EAT YOUR BREAD AND ENJOY IT

Did I read that right? After all the admonitions against offering yeast (except as the firstfruits), there is an offering that requires yeast bread?

Yup. "Along with the Peace-offering of thanksgiving, present loaves of yeast bread."  Leviticus 7:11-15

Leaven is often used to symbolize sin--thus the call for unleavened bread with the sin offerings and atonement offerings.

But obviously the issue here isn't about sin. God would never ask for sin to be an added ingredient in our offerings.  But when we make a peace offering, a "thank you" to God for what He has done for us --then the flavor, the pleasure, of yeast bread is appropriate.

This continues the thought of yesterday--there is a time and a place for everything. And a peace offering, which is not a penance, but a freewill offering out of a full heart, requires giving of those things that give us joy.

If during Lent we eat unleavened bread, on Resurrection Day, we break out the wonderful rolls and celebrate the peace His death and resurrection brought us.

Today let's enjoy one of those wonderful rolls in my logo--and think of all the wonderful things God has done for us.

IF A TREE FALLS. . . The Nature of Sin (Leviticus 4-5)

"If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" The questions carries implications for observations and reality and how they are connected.

In Leviticus 4, the question could be asked, "If a person sins and there is no one to see it, is it a sin?"  The answer is an unquivocal "yes."  

"They become guilty even though no one is aware of it." 

No one--except God, that is. And He's the one we're sinning against in the first place. 

What scares me even more about the passage is the context. God is speaking to "the whole congregation." 

Later in the chapter, he mentions specific individuals who might sin:

• "anyone"
• a priest
• a leader
• any member of the community

So any individual who sins is guilty. They don't even have to know it  is a sin. No one is excused.  (Ignorance of the law is no excuse, even in God's court.)

The idea of "corporate" sin makes me uneasy. Again, I'm too American to think I will automatically agree with everyone else. 

Is corporate sin a matter of everyone passing an unjust law, a jury convicting an innocent man, a nation waging an unjust war?

Or is more a matter of individuals closing our eyes to injustice? In Leviticus 5:1, God says, "you sin by not stepping up and offering yourself as a witness to something you’ve heard or seen in cases of wrongdoing."

We don't like to bother in our neighbor's affairs. If we see a wife who appears abused . . . a child who's been bullied. . .a friend pocket a candy bar at the convenience store. . . what do we do? What should we do?

In my situation here, it means speaking up for those who can't speak for themselves. It doesn't even have to be mistreatment. It can be someone who is calling for help and is being ignored (well, that's mistreatment). Someone who has fallen or who is going into diabetic shock. A dozen things may happen in any given day.

Which is the reason why I speak up when my needs are ignored . . . because I speak for those unable to speak for themselves.

Where does reporting wrongdoing end and grace begin? How do we decide? 

But neither ignorance nor silence are acceptable. 

THE RIGHT SEASONING (Leviticus 2)

I confess, I always take a deep breath and pretty much hold it until I finish reading the book of Leviticus. The nuts and bolts of the law generally bore me.

So when I turned the page from Exodus to Leviticus today, I asked God to especially open my eyes to what He wanted me to see and to share with you.

Given the name of my blog, "My Daily Nibble," a chapter on Grain Offerings certainly is appropriate inspiration.

Verses 12-13 caught my attention. In them, God gave three instructions about seasonings:

1. Don't add yeast or honey to grain offerings which will be burned. Don't offer them as a "pleasing fragrance."
2. Do add salt to every grain offering.
3. Honey and yeast are acceptable offerings as first fruits. 

Does anyone out there watch "Chopped" (or any of the other competitive cooking shows)? Over and over again the judge cut chefs for not using the right seasonings.

You could say God gave the recipe for which seasonings to use for success.  He didn't disapprove or dislike honey and yeast. He only set up regulations for how and when they enjoyed. That sounds like a few other things--like sex and money. Good, pleasing gifts from God--when enjoyed at the right place and time. 

Different seasons for different seasonings.

Different gifts for different people too. I might be "honey" (people call me "nice" and my writing "sweet"). You might be "salt." The fact God is using you all over the place today doesn't mean I don't have a place of service in His kingdom. My role is unique, and so is yours. 

Ask God for advice about the right seasonings for your life and ministry. 

TEAM WORK (Exodus 39)

Half of Exodus describes the work involved in building the Tabernacle and creating priestly garments. Only three people are mentioned by name: Bezalel, Oholiab, and Moses. Bezalel and Oholiab led a host of other craftsmen in the construction; Moses was relegated to day laborer, assembling the furnishings inside the Tabernacle according to God's instruction.

In addition to the anonymous craftsmen, anonymous women served at the entrance to the Tabernacle and wove linen and spun thread. 

Still--not everyone actually made something for service in the Tabernacle. Perhaps everyone gave to the building; they brought so much that the treasurers told them to stop with the offerings! (I doubt any building fund since then has had the same problem.)

But when time came to give credit for the job, Moses recorded, "The People of Israel . . . did it all."

