Leviticus 1st

Leviticus
2016년 2월 20일 초판 발행
발행처 ANBI All NAtions Bible Institute

편집 ANBI 문서팀
주소 경기도 시흥시 정왕4동 1880-7
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www.yulbangchurch.org
Copyright 2016 by ANBI all rights reserved.
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Contents
[1] Lev. 1:1-2

Delivered on October 28, 2013 4
[2] Lev. 1:3-6

[3] Lev. 1:7-2:16

[4] Lev. 3:1-17

[5] Lev. 4:1-6:7

[6] Lev. 6:8-7:38

[7] Lev. 8:1-10:20, 16:1-34

[8] Lev. 9:1-24 “Show Us Your New Glory (1)”

Delivered on Sunday, December 28, 2014 112
[9] Lev. 10:1-20 “Show Us Your New Glory (2)”

Delivered on Wednesday, December 31, 2014 126
Leviticus Exposition
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Delivered on October 28, 2013
- Conference Day 1/ Evening Service -
by Rev. Min-Ho Kim
Leviticus 1:1-2 [NIV]
Leviticus 1
1. The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He said,
2. “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any of you brings an offering to the LORD,
bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.
Some verses of the Book of Leviticus might be familiar, but I think most of you have not heard
expository sermons on the whole text of Leviticus. Yulbang church members studied Leviticus a few
years ago. Especially pastors need to immerse themselves in the whole Bible and build their person-
ality and character according to God’s intention in each book of the Bible.
Through the Book of Leviticus, we should understand the true sense of “holiness,” which is mani-
festation of God’s life. The core point of Leviticus is holiness. Holiness is more important than life.
If Israel lost this holiness, it meant death. As I said in my exposition on Isaiah, it is very easy to live
with God. How can I say that? All we have to do is focus on holiness. It is simple! If we do so, then
God himself feeds and clothes us. Indeed we don’t have to worry about what we will eat, drink, or
what we will wear. All we have to do is maintain holiness. That’s nice to hear, isn’t it? Then, what
makes you think it difficult to live with God? As I was always saying, it is not because it really is
difficult to live with God, but because you have worldliness that keeps you from living by God. By
the way, do you think it easy to live the way the world lives? It’s not! It is more difficult, because you
have to care of everything on your own. But when we live with God, all we need is holiness. Indeed
it is easy and simple to live with God. I can say that with confidence. I know it really is difficult to
live in the world because I had had a deep friendship with the world for 29 years before I met Jesus.
It is much more difficult to live a decent life in the world. In comparison, it is easy to live with God.
All we need is holiness. But instead, if we lose holiness, we lose everything. Leviticus teaches about
this holiness. If you really eat the word of Leviticus by faith, you will be clear about what holiness is,
and you will know that holiness is more precious than our own life. Indeed we must strive to live a
holy life.
Leviticus teaches about holiness. And what makes us confirm our holiness and increase in holiness
is worship. Therefore, Leviticus teaches about sacrifices or worship. In conclusion, the corruption of
worship is due to the loss of holiness. Worship and holiness are proportional to each other. Corrupt
worship results in loss of holiness, and the loss of holiness corrupts worship.
Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.” The Greek word for
“body” is sóma. Sóma includes our personality and life. When we are to offer our sóma as a sacri-
fice, it must be a holy sacrifice. And when we are to offer our life as a sacrifice, it must be a living
sacrifice. This is what Leviticus is talking about. We can offer a holy, living sacrifice only when we
completely die to self. As much as we live a holy life, our worship becomes holier. Life and worship
goes together. Holiness and worship are proportional to each other. The holier our life is, the more
glorious our worship becomes. And the glorious worship leads us to increase in holiness.
The corruption of worship means the destruction of Israel. All the prophets in the Old Testament
said that Israel was doomed to be destroyed because its worship had become corrupted. Hosea, the
first generation of the Minor Prophets, prophesied about Israel’s corruption of worship. He said in
Hosea 2:11, “I will stop all her celebrations: her yearly festivals, her New Moons, her Sabbath days-
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-all her appointed feasts.” He prophesied that God would stop their worship. In Isaiah chapter 1, we
see the decisive reason for the Israelites’ being taken captive to Assyria and Babylon. Isaiah 1:11-14
says, ‘The multitude of your sacrifices-- what are they to me?’ says the LORD. ‘I have more than
enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood
of bulls and lambs and goats.” God was not pleased with their worship. How ironic that was! “When
you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts?” God met
with Israel in the Most Holy Place (or the Holy of Holies). By “trampling of my courts,” it is meant
that God didn’t meet with them through their worship. “Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations-- I cannot bear your evil
assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a
burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.” Israel’s corruption of worship was the main reason for
its destruction. Another famous prophet after Hosea, among the first generation of Minor Prophets,
was Joel. Joel said, “Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD.”
He spoke about Israel’s loss of all the blessings of God; their fields were ruined, everything in their
grounds was dried up, and their joy was withered away. His prophecy was not only about what
happened about 2,800 years ago, but also what has happened in all ages. Christians’ problems have
to do with this grain offerings and drink offerings’ being cut off. Israel offered a grain offering and
drink offering every morning and evening, which is called a regular burnt offering (or continual
burnt offering). Joel said that these offerings were cut off from the house of the LORD. Probably
they stopped offering them. But it also means that God didn’t accept their offerings because their
sacrifices were corrupted. Joel chapter 3 prophesies about the first coming and second coming of
the Lord and the end time. In the end times, all the problems of Israel and spiritual Israel are related
with the corruption of worship. The corruption of worship leads to destruction of Israel.
What is the mission of the remnant in these last times? It is to defend true worship! It is to defend
the holy worship. This is our mission. Our church wants to risk its life for true worship. We have
never worshiped half-heartedly or sloppily. God is a witness. I pour everything into the Sunday
worship. I do no pour my things but God’s. I’m not perfect, but I try to concentrate all my energy on
worship. In these last days we should defend true worship above everything else. This is the rem-
nant’s mission. The enemy knows it and tries to corrupt worship. He thinks, “If I can only corrupt
their worship, they will die.” We won’t die as long as our worship is a living sacrifice and we do not
lose holiness. If I were a layman and asked of which church I would go to, my answer would be
clear. I would go to a church where worship is alive. Even if a certain church offered me 100,000
dollars, I would never go there if its worship is not alive.
We read in the Book of Malachi how much disgusted God is with corrupt worship. The corruption
of worship is mentioned in Malachi 1:6 and the following. Malachi said that Israel defiled the Lord
by offering defiled food, and lame and sick animals. And the Lord said in verse 10, “Oh, that one
of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar!” This is
God’s feelings toward churches today. God is crying, “Somebody, close down the churches! They
are not worshiping me, but doing a show using my name.” Israel lost its holiness, and it lead to its
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destruction. And its corruption of worship was the leading cause of its loss of holiness. The same
thing is happening to the churches today. Some say that the reason for church decline is because of
its wrong marketing strategy. It is nonsense!
Worship! This really is an important issue. Through our worship and conferences, we are experienc-
ing special grace of God. But it is not enough, especially in these last days when the Lord’s return is
imminent. Through this sermon of Leviticus, I hope, we Zoe Ministry churches will be restored to
holiness and perfect worship acknowledged by God. I believe Leviticus will help for you to increase
in holiness. Leviticus 19:2 says, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy be-
cause I, the LORD your God, am holy.’ ” How can we be holy? God has given us the blood of Jesus.
Because he gave his blood, we ought to be holy. Holiness is life. His blood is circulating in us. The
cross of Jesus was the event where the Creator gave up his honor for us and laid down his almighti-
ness because of his love for us. I hope you realize this love through this conference.
Before we look at Leviticus, remember that you should eat the Bible for life. Life cannot be split into
parts. The words of the Bible are life. So we must eat the Bible whole and not partially. And we must
not study it for knowledge or information. John 6:63 says, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for
nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” We must eat the words of God
by faith so that they may be stored as life in us. Otherwise, the words of God become information
that doesn’t give us life.
Let us look at the whole picture of Leviticus. We can say that the Old Testament begins and ends
with the Pentateuch (or Torah). The Prophetical Books and Ketubim (Writings) like Psalms are
reinterpretation of the Pentateuch in the times and situations. Both the Old Testament and the New
Testament speak of the same things. For example, the name “Israel” was only changed to “church.”
The words used in the Old Testament are identical to the words used by the authors of the New
Testament. It is an astonishing fact. For example, in Galatians 3:8, Paul says, “The Scripture foresaw
that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham…”
Note that the “gospel” was announced to Abraham. A more amazing thing is mentioned in Hebrews
4:6; “It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached
to them did not go in, because of their disobedience.” “Those who formerly had the gospel preached
to them” refer to the Israelites in the Old Testament. The authors of the New Testament knew that
Israel also had heard the gospel. In Galatians Paul says that the law is our tutor or guardian to lead
us to Christ. The principle of forgiveness of sin seen in the Old Testament is the principle of the
gospel. This is clearly seen in the life of David and in the book of Leviticus. Both the Old Testament
and the New Testament talk about the gospel. The difference is that the righteous men in the Old
Testament were cleansed from sin by faith in Jesus to come and we have been cleansed from sin
by faith in Jesus who has already come. People of the Old Testament times knew that they couldn’t
solve the problem of sin. God’s judgment of sins was only suspended. This is pointed out clearly in
Hebrews 10:4; “because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” Isaiah
also used the same words as the authors of the New Testament. Both the Old Testament and the
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New Testament speak of the same gospel. The only way to salvation is Jesus Christ. There is no other
way but his cross. Salvation is found in him alone, “for there is no other name under heaven given
to men by which we must be saved.”
The Pentateuch is largely composed of two things. One thing is about the identity: “Who is Israel?”
And the other thing is about what God’s will toward Israel is. “Who is Israel?” This issue is dealt
with in the process of the sons of Jacob’s becoming a nation of tribes and a community of faith. And
“What is God’s will toward Israel?” These two things are largely dealt with in the Old Testament;
Israel’s identity in a narrative form, and the issue of God’s will in the laws.
