they lay themselves down beside every altar
    on garments taken in pledge,
and in the house of their God they drink
    the wine of those who have been fined.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
    whose height was like the height of the cedars
    and who was as strong as the oaks;
I destroyed his fruit above
    and his roots beneath.
10 Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt
    and led you forty years in the wilderness,
    to possess the land of the Amorite.
11 And I raised up some of your sons for prophets,
    and some of your young men for Nazirites.
    Is it not indeed so, O people of Israel?”
declares the Lord.
 
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
    and commanded the prophets,
    saying, ‘You shall not prophesy.’
13 “Behold, I will press you down in your place,
    as a cart full of sheaves presses down.
14 Flight shall perish from the swift,
    and the strong shall not retain his strength,
    nor shall the mighty save his life;
15 he who handles the bow shall not stand,
    and he who is swift of foot shall not save himself,
    nor shall he who rides the horse save his life;
16 and he who is stout of heart among the mighty
    shall flee away naked in that day,”
declares the Lord.
 
 
Richly Dwelling
-Do you live condemned, as if judgment is still coming? Or do you live freely believing “there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1)?
 
-Where do you need to believe the gospel, the finished work of Jesus on your behalf? Where are you struggling to believe you are forgiven by Christ’s finished work?
 
-How can you celebrate the finished work of Jesus, living by the Spirit He gives you? Jesus hit the target of perfection you missed then He died to pay the price you deserve to give you His victory… How can you live in this victory today?
 
Key Verses
4 Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they have rejected the law of the Lord, and have not kept his statutes, but their lies have led them astray, those after which their fathers walked.
 

​Key Verse
1 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall make himself unclean…
 
Meditation
God calls His leaders to a higher standard, whether church officers (1 Timothy 3), teachers (James 3:1), or saints equipped to serve in ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12). Today’s reading focuses on holy standards for priests and their practices.
 
Israel was a “priesthood of believers” (Exodus 19:6) called to mediate the blessings of God to the world of God. Each of God’s people had a role, set apart for the nations to see God’s glory (Deuteronomy 4:5-7). The priests of God set the standard for God’s holy priesthood of believers.
 
Priests were chosen by God and called to live holy for God, not only in ritual purity but also moral purity. When priests fumbled the fundamentals, it was fatal (see Leviticus 10).
 
Priestly holiness was rooted in God Himself, “the Lord who sanctifies,” (8, 15, 23 detailing the priestly standard of service for mourning, marriage (and family), and meeting with God in the sanctuary, while also covering direction for sacred offerings and special services. From these prescribed standards, God’s sanctified priests could faithfully serve Him and His holy people. 
 
But the priests would fail and God's people needed a greater priest than Aaron and his offspring. Jesus fulfilled the standard of priestly holiness before taking our sin upon Him, dying as a sacrifice to purify His people for priestly service to Him. (1 Peter 2:9-10) Biblical leadership is grounded in God’s grace because only through Jesus’ faithfulness are we  forgiven for not meeting the standard and free for the purpose of sharing the blessings of God's grace with the world as God’s priesthood of believers.
 
 
Today’s Reading
And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall make himself unclean for the dead among his people, 2 except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, 3 or his virgin sister (who is near to him because she has had no husband; for her he may make himself unclean). 4 He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. 5 They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. 6 They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord's food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy. 7 They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled, neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8 You shall sanctify him, for he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you, for I, the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy. 9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire.

10 “The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes. 11 He shall not go in to any dead bodies nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother. 12 He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he profane the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him: I am the Lord. 13 And he shall take a wife in her virginity. 14 A widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute, these he shall not marry. But he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people, 15 that he may not profane his offspring among his people, for I am the Lord who sanctifies him.”

16 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “Speak to Aaron, saying, None of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. 18 For no one who has a blemish shall draw near, a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, 19 or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, 20 or a hunchback or a dwarf or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease or scabs or crushed testicles. 21 No man of the offspring of Aaron the priest who has a blemish shall come near to offer the Lord's food offerings; since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. 22 He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things, 23 but he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar, because he has a blemish, that he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them.” 24 So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons and to all the people of Israel.
 

