Earlier today I preached a sermon detailing insights about tuma (Hebrew for ritual impurity) and tahara (Hebrew for ritual purity). Namely, the goal was to provide an understanding of details and laws found throughout the Book of Leviticus, particularly laws of childbirth in Leviticus chapter 12.
You can listen to that sermon at the following link, http://www.buzzsprout.com/11630/951970-2-10-19-bpbc-worship-service
What I would like to do with the remainder of this note is to outline some notes for each of us to take home and think through from this mornings message.
- “The fundamental purpose of these laws (Leviticus) may, in fact, be the training of our loyalty to God in the face of mystery”. – Rabbi Shmuel Golden
- Rabbi Golden further elaborates, “Over and over again, the Torah exhorts the Jew to focus on the sanctification of his life in this world and to leave the mysteries of the unknown to God (see, Leviticus 18:5; Deuteronomy 10:12-13; 30:11-16)”.
- Epistles of John and the “mystery of sin” – 1 John 1:4-7, 8-9; 3:5-9
- “It is for the glory of kings to search out a matter and it is for the glory of God to conceal it (Proverbs 25:2)”.
- “So, God provided many of the Old Covenant laws and rituals that shroud certain things with mystery, things beyond our apprehension in an effort to lead us away from idolatry…Dare I say, our “loyalty to God”, living by faith, is largely determined by our reaction to external and even internal stimuli, as Rabbi Golden said, “God does not want us to pass through life unaffected by what crosses our path””. – Pastor Michael Miano
- Other verses mentioned: Hebrews 12:2; John 4:24; Hebrews 11:1, 6; James 1:6; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; 1 Corinthians 15:56; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 14:13; Romans 8:1; Romans 4:17