The pivotal part of the Pentateuch is the Sinai Narrative, from Exodus 19:1 to Numbers 10:10, where
the words that God said to Israel in Mount Sinai were written. Exodus chapters 1-18 describe Israel’s
exodus from Egypt. After leaving Egypt, Israel came to the Desert of Sinai, and stayed there for 2
years until Numbers 10:10. This is the most important part of the Pentateuch. The Sinai Narrative is
about the words God said to the Israelites whom he intentionally let to stay in the Desert of Sinai on
their way to Canaan. And its core part is Leviticus.
To divide the Sinai Narrative into several sections, Exodus 19:1-24:8 talks about God’s covenant,
and 24:9-40:38 talks mainly about the tabernacle. And Leviticus chapters 1-10 deal with the life of
worship, chapters 11-16 with the cleansing, and chapters 17-27 with the holy life that Israel should
live. And how Israel should live in the wilderness is mentioned in Numbers chapters 1-10. In this
Sinai Narrative, Leviticus deals with the life of worship and how to live a holy life.
We should understand the importance of worship and church. More than half of the Sinai Nar-
rative is about the tabernacle. Moses received the instruction on how to build the tabernacle and
gave the orders to the Israelites. Ezekiel, who was active in the latter days of the exile, described the
image of the last tabernacle, God’s glorious temple, in Ezekiel chapters 40-48. It is called “Jehovah
Shammah;” the Lord is there. God dwells in you! It is the last tabernacle. The completion of the last
tabernacle is also mentioned in Revelation 21:23. The church is an eternal thing, through which we
worship God. Building the tabernacle is the most important part of the Sinai Narrative. After the
completion of the tabernacle, God began to speak to Israel there.
Who is Israel? Those who worship God and follow his laws are Israel. They are victorious in the
desert. The Israelites’ life in the desert is mentioned in Numbers chapter 10 and the following. The
Israelites were organized into divisions like an army for the march from Sinai to the Promised Land.
They became a holy, strong army through worship, and not through military training.
Let us look at the name “Leviticus.” The word “Leviticus” comes from the Greek word used in the
Septuagint, a translation of the Hebrew Bible. In A.D. 2, Jews named Leviticus “Torah Kohanim”
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meaning “the law of the priests,” which was influenced by the Septuagint. And, its Hebrew name is
Vayikra, which means “and He called.” The books of Hebrew Bible are entitled from the first chapter
and first verse of each book. So Leviticus 1:1, “The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from
the Tent of Meeting. He said,” became the title of this book in Hebrew. The title “Leviticus” itself
conveys a meaning, “the book of the Levites.” But Leviticus is not about the Levites. It deals with
the priestly duties of Aaron and his sons, but does not give any instructions necessary for the other
Levites to carry out their duties connected with the tabernacle. The Levites are only mentioned
in 25:32-33. Some duties of the priests are mentioned in several places, but comparatively a small
portion. Then why was this book entitled “Leviticus”? I don’t know. But we can say that Leviticus is
not just a book for the priests. It mainly speaks about the worship and issue of holiness. As seen in
chapter 1, Leviticus conveys the messages that God spoke out to Israel through Moses.
Next, let us look at the composition of Leviticus. Leviticus deals with the identity of Israel and
the laws. Chapters 1-7 are about the ritual laws, and 8-10 about the ordination of the high priest.
Chapters 11-15 are about uncleanliness and its treatment; the instructions about the clean and the
unclean that the Israelites can eat and must not eat in order to make themselves clean. And chapter
16 is about the Day of Atonement, which is the answer to how to make them clean and holy. And
chapters 17-27 speak about the holy life.
Look at verse 1. “The LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. He said.”
We read in Exodus chapters 19-40 that God spoke out of Mount Sinai. And now in Leviticus, he
speaks out of the tabernacle. This is very important. God’s speaking from the tabernacle foreshad-
owed the event mentioned in John 1:14; God made his dwelling (Shekinah) among us. So it is no-
ticeable that God who had spoken at Mount Sinai began to speak from the tabernacle in the midst
of the people of Israel.
The Israelites experienced God’s glorious presence and his deliverance from slavery in Egypt, and
from sins and the enemies in the desert. The desert implies the world. We should be victorious and
enjoy liberation from all sins of this world every day. This is the image of the community of worship.
Who are God’s children? They are people among whom God made his dwelling and whom he sets
free from sin and the pressure of the enemies, and leads to his glory in the world like a desert.
It is a very important point that God spoke from the tabernacle. If you don’t understand this, you
might feel God speaking to you from the place which is 50 billion light years away. But Ephesians
2:13 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through
the blood of Christ.” How close is God to us? He is closer to us than our own breath. Ephesians says
that God made us his temple, and we can have access to the Father with confidence. God is dwelling
in us, so we’ve got the right to speak to him with confidence. The God who governs individuals,
peoples, and the whole world dwells in us! He made us his dwelling place full of his glory. How
amazing! So Isaiah prophesied the words of Isaiah 4:5-6 with amazement and wonder. He described
the greatness of God in chapter 40. “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or
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with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? (Isaiah 40:12)” The great God
said through the prophets that he would dwell in us, mere men. Isaiah and all other prophets were
amazed. Now God speaks in us. To our amazement, Ephesians 3:10 says that through the church,
God lets angels know his manifold wisdom. As God is in us, he speaks through us. We are amazing
beings that even the angels admire. We are nothing like a clay pot, but one containing treasure. You
should believe in this nobility.
The Israelites experienced God’s presence in their daily lives. The pillar of cloud by day and the
pillar of fire by night protected them. “The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
(Psalm 121:6)” Imagine how majestic God’s marching in front of the 2 million Israelites was. They
witnessed it. They experienced the greatness of God. To our surprise, nevertheless, they were
corrupted. How glorious was the presence of God at those events like the Israelites’ exodus from
Egypt and their exodus from Babylon? By the way, the prophets foresaw that God would make his
dwelling in us. And they were amazed at his greater glory to be revealed in us while his leading us
to exodus from the world. Our spiritual insensibility and wickedness keep us from being thrilled by
the glory of God who made his dwelling in us.
If you can’t hear God’s voice, it is strange, for God is in you. Why do you fail to hear his voice? It is
because of your unbelief and worldliness. It is because you are always open to the world and carried
away by the things of the world. God always speaks to you, reminding you that you were made holy.
This is his love for us. As Paul said in Romans 5:8, God always demonstrates his own love for us. We
are loved by God, who gave everything for us and leads us with pillars of cloud and fire to holiness
day by day. So if you live with him, how can you not be thrilled and happy? If so, it means that you
lost your focus and concentration and desire for God. Do not be despaired any longer, deceived by
the enemy. Do not allow yourselves to be contaminated by the world any longer.
The Israelites stayed two years at Sinai before their lives, and when they were prepared with holiness
to some degree, they left there and began to travel from place to place in the wilderness. They set
out like a big army marched out. They had been prepared with holiness, which was through wor-
ship. And at the center of their life of worship, there was the tabernacle. Do you see the significance
of God’s speaking from the tabernacle? It was a very significant event marking a new era. When
God spoke to Moses in Mount Sinai, no one except for Moses could lift their heads to see God and
his glory. By the way, the God came into the camp of Israel. And finally he has come into our hearts.
As I was always saying, what we have or what we can do doesn’t make us win in life. Our winning
move is in not limiting the Holy Spirit in us, allowing the Creator to take control of our lives. As
seen in Ephesians chapter 1, God has given us everything. “Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
(Eph. 1:3)” Everything is in us. Now we have to let it revealed by living by faith.
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Look at verse 2. “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When any of you brings an offering to the
LORD, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.” The key word is “offer-
ing.” We should bring an offering to God. We cannot come to him with empty hands. Animals are
mentioned here as an offering, but the Hebrew word korban for “offering” includes all the gifts and
vessels dedicated to God. Why is it necessary to bring an offering when we come to God? A sinner
cannot come to God, because he will die. There must be something that will die on his behalf. So he
needs to bring an offering.
We, who are living in the New Testament church, also should bring an offering to come to Cod.
Otherwise, we will die. Our offering is the precious blood of Jesus Christ. He died for us, so we don’t
die. Anyone who comes to God should be prepared with something that will die for him. In other
words, worship is to give life. To live in a reckless and haphazard way on weekdays and come to
worship on Sunday is not worship. If God acknowledges an offering, it means he acknowledges the
one who brought the offering. The offering and the one who presents the offering are not separated.
So the Bible says that God accepted “Abel and his offering,” and not “Cain and his offering.” Sup-
pose that you are offering a lamb for your offering, and say to God, “How would you like your lamb
done? Well-done, medium, or rare?” Then would God accept your offering? We ought to have a
broken and contrite heart. Think about the scene of sacrificing a lamb for our offering. We ought to
mourn over our sin, looking at the lamb and thinking, “I deserve to die, but you are going to die on
my behalf!” And we transfer all our sins to the lamb and then let it killed. Looking at its blood, God
confirms his forgiveness of our sins.
Offering is a very important word here. The offering and the one who offers it are not separated.
Sin and the sinner are not separated, either. So when Jesus died on the cross for us, we died with
him. As seen in Isaiah chapter 1, the Israelites’ worship became like the Gentiles’ idol worship. The
pagans offered various gifts or sacrifices to appease their gods and receive earthly blessings. When
the Israelites became corrupt and couldn’t live a holy life, they worshiped God as the heathens did,
which was much easier. Their worship was corrupted. The same thing is happening in the churches
today. Many believers love the world and do not practice holiness in their real lives. They cannot
present their lives as holy, living sacrifices. They live as they want on weekdays, and go to worship
on Sundays, making an offering of some money. They think they worship God and hope that he will
bless them. Would God be pleased with their worship? He wouldn’t even be present there during
their worship. In all ages, the corruption of worship has been secularization. Corrupted Israel
worshiped God like the heathens. God did not accept it. He said, “I’m tired of you sacrifices. You eat
them. Let anyone close the temple down.” We should know this wrath of God against the corrupted
worship.
Don’t take worship lightly. We must risk our life for true worship. Worship is the channel for bless-
ing and also the channel for curse. Worship is the channel to life, and also the channel to death. In
the Old Testament times, a sinner couldn’t enter the Most Holy Place, because he would die instant-
ly. The same thing does not happen today, but it doesn’t mean that a person is unclean but is not
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dying during worship. Through one worship, a person’s whole life could be bound. But through one
worship, a person could receive God’s approval and guarantee. Therefore, worship is so important!
God’s sacrificing his only begotten Son was for this worship.