Richly Dwelling
-Is it good news for you that God calls His leaders to a higher standard? Why or why not?
 
-Jesus meets the standards we fail to achieve in order to forgive us for failing in life and leadership. How does God’s grace give ground for fruitful and faithful leadership?
 
-God wants to bless you so you will bless the nations, using you as a part of the priesthood of believers. How can you be a blessing to others today, responding to God’s grace by faithfully living your role as His priest in the world?
 
Key Verse
1 And the Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, No one shall make himself unclean…

​Key Verse
18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart…
 
Meditation
A heart hoping in Jesus cries out for mercy and marvels at His majesty. A heart hoping in human ability cries out self-righteously, judgmentally, and from a scarcity mentality. God’s loving grace invites believers to give Him our hearts to hope in Him.
 
Scribes and Pharisees came to accuse Jesus of defiling Himself by not washing His hands before eating (1-2). Jesus redirected the attack by focusing on what truly makes someone clean or unclean, specifically our hearts (8, 11, 17-20). Out of the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34) and only God’s grace gives believers a heart to cry for mercy or proclaim Jesus’ majesty.
 
Jesus’ encounter with the Canaanite woman and His healing of sick people brought by the crowds (21-31) illustrate Jesus’ point. Passing through a traditionally unclean place and encountering unclean people, Jesus’ actions highlight how hearts hoping in Him cry out for mercy. Like Rahab, the traditionally defiled Syrophoenician woman hopes in God alone for salvation, crying out “Have mercy on me, Son of David” (22). Her faith saw Jesus as king! So too did the sick in the region, hearts with faith in Jesus for healing soon proclaiming His majesty.
 
The contrast between religious elites accusing Jesus of defilement and defiled people from unclean regions crying out to Jesus for mercy forces us to examine our own hearts. The loving grace of God has created a new heart in His people, restoring a right spirit within us (Psalm 51:1-10) from which we cry out for mercy and declare His majesty.
 
 
Today’s Reading
 
Traditions and Commandments
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

What Defiles a Person
10 And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.”12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?  18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
21 And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Jesus Heals Many
29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan.
 

Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you in today’s reading, especially who do you identify with (religious leaders, unclean people with faith in Jesus, ect…)?
 
-Do Jesus’ words convict you, that what comes out of your mouth is what defiles you? Where do you see the defilement of your heart?
 
-The work of Jesus gives us a new heart and a new spirit. How can you be more intentional in crying out for mercy and proclaiming His majesty? Be specific.
 
Key Verses
 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart…

​ 
 
Key Verse
14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.
 
Meditation
Redemptive history is unified in a simple pattern: God’s people living in God’s place under God’s rule. Adam failed to live under God’s rule in the garden of Eden and Israel failed throughout history. Jesus came as the second Adam and representative of His people so everyone “in Him” can await the culmination of this pattern in the new heavens and new earth. Today’s reading describes the interior design of Solomon’s temple, the seat of God’s rule over God’s people in the place He had given them. 
 
The chapter is broken into three sections- First, details of the royal complex (1-12) including the houses of the forest of Lebanon, Solomon, and Pharaoh’s daughter alongside of the halls of Pillars and of justice. Second, Temple furnishings (13-51) including Hiram’s bronze work, pillar work, the sea, stands, and a summary. Finally, Solomon’s gold provision (48-51).
 
The building descriptions are not concerned with dimensions for reconstruction but delight in specific detail. For instance, the writer spends verses 29-37 describing liturgical equipment emphasizing that he rule of God centers on worship of God!
 
Jesus claimed to be greater than Israel’s temple (Matthew 12:6) because He was the fulfillment of God’s rule and God’s place for God’s people. Jesus is our representative, the true temple (John 7:37-38) and king David’s greater offspring  (Matthew 12:22-28) whose resurrection from the grave guaranteed God’s perfected kingdom will one day be consummated. Through the work of Jesus, God’s people know we will one day live in the place of God’s new creation, eternity marked with celebration and exaltation of King Jesus.
 
