The Kingdom Promised: His Rules, Part Three

Week sixteen | April 20-26

God gave the Israelites detailed instructions for the tabernacle, his temporary place for meeting with his people. But God’s people, who were sinful and repeatedly disobeyed him, could not be in the presence of a holy God. Sin deserves punishment and that punishment is death. Hebrews 9:22 says: “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (ESV). So God, being rich in mercy and abounding in steadfast love, made a way by accepting a substitute. He gave his people detailed instructions on how to offer animal sacrifices as the substitution for the forgiveness of their sins. Every day, twice a day, the priest would make animal sacrifices to pay the punishment for the sins of Israel. The continued need for sacrifices reminded them that the just punishment of sin is death, and only through the shedding of blood could sinful people be at peace with a holy God. This was a temporary solution; this sacrificial act was regularly performed in order to continually seek the forgiveness of God. But one day, God would give his Son as the final substitute, to pay for all sins, past, present, and future, offering complete forgiveness of sin to all who believe (Romans 10:9). Through his blood shed on the cross, the sins of all who believe in him would be forgiven! This sacrifice would bring the people peace with God once and for all. No longer would there be a need for a tabernacle, the holy of holies, or the shedding of blood in order for God to dwell with his people. The debt of sin would be paid by Jesus, making it possible for God’s earthly kingdom to be restored, just as he designed it to be. 

Memory Verse

He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. 

Hebrews 9:12

Worship

Day One

Read

Here are some verses for your family to read about God’s instruction about offering sacrifices to cover the sins of the people. This content may be graphic for younger children. Consider paraphrasing:

Leviticus 1:1-9

Leviticus 1:1 The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the Meeting Tent. The Lord said, 2 “Tell the people of Israel: ‘When you bring an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering one of the cattle. Or you may bring one of the sheep or goats. 3 “‘If anyone offers a whole burnt offering from the cattle, it must be a male. It must have nothing wrong with it. The person must take the animal to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. Then the Lord will accept the offering. 4 The person must put his hand on the animal’s head. Then the Lord will accept that burnt offering. It will remove the person’s sin so he will belong to God. 5 The person must kill the young bull before the Lord. Then the priests must bring its blood to the altar. They must sprinkle the blood on all sides of the altar. This is the altar at the entrance to the Meeting Tent. 6 The person will cut the skin from that animal. Then he will cut the animal into pieces. 7 The priests must put wood and fire on the altar. 8 They must lay the head, the fat and other pieces on the wood. That wood is on the fire on the altar. 9 The priest must wash the animal’s inner organs and legs with water. Then the priest must burn all the animal’s parts on the altar. It is a whole burnt offering, an offering made by fire. And its smell is pleasing to the Lord.

Pray

Lead your family in a time of prayer over what you read.

Consider the ACTS model:
A – Adoration/ praise God (remember that this is part of worshiping God)
C – Confession (confess sin and your need of God)
T – Thanksgiving (thank God)
S – Supplication (ask God to supply your needs) 

God, as we read about the sacrifices required to cover the sins of the people we are reminded of the seriousness of our sin. Our sin against you, a perfect holy God, can not go unpunished. Blood must be spilt to cover sin. Thank you God for having mercy on us and sending the perfect Savior, Jesus, who took the punishment we deserve and whose blood covered our sin. Let us not forget the cost of our sin and help us to continue to turn away from it and to you. In Jesus name, amen.

Day Two

Read

Here are some verses for your family to read about the Day of Atonement (Cleansing). This was the day of purification of the sins of the people. All the other daily purification rituals stem from this one important day. It all points to the work of Jesus on the cross, who is the ultimate sacrifice, atoning for the sins of all who believe in him. 

Leviticus 16:2-4, 29-34 (ICB)

Leviticus 16:2 He said, “Talk to your brother Aaron. Tell him there are times when he cannot go behind the curtain into the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant is. If he goes in when I appear in a cloud over the lid on the Ark of the Covenant, he will die. 3 “Aaron may enter the Most Holy Place only on the Day of Cleansing. Before he enters, he must offer a bull for a sin offering. And he must offer a male sheep for a whole burnt offering. 4 He must put on these clothes. He will put on the holy linen inner robe. The linen underclothes will be next to his body. His belt will be the cloth belt. And he will wear the linen turban. These are holy clothes. So he must wash his whole body with water before he puts them on.

29 “This law will always continue for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you must not eat. You must not do any work. The travelers or foreigners living with you must not work either. 30 On this day the priests make you clean so you will belong to the Lord again. All your sins will be removed. 31 This is a very important day of rest for you. And you must not eat. This law will continue forever. 32 “So the appointed priest will perform the acts for making things ready for service to the Lord. He is the priest on whom oil was poured. He is appointed to take his father’s place. That priest must put on the holy linen clothes. 33 He must make the Most Holy Place ready for service to the Lord. He must make the Meeting Tent and the altar ready for service to the Lord. He must remove the sins of himself and all the people of Israel so they will belong to the Lord. 34 That law for removing the sins of the Israelites so they will belong to the Lord will continue forever. You will do these things once a year.” So they did the things the Lord had commanded Moses.

Pray

Lead your family in a time of prayer over what you read.

Consider the ACTS model:
A – Adoration/ praise God (remember that this is part of worshiping God)
C – Confession (confess sin and your need of God)
T – Thanksgiving (thank God)
S – Supplication (ask God to supply your needs) 

Heavenly Father, we humble ourselves before you, recognizing how much you have done to atone for our sins. Thank you for giving Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice to pay the penalty we deserve for our sins. Through Jesus, we are purified and made right with you! Help us to walk in the newness of life that we have in Jesus. In his name we pray, amen.

Day Three

Read

Here are some verses for your family to read about God’s command to his people to be holy as he is holy:

Leviticus 19:1-5, 20:22-26

Leviticus 19:1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God. 5 “When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. 

Leviticus 20:22 “You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples. 25 You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.

Pray

Lead your family in a time of prayer over what you read.

Consider the ACTS model:
A – Adoration/ praise God (remember that this is part of worshiping God)
C – Confession (confess sin and your need of God)
T – Thanksgiving (thank God)
S – Supplication (ask God to supply your needs) 

Most Holy God, there is none like you. You have called us to be holy as you are holy, set apart from others as your sons and daughters. We confess that we are led astray by our sinful hearts and don’t reflect your holiness as we should. Help us to live out your calling, loving you, and walking in obedience. We trust that as we do you will lead us and provide for us. In Jesus name, amen. 

Day Four

Read

Here are some verses for your family to read about God’s continued guidance for how his people should live set apart from other nations:

Leviticus 26:1-4, 6-7, 11-18, 40-42, 44

Leviticus 26:1 “You shall not make idols for yourselves or erect an image or pillar, and you shall not set up a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the LORD your God. 2 You shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD. 3 “If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. 

6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land. 7 You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. 

11 I will make my dwelling among you, and my soul shall not abhor you. 12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect. 14 “But if you will not listen to me and will not do all these commandments, 15 if you spurn my statutes, and if your soul abhors my rules, so that you will not do all my commandments, but break my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will visit you with panic, with wasting disease and fever that consume the eyes and make the heart ache. And you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 17 I will set my face against you, and you shall be struck down before your enemies. Those who hate you shall rule over you, and you shall flee when none pursues you. 18 And if in spite of this you will not listen to me, then I will discipline you again sevenfold for your sins, 

 40 “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, 41 so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.

44 Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the Lord their God.

Pray

Lead your family in a time of prayer over what you read.

Consider the ACTS model:
A – Adoration/ praise God (remember that this is part of worshiping God)
C – Confession (confess sin and your need of God)
T – Thanksgiving (thank God)
S – Supplication (ask God to supply your needs) 

Lord, you are the Lord our God, there is none like you. You remind us that every good and perfect gift comes from you. We do not deserve your grace yet you abound in steadfast love and your faithfulness is never ending. Nothing we do can ever separate us from your love when we have put our faith in Christ Jesus. Help us to live in obedience, delighting in you above all else. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Day Five: Family Sabbath

Be Present

Set aside distractions (electronics, work, chores, etc.) and spend time with God and each other. 

Pray

God, thank you for giving us rest. You created us with limitations and command us to rest to remember You and all You provide. Help us rest in You today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Play

Choose a fun activity to do together as your family rests from work. 

• Fly a kite
• Pick wildflowers and press them to make art
• Read a book

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