Leviticus chapters 1-7 talk about the five kinds of offerings: the burnt offering, the grain offering,
the fellowship offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. In these New Testament times, we
must worship in spirit and truth. But offering sacrifices in the Old Testament and worshiping in
spirit and truth are the same thing. In the church governed by the Holy Spirit, the five sacrifices are
occurring through worship. To worship in spirit and truth means that the Holy Spirit and God’s
word of truth confirm the five sacrifices - the burnt offering, the grain offering, the fellowship offer-
ing, the sin offering, and the guilt offering - in our worship.
When we do not worship being governed by the Spirit of God, the five sacrifices do not occur in
our worship. How can we worship without being moved to tears, mourning over sin, or confirming
God’s blessing? How long have you worshiped God? If you have worshiped for that long, how could
you not change? Even having an audience with the president every week for a year would change
your life. If so, how can you not change if you meet with the Creator God every week? Something
must be wrong. There must be a problem with either the church or you. Indeed, it is a strange thing
that a person doesn’t grow or change through worship. How long it takes to change is different from
person to person, but anyone is supposed to change. How could the Israelites win a victory in the
desert in the end? Did they receive any special military training? They lived in a state of tension
where they could die if they didn’t prepare themselves to be holy before God. They couldn’t move
forward without being equipped for holiness. We must have the same pressure for holiness.
As Malachi prophesied, “Suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple (Mal. 3:1),” Yah-
weh who came down only on Mount Sinai has come to us; we became his temple, his dwelling place.
As Ezekiel prophesied, the glory of God dwells in the temple. We cannot face his glorious presence
with our head held up straight. How can we worship him half-heartedly? How can it happen that
believers fight with their pastor? This indicates that God’s glory does not dwell in the church. We
must be restored to the glorious worship.
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2
- Conference Day 2/ Morning Service -
by Rev. Min-Ho Kim
Leviticus 1
3. “ ‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He
must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the
LORD.
4. He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his
behalf to make atonement for him.
5. He is to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall
bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting.
6. He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.

The whole Bible is filled with wonder and amazement. For the last 23 years, God has trained me to
build up my character according to his words of the Bible. We are always supposed to be touched
and thrilled by the word of God by eating it. As we learned in the Book of Malachi, we must honor
- kabod - God’s word. As said in Psalm 119:97, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day
long,” we must love his word. We must long for his word and love it as much as our soul breaks.
There is no one who longs for the word of God that much but fails to be moved by it. We must risk
our life for his word. Everyone in this world lives their lives focusing on something. Some people
are dying for money, but it is meaningless. What we must risk our life for is the word of God, which
stands forever.
The precious blood of Jesus also is eternal. Hebrews chapter 12 talks about the blood of Jesus that
speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. Revelation chapter 21 describes a new heaven and a
new earth to come. In the new heaven and earth, the blood of the Lamb is praised and honored
forever. The blood exists forever in the kingdom of God. Amazingly the blood is also in us! We are
nothing; we are just clay pots. By the way, treasure is put in the clay pot. The treasure is the precious
blood of Christ, which means the eternal life. The blood of the King flows in our veins. As said in 1
John 5:18, the evil one cannot harm the ones with the royal blood. We should confirm this by faith.
And we are supposed to be persecuted because of the blood. It is natural. We can welcome perse-
cution. I’m grateful and honored to serve you who have the blood of the King! You should embody
this blood of Jesus in your lives. Otherwise, you will only think vaguely of the work of Jesus through
his blood. You will be likely to think of his blood as an abstract or mystical thing. This is a serious
problem. The New Testament authors don’t simply say that our sins were forgiven, but that our sins
were completely deleted. The secret is in the precious blood of Jesus. Therefore, you should confirm
the blood in you. The inherent blood of Jesus is proved as you grow in faith and change your life and
personality to become like Jesus. How far should we change? John says in 1 John 4:17 that the John
community not only loved each other but also loved others in this world like Jesus. How could John
say so with that confidence? The secret is mentioned in 1 John 3:9, “No one who is born of God will
continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him…” If you understand this word exactly by faith,
you will see how it is possible to love others like Jesus in this world. We too should be able to love
like Jesus.
We should grow in holiness. To what degree should we grow in holiness? As we learned in Romans,
we must grow so far as to completely remove the bitter roots that provide energy for our old self
(old man). This is the first stage of glorification. This is the state where we are getting a half nelson
on our old self so that it will not influence our personality and life. This is a state of being holy and
blameless while we live here on earth. And growth to the second stage of glorification will occur in
the millennial kingdom. At that time we will move into a higher dimension of glorification while
meeting the Lord face to face. Not everyone will be able to meet him face to face, but only royal
priests. Therefore we must grow in holiness.
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Leviticus 1:1 says that the LORD called to Moses and spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting. The
Hebrew word for “called” is vayikra. This is the key word of Leviticus. As we noted yesterday, the
priests mentioned in Leviticus are the Aaronic priesthood. And Zadok priesthood is mentioned in
Ezekiel, and the Levitical priesthood in Deuteronomy. Therefore, the theology of Leviticus is differ-
ent from that of Deuteronomy or that of Numbers. Leviticus is not about the Levites. It gives some
instructions for them, but it is not the main flow of this book. Rather, it is noticeable that the Lord
who had spoken in Mount Sinai began to speak from the tabernacle in the camp of Israel.
We looked at the Sinai narrative, from Exodus 19:1 to Numbers 10:10, which is about the words that
God said to the Israelites when they were staying at the Desert of Sinai for 2 years after their exodus
from Egypt. During this period God prepared them for their life in the wilderness. And from Num-
bers 10, their life in the wilderness began. Leviticus is the core part of the Sinai Narrative. More than
half of Exodus is about building the tabernacle. And from Leviticus 1:1, God who had spoken in
Mount Sinai began to speak from the tabernacle.
It was an immensely important work to build the tabernacle. Apocrypha of the Old Testament and
Jewish literature suggest that Moses saw the true tabernacle in heaven, not just that he was told
about how to build the tabernacle. This is seen in Hebrews. God showed Moses the true tabernacle
of heaven and gave specific detailed instructions on how to build the tabernacle which is the pattern
or copy of the true one. We learned about this in Hebrews 8 and 9.
God’s speaking from the tabernacle is a very important event in the whole flow of the Bible. The
tabernacle represents the Israelites’ walk with God, experiencing his presence and deliverance from
slavery in Egypt, and from sins and the enemies in the desert. They learned holiness, walking with
God. Likewise, we should be renewed and purified and enjoy liberation from sins day by day.
Israel has two spiritual columns: Mount Zion and Mount Sinai. Mount Zion was the root of the
kingdom of Israel, but it was trampled by the enemies. After that, Mount Sinai became Israel’s spir-
itual column. It has never been trampled by the Gentiles. And the main pillar of Mount Sinai is the
tabernacle. All the theological systems of the Old Testament and the New Testament are basically
about the principle of tabernacle. Israel’s life was centered on the tabernacle. And now we are the
tabernacle, God’s dwelling place. Indeed the tabernacle is a very important issue.
The tabernacle has been completed within us. This is mentioned in John 1:14. God does not speak
to us from the place which is 50 billion light years away. He doesn’t speak from the mountain,
either. God, who spoke in the camp of Israel, now speaks in us. This is why we are able to receive
revelations from him in person. We can receive revelations from God who governs individuals,
peoples and the whole world. So believers receive the powerful authority mentioned in Ephesians
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3:10. The angels learn of God’s manifold wisdom through us, church. God made us a wonderful
being. If we don’t live a life worthy of that, the angels will be frustrated. It is really disappointing for
God’s children to live according to their own will and ways, ignoring God’s existence in them. You
should know what you were made to be. God says that we are precious and honored in his sight.
Is it because we are good-looking or extraordinary? We are not worthy, but God himself dwells in
us, and it makes us somebody who is great. You really are so precious and important! God would
even destroy all nations for the sake of you alone. For the holiness of Israel, he used the nations and
destroyed them. He would even destroy the whole universe if it is necessary for Israel to become
holy. This world is condemned to be destroyed, first because it is evil, and because it corrupts Israel.
The only way for the world to see God’s holiness is through the holiness of Israel. Likewise, unless
we are holy, the world has no hope. Therefore, if we are corrupted by the world, the world is bound
to be destroyed. This is who you are! I’m not trying to flatter you. You should believe how great you
were made to be.
This is one of the reasons I decided to be a pastor. I used to think I wouldn’t become a pastor while
looking at the corrupt churches. But God showed me the preciousness of a soul, calling me to min-
istry. I wanted to serve souls as a lay person, but I came to think that it would be better to become
a pastor in order to serve souls without being engaged in worldly things. It sometimes makes me
upset to see some of my church members remaining unchanged. But then I say to myself, “Their
souls are precious. God called them, so he himself will lead them to change. Besides, a person like
me changed, so they will surely change.”
You are so precious! The tabernacle has been put up in you. Listen to the word of God who speaks
in you. He dwells in you and leads you to holiness in your everyday lives. As cells in our body are
continually replaced as new ones in 15 days, we are supposed to change day by day while walking
with God. We should grow in holiness and sanctification. John chapter 15 tells us to remain in Jesus
and let his words remain in us, and to remain in his love. The life exchange should always occur in
us. When I do something wrong, God who dwells in me immediately lets me realize it. He lets me
realize where I failed to practice holiness. As seen in 1 Corinthians 2:10, he who is in me knows ev-
erything about us and even the deep things of God. He helps the life exchange between God and us.
This is the reason the Holy Spirit dwells in us. There is movement in life. There should be movement
toward holiness in us. The word of God, the blood of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit work together in us
so that we can live a holy life. As said in Romans 5:8, God demonstrates his own love for us every
day. Why isn’t this practical in your lives? You don’t really believe in the Holy Spirit’s dwelling in
you. As life keeps moving, the life exchange with God must constantly occur in us. We must contin-
ually move toward holiness, walking with God.
The New Testament authors say with confidence that God will make us like him. It is not because of
who we are, but because of what he has done and will do. We must believe it. If we look at ourselves,
we are bound to doubt how it is possible to become like God. But we must look at who God is and
what he has done and will do for us. The word of God, the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwell
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in us! These have immensely great vital power. Even one element of these has enough power to
make everything done. By the way, God has given us all these three. So anyone who has these can
change and become like Jesus. This is the significance of the Lord’s speaking from the tabernacle.
