Daily Devotional

One day it finally happened! In reading through the Bible, I now arrived at Leviticus. In the past, I found great difficulty reading this particular book. Consequently, I decided to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal something new to me: “Lord, Help me to understand You more.” Faithfully, I trudged through all the details, chapter after chapter.

The day came when I read the last chapter. I finally understood. Almighty God was calling His people to be holy as He is holy. He gave boundaries and clear distinct instructions about how He is to be worshipped. The minute details had a greater purpose—to teach the people, that God is a God of Specifics who cares about every detail of our lives.

The New Testament reminds us that all these details were a “mere shadow” of what Jesus Christ came to do for us as our High Priest and as the Lamb of God who takes away our sin (cf. Colossians 2:16–17; John 1:19). We also find more specifics regarding Jesus as our Perfect Atoning Sacrifice in the New Testament Book of Hebrews (cf. Hebrews 9:11–12; 10:1; 10), and regarding Christ as the Propitiation (i.e., the Satisfaction) for our sins in the First Epistle of John (cf. 1 John 2:2; 4:10). These great doctrines draw my attention back to the Book of Leviticus: The Book of Details.

My role as a Children’s Director in a local church requires I spend a great deal of time selecting curriculum for several age groups and clubs. The task is daunting, especially trying to coordinate a balance between Old and New Testament books and basic doctrines. I also admit not all the Books of the Bible are at the top of my list. So, imagine my surprise when I read that in Jewish history Leviticus was the very first book taught to children. Wow!

I understand now the value of unlocking the gold from the Book of Leviticus for myself and the children. We learn from Leviticus the specifics about our Holy God who hates our sins and calls His creation to be holy. The Apostle Peter repeats that age-old call of God on all of our lives. In explaining this he quotes the Book of Leviticus:

1 Peter 1:15–16 “…like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written (i.e., in Leviticus 19:2; 20:26). “You shall be holy, for I am holy” (My addition).
What did I learn from the Book of Leviticus? Holy God, the God of Detail, who cares about every part of our lives, provided the Perfect Lamb of God to take away our specific sins and give us all the detailed blessings of an abundant life (cf. John 10:10).

It is quite understandable why the lessons from the Book of Leviticus should be some of the first things we teach our children—followed by a look at the Book of Hebrews. They both contain details none of us can afford to miss. Now on to the Book of Numbers…

TO PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS AND TEACHERS:

1. Plan a treasure hunt for your kids then teach them that God’s Word is like a treasure hunt.  The prize is learning more about our Holy God!
2. Talk to your kids about our Holy God—perfectly good and without sin.
3. Share about the Holy, perfect Jesus taking our sin upon himself to save us. You can illustrate this by putting a backpack with a few stones or bricks on your back. You can pretend it is heavy by bending over and grunting.

Interested in following along with a past 40 Days for Life devotional?

For more information, visit campusbiblechurch.com/40days

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation