365 Reflections

Joshua 5:10–12 (ESV)   While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho. 11 And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain.  Joshua 5 holds key concepts that are related to us in the New Covenant. We discussed circumcision in the last post and now we should discuss the Passover feast celebrated right after they were circumcised. Israel has been "baptized" in the Jordan and thus "baptized" into the family of God (through circumcision) and now are welcome to the table that points back to their original salvation.  As Christians, we share relevant practices under the terms of the New Covenant. First, we are baptized in water as a sign we've been baptized into the body of Christ. We are then invited to the Lord's table where we eat to remember the work of our redemption accomplish...

When Jesus tells us to eat His flesh and drink His blood we are of course aware today that He is speaking of communion. However, He is talking of something far deeper than that according to the book of Leviticus: Leviticus 6:14–18  (ESV)   “And this is the law of the grain offering. The sons of Aaron shall offer it before the Lord in front of the altar. 15 And one shall take from it a handful of the fine flour of the grain offering and its oil and all the frankincense that is on the grain offering and burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a pleasing aroma to the Lord . 16 And the rest of it Aaron and his sons shall eat. It shall be eaten unleavened in a holy place. In the court of the tent of meeting they shall eat it. 17 It shall not be baked with leaven. I have given it as their portion of my food offerings. It is a thing most holy, like the sin offering and the guilt offering. 18 Every male among the children of Aaron may eat of it, as decreed forever throu...

The clearest picture of Christ in the offerings has to come from the grain offering. Leviticus 2:1–2  (ESV)   “When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord , his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it   and bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord . The grain offering also most readily relates the idea that Jesus the true bread from heaven, would come in simplicity and poverty. Grain was the acceptable sin offering in Leviticus 5 for the poorest of the poor. Jesus was born in poverty. He lived a simple life. Yet in Him was the riches of God's glory.  The stipulations of the offering call for frankincense, a fine balsamic resin symbolic of holiness and devotion. God's Son would come with both...

Christian unity is essential for any church. And the Corinthians didn't have it. 1 Corinthians 11:18–19 (ESV) 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. The heart of division and sectarianism in any local church is a desire for someone to "feel" or seem important. That is what Paul is saying here. They Corinthians divided among themselves in a way to look down on others. At it's heart, that is what division is about. Consider Satan - who created the first division in heaven sought to be important, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’" Isaiah 14:14. And so a third of the angels divided from the rest and fell. To remedy the division of the body, Paul brings them back to the Lord's table. Its time to r...