Leviticus 1:1 is a core part of the Sinai Narrative and a key event for understanding the whole Bible.
This is why Leviticus is so important.
God made his dwelling in us! Do you understand how glorious a thing it is? Do not limit him!
When I started this Zoe ministry, I said that I saw the earth moving. At that time, no one believed
it. But now some pastors have begun to understand what it means. He who governs individuals,
peoples and the whole world is in us! If we rely on him and do not limit him, he lets us know every-
thing.
Why do you not rely on God? You don’t really know who we are. Who are we? We are clay pots. We
are so weak. We are like a blind beggar. We cannot live on our own. This is what we are. Those who
realize this rely on God alone. Those who rely on God alone do not lose their holiness. As they walk
with God, relying on him, they increase holiness, and accordingly go deep in prayer. When you are
not holy, you cannot fall prostrate before God, and consequently you fail to receive his glory. Ho-
liness and glory go together. If you cannot see God’s glory, it is because you are not holy. A person
who is not holy cannot see God’s glory, because he will die if he sees it. A holy person will see God’s
glory but not die. A holy person falls prostrate before God, and accordingly sees his glory. This
should occur in our daily lives. We should grow in holiness and glory day by day. God’s making his
dwelling in us enables us to live this way. We should continually change, and be better today than
yesterday. We should be renewed every day.
If you live with God who dwells in you and speaks to you, then how is it possible not to be holy?
Why do you fail to receive his glory? God’s purpose in creating us is to make us share in his glory,
not to receive glory from us. If God does not give us glory, we cannot give glory to him. The more
we receive his glory, the more we can glorify him. The “glorious freedom” mentioned in Romans,
“glorious riches” in Ephesians, and “glorious might” in Colossians are revealed to those who receive
God’s glory. The freedom, riches, and might of God’s glory are supposed to be revealed in our lives
through the authority of God’s word. This is a normal thing to happen to children of God, anyone in
whom the Holy Spirit dwells; not limited to some special people. It is natural like we breathe. So we
should repent because it does not occur in our lives as a matter of course.
In verse 2, I talked about the offerings. Throughout Leviticus, we will look at the issues of offering.
Those who are to come to God must bring an offering to him. Why is a sacrifice needed? A sinner
dies before God. So if we are to come to God, we need something, korban, to die on our behalf.
Do not think that things are different in these New Testament times. Even though instantaneous
deaths are not occurring, unholy people are dying during worship. We must give a worthy offering
to God. This is not about an offering of money. We must bring the precious blood of Jesus Christ. A
person who is not sure of having been cleansed from sin through the blood of Jesus is dying during
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worship.
Our worship must occur in the Most Holy Place (the Holy of Holies), not in the Holy Place or on
the altar of burnt offering. Hebrews says that no sacrifice for sins is left. It is because Christ Jesus has
opened the new and living way through the sacrifice of his body. This was foreshadowed; on the Day
of Atonement, the high priest entered the Most Holy Place with the blood of a goat on the head of
which he didn’t lay his hand, and sprinkled the blood on the atonement cover. And God said in Ex-
odus 25:22 that he would meet with Israel above the atonement cover (the Mercy Seat; Hilasterion).
God meets with us there. The atonement ritual occurred once a year on July 10 through the high
priest who was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place only on this special day. But Jesus Christ who
was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek entered the Most Holy Place
once for all by his own blood. So the Most Holy Place is the only place we should worship God and
meet him. We must enter there with an offering. It is the blood of Jesus. If a person who doesn’t
believe his blood enters there, he will die.
This doesn’t happen in worship that God does not acknowledge, worship of so-called worldly
churches. In such a church, no matter how you worship, restoration of your soul or death does not
happen in worship. But in a church where the Most Holy Place has been opened, it is clear that your
soul is either reviving or dying in worship. What about your church? Is it clearly seen that souls are
either reviving or dying in worship? I see some people dying in our church, even though they don’t
realize it. They are dying because they are worshiping without confirming their holiness through the
blood of Jesus.
The early churches were clear about this. They exactly knew that they couldn’t worship without
confirming their holiness. Even the people of the Old Testament times were sensitive to an issue of
holiness. If you were sitting before a king, how would you conduct yourselves? It is the Creator God
we meet with through worship. Isn’t it clear what our worship should be like? We must bring an
offering. It is the precious blood of Jesus. We must bring a holy offering that is acceptable to God.
This is the introduction of Leviticus.
Now, let us move on. Verses 3 through 9 are about offering a bull as a burnt offering, verses 10
through 13 about offering a sheep or a goat as a burnt offering, and verses 14 through 17 about
offering a bird as a burnt offering. Which to sacrifice as a burnt offering depends on the individuals,
according to their financial circumstances. They are valid alike.
First, look at verse 3. “If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without
defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to
the LORD.” The first thing God spoke to Moses about from the Tent of Meeting is about the burnt
offering, that is to say, worship. Israel is the people who live and die in worship. All they should be
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trained for was worship. I don’t think no other training of the world is necessary for those who have
fellowship with God the Creator. You don’t need to tell them to receive training for preaching the
gospel or to study in a seminary. Worship is everything that Israel’s training is about. Worship is
everything. We must meet with God through worship. Otherwise, we are worshiping in vain.
We must risk our life for worship. Isaiah, Joel, Malachi, Hosea, and all other prophets of the Old
Testament said that Israel’s corruption was caused by its corrupted worship. The corrupted worship
brought about loss of holiness, and consequently God couldn’t accept the worship. Only if our wor-
ship is a holy, living worship, the church is 99 percent run by God. And for the one percent, there
needs to be some adjustment in the technical aspects, but it’s no big deal. The system of the church
described in Ephesians 4:11, the structure seen in Romans, the foundation seen in 1 Thessalonians,
and such things of the church are established though worship.
A glorious worship is not made in a day. We should continually make an effort to practice holiness
so that we may meet God in worship. Spiritual growth and holy worship go together. The more I
grew in spirit, the more sense of God’s presence I had during worship. Especially to pastors, worship
is the criterion of their spirituality. Why do you love your pastors? You see God’s glory through wor-
ship services led by your pastors. I’m not very nice to my church members. Nevertheless, they love
me. It is because they saw God’s glory through me in worship services. The spiritual relationship
between a pastor and his church members is built through worship.
We must worship in spirit and in truth. We must worship by the Spirit of God and the truth. Wor-
shiping by the Holy Spirit is identical to worshiping by the truth. To worship by the Holy Spirit is
to offer worship filled by the Spirit and led by him. The five sacrifices - the burnt offering, the grain
offering, the fellowship offering, the sin offering and the guilt offering – occur in the Spirit-led wor-
ship. The Holy Spirit confirms the five sacrifices in worship.
To worship God is to give all of us, even our life. “Lord, accept me!” God blesses us through wor-
ship. Therefore, in a church whose worship is dead, you cannot receive God’s blessing. Why do
things go against believers? It’s because they fail to receive God’s blessing through worship. It is as
said in Joel, “Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD,” and so
“the grain is destroyed, the new wine is dried up, the oil fails.” We must offer up grain and drink of-
ferings and burnt offerings that are acceptable to God. Also we must offer up a fellowship offering so
that we may enter into the fellowship zone with God through worship. And we must repent deeply,
which is to offer a sin offering and a guilt offering. This is to worship in spirit and in truth.
The Apostle Paul phrases this “worship in spirit and in truth” as “offer your bodies as living sacri-
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fices, holy and pleasing to God” in Romans 12:1. The “body” is sóma. By sóma, Paul doesn’t simply
mean the physical body. There is a complex concept of this term. The term means different things
depending on where and how it is used. In Romans chapter 12, the term sóma includes our person-
ality and life. When we offer our sóma as a sacrifice, it should be a holy sacrifice. It means that we
should completely die to self. Imagine what it would be like if the sacrificial animal didn’t die, mov-
ing around. I told you before about what happened in a rural town. A minister was going to butcher
a dog to give a party. He beat the dog up and burned it in the fire. And at the point of cutting it with
a knife, the scorched dog opened its eyes and ran around the town. This is the image of a believer
who is half-dead. Believers must completely die to self. If you are half-dead, you must repent deeply.
Only when we completely die to self can we offer ourselves as holy sacrifices. Why is that? When
we completely die, we can have new life, the life of Jesus Christ. If we do not die, we won’t need life
but just medicine. God came not to give us medicine but to give us life. In order to have his life, we
must die to self. As said in 1 Peter 4:11, we must not live by our own strength but with the strength
God provides, and also we must not speak our own words but God’s words. We must not live the
way the wicked live. Who are the wicked? As we noted in the Book of Habakkuk, the wicked are
people whose judgment and dignity come from them and whose own strength is their god. We must
caution ourselves against this wickedness. We must completely die to self! Then what does it mean
to offer our body as a living sacrifice? It means our life should be a sacrifice. A holy sacrifice and a
living sacrifice are proportional to each other. If we are dead to ourselves, it means we are living a
holy life, and vice versa. A person who offers his life as a living sacrifice can offer a holy sacrifice.
And a person who offers a holy sacrifice receives more strength and power to live a holy life.
The Israelites were purified through worship. Their winning move was to become holy. Through
worship they became a strong army and a sound community. The Old Testament shows that Israel’s
life began and ended with worship. Burnt offerings were to be made every day, in the morning and
the evening. And sin offerings and other offerings also were offered. Add to this, there were offer-
ings made for the Sabbaths and the feasts. Indeed, it looks like Israel’s lifework is worship. Besides,
Deuteronomy shows how much the Israelites were enraptured in the word of God. They tied God’s
words on their hands, bound them on their foreheads, and also wrote them on the doorframes of
their houses and on their gates. They lived in the word of God. Israel became holy through worship
and the word of God. The same is true with us. Our lives should be worship. And through formal
worship services our lives should be holier. Those who live their lives as worship become holy day
by day.
We read in the Book of Joshua that Joshua led the Israelites to the Jordan. Their crossing the Red Sea
symbolizes salvation, and their crossing the Jordan symbolizes sanctification. Before crossing the
Jordan, the Lord said in Joshua chapter 3, “Consecrate yourselves.” Israel’s fight was not a fight with
swords but a spiritual one, where winning or losing depended on whether or not they were holy. So
God told them to consecrate themselves before going to war. And as a specific action, when they
crossed the Jordan to the plains of Jericho for battle, God commanded Joshua to circumcise them.