(For a simulation tour of today’s reading follow THIS LINK)

Today’s Reading
​Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished his entire house.
2 He built the House of the Forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits and its breadth fifty cubits and its height thirty cubits, and it was built on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. 3 And it was covered with cedar above the chambers that were on the forty-five pillars, fifteen in each row. 4 There were window frames in three rows, and window opposite window in three tiers. 5 All the doorways and windows had square frames, and window was opposite window in three tiers.

6 And he made the Hall of Pillars; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. There was a porch in front with pillars, and a canopy in front of them.
7 And he made the Hall of the Throne where he was to pronounce judgment, even the Hall of Judgment. It was finished with cedar from floor to rafters.
8 His own house where he was to dwell, in the other court back of the hall, was of like workmanship. Solomon also made a house like this hall for Pharaoh's daughter whom he had taken in marriage.

9 All these were made of costly stones, cut according to measure, sawed with saws, back and front, even from the foundation to the coping, and from the outside to the great court. 10 The foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of eight and ten cubits. 11 And above were costly stones, cut according to measurement, and cedar. 12 The great court had three courses of cut stone all around, and a course of cedar beams; so had the inner court of the house of the Lord and the vestibule of the house.

The Temple Furnishings
13 And King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre.14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.

15 He cast two pillars of bronze. Eighteen cubits was the height of one pillar, and a line of twelve cubits measured its circumference. It was hollow, and its thickness was four fingers. The second pillar was the same. 16 He also made two capitals of cast bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital was five cubits. 17 There were lattices of checker work with wreaths of chain work for the capitals on the tops of the pillars, a lattice for the one capital and a lattice for the other capital. 18 Likewise he made pomegranates in two rows around the one latticework to cover the capital that was on the top of the pillar, and he did the same with the other capital. 19 Now the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars in the vestibule were of lily-work, four cubits. 20 The capitals were on the two pillars and also above the rounded projection which was beside the latticework. There were two hundred pomegranates in two rows all around, and so with the other capital. 21 He set up the pillars at the vestibule of the temple. He set up the pillar on the south and called its name Jachin, and he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz. 22 And on the tops of the pillars was lily-work. Thus the work of the pillars was finished.

23 Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference. 24 Under its brim were gourds, for ten cubits, compassing the sea all around. The gourds were in two rows, cast with it when it was cast.25 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing north, three facing west, three facing south, and three facing east. The sea was set on them, and all their rear parts were inward. 26 Its thickness was a handbreadth, and its brim was made like the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily. It held two thousand baths.

27 He also made the ten stands of bronze. Each stand was four cubits long, four cubits wide, and three cubits high.28 This was the construction of the stands: they had panels, and the panels were set in the frames, 29 and on the panels that were set in the frames were lions, oxen, and cherubim. On the frames, both above and below the lions and oxen, there were wreaths of beveled work. 30 Moreover, each stand had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze, and at the four corners were supports for a basin. The supports were cast with wreaths at the side of each. 31 Its opening was within a crown that projected upward one cubit. Its opening was round, as a pedestal is made, a cubit and a half deep. At its opening there were carvings, and its panels were square, not round. 32 And the four wheels were underneath the panels. The axles of the wheels were of one piece with the stands, and the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 33 The wheels were made like a chariot wheel; their axles, their rims, their spokes, and their hubs were all cast. 34 There were four supports at the four corners of each stand. The supports were of one piece with the stands.35 And on the top of the stand there was a round band half a cubit high; and on the top of the stand its stays and its panels were of one piece with it. 36 And on the surfaces of its stays and on its panels, he carved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, according to the space of each, with wreaths all around. 37 After this manner he made the ten stands. All of them were cast alike, of the same measure and the same form.

38 And he made ten basins of bronze. Each basin held forty baths, each basin measured four cubits, and there was a basin for each of the ten stands. 39 And he set the stands, five on the south side of the house, and five on the north side of the house. And he set the sea at the southeast corner of the house.

