Reading for Today:
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Leviticus 1:1
Chapter 1 1 And Jehovah called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying,
–2:16
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Psalms 22:22-31
22 I will declare thy name unto my brethren: In the midst of the assembly will I praise thee. 23 Ye that fear Jehovah, praise him; All ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; And stand in awe of him, all ye the seed of Israel. 24 For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Neither hath he hid his face from him; But when he cried unto him, he heard. 25 Of thee cometh my praise in the great assembly: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. 26 The meek shall eat and be satisfied; They shall praise Jehovah that seek after him: Let your heart live for ever. 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn unto Jehovah; And all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28 For the kingdom is Jehovah's; And he is the ruler over the nations. 29 All the fat ones of the earth shall eat and worship: All they that go down to the dust shall bow before him, Even he that cannot keep his soul alive. 30 A seed shall serve him; It shall be told of the Lord unto the `next' generation. 31 They shall come and shall declare his righteousness Unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done it. Psalm 23 A Psalm of David.
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Proverbs 8:32-36
32 Now therefore, `my' sons, hearken unto me; For blessed are they that keep my ways. 33 Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not. 34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors. 35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, And shall obtain favor of Jehovah. 36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: All they that hate me love death.
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Matthew 27:27-54
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered unto him the whole band. 28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. 29 And they platted a crown of thorns and put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spat upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the robe, and put on him his garments, and led him away to crucify him. 32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to go `with them', that he might bear his cross. 33 And they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, The place of a skull, 34 they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted it, he would not drink. 35 And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots; 36 and they sat and watched him there. 37 And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. 38 Then are there crucified with him two robbers, one on the right hand and one on the left. 39 And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, 40 and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself: if thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross. 41 In like manner also the chief priests mocking `him', with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him. 43 He trusteth on God; let him deliver him now, if he desireth him: for he said, I am the Son of God. 44 And the robbers also that were crucified with him cast upon him the same reproach. 45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47 And some of them stood there, when they heard it, said, This man calleth Elijah. 48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 And the rest said, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him. 50 And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. 51 And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent; 52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many. 54 Now the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
Notes:
Leviticus 1:4 put his hand on the head. This symbolic gesture pictured the transfer of the sacrificer’s sin to the sacrificial animal and was likely done with a prayer of repentance and request for forgiveness (see Ps. 51:18, 19). on his behalf. This was a substitutionary sacrifice that prefigured the ultimate substitute—Jesus Christ (see Is. 53; 2 Cor. 5:21). make atonement. The word means “cover.” The psalmist defines it by saying, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Ps. 32:1). Theologically, the “atonement” of the Old Testament covered sin only temporarily, but it did not eliminate sin or later judgment (Heb. 10:4). The one-time sacrifice of Jesus Christ fully atoned for sin, thus satisfying God’s wrath forever and insuring eternal salvation (see Heb. 9:12;
1 John 2:2
2 and he is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.
), even to those who put saving faith in God for their redemption before Christ’s death on the cross (see Rom. 3:25, 26; Heb. 9:15).
Matthew 27:31 to be crucified. Crucifixion was a form of punishment that had been passed down to the Romans from the Persians, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians. Roman crucifixion was a lingering doom—by design. Roman executioners had perfected the art of slow torture while keeping the victim alive. Some victims even lingered until they were eaten alive by birds of prey or wild beasts. Most hung on the cross for days before dying of exhaustion, dehydration, traumatic fever, or—most likely—suffocation. When the legs would no longer support the weight of the body, the diaphragm was constricted in a way that made breathing impossible. That is why breaking the legs would hasten death (
John 19:31
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the Preparation, that the bodies should not remain on the cross upon the sabbath (for the day of that sabbath was a high `day'), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken, and `that' they might be taken away.
–33), but this was unnecessary in Jesus’ case. The hands were usually nailed through the wrists, and the feet through the instep or the Achilles tendon (sometimes using one nail for both feet). None of these wounds would be fatal, but their pain would become unbearable as the hours dragged on. The most notable feature of crucifixion was the stigma of disgrace that was attached to it (Gal. 3:13; 5:11; Heb. 12:2). One indignity was the humiliation of carrying one’s own cross, which might weigh as much as 200 pounds. Normally a quaternion, 4 soldiers, would escort the prisoner through the crowds to the place of crucifixion. A placard bearing the indictment would be hung around the person’s neck.
Matthew 27:46 Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? “Eli” is Hebrew; the rest Aramaic. (
Mark 15:34
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
gives the entire wail in Aramaic.) This cry is a fulfillment of
Psalms 22:1
Chapter 22 1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? `Why art thou so' far from helping me, `and from' the words of my groaning?
, one of many striking parallels between that psalm and the specific events of the Crucifixion. Christ at that moment was experiencing the abandonment and despair that resulted from the outpouring of divine wrath on Him as sin-bearer.
DAY 15: How is Christ seen in the Levitical offerings?
Offering
Christ’s Provision
Christ’s Character
1. Burnt Offering (
Leviticus 1:3
3 If his oblation be a burnt-offering of the herd, he shall offer it a male without blemish: he shall offer it at the door of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before Jehovah.
–17; 6:8–13)
atonement
Christ’s sinless nature
2. Grain Offering (
Leviticus 2:1
Chapter 2 1 And when any one offereth an oblation of a meal-offering unto Jehovah, his oblation shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:
–16; 6:14–23)
dedication/consecration
Christ was wholly devoted to the Father’s purposes
3. Peace Offering (
Leviticus 3:1
Chapter 3 1 And if his oblation be a sacrifice of peace-offerings; if he offer of the herd, whether male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before Jehovah.
–17; 7:11–36)
reconciliation/fellowship
Christ was at peace with God
4. Sin Offering (
Leviticus 4:1
Chapter 4 1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
–5:13; 6:24–30)
propitiation
Christ’s substitutionary death
5. Trespass Offering (
Leviticus 5:14
14 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
–6:7; 7:1–10)
repentance
Christ paid it all for redemption
From The MacArthur Daily Bible Copyright © 2003. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson Bibles, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc, Nashville, TN 37214, www.thomasnelson.com.
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