This sounds crazy. Circumcision is a painful surgical operation. For a while you cannot do any-
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thing. This was how Simeon and Levi killed Shechem and his tribe. Circumcision in the face of the
enemy means death. Nevertheless, Joshua circumcised all the men. If I were Joshua, I couldn’t obey
that command. After circumcision, there was nothing the Israelites could do except for completely
relying on God. But this was the secret to Israel’s victory.
To consecrate oneself means to lay down one’s own thoughts. As long as we pay attention to our
own thoughts, we cannot receive God’s righteousness. If this is black but God says it is white, it is
white. Your reason and rationality will keep you from accepting what God says as truth. If God
commanded the Israelites to circumcise themselves, they should obey it even in the face of great
danger. They could die, but they should not think about the consequences of that obedience. The
consequences rest upon God. After all, what keeps us from consecrating ourselves is our own
thoughts and ways, that is, our ‘self ’.
Why can you not embody the blood of Jesus in your lives? As long as you don’t die to yourselves,
you won’t need the blood of Jesus to live through. Those who live by their own strength don’t ask for
the life of Jesus Christ. By contrast, if the blood of Jesus is poured out upon those who really cannot
live without God and his righteousness, the blood gives them life. They truly realize that they have
been transferred from death to life. This is what sacrifice is about. So Romans 2:29 says “No, a man
is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart…” The Israelites’ cir-
cumcision done just prior to the battle implies sanctification. Sanctification is a state of completely
being dead to self, which is circumcision of the heart. This is also mentioned in Colossians 2:11, “In
him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done
by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ.” Sanctification is to put off the body
of the flesh (sarx), that is, to put off the sinful nature. It is to completely remove the bitter roots of
our old self. When the roots are removed, we won’t be able to live by our own thoughts and ways.
In the end times, the antichrist will fully operate the Babylonian system. Humans will entirely live in
their own ways, doing what they think is right. They do what is good in their own eyes. In this sys-
tem, people are dying in spirit. As an example, a trend in America is positive thinking. The same is
true in Korea. Korean churches have no faith. Instead, they are being governed by positive thinking.
Everything they do is focused on “I,” and done by “me.” They do not pay attention to God’s will and
plans. You also are being influenced by this system. You must circumcise yourselves in the heart by
laying down your own thoughts. This is sacrifice.
Look again at verse 3. It says that the offering for a burnt offering should be a male. Why should it
be a male and not a female? It is representativeness of life. Whether a male or a female, something
must be offered to God on our behalf. And a male was the first of all human lives. And this implies
that the source of all the lives is Jesus, who is the pre-existent God, prototokos mentioned in Colos-
sians. If he does not begin, we cannot do anything on our own. As seen Micah 2:13, he is our King;
he should go before us and we should follow him. If we go before him, we will die.
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And the offering must be “without defect.” This speaks of a holy sacrifice, which means to com-
pletely die to self. “Without defect,” this was used by the New Testament authors in the same sense.
For example, Ephesians 1:4 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy
and blameless in his sight. In love” By the way, there is no animal perfectly without defect. But God
counts it as flawless. Likewise we are never “blameless.” But God counts us as blameless. He consid-
ers that we didn’t sin. This is God’s righteousness. A person who does not accept God’s righteous-
ness cannot offer a holy sacrifice. Worship begins with accepting his righteousness. Of course, we
should mourn over our sins and repent with a broken and contrite heart. But we must not forget to
confirm that God has made us righteous. We must believe he declares us to be holy and blameless.
Of course, we must not be satisfied with this positional or legal righteousness, but develop practical
righteousness. Anyway, worship begins with accepting God’s righteousness.
We repent in worship. It is to offer a sin offering, which we will look at later. We realize our uninten-
tional sins and repent of them in worship. Spiritually speaking, to offer a sin offering is to repent our
sinful motives rather than evident sins. Of the evident sins and fruits of sin should we repent before
worship. And our worship should begin with receiving God’s righteousness. Faith, love and all other
things of God begin with receiving his righteousness. During the last conference in Mozambique, I
called anyone to come forward who was deaf in one ear. And a woman came forward. By the way,
she was stone deaf. I was embarrassed. She had been deaf since she was 12 years old. She couldn’t
hear at all, but God said that she could hear. I was embarrassed but accepted what he said as truth.
When I received his righteousness by doing as he said, my faith was increased. In general, love is
kind. But if God tells us to exclude someone from our Zoe Ministry Network, we have to do so. It
may look heartless, but it is love that comes from God’s righteousness. That person might repent of
his laziness or something. Or he might grow from the experience. We don’t know what will happen
to him. Excluding him can be God’s love toward him. If we are only nice to him regardless of God’s
righteousness, we are not practicing God’s love. It is only human-oriented love. God’s love acts with
his righteousness. We must do everything with his righteousness. Worship must begin with receiv-
ing God’s righteousness, because a sinner cannot enter into the presence of God.
“He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting…” This implies that we must enter
through the entrance into the tabernacle, that is, the presence of God. Outside the tabernacle can we
not worship God. We must enter the tabernacle. John 10:1 says that the man who does not enter the
sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. And Jesus is “the way
and the truth and the life.” Only he is the way. Worship is to decide to have his way. If you still want
to have your own way even after worship, even though it was a long worship service, you didn’t truly
worship God. To worship is to be led by the Holy Spirit in the presence of the Lord and decide to
follow his will. Worship without the presence of the Lord is not worship but just a ceremony and the
like.
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“He must present it … so that it will be acceptable to the LORD.” This is a requirement for all the
offerings to God. Both the offering and the offerer must be acceptable to God. When we worship
God in the way he wants, he accepts our worship. The burnt offering is an offering made by fire.
The sacrifice is burned over an altar and the smoke from it ascends to God as a soothing aroma.
God smells the aroma, accepting the offering. When he takes delight in the pleasing aroma of our
worship, God blesses us through that worship without limitation. And then we offer a grain offer-
ing. The grain offering is a memorial offering. When God accepts our grain offering, he remembers
us and blesses us with his love for us increased. But if our burnt offering is not accepted, our grain
offering is not accepted, either. We say, “God, you are my Lord. I want to live by you alone. I want
to be faithful to you. My life is yours, so I’m willing to give you my life. Receive this burnt offering.”
Then God smells the pleasing aroma of that offering, accepting it. Our worship must be an offering
that God will be pleased with.
The first of the sacrifices regulated in Leviticus is the burnt offering, where the whole animal, except
its skin, is totally consumed by fire on the altar. In some other offerings, the priests and the offerers
eat the remainder of the sacrifices. But nothing is left to eat in the burnt offering. God alone eats it.
This speaks of the offerer’s being completely and wholeheartedly devoted to God. The burnt offering
is a picture of the offerer’s giving himself totally to God, confessing that his life belongs to God, and
is in him, so he wants be governed by him alone and loyal to him alone. Worship begins and ends
with the burnt offering. We will look at the regular burnt offering later.
The burnt offering is also a picture of God’s acceptance of us, based on Christ’s sacrifice; it confirms
his salvation. Believers are supposed to be thrilled by God’s saving grace every day. In Psalm 51, Da-
vid asks God to restore to him the joy of his salvation after his affair with Bathsheba. While we are
in our sins, first of all, we lose the joy of God’s salvation. The enemy deceives us into doubting our
salvation. In the Book of Isaiah, salvation is especially an important issue. Salvation is mentioned in
chapter 40 and the following. We are supposed to live our whole life with joy and gratitude of God’s
salvation. Our joy of salvation must be renewed day by day. There was great joy of deliverance at
the exodus from Egypt, and more of joy at the exodus from Babylon. And now we are supposed to
have much more of joy because God has made his dwelling in us. The joy will be greater when we
exodus from the world and God’s tabernacle is completed in us. Seeing this whole process of God’s
salvation, Isaiah was amazed, and said, “Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior
of Israel.” He meant that God’s deliverance the Israelites experienced was like the tip of an iceberg
in the whole picture of God’s plan of salvation. The God is not hiding himself; we must allow him
to reveal himself through our lives. This must be our burnt offering. The burnt offering confirms
our joy of salvation. We must not be complacent, thinking “I was saved 20 years ago.” We must be
renewed and filled with the joy of God’s salvation every day. Hebrews 6:1 mentions “the elementary
teachings about Christ.” It is also about salvation. Repentance, baptism, the laying on of hands, the
resurrection, and judgment, all these elements are about salvation.
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As said in Ephesians 5:2, Jesus gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. In
the same way, we must offer ourselves to God. Jesus devoted all of himself to God. Jesus, who un-
derstood the Father’s conflict between holiness and love, willingly came into this world to die on the
cross on our behalf. God the Father sees Jesus’ blood when he looks at us, and declares us righteous.
Look at verse 4. “He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on
his behalf to make atonement for him.” Note “lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering.” There
are offerings on the head of which the priest does not lay his hand. On the head of the burnt offer-
ing the priest lays his hand. Why? It is so that “it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement
for him.” The burnt offering is not a sin offering. But all the offerings have an atoning function. A
sinner cannot come to God, because he will die. So we need an atoning sacrifice for our sins. When
God looks at us, he sees the sacrifice to which our sins are imputed. And Jesus died as a sacrifice for
the sins of all humanity. His blood meets all the sacrifices. So we don’t need to offer animal sacrifices
any more. All we need is the blood of Jesus Christ. His blood also has the function of the blood of
the animal on which the priest doesn’t lay his hand. The blood of Jesus is inherent in us. We looked
at this in Hebrews.
The word “atonement” is hilasterion in Greek, which is also translated as “mercy seat” or “atone-
ment cover.” It means to “cover sins.” The author of Hebrews points out that the blood of goats and
calves could not deal permanently with our sins but only suspended God’s judgment. Animal sacri-
fices were only a shadow of the only perfect sacrifice to come.
The word “atonement” was used in the same sense by the authors of the New Testament; to cover
sins, delete the record of sins, or set free from sin. This is the reason for laying hands upon the head
of the sacrifice. The sin of the offerer is imputed to the sacrifice. When the sacrifice is killed, God
declares him righteous. Romans 3:25-26 says that God presented his Son as a sacrifice of atonement,
and through his blood God demonstrated his righteousness. It shows that God’s judgment of sins is
sure to happen. It is God’s righteousness. And he also justifies those who admit that they are sinners
and deserve to die, and receive Jesus by believing that he bore the sins of all mankind on the cross.
