Pronouns carry a very heavy linguistic load. They can represent anything in life, and they are used as substitutes for the insignificant as well as the deeply significant. A great thing about learning New Testament Greek is that I get to read some passages like it was the first time, and because of my unfamiliarity with the language, every word stands out as if it were shiny and new.

One, snappy usage of pronouns might be in Mark 11:33. Jesus’s authority is questioned by the chief priests, scribes, and elders. To this, Jesus responds with a question that they cannot answer. Jesus replies, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (NASB)

This reply’s poignancy is supported by the quick, economical use of pronouns. There is no attempt at thoroughness or formalities, just plain, direct discourse which left his skeptics speechless.

I think we set ourselves up for disaster when we make the scriptures about the aesthetic quality. Some, indeed, are beautiful, and this is how it was intended to be. Examples of aesthetics writings would be Psalms, Proverbs, Job, and oh, how could I forget Ecclesiastes.

Some of Pauls stuff, on the other hand, was not intended to be beautiful; these were personal letters and such. Take 1 Corinthians 1:14-16, for example

I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one would say you were baptized in my name. Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized any other. (1 Corinthians 1:14-16, NASB95)

If we make the argument about the bible language being beautiful, then we must accept the fact the other non-biblical literature may be more beautiful. Does that make it more Godly? I hope not.

The poetical books should be critiqued as poetry, and the correspondence books as correspondence. Being in the Bible does not make it great literature, but it does make it true.

Atheist’s claim there is no God. The only rational way a person can say this is if they know everything. To say that something does not exist requires that you know everything that does exist. To make such a definitive statement of the non-existence of God is perfectly reasonable… if you know everything.

The psalmist is not wrong: The fool says in heart “There is no God”.

They are foolish because they are arrogant. They would not be so foolish if they would at least admit such arrogance, but still a fool. How do you know there is no God? Have you looked everywhere for Him? Have you search out the corners of the universe for Him? Do you even know where the universe ends?

So atheism, by default, is an arrogant position. (Of course it’s only truly arrogant if you believe in outside source of good and evil; for all inside sources, e.g. society, are relative.) Atheism is illogical because it assumes we know everything, which, I presuppose, we don’t.

Agnosticism is at least a reasonable position, and truly open minds and free thinkers and scientists ought to be agnostics if they held true to their philosophies. Some shall even be Christians even they desire.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? Matt 7.7-10 (ESV).

Stephanie is at our church’s women’s retreat until tomorrow evening. That means I am home alone with the girls. As of 8:01pm CST they, all three of them, are in bed.

The routine…

1. march to bed
2. get in bed
3. sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
4. sing Lullaby
5. pray
6. say “good night”

 I am watching We Are Marshall while the girls sleep and my wife hangs out with the women.

The book of Leviticus of often ignored and sometimes a punchline. No doubt we should find some humor in all those regulations of animal sacrifice if you truly understand the work of Christ, but it is not a cynical humor, but a joyous one.

What relevance does Leviticus have for us today? To say it briefly: Leviticus show us what a holy lifestyle of faith should look like.

Sacrifice covers sin. A sacrifice is required for justice. A sacrifice sooths God’s justified anger against us:

And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. (Leviticus 1:13, ESV)

We must know that sin prevents us from approaching God. God graciouly gave the people of Israel a great system for solving the problem of sin. God clearly instructed them how be friends with Him. Of course, if an Israelite lacked faith in God, his offering was worthless. A dependance on God’s provision was absolutely necessary when continually offering up your best livestock.

But as great as this was for the Israelites, the current system is exponentially greater. Now, Jesus has once for all covered the sins of the world, enabling all people to enter the holy place with God. Go.

