Bulletin 29 April 2011

29 April 2011                                                                                                                            25 Nissan 5771

Leviticus 19:1-20:27; Ezek. 22:1-19 (A), Ezek. 22:2-20 (S); Ephesians 1:1-14

Acharey Mot was addressed to Aaron and his sons.  In contrast, Kedoshim is addressed to the people of Israel.  Therefore, we notice right from the first sentence that holiness is not something reserved for the professionals.  “Then the L-rd spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, “You shall be holy, for I the L-rd your G-d am holy‘.”

Not only is holiness meant for everyone but our definition of holiness needs to be broadened to encompass the things listed in chapter 19.  Some examples of holiness include:

• Not reaping the harvest to the edge of the field;
• Not lying to your neighbor; and
• Not cursing a deaf person nor causing a blind person to stumble.

These might seem mundane or trivial.  However, we must recalibrate our thinking to realize that each of these actions profanes G-d’s name.

HAFTARAH

Our Haftarah portion mirrors that of Acharey Mot as it too notes the missed opportunity for obedience and the judgment that will come.  “So I took them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness.  I gave them My statutes and informed them of My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live.  Also I gave them My sabbaths to be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the L-rd who sanctifies them.  But the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness. They did not walk in My statutes and they rejected My ordinances, by which, if a man observes them, he will live; and My sabbaths they greatly profaned. Then I resolved to pour out My wrath on them in the wilderness, to annihilate them.”

However, G-d did not annihilate them.  In fact, He promises to preserve a remnant in Israel.  Because of their sin, none of the first generation entered the Promised Land.  But the next generation had the same opportunity to enter the land and to enjoy the same blessings.  “Yet My eye spared them rather than destroying them, and I did not cause their annihilation in the wilderness.  I said

to their children in the wilderness, ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols.  I am the L-rd your God; walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and observe them.  Sanctify My sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between Me and you, that you may know that I am the L-rd your G-d.”

NEW COVENANT

Paul, writing to the congregation of Ephesus, wanted them to know the extent of G-d’s design and plan.  Here our attention is focused on G-d’s desire for holiness.   “...[G-d] chose us in [Yeshua] before the foundations of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.“    The desire for holiness didn’t begin with the giving of the Law in Leviticus.  It was G-d’s design from even before creation.  G-d definitely put holiness within our reach.  “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”  Holiness is the obedient response of G-d’s people to the immeasurable gifts of grace and mercy He has given us.  When we truly understood the magnitude of His grace, we find obedience a joyful act of praise and worship.

APPLICATION

What is the common thread among these passages?  Holiness.  To be a part of the kingdom of G-d, we have to think differently.  We have to act differently.  Habits, culture, and traditions must be weighed against Scripture and that which is not G-dly must be cast away.

Is this really what G-d expects of us?  Does He really think we can do this?  In and of ourselves, He knows we can’t do this.  However, because we are “in Him,” all things are possible.  As Paul said, we were washed, sanctified, and justified.  We need to bring our lives more in line with G-d’s design.  We need to stretch ourselves toward greater holiness.

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The International Red Cross on Wednesday acknowledged what anyone not taken in by anti-Israel propaganda has known for some time: that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The International Red Cross on Wednesday acknowledged what anyone not taken in by anti-Israel propaganda has known for some time: that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.