This justification through Christ’s own righteousness allows God to see those who have faith in Je-
sus as unblemished. It allows us to come to God. Even the littlest sin causes death. But God declares
us righteous through the blood of Jesus who offered himself as a sacrifice of atonement.
God’s righteousness is his will to judge sins. He is righteous, so he surely punishes sinners. This
is the first meaning of God’s righteousness. He revealed his righteousness by punishing his Son
for us. He declares those who received Jesus to be righteous. This is the second meaning of God’s
righteousness. This righteousness has set us free from sin. According to Ephesians, we have been
divorced from sin. As seen in 2 Corinthians 5:21, God made Jesus to be sin for us, and made us
righteous. God satisfied his righteousness by letting the sacrifice killed that the offerer’s sins were
imputed to. And he accepted the offering, pronouncing the offerer righteous.
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This message shouldn’t merely be a theory but you should live it out so that you may live a prac-
tical life of worship. Worship is not a simple thing. The sacrifices of the Old Testament show that
worship was everything to the community of Israel. The sacrifices foreshadowed the perfect sacrifice
of Jesus Christ. Looking at what he has accomplished, we have to realize that God does everything
done through worship and so we must risk our life for worship. Look back on those many worship
services you have attended so far. How many of them were glorious? How much did you change
through those worship services? We are supposed to change through worship. The first of the rev-
elations God gives me is about the church. What should we do to become church? God shows me
what worship should be like. Church and worship cannot be separated. Israel made the tabernacle
clean for holy worship. When the tabernacle was kept clean, a holy sacrifice of worship was offered,
which allowed the Israelites to live a holy life. The tabernacle is the church. The church must be kept
holy. This church refers to us, not the building. This must not be just a theory. We have to allow
the blood of Jesus to always circulate in us. We must allow the blood to work by truly receiving the
word of God.
Look at verse 5. “He is to slaughter the young bull before the LORD, and then Aaron’s sons the
priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting.” Who had to slaughter the animal? The offerer did. The animals offered for the sins of
the whole congregation of Israel were slaughtered by the priest, so was a dove or pigeon for a burnt
offering. Every offering except for these cases was to be slaughtered by the offerer. Suppose you are
bringing a ram to the priest. You confess that you are a sinner and lay your hand on its head. Then
the record of your sins is imputed to the ram. And you kill it with a broken and contrite heart. It is
offered as a burnt offering and the smoke from it ascends to God. When God accepts the offering,
the offerer receives his gracious forgiveness of sins. God’s taking delight in the soothing aroma of
our offerings should occur every day in our lives. In other words, we have to allow the blood of
Jesus to work in us by repenting truly and deeply. God is really glad when we are cleansed from sins
through the blood of Jesus by repenting and approaching the throne of grace. Jesus our Lord stands
by us and confirms that we have become righteous, saying, “Father, this is my brother.” God smells
this pleasing aroma, and pours his blessings out upon us from his throne. This is what Hebrews 7:25
says about.
“…and then Aaron’s sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all
sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.” Only the priests were allowed to touch the blood. By
the way, the “priests” here are not high priests. They couldn’t go through the veil. Only the high
priest among 25,000 kohanim could enter into the Most High Place (the Holy of Holies) with blood
and sprinkle it there. Only he was allowed to touch the blood in the Most Holy Place. No one else
could touch the blood. The high priest is a type of Jesus Christ, who is the high priest according to
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the order of Melchizedek. And the blood is typical of the blood of Jesus. Jesus is the only qualified
one who can forgive our sins, and only his blood can cleanse us from every sin forever. No one else,
with no other blood, can do so. If someone died on the cross for us, he died in vain. Only the death
of Jesus Christ can save us and lead us to glory. Any other death is in vain. Only the death of Jesus is
effectual. Only Jesus can give us life.
Next, look at verse 6. “He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.” Who is “he”? He is the
offerer. What does it mean to skin the sacrifice? The skin symbolizes the old self. The offerer cannot
offer the old self as a burnt offering. He must skin it, and also remove dung and filth. Likewise, our
old self cannot serve God. Therefore we must die to our old self. As said in Galatians 5:17, the de-
sires of the flesh are against the Holy Spirit. And as said in Romans chapter 8, the flesh resists God;
it does not submit to God’s law. So it is only the object of his wrath. Even if we become moral men
by training our old self, it is meaningless. All we have to do with our old self is completely abandon
it. We must lay down everything about our old self.
The sacrifice had to be skinned. This implies that worship is to completely die to self. If your old self
is still alive in worship, you cannot receive God’s grace through that worship. If a fierce battle occurs
between your old self and new self in worship, you will fail the worship. When you die to your old
self and worship in the state of your new self, you will receive revelations from God, know his will
and plans, and your new self will prosper. Therefore, before worship we must put off our old self.
Think about the growth you will make when you offer such worship every Sunday. I cannot say I
have offered such worship every Sunday for the last 23 years. But I can say that I have never wor-
shipped sloppily or haphazardly; God is a witness of this. My spiritual growth was mostly through
worship, where I met with God and could change. My situation didn’t allow me to rely on people or
to be trained by people. The same should be true with you. We must offer worship that doesn’t limit
God’s glory. God will seek such worship especially in these last days when the antichrist will appear
and there will be a great tribulation. Through such worship, the remnant will be able to live a victo-
rious and glorious life even in the midst of tribulation. They will not be daunted by the enemy.
The sacrifice must be skinned! We must completely put off our old self and worship. In the state of
our new self, we will receive God’s word. Then his power, authority and blessings will be revealed in
our lives. We are really able to see the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.
“He is to … cut it into pieces.” To cut the offering into pieces implies to repent; to open one’s heart.
As we repent, our hearts are opened. To “arrange wood on the fire” in verse 7 also implies to open
one’s heart. Both cutting the offering into pieces and arranging wood illustrate the principle of
repentance. If you truly open up your hearts, God will surely answer. We must open our hearts
and spirits to receive God’s glory and everything he gives through worship. Once we receive God’s
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word properly, the word is supposed to work in us powerfully, changing our personalities and lives.
Therefore, we should repent, opening up our hearts.
We read in 1 Kings chapter 18 about the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount
Carmel, where God answered by fire. Each side erected an altar without kindling a fire. Building an
altar symbolizes restoration of worship. How did Elijah build that altar? He let it built with twelve
stones (according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob). This implies the acknowledge-
ment of God’s reign. Worship must completely be ruled by the Holy Spirit. Desiring his presence
and rule, we must lay down our own ways. This is how to build an altar with the twelve stones.
Also, the altar must be built with uncut stones. This implies that we must not worship with our
own thoughts, ways or plans. We should show ourselves as we are before the truth; “I’m a sinner; I
cannot live without your grace!” We must not disguise ourselves. We must not cover ourselves with
something as Adam covered himself with fig leaves before God. Next, Elijah dug a trench around
the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. This also illustrates the principle of repentance. To
dig a trench implies to plow up the ground of our hearts so that we can enter into God’s presence
and receive his word and grace. We do it by emptying ourselves in worship. You should not even
think about the word you heard last Sunday. Instead, you should expect to experience God’s pres-
ence and receive his word that will be given in this worship. Each worship must be “the” worship,
and not “another” worship. After Elijah dug a trench, he arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces
and laid it on the wood. Actions like digging a trench and cutting the offering into pieces imply
repentance. And lastly Elijah let the people pour twelve jars of water on the offering and the wood.
How foolish he looked! Their contest was about seeing which god would answer by fire. The wet
wood and offering would have had much less chance to catch fire. What does this mean? It means
we must give up all our human possibilities. Major obstacles to receiving what God gives in wor-
ship are our own thoughts, strength, experience, and the like. All the things motivated by our own
thoughts resist God. Therefore, we must give up our own possibilities. Then God will answer us by
fire.
We read in Leviticus chapter 9 that when a glorious worship was offered, fire came out from the
Lord. All the people of Israel fell face down on the ground, acknowledging that God alone was their
God. They felt pressure of holiness, which is the source of God’s blessings given through worship.
We must have pressure of holiness in worship, confessing, “Lord, you are Yahweh.” In the same
sense, Hebrews 4:14 says, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” The “faith we profess”
refers to our confession of faith. What is the confession of our faith? It is to confess that God is
Yahweh the Lord worthy of our praise and worship. Confession is not simply to say that we believe
in Jesus. It is to immerse ourselves in his whole being and bow down before his holiness, confessing
that he alone is our Lord, our high priest, and our life. God answers to our true, genuine confession
by fire.
I am not talking about a theory. I am sharing with you what I’ve experienced for 23 years of worship
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life. The messages of Leviticus were real and practical in my life. This is why I constantly ask for fire.
It is not because I want powers but because I want to maintain holiness. The fire of God helps us
maintain holiness.
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3
by Rev. Min-Ho Kim
Leviticus 1:7-2:16 [NIV]
Leviticus 1
7. The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.
8. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on
the burning wood that is on the altar.
9. He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on
the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
10. “ ‘If the offering is a burnt offering from the flock, from either the sheep or the goats, he is
to offer a male without defect.
11. He is to slaughter it at the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the
priests shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides.
12. He is to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the
fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar.
13. He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of it
and burn it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing
to the LORD.
14. “ ‘If the offering to the LORD is a burnt offering of birds, he is to offer a dove or a young
pigeon.
15. The priest shall bring it to the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood
shall be drained out on the side of the altar.
16. He is to remove the crop with its contents and throw it to the east side of the altar,
where the ashes are.
17. He shall tear it open by the wings, not severing it completely, and then the priest shall
burn it on the wood that is on the fire on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made
by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
Leviticus 2
1. “ ‘When someone brings a grain offering to the LORD, his offering is to be of fine flour. He
is to pour oil on it, put incense on it
2. and take it to Aaron’s sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the fine flour and
oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, an
offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
3. The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the
offerings made to the LORD by fire.
4. “ ‘If you bring a grain offering baked in an oven, it is to consist of fine flour: cakes made
without yeast and mixed with oil, or wafers made without yeast and spread with oil.
