Saturday, February 29, 2020

Leviticus 19 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 19.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/19/1/s_109001
Notice the repeated phrase: I am the LORD your God.
Meditate on verse 2b.

You shall be holy,
 for I the LORD your God am holy.

If God is your LORD, you will be holy (sacred and set apart) because He is holy. Leviticus 19 contains behaviors exemplifying those who are set apart to God.
Examine your life. Do your attitudes, words, and actions give evidence that you belong to God, that He is the LORD over your life? As you read the commands in Leviticus 19, do any of them bring conviction to your heart?
·      Reverence your mother and father (v. 3). 
·      Do not deal falsely (v. 11). 
·      Do not show partiality (v. 15). 
·      Do not hate your fellow countryman (v. 17). 

Submit to Him any area where you falter. Rejoice! You can be holy because the LORD Jesus who lives inside of you is holy. Ask Him to give you His attitudes, words, and actions.
Pray Leviticus 19:2, 32b, and 37 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, make ________ and me holy,
for You, LORD our God, are holy.
Help us revere You; You are the LORD.
Help us observe all Your statutes
and all Your ordinances and do them.
Because You are the LORD, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Friday, February 28, 2020

Leviticus 18 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 18.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/18/1/s_108001
Meditate on verses 2b and 4.

I am the LORD your God.
You are to perform My judgments
 and keep My statutes to live in accord with them;
 I am the LORD your God.

The Israelites spent over 400 years living among the Egyptians who engaged in activities abominable to the LORD. Now they were entering another land full of perverse people with laws condoning lewd and impure behaviors. God commanded His people not to walk in the statutes of the Egyptians and the Canaanites; God’s people were to obey His rules (vs. 3-4). He even gave laws for maintaining sexual purity.

Here is the LORD’s list of those you are never to have intercourse with:
·      Any blood relative (v. 6)
·      Father or mother (v. 7)
·      Stepmother (v. 8)
·      Sister, stepsister, half-sister (vs. 9, 11)
·      Aunt (vs. 12-14)
·      Uncle (v. 14)
·      Daughter-in-law (v. 15)
·      Sister-in-law (vs. 16, 18)
·      Grandchildren (vs. 10, 17)
·      Neighbor’s wife (v. 20)
·      Anyone the same sex as you (v. 22)
·      Any animal (v. 23)

Hear and heed the Word of the LORD.  Nations’ laws do not change God’s Laws.   Stand firm on His Truth.

Pray Leviticus 18:30 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help _______ and me to keep Your charge,
that we do not practice any of the abominable customs
 which are practiced before us, so as to defile ourselves with them.
Because You are the LORD our God, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Leviticus 17 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 17.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/17/1/s_107001
Meditate on verse 11, pronouncing atonement as three separate words: at-one-ment.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood,
 and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls;
 for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.

An animal’s blood represented its life.  That lifeblood was poured on the altar of sacrifice as a covering for sins to make atonement for the people, so they could experience at-one-ment with God. 

Understanding Leviticus 17:11 brings richer understanding to Jesus’s words.

He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life. 
 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him.
The glory which You have given Me I have given them, that they may be one,
 just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity.
—John 6:54a, 56; 17:22-23a

When you are in Christ, His blood covers you. You spiritually drink His lifeblood, making Jesus’ life your life. You become one with Him.
Pray Leviticus 17:11 and 14 in thanksgiving for the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ given for you.

“LORD, the life of the flesh is in the blood. 
Thank You for giving Yourself on the altar to make atonement for my soul;
for it is Your blood by reason of Your life that makes atonement.
 LORD, You prohibited eating the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood.  Thank You that this prohibition was to protect the one time I would eat the blood of Your flesh on the Day of Atonement when I became one with You, Jesus.”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Leviticus 16 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 16.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/16/1/s_106001
Notice the repeated phrase “make atonement.”
Meditate on verse 30.

For it is on this day that atonement shall
 be made for you to cleanse you;
you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD.

The Day of Atonement was the day, every year, when blood sacrifices were made to cleanse the people from all their sins. Atonement means “at-one-ment.”1  The LORD wanted to be one with His people, but He could not be in the presence of sin. Leviticus 16 gives God’s requirements to be “at one” with Him. The blood from the sin offerings covered sinful impurities, and a scapegoat was sent into the wilderness, symbolically bearing the sins of the people.
God’s requirements to be at one with Him have not changed. Blood still must cover your sins, and you need a scapegoat. Jesus Christ is your sin offering and your scapegoat. The day Jesus became your Savior is your Day of Atonement. He is the only blood sacrifice that makes atonement for your sins, allowing you to be at one with God (Romans 3:23-25). He is the scapegoat bearing all your sins, taking them away, so you can live at one with Him in righteousness (1 Peter 2:24).