40 Hiram also made the pots, the shovels, and the basins. So Hiram finished all the work that he did for King Solomon on the house of the Lord: 41 the two pillars, the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars, and the two lattice works to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the tops of the pillars; 42 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two lattice works, two rows of pomegranates for each latticework, to cover the two bowls of the capitals that were on the pillars; 43 the ten stands, and the ten basins on the stands; 44 and the one sea, and the twelve oxen underneath the sea.

45 Now the pots, the shovels, and the basins, all these vessels in the house of the Lord, which Hiram made for King Solomon, were of burnished bronze. 46 In the plain of the Jordan the king cast them, in the clay ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 47 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed, because there were so many of them; the weight of the bronze was not ascertained.

48 So Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of the Lord: the golden altar, the golden table for the bread of the Presence, 49 the lampstands of pure gold, five on the south side and five on the north, before the inner sanctuary; the flowers, the lamps, and the tongs, of gold; 50 the cups, snuffers, basins, dishes for incense, and fire pans, of pure gold; and the sockets of gold, for the doors of the innermost part of the house, the Most Holy Place, and for the doors of the nave of the temple.

51 Thus all the work that King Solomon did on the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, the silver, the gold, and the vessels, and stored them in the treasuries of the house of the Lord.
 
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially the detail of interior design of Solomon’s temple?
 
-The temple was the seat of God’s rule over God’s people in the place (the promised land) where God had put them. How does this pattern help you see Jesus in a fuller reality?
 
-Where do you need to embrace the rule of King Jesus in the place where He has put you, anticipating the fullness of His rule in eternity? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
14 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was full of wisdom, understanding, and skill for making any work in bronze. He came to King Solomon and did all his work.

​Key Verse
26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
 
Meditation
God’s covenant love welcomes His people to experience covenant blessings through the work of Jesus Christ. Jesus took the covenant curses so all who have faith in Him can experience covenant blessings (Galatians 3:10-14). Jesus was cut off for our sin so believers can be welcomed into fellowship with Him (Isaiah 53:8). Jesus died to satisfy God’s wrath against sin so all who trust His work can know and show God's love (2 Corinthians 5:15).
 
Leviticus 20 unpacks sins penalties to be paid. The gospel is the GOOD NEWS that the death of Jesus covered the cost of our sin, His grace freeing believers to embrace covenant blessings through His finished work.
 
Sin is a serious issue. “The wage of sin is death,” writes Paul (Romans 6:23). In today’s reading, Moses detailed the wage of sin by describing being cut off, your genealogy come to an end. Moses addressed specific sins and their consequences: worshipping in ways of the culture, sacrificing children, sexual immorality, dishonoring parents, and practicing divination. Sin is serious, must be addressed, and the penalty must be paid. God is holy, and His grace forgives His people and frees us to live holy lives for Him.
 
After salvation, believers are free for imitation- “Be holy as I am Holy,” says the Lord (26-27). When we reject God’s grace and embrace our culture’s ways then we forfeit the beauty and joy of God’s covenant blessings. God’s covenant love welcomes you to experience His covenant blessings through the person and work of Jesus. 
 
Today’s Reading
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech.

6 “If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9 For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.

Punishments for Sexual Immorality
10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed perversion; their blood is upon them. 13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 14 If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you. 15 If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

17 “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity. 18 If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or of your father's sister, for that is to make naked one's relative; they shall bear their iniquity. 20 If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity. He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

You Shall Be Holy
22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25 You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

27 “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.”
 
Richly Dwelling
-Why is it necessary to highlight the severity of sin? How does the repetition of penalties drive this reality home?
 
-How does the fact of Jesus’s faithfulness on your behalf, paying the penalty for your sin, drive you to respond with obedience?
 
-After salvation, imitation! When we know God’s grace, we will grow in being holy as God is Holy. How can you grow in godliness today? Be specific.
 
Key Verse
26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.