Of course the major point is that they finished the job; not a detail was ignored.

But. . . they didn't all do it. And they certainly all do it all.

Maybe it's my American individualism. Even when I say "we went to the NBA finals last year!" I don't mean I, or the people of Oklahoma, went to the finals. The Thunder players and coaches' success rested on their talent and hard work. 

Maybe it's closer to the sense of "We won World War II." Everyone from the soldier on the front lines to the child collecting tin felt they were a part of the war effort. 

But do we think of church activities and worship as a team sport? That it takes everyone's participation to do it "all" and be blessed for it?

And what part do I play, bound to a nursing home as I am?

Let us each do something--so that together we can do it all. 

WRITE ON: FINDING MY VOICE (Exodus 37-38, Matthew 23)

Everything I read today hit me straight in my writer's heart. So I will share what God had to say to me, and trust the Holy Spirit to apply it to your situation as well. 

•  He also prepared with the art of a perfumer. . . (Exodus 37:29). The "he" referred to is Bezelel. He was a goldsmith and a craftsman of many arts.  I suspect he had never made a perfume before. But as part of his calling regarding the Tabernacle, he had to make the anointing oil. Application: I consider myself a fiction writer who is now called to write nonfiction as well. Not as different as working with perfume vs. gold, but different skills. But the God who called me will also supply me with the "art" to do it.
• the women’s work group who were assigned to serve at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. (Exodus 38:8) Who were these women? Are they mentioned anywhere else? Anonymous yet their service was essential for the smooth running of worship. Application: For the most part, I am one of the group of anonymous workers who write Christian fiction. In other words, I'm not a household name. And I a woman, drawing near to the temple of biblical exegesis which has long been a man's stronghold.
• Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules (Matthew 23:4)  Jesus denounced the Pharisees for not handling God's word as sustaining food and drink. Application: I have called this blog "My Daily Nibble"--my calling is to find the bread in the Bible, in familiar stories and in obscure laws.
• If you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty (Matthew 23:12).  No explanation needed here. And wow! I struggle with finding my "voice" in nonfiction. My natural style doesn't feel "right" to my Bible-college-and-seminary trained mind. Earlier in the passage, Jesus mentioned "reverends and doctors."  He doesn't want me to try to write like the scholars. My best writing will come as I am simply myself.

Today I found a feast!  I hope you enjoy it with me. 

JOB INTERVIEW (Exodus 34)

You're going to a job interview at the company that's at the top of your list. The job can make or break your career.

The problem is, the last time you worked there, you screwed up big time. They have no reason to take you back, but you're hoping maybe You can point out the things you did well. So you walk into the interview, and you see him. The person you considered your friend and mentor had fired you. You gulp. You can't rationalize your mistakes with this man. Maybe if you offer to work for free. . .

That's the situation Moses faced in Exodus 34. God wanted to wipe Israel out and start over again with Moses. Moses was pleading with God to stay with them, to honor His covenant with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Moses had no way to sugarcoat their behavior. Only days before they had worshipped the Golden Calf.  So he admits the truth: we are hard-headed. We are sinners, everyone of us. 

The only one of them who had any glimmer of worthiness was Moses himself. And he offered himself on behalf of his people. "If you see any good in me." 

Then, on behalf of the people who just left slavery behind, Moses asked, "Own us. Possess us." 

What a standard to live up to. God expects nothing less than our complete honesty--we can't exactly hide our sins from Him--and He demands nothing less than our lives. Later in this chapter, He tells them, "No one is to show up in my presence empty-handed."

Applying for a job in God's kingdom is not for the faint of heart.

LOOKING FOR A LEADER? (Exodus 32-33)

Make gods for us who will lead us. Exodus 32:1-3 MSG.

 If I am so special to you, let me in on your plans. Exodus 33:12-13 MSG

 Today I read the story of the golden calves, that ridiculous, foolish, shortsighted decision by the Israelites while Moses was on the mountain. 

Reading the account today, I see that both the Israelites and Moses were impatient. They wanted to know "what next"? But they sought their answers in so very different ways. 

The people begged Aaron "make gods who will lead us." 
Think about that. How can gods that we make ourselves lead us? We might as well make a list of pros and cons or toss a coin. 

Even so, I see a bit of myself in this mistaken quest. As a professional author plagued with health problems, I schedule my days so that I can accomplish my work at a steady pace, no last minute pushes (been there, done that, and I can't any more). 

It's a tool, and a good one. But I tend to overdo. When I was a teenager and a friend showed up unannounced, my aunt informed her, "She can't see you now. You're not on the calendar."

Yup, I can depend too much on my schedule and not allow God to change my plans.

And oh, boy, how Moses's prayer echoes so many of my own. "I know I am special to You. But how about letting me in on Your plans?" 

And God's answer to me is about what God told Moses, although I haven't received any unique, cleft-in-the-rock visits by God. He still doesn't tell me what's next--He reassures me of Who's next--God. He is my constant companion and will guide me where I should go. 

Follow God--and don't rely on man-made tools. Easier than it sounds.