Pray Leviticus 16:30-31 in thanksgiving for your Day of Atonement and for those who need a Day of Atonement. 

“LORD, thank You for the day You made atonement to cleanse me. 
Thank You that I am clean from all my sins before You. 
Thank You for the solemn rest that comes from You.  
Keep my soul humble before You.
LORD, please let _________ desire their
Day of Atonement with You.
Because of Your blood, Jesus~”

1. Easton’s Bible Dictionary.
The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell





Monday, February 24, 2020

Leviticus 15 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 15.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/15/1/s_105001
Meditate on verse 25.

Now if a woman has a discharge (an issue) of her
 blood many days, …she is unclean.

A discharge or an issue coming from a person’s body made him/her unclean. Their issue made everything they touched unclean.
Knowing Leviticus 15 makes this story from Mark 5:25-34 even more marvelous.
A woman who had a hemorrhage (an issue of blood) for twelve years came up in the crowd behind Him (Jesus), touched His cloak, and the flow of her blood dried up. Immediately Jesus turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” The woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. He responded, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”
This unclean woman touched Jesus in the middle of a large crowd. No wonder she feared and trembled! It was against the law for her even to be there. She was unclean—she risked contaminating hundreds of people hoping to touch Jesus and be healed. The moment she touched her gracious Savior, He healed her issue and gave her peace.
What issues are discharging in your life? Issues like anger, pornography, jealousy, lying ... can pour forth in your life, bringing uncleanness to you and those around you. Touch Jesus. Tell Him the whole truth; He wants to heal your afflictions and give you peace.

Pray Leviticus 15:2 (using the King James translation) as a prayer of confession.

“LORD, I am unclean in this issue of ___________.
My flesh runs with this issue.
LORD, stop this issue in my flesh!
Because You can make me clean, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Leviticus 14 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 14.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/14/1/s_104001
Notice the repeated phrase: the one to be cleansed.
Meditate on verses 1-3a.

Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
“This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing. 
 Now he shall be brought to the priest,
and the priest shall go out to the outside of the camp.”

The LORD cares about lepers. He dedicated 116 verses to lepers and their dreaded disease. While leprosy is a condition caused by bacteria and is not sin, its parallels to sin’s consequences and what God requires in order to be cleansed are not coincidental.
A leper was cleansed outside the camp through great sacrifice involving birds, blood, living water, oil, lambs without defect, clothes washed ... And just like God cares about the individual cleansing of one leper, He cares about the individual cleansing of you from sin, going to great sacrifice to ensure you are “the one to be cleansed” (vs. 4, 7-8, 11, 14, 17-19, 25, 28-29, 31).

But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people
 through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp.
—Romans 5:8; Hebrews 13:12-13a

Use Leviticus 14:24-25 as a prayer of thanksgiving to your LORD and as a prayer of intercession over those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).
“Jesus, You are the Lamb of my guilt offering.
You were slaughtered, and Your blood put on me,
so I can be cleansed.  Thank You!
Let _____________ accept You as their guilt offering
to be cleansed of their sins.
In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell


 

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Leviticus 13 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 13. 
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/13/1/s_103001
Notice the repeated phrase, “The priest shall look.”
Meditate on verse 34b.

The priest shall pronounce him clean;
and he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

Leviticus 13 contains the criteria for diagnosing the infectious disease called leprosy. It is a condition that starts unnoticeably small and grows to affect and rot other parts of the body. It is a real condition, and it is a poignant picture of sin. Sin infects your life, starting small, but when left undiagnosed and unchecked, grows into a putrid decay that affects you and those around you.
Thankfully you have a High Priest, Jesus the Son of God, who sympathizes with your sinful weaknesses and delights to heal leprosy (Hebrews 4:14-15; Luke 5:12-14; 17:11-19). Humbly come to your Great High Priest and ask Him to look you over and reveal the infectious sin in your life. Ask Him to cut out the sin sickness and make you clean. Hear these words of your Priest:
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and
the last, the beginning and the end.  Blessed are those
who wash their robes, so that they may have the right
 to the tree of life and may enter by the gates into the city.
—Revelation 22:13-14

Pray Leviticus 13:34 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD Jesus, You are my Priest. 
Look at _________ and me. Stop the spread of sin in us.
 Do not let it go any deeper.  Pronounce us clean. 
We want You to wash our clothes and make us clean.
Only because of You, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Friday, February 21, 2020

Leviticus 12 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 12.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/12/1/s_102001
Meditate on verse 8b.

The priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.

As you continue reading God’s laws for cleanliness, ask Him to show you His purpose behind the rules. For example, a woman remained “in the blood of her purification” (v. 5) twice as long if she gave birth to a daughter than when a son was born. This law was for the mother’s welfare; God gave her more days to recuperate before her husband would want to try for a coveted male child.

Mary and Joseph followed the laws of Leviticus 12 after Jesus was born.

And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision,
His name was then called Jesus…
And when the days for their purification
according to law of Moses were completed,
they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the LORD…
and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the LORD,
“A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
—Luke 2:21-24

The unblemished, spotless Lamb of God’s earthly parents “performed everything according to the Law of the LORD” (1 Peter 1:19; Luke 2:39).  That Lamb’s precious blood redeemed you, thus completing your days of purification.

Use Leviticus 12:6-7 in thanksgiving for what Jesus, the Lamb, did for you and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“Jesus, thank You for offering Yourself before the LORD
to make atonement for ________ and me. 
You cleansed us from the flow of sin and completed our purification.
Only because of You, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Leviticus 11 - Praying God's Word

Please read Leviticus 11.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/11/1/s_101001
Meditate on verse 44.

For I am the LORD your God. 
Consecrate yourselves therefore,
 and be holy, for I am holy.
 And you shall not make yourselves unclean
with any of the swarming things
 that swarm on the earth.

God gave the children of Israel laws regarding edible animals and those not to be eaten by humans.  God created inedible animals to clean the environment; some of the things they consume are not healthy for humans.  In Christ, there is freedom to eat anything God created “if it is received with gratitude” (1 Timothy 4:1-6).  However, if you are having health issues, obeying Old Testament dietary laws can be beneficial.

The LORD used the word “unclean” 32 times in Leviticus 11.  And even if you choose to eat a bacon sandwich today, there are still unclean things swarming the world that are detestable to God and should be detestable to you, too.  Ask the LORD to help you and your family discern unclean, detestable things and not be absorbed in the abhorrent.

Pray Leviticus 11:43-45 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, may _________ and I not render ourselves detestable
through any of the swarming things that swarm around us.
 Do not let us make ourselves unclean with them
so that we become unclean. 
You are the LORD our God.  Consecrate us
and make us holy, for You are holy. 
Do not let us make ourselves unclean
with any of the swarming things that swarm the earth. 
Because You are holy, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell



Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Leviticus 10 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 10.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/10/1/s_100001
Meditate on verse 10b.

Make a distinction between the holy and the profane,
and between the unclean and the clean.

For the past nine days, you have read what God requires to enter His presence. The LORD expected strict obedience to these rules. Well, Aaron, the priest, had two sons who did not take God at His word and decided to enter God’s presence their own way. Scripture says they “offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them” (v. 1). Nadab and Abihu’s blatant disregard for God’s Word so angered the LORD that fire came from His presence and consumed them.
As a Christian, it is important to understand Leviticus 10. God has a specific way to come into His presence, and that is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). If you believe other paths lead to God, you believe in “strange fire.” If you attend a church that compromises God’s Word for the sake of political correctness, you are in the midst of “strange fire.” And the LORD does not tolerate “strange fire.”
Continue to read and study the Bible. Learn what pleases God; treat Him as holy, and honor Him before all people (v. 3).
Pray Leviticus 10:1, 3, 10, and 11 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, do not let  _________ and me offer You strange fire.
As we come near You, help us treat You as holy
and honor You before all the people. 
Teach us to make a distinction between the holy and the profane,
and between the unclean and the clean.
For Your name’s sake, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Monday, February 17, 2020

Leviticus 9 - Praying God's Word

Please read Leviticus 9.
www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/lev/9/1/s_99001
Meditate on verse 6.

Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD
 has commanded you to do, that the glory of
the LORD may appear to you.”

