Focus Your Life On The Requirements Of God - Christian Perspectives
Many areas of life today are built around some sort of compromise. The political and the business worlds each use it to accomplish their goals. Sadly some Christians compromise in their godly values. With the Lord, however, there is no compromising. That is why you must focus your life on all the requirements of God.
“No descendant of Aaron who has a defect may approach the altar to present special gifts to the Lord. Since he has a defect, he may not approach the altar to offer food to his God.” Leviticus 21:21
Under the Old Testament statutes and laws, God was very stern in His requirements and mandates. God said what He meant. Therefore there was no room for debate or human interpretation.
The Lord has never had any grey areas. With Him, it’s either black or white, right or wrong. There are no loopholes. What he said and what He says is exactly what he means.
In the portion of scripture, we are reading today, the focus is on physical defects. It’s talking about the men in the family line of Aaron. If one had such a defect he was not permitted to do many of the priestly functions.
No one who has a defect qualifies, whether he is blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, or has a broken foot or arm, or is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or has a defective eye, or skin sores or scabs, or damaged testicles. Leviticus 21:18-19
Things are Somewhat Different in the New Testament
Maybe you have such a physical ailment. Please don’t stop reading. Hear me out as we look at this in the light of the New Testament. Before we get to that, let’s look at some of these Old Testament specifications.
God mandated animals they could offer to Him as a sacrifice. Then how and when He wanted those offerings. The animal candidates had to be without defects and a certain gender for different sacrifices.
The Lord also gave specific instructions on how to offer the animals for each sacrifice. This included what happened to the animal’s blood, the parts burned, and what portions they ate.
So, why is this important to us who are living now in the New Testament time of grace? Here is what the apostle Paul told the Galatian Christians.
The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. Galatians 3:24
The King James Version says the law is our schoolmaster. After Jesus set the new covenant in place, it became a teaching tool for us.
Focus Your Life on the Requirements of God
Today, just like in the Old Testament, God has very specific requirements of His chosen ones. The difference between then and now is physical defects don’t disqualify anyone from entering into His presence.
The disqualification comes from our spiritual defect called sin. Unlike the sacrifices of the Old Testament offered continually, the sacrifice of Jesus happened once and for all.
He became our ultimate sacrifice because He died on the cross and rose from the dead. When we accept what He did for us, we are free from the power of sin. Here is what Paul wrote to the church in Rome.
But now, as God’s loving servants, you live in joyous freedom from the power of sin. So consider the benefits you now enjoy—you are brought deeper into the experience of true holiness that ends with eternal life! Romans 6:22 TPT
Have you ever been in a worship service where you sensed the presence of God? Just wait until you move from this life into eternity. You will enter into God’s presence!
Lord thank you that our salvation is not based on any physical ailments in our bodies. Touch those who are living with physical defects. We also want to thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus which cleanses us from our spiritual defect caused by sin.
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Read this related post from the New Testament called Focus On The Progress You Have Already Made.
Check out these related blogs on “Focus”.
Check out all of Leviticus 21.
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