TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Leviticus 11:1-12:8
Mark 5:21-43
Psalm 38:1-22
Proverbs 10:8-9
Leviticus 11:4 — Welcome to the dietary law! Some people differentiate the Mosaic law into three types:
- Moral Laws (universal to all people, e.g. Ten Commandments)
- Civil Laws (explanations of the moral laws – “what if someone accidentally …”
- Ceremonial Laws (laws relating to the Temple, specific to Israel)
CARM.org divides the 613 laws into 34 categories under these three categories; however, the lines do appear arbitrary at times.
A better system for analyzing the law is “dispensationalism” – the idea that God deals with different people in different ways at different times. It also means that God is not fair (“why can’t Joshua eat bacon if Noah could and Peter could?”) but He is just and has a plan! God replaced the 613 commands of the Mosaic Law with over 800 commands for the New Testament believer!
Speaking of bacon – here’s the overview of when people could and could not eat bacon:
Leviticus 11:44 — Even though the Mosaic Law doesn’t apply to our dispensation, the principle of the Ceremonial Law (showing the distinction between clean and unclean) is a picture of the distinction between holy and unholy. While God has removed the division between clean and unclean animals, He has not removed the distinction between holiness and unholiness. We are still required to be holy, because He is holy (Leviticus 20:7, I Peter 1:15-16).
Mark 5:22 and 35 — While Jesus had an adversarial relationship with the religious leaders, especially the Pharisees, individuals like the ruler of the synagogue had faith in Jesus. Groups of people are unlikely to follow Jesus, but thankfully individuals are always welcome.
Psalm 38:3 — Do you have no rest in your bones because of sin? A) Be grateful that your Father is rebuking you (Hebrews 12:6), and B) Repent from your sins (I John 1:9).
Proverbs 10:8 — Continuing contrasts between wisdom and foolishness.
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