5. If your grain offering is prepared on a griddle, it is to be made of fine flour mixed with oil,
and without yeast.
6. Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.
7. If your grain offering is cooked in a pan, it is to be made of fine flour and oil.
8. Bring the grain offering made of these things to the LORD; present it to the priest, who
shall take it to the altar.
9. He shall take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as
an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.
10. The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the
offerings made to the LORD by fire.
11. “ ‘Every grain offering you bring to the LORD must be made without yeast, for you are
not to burn any yeast or honey in an offering made to the LORD by fire.
12. You may bring them to the LORD as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be
offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma.
13. Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your
God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.
14. “ ‘If you bring a grain offering of firstfruits to the LORD, offer crushed heads of new grain
roasted in the fire.
15. Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering.
16. The priest shall burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil, together
with all the incense, as an offering made to the LORD by fire
Look at 1:7. “The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.”
The fire on the altar must be kept burning. It must not be allowed to go out. Unauthorized or unho-
ly fire must not be offered. The fire came down from heaven; God sent fire on a sacrifice acceptable,
well pleasing to him. And the priest had to keep the fire burning. This was an important duty of the
priests. A river of fire flowing, coming out from the throne is described in Daniel’s vision in Daniel
chapter 7. The fire is the same fire here. The fire must not go out. This implies that there must be the
presence of God in the congregation. The church must always be filled with the presence of God. As
Malachi prophesied, suddenly the Lord has come to his temple. Not an angel or a representative, but
God himself has come! The church is a place with the presence of God. Strictly speaking, a church
without his presence is not a church. The church is also a community that is run by God’s word of
truth. Otherwise, it is not a church. The church must meet these two conditions.
Therefore, the fire must not be allowed to go out. This is the most important thing the priests had to
do. The same is true with pastors of New Testament churches. Pastors should always make sure that
their churches are filled with the presence of God. You should realize how important this is. To lose
the presence of God means to let your lampstand removed from its place. Therefore check to see if
you have God’s presence in your churches. There are various ways to see it. For example, the church
with the presence of God has a growing desire for holiness, truly repents, lives by grace, has love,
and the like. Of course, we can also sense the presence of God spiritually. Anyway the church must
be in the presence of God. The fire must not go out in the church. In these last days, there are many
churches that didn’t receive this fire of God and also many churches where the fire went out. Their
lampstands had been removed from their churches. God does not call them a church.
Pastors must keep the fire burning; maintain the presence of God. By the way, in Leviticus chapter
10, we read about Aaron’s sons who died because they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord.
Pastors must not mix God’s fire with other fire. If so, they will die. We see many churches today
doing so. It is syncretism. As a result, they are becoming corrupt. What does it look like to mix
with other fire? In Galatians Paul warned against preaching a different gospel, by which he meant
syncretism and exclusivism. Many churches are dying because of this. Spiritually they are offering
unauthorized fire.
“The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire.” To arrange
wood implies repentance. There is a sin offering, but all the offerings have an atoning function. A
sinner cannot come to God, because he will die. So we need something to die on our behalf. The
worship God desires is a broken spirit. Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” This psalm was written after David had
committed adultery with Bathsheba. All the words of the Old Testament are the gospel and not the
law. It is written in the Book of Hosea that the Lord desires mercy, not sacrifice. This word must
have been a shock at that time, because there is no other way for sinners to receive forgiveness
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except through sacrifice. Nevertheless, the Bible says that God does not desire sacrifice, but a broken
spirit. This word itself speaks of the gospel. The whole Bible is the gospel. And the core of the gospel
is that we have been completely cleansed from sin, not just that our sins have been forgiven; sin has
lost its effect. Hebrews says that no sacrifice for sins is left. The death of Jesus on the cross 2,000
years ago was the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice. Nevertheless, many believers ask Jesus to die on the
cross over and over again when they ask for his forgiveness. They are going through the spiritual
confusion and suffering from a guilty conscience. What Jesus did on the cross has an eternal, once-
for-all effect. Jesus’ blood has been in us since we were saved through faith in him. So when we re-
pent, the power of the blood in us cleanses us from our sins. Spiritually speaking, those who do not
really believe this continue to ask Jesus to die on the cross for theirs sins. Jesus’ death on the cross
is just an empty theory to them. They still have a struggle with the problem of sin, overwhelmed by
feelings of guilt.
Look at verse 8. “Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the
fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar.” The priest arranged the head, the fat, and other pieces
on the burning wood. He burnt all the pieces of the burnt offering except its skin. The burnt offering
is only for God. No one else can touch it. Likewise, our lives are completely to be offered to God.
We are not supposed to live by the world or to be influenced by anything in the world. The master
of our whole lives is God. He is our King. We must give our life to him. This is devotion. Whatever
we do, wherever we go, he alone can shape our courses in life. Nevertheless, if we ignore his will and
plan for our lives, and live as we want, we will lose the efficacy of the life of God. We must live by
God. We cannot live by anything else.
“He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar.
It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD. (1:9)” The inner
parts and the legs represent one’s whole personality. To wash it with water means to wash it with
the word of God. Ephesians 5:26 says, “to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water
through the word.” We should continue to wash ourselves with the word of God.
All the kinds of offering and sacrifice allude to the elements of salvation. God has put his word in
us, and also made the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwell in us. These elements of salvation
work together in us, leading us to holiness and finally to become like Jesus. Both the Old Testament
and the New Testament talk about completion of salvation, which is focused on becoming like Jesus.
In other words, the perfection of our salvation is to become like God. Zechariah 12:8 says, “On that
day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like
David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them.” In
the Old Testament times, this word must have sounded like blasphemy. Nevertheless, Zechariah
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prophesied that those who were like David would be like God. The whole Bible is focused on Jesus
Christ. The tabernacle, the sacrifice, and everything speak of Jesus Christ. If you are out of this
focus, you cannot understand what God intends to say in each book of the Bible. Jesus Christ is
everything to us!
“It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire…” This doesn’t refer to a kind of offering but a meth-
od of sacrifice. “…an aroma pleasing to the LORD.” When both the offerer and his offering are ac-
ceptable, God receives the offering as a pleasing aroma. He is very pleased with its aroma. Likewise,
God is pleased with a soul who is holy and devoted to him. We should be an offering fully devoted
to God. The church is a community that begins and ends with a burnt offering, in other words,
begins and ends with complete devotion. There were some people who came to our church for
self-discipline. Such people couldn’t grow in spirit. The church must be characterized by allegiance
and devotion. 2 Timothy chapter 2 tells us that souls should be taught by faithful people. The things
of God should be entrusted to devoted, faithful people, not to those who are smart or skillful. The
church must be moved by God, and it is through devotion. Those who are not devoted cannot grow.
We must give our life for God. It is church. A person must first confirm his calling to a church, and
give his life for the church to which he was called.
Verses 10 through 13 also are about the burnt offering. They are about offering sheep or goats,
which is not much different from offering bulls. By the way, verse 11 says, “He is to slaughter it at
the north side of the altar before the LORD, and Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle its blood
against the altar on all sides.” It specifies that the victim should be slaughtered “at the north side
of the altar.” This was not mentioned in the sacrifice of the bullock. Then does this mean that the
other animals are slaughtered on another side of the altar? No. It is the same for the other animals.
Repetition was only avoided.
Why are the victims to be slaughtered on the north side? On the eastern side of the altar was the
heap of ashes, on the western side the tabernacle, and on the southern side the ascent to the altar.
Therefore, the northern side of the altar is the only place left for the slaughtering place. The victims,
what kind of animal they are, were slaughtered on the northern side. This also foreshadowed Gol-
gotha, which was located on the north side of Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified. Slaughtering the
victim foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus. The tabernacle foreshadowed Jesus and what he did
on the cross.
Verses 14 through 17 describe the sacrifice of doves or pigeons. The poor were allowed to offer
birds. By the way, there is some difference in this sacrifice. Verse 15 says, “The priest shall bring it to
the altar, wring off the head and burn it on the altar; its blood shall be drained out on the side of the
altar.” In case of other animals, the offerer and the priest performed the sacrifices together. But if the
offering was a bird, only the priest performed the sacrifice. Why was that? When Jesus healed the
sick, sometimes he did it with a word, and other times by laying his hands on them. When did he
heal the sick just with a word, and when did he use his hands? Did he do it just as he liked? To take
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a closer look at the Bible, we can see that Jesus laid his hands on the sick people with an unclean
disease like leprosy. When I minister to people who are dirty, God always tells me to lay my hands
on them. Why do you think he does so? God wants me to pass on his love, not just to heal them.
Healing ministry must be done through love. In the same way, the offerers, who were too poor to
afford to bring an offering better than a bird, were likely to feel cheap. So the priest performed the
operation of the sacrifice; wrung off the head of the bird, burnt it on the altar, removed the crop
with its contents, and so on. God of love treats the poor respectfully. Do you feel this love of God?
“He is to remove the crop with its contents and throw it to the east side of the altar, where the ashes
are. (1:16)” In the eastern side of the altar is the place of the ashes. The ashes are conveyed to a clean
place outside the camp to keep the temple clean. Jesus Christ is our ash bin. If you pour out your
anger, hurt, or pain to people, the temple becomes defiled. You should throw them into the ash bin.
You should cry your hearts out to Jesus, not to people. When you do that, you can keep your church
clean.
There are ten things to be done in the procedure for the burnt offering. Six things of them are to be
done by the offerer (layman), and four things by the priest. The offerer does more things than the
priest. But the priest does the important things for the sacrifice, such as sprinkling the blood. We
cannot say either part is more important than the other. We cannot say only either of them should
be blamed for corrupt worship. The point is, a glorious worship does not occur without devotion
and growth of the laity. If more and more church members lose holiness, the church is bound to be-
come corrupted, and as a result, worship will become corrupted. The laity must prepare themselves
with holiness before they come to worship. These days it is heart-breaking to see more and more
people worship sloppily and cause loss of holiness in our church. It is so painful to see that, because
I know well what worship should be like and how vitally important it is to worship God. I’m desper-
ately praying about this. All of us, pastors or laity, should be wide-awake at our respective posts of
duty. Especially notice that there are more things for the laity to do. This suggests their influence in
worship.
We must offer a burnt offering to God first. In other words, in worship we must resolve to make a
total commitment to the Lord, confessing that Jesus Christ is our Savior and our life belongs to him.