In order for God’s glory to appear, a bull calf sin offering, a ram burnt offering, a male goat sin offering, a one-year-old calf and lamb burnt offering, an ox and a ram peace offering, and a grain offering mixed with oil were necessary. The offerings had to be perfect and offered precisely as the LORD commanded, with blood from the offerings dipped and poured to the LORD’s specifications. After the animals were slaughtered and presented before God, “fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt offering” (v. 24). Only then was the LORD pleased and His glory revealed.
Because of the complete sacrifice of Jesus Christ, you are no longer required to come with an unblemished lamb, ram, or goat before you can approach God. Faith in the fact that Jesus came to earth, died for your sins, and rose from the dead is the way you gain the glory of the LORD (2 Thessalonians 2:14).
Has God’s glory appeared to you? If not, believe in Jesus today. If His glory has appeared to you, thank Him. Reading Leviticus helps you appreciate even more what your Savior did on the cross.
Pray Leviticus 9:22-24 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, You are ___________ and my sin offering, burnt
offering, and peace offering.
Bless us and let Your glory appear to us.
Let Your fire come and consume us. 
May we shout and fall on our faces before You.
Because of Your unblemished sacrifice, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell





Sunday, February 16, 2020

Leviticus 8 - Praying God's Word

Please read Leviticus 8.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/8/1/s_98001
Meditate on verse 7.

He put the tunic on him and girded him with the sash,
 and clothed him with the robe and put the ephod on him;
and he girded him with the artistic band of the ephod,
with which he tied it to him.

The fact that Aaron and his sons were priests to God was obvious by what they wore. Their tunic, sash, robe, breastpiece, and turban with the holy crown identified them as priests.
Keep in mind that you, too, are set apart to be a priest to God.

And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals;
 for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood
 men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God;
and they will reign upon the earth.”
—Revelation 5:9-10

Like Aaron and his sons, the fact that you are a priest is obvious by what you wear.  Your priestly garment is the LORD Jesus Christ (Romans 13:14).  When people see you, do they see Jesus?

Pray Leviticus 8:12-13 and 36 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, pour Your anointing oil on ___________ and me.
Anoint us to consecrate1 us.

Clothe us and gird2 us with Yourself.

Bind us to You!

And may we do all the things which You command.
Because of You, Jesus~”

1.  Consecrate means dedicated to a sacred purpose. 

2.  Gird means to surround. 


The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Leviticus 7 - Praying God's Word

Please read Leviticus 7.
www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/7/1/s_97001
Meditate on verses 26-27.

You are not to eat any blood, either of bird or
 animal, in any of your dwellings. 
Any person who eats any blood, even that
 person shall be cut off from his people.

After the flood, God allowed people to eat meat with the stipulation that it be fully cooked with no blood in it (Genesis 9:3-4). This command was given because there would be a time in the life of every individual to decide whether or not to drink blood. That time is when a person chooses to become a Christian. Blood is life, and Jesus said, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves” (John 6:53). You are a Christian if you have consumed Jesus, symbolically eating and drinking Him, so that Christ is your life (Colossians 3:4).
In Leviticus, the priests were allowed to eat from the sacrifices offered at the tabernacle, but they could not eat the entire sacrifice, and it was never to be a piece of rare meat. As a New Testament priest (Revelation 1:6), you have the privilege of devouring all of your saving sacrifice, the LORD Jesus Christ.
Does Jesus live in you? If not, make Him your life, today.
Pray Leviticus 7:15 in thanksgiving to Jesus.

“Jesus, You are the flesh of the sacrifice.
This is my thanksgiving peace offering to You.
On this day of my offering, I choose to eat all of You;
I will not leave any of You until morning.
Because You are my life, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell



Friday, February 14, 2020

Leviticus 6 - Praying God's Word


Please read Leviticus 6.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/nasb/lev/6/1/s_96001
Meditate on verses 2a, 6a, and 7.

When a person sins and acts unfaithfully against the LORD…
Then he shall bring to the priest his guilt offering to the LORD…
And the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD,
and he will be forgiven for any one of the things
which he may have done to incur guilt.

The LORD made sure every sin was accounted for in Leviticus. Your holy God cannot be in the presence of any sin, even unintentional sin; it must be covered and forgiven.
Leviticus shows you how desperately you need a Savior. Continue to read saying, “Thank You, Jesus” after every sacrificial requirement.  
Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them
(which are offered according to the Law),
then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will…” 
By this will, we have been sanctified
 through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
—Hebrews 10:8-10

Pray Leviticus 6:2a, 6a, and 7 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, ________ and I have sinned and acted
unfaithfully against You.  Jesus, You are our guilt offering.
 Thank You for making atonement for us
and forgiving us for all of the things
we have done to incur guilt.
In Your name, Jesus~”

The WATCHMAN on the WALL 2 ~ Dr. Ron and Marsha Harvell