Good resources for understanding the book of Leviticus:
Pentateuch as Narrative, The
Leviticus (New International Commentary on the Old Testament)

Key verse:

You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses. (Leviticus 10:10-11, ESV)

An outline:

I.       The Offerings and Sacrifices (1:1-17:16)

A.       Offerings of the People (1:1-6:7)

1.       Burnt Offering (1:3-17)

2.       Grain Offering (2:1-2:16)

3.       Peace Offering (3:1-3:17)

4.       Sin Offering (4:1-5:13)

5.       Guilt Offering (5:14-6:7)

B.       Laws for Aaron and his Sons (6:8-7:38)

1.       Law of the Burnt Offering (6:8-13)

2.       Law of the Grain Offering (6:14-23)

3.       Law of the Sin Offering (6:24-30)

4.       Law of the Guilt Offering (7:1-10)

5.       Law of the Sacrifice of Peace Offerings (7:11-38)

C.       Preparation of the Priests (8:1-8:36)

1.       Their Consecration (8:6-13)

2.       Their Sin Offering (8:14-17)

3.       Their Burnt Offering (8:18-21)

4.       Their Ordination Offering (8:22-29)

5.       Their Garment Consecration (8:30)

6.       Their Consecration Completed (8:31-36)

D.       The First Sacrifices of Israel (9:1-10:20)

1.       Calling of Aarons, his Sons, the Elders, and the People of Israel (9:1-6)

2.       The Offerings accepted and the Lord’s Appearance (9:7-24)

3.       The Fate of Aaron’s Sons (10:1-20)

E.       Laws of Cleanliness and Uncleanliness (11:1-15:33)

1.       The law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground (11:1-46)

2.       The law for her who bears a child (12:1-8)

3.       The law for leprous disease (13:1-14:57)

4.       The law for anyone, male or female, who has a discharge, and for the man who lies with a woman who is unclean (15:1-33)

F.       The way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place (16:1-34)

G.       Consequences of Improper Offerings and Sacrifices (17:1-16)

II.     Holiness Code for the Nation of Israel (18:1-27:34)

A.       Forbidden Sexual Practice (18:1-30)

1.       Introduction: You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt (18:1-5)

2.       The Law: Forbidden Sexual Practices (18:6-18)

3.       Summation: Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things (18:24-30)

B.       Holiness in the Live of the People of Israel (19-1-37)

1.       Being Holy, for the Lord is Holy (19:1-18)

2.       Keeping the Lord Statutes (19:19-37)

C.       Commandments against Heinous Crimes (20:1-27)

1.       Offering to Molech, Turning to Mediums, and Cursing ones Parents (20:1-9)

2.       Sexual Crimes Resulting in Death (20:10-16)

3.       Other Sexual Crimes (20:17-21)

4.       Summation: Rewards and Retributions for following these laws (20:22-27)

D.       Holiness and the Priests (21:1-22:33)

1.       First List (21:1-15)

2.       Second List (21:16-24)

3.       Third List (22:1-33)

E.       The Calendar of Religious Events (23:1-24:23)

1.       The Holy Convocations: Sabbath, Passover, and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread (23:1-8)

2.       Seasonal Regulations concerning Offerings (23:9-22)

3.       The Day of Solemn Rest (23:23-25)

4.       The Day of Atonement (23:26-32)

5.       The Feast of Booths (23:33-23:44)

6.       Perpetual Due (24:1-9)

F.       The Laws of Blaspheme and Talionic Justice (24:10-23)

G.       The land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord (25:1-55)

1.       The Sabbath Year (25:1-7)

2.       The Jubilee Year (25:8-22)

3.       A Redemption of the Land (25:23-34)

4.       Support a Poor Brother (25:35-46)

5.       Redemption of a Poor Brother (25:47-55)

H.       Expectations of the Covenant (26:1-46)

1.       Summation of the Commandments (26:1-2)

2.       Prosperity Promised (26:3-13)

3.       Disaster of Disobedience (26:14-39)

4.       The Covenant Remembered (26:40-46)

I.       Vows and Tithes (27:1-34)

1.       Vows (27:1-29)

2.       Tithes (27:30-34)

check out the stairs