In the Old Testament times, there were areas where people belonged to and offered sacrifices. For
example, if they belonged to the temple of Jerusalem, they had to offer sacrifices there. In the same
sense, if you think you will worship in another church just one day, strictly speaking, it does not
meet the condition of the biblical worship. Why is that? Can you make a commitment to the church
that you just drop by one day? You cannot! This means you fail to offer a burnt offering. Of course,
God is there too, so you can confess your faith there in worship. But you cannot devote yourselves
to the church. Jesus the head of the church and the church which is his body cannot be separated.
Therefore, if not in an inevitable situation, you should worship in your church. Otherwise, you
cannot offer a burnt offering. We must not fail in the burnt offering. Worship begins and ends with
a burnt offering.
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Pastors, you should make sure that your church members learn to worship above all else. What
would a person be able to do who does not worship properly? There are people who give a tithe to
other churches. In some cases, you can do that with the permission of God and your church pastor.
But basically you should give your offerings in your church, as long as you cannot afford to give
an additional offering for another church. To give your offerings in other churches and not in your
church is against the law of offerings. This is basic but very important.
We can be blessed through worship above all else. Through worship we can see God’s glory. We
should offer worship acceptable and pleasing to God. Avoid worshiping in a church that is not your
church. Sometimes, some people without our church membership come to our church to attend
worship only. If this continues, it blocks the presence of God in our worship. So I say to them,
“Don’t come to this church if you are not willing to give your life for this church.” Pastors, you
shouldn’t just be pleased to have a new comer or to have many members in your church. You should
make sure they were called to your church and are willing to devote themselves. Even though
you have only one member in your church, you can offer a glorious worship to God. The One we
worship is the living God. We must not worship in our own way. Many people are dying in worship,
but they don’t even realize it or don’t know why. They have worshiped for a long time, but they have
never seen God’s glory. They fail to receive his blessings. We must worship God with all our heart
and life. And we must see God’s glory in worship.
Let us now proceed to look at the grain (or meat) offering, one kind of the five major offerings; the
burnt offering, the grain offering, the fellowship offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. The
word used in the original for “grain offering” means a gift. Especially through the grain offering,
God gives gifts; he blesses us.
God blesses us through the church. Through the community of church we receive blessings from
God. I’m afraid to say this, but a person who is not really a body part of the church cannot receive
blessings, even though he is provided with what is needed for a livelihood by grace. God’s blessings
are given to us as members of the community of church. Those who do not belong to a church can-
not receive God’s blessing. If you are separated from the body, you are dead. Some might say, “There
are people who do not go to church but live well.” What good is it for the people of the world to live
well on this earth? What good is it for those who are moving toward the hell to live in affluence?
The grain offering is made in five forms; uncooked flour in 2:1-3, flour baked in an oven in verse
4, flour baked on a griddle in verses 5-6, flour cooked in a pan in verses 7-10, and crushed heads
of new grain roasted in the fire in verses 14-16. The methods of food preparation are different but
all these forms are accepted as a grain offering. I don’t find some special reasons for these different
forms, but probably it is associated with the offerer’s circumstances. The grain offering is to offer the
produce of the ground, usually wheat or barley, which foreshadowed Jesus who would come to earth
as a man.
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First, a grain offering was made of fine flour. This symbolizes the perfection of Jesus who put on
human flesh; he was made perfect by completely dying to self. To offer ourselves as a grain offering
means to die to ourselves and become holy. Hebrews 5:7 says, “During the days of Jesus’ life on
earth…” He came in the flesh, which is sarx. He was fully human. As seen in Philippians chapter
2, Jesus is fully divine, the Son of God King of all kings, but laid down his divinity and died on the
cross. He lived in the same human condition as us. This is an extremely important point. If this is
not acknowledged, the whole Bible cannot be understood. Jesus put on human flesh, but he didn’t
live by his own strength. He emptied himself and completely relied on the Holy Spirit, living a
perfect life on earth. If we empty ourselves and rely on the Holy Spirit like Jesus, we can live like
him. Jesus is our perfect model of salvation. If we don’t limit the Holy Spirit in our lives, as said in
John 14:12, we can do even greater things than what Jesus did on earth. Jesus was putting on human
flesh, but was made perfect by dying to himself, offering up prayers and petitions with loud cries
and tears to God, and learning obedience from what he suffered.
The grain offering speaks of the humanity of Jesus. A person who has not met Jesus who is per-
fect in humanity cannot meet him who is perfect in divinity. Sin cannot be transferred to a divine
Being. So Jesus took on human flesh to take all our sins upon himself and die for us. 1 John 5:8 says,
“the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.” Jesus was born of water and
the Spirit. He lived on earth as a perfect Man. Also 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and
one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” God’s coming down from heaven was
prophesied in Daniel chapter 7. His image was described as a son of man. One of the qualifications
of the Messiah is that he must be a son of man. And another qualification is that he must be a son of
David. The name Christ, meaning “anointed,” was common. Prophets also were anointed ones. But
Jesus Christ or the Messiah is the “Son of God,” “Son of Man,” and “Son of David.” This is Christolo-
gy seen in the Gospel of Mark, which is the basis of Christology. The Christology of Mark, Chris-
tology of Hebrews and Christology of Colossians are three legs of Christology. If one of them is
broken, Christology cannot be established. The grain offering foreshadowed Jesus the Son of God’s
offering himself as a sacrifice by coming to earth in human form, laying aside his divinity and dying
on the cross.
Through a grain offering, God blesses us. Why? To offer a grain offering means to live like Jesus. So
God blesses those who offer a grain offering. In order to become fine flour, we must be completely
ground like Jesus by emptying ourselves and dying to ourselves. And when we become fine flour,
God can bless us abundantly as much as he pleases. If you ask for money, but God does not give it
to you, why is that? God wants to give you more than what you ask for. But he cannot, because you
cannot handle it. He knows you will die because of it. If your souls become fine flour, God will give
you anything you ask for abundantly. Therefore, the secret to receiving God’s blessings is to become
fine flour. It is to be completely ground by nailing the desires of the flesh or sinful desires to the
cross every day.
The grain offering has this great significance. It gives a picture of the life of Jesus the Man. And it
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also implies that we must be fine flour to offer ourselves before God as Jesus did, which means we
have to completely die to ourselves and empty ourselves. Only if we become fine flour, God will
bless us. He wants to give us everything, even the whole universe. Salvation is a totally free gift from
God. It is only by his grace. But his blessings are given to those who can receive them. We must be-
come fine flour to make good bread acceptable to God. Jesus our Lord set the example. During his
life on earth, he was made perfect, learning obedience from what he suffered; he offered up prayers
and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death. So he “became
the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”
Next, oil was poured on the fine flour. This implies that we become filled with the Holy Spirit as
much as we rend and empty ourselves. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, God pours out his
Spirit more abundantly on us with great joy. The first blessing through a grain offering is fullness of
the Holy Spirit. No matter what circumstance and condition we are in, we should be filled with the
Holy Spirit through worship, making a resolution, “I won’t fail in holiness like last week,” and the
like. Our worship should be accompanied by such a resolution, confidence of victory, and joy.
Next, incense was poured. This speaks of the outcome of the blessing given through a grain offering.
When we become fine flour and are anointed with the Holy Spirit, we have influence, especially
influence of life and judgement. 2 Corinthians 2:15-16 says, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ
among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death;
to the other, the fragrance of life…” We are the aroma of Christ among believers and also unbeliev-
ers. This is about influence. Through a grain offering, we are blessed to become influential, not to
become rich. On believers we will have influence of life. On the other hand, we will be the smell of
death that goes out to unbelievers, that is, have influence of judgement. Our being itself is judge-
ment to unbelievers. God will not ask unbelievers, “Why didn’t you live like Jesus?” which is not his
standard of judgement. Instead, he will ask them, “This (a believer) is a man like you, but why didn’t
you live like him?” The lives of believers become the standard of God’s judgment. When you live as
people of God, your lives become his standard of judgment. Then, your walking around will be like
judgment’s walking around among unbelievers. It is scary. If God came to end this world even now,
it wouldn’t be strange. Why is God delaying the return of Jesus? Because the lives of believers have
not yet become the standard of God’s judgment. In other words, we believers have not reached the
level of holiness that God wants.
Look at verse 13. “Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of
your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.” The salt of the covenant shows
the relationship between God and Israel who is his covenant people. The relationship is like salt.
Israel should always be in a covenant relationship with God; in a relationship that never changes
like salt. Only in the relationship can they be blessed. And salt acts as a preservative. Every offering
must not be corrupt, so salt is added to every sacrifice. Salt also makes taste. We believers should be
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people who make taste like salt. This is my own interpretation. Anyway salt here speaks of Israel’s
relationship with God. We should be in a relationship with God like salt that does not change or
corrupt, and makes taste. Outside this relationship can we not receive God’s blessing. When we are
cut off from relationship with God, immediately we go through suffering and hardship. When the
prodigal son returned to his father and was restored to his relationship with him, the father let a
ring put on his finger and the best robe put on him, and let a feast thrown to celebrate his return.
To put a ring on him means to restore him to his authority as the son. And to put the robe on him
means to make him a new man. Therefore, we must always be in relationship with God. This is a life
of a covenant people.
There are substances that are excluded from use in the offering. First, verse 11 says, “Every grain of-
fering you bring to the Lord must be made without yeast…” Yeast symbolizes sin. Through the grain
offering like all the other offerings, we confirm that God considers us righteous. After receiving his
righteousness and being separated from sin, we can offer a grain offering. Every sacrifice must be
offered after turning away from sin and receiving God’s righteousness. It is suicidal to worship with-
out receiving his righteousness. Before worship you should repent and receive God’s righteousness.
Keep in mind that this should be done before worship and not during worship. Come earlier than
worship time and prepare yourselves for worship by repenting. Especially on Sundays I prepare for
worship by praying at 3 o’clock in the morning. It is not only for myself but for holiness of the com-
munity. If I find some loss of holiness in someone, I pray for him intensely. Make sure you receive
God’s righteousness before worship.
How many worship services are you attending a year? Are you receiving God’s blessing through the
services? Some of you might say as if you were just a bit unlucky in your lives. But if you are God’s
children, it means you are failing in worship. Without being successful in worship, we cannot be
successful in life. A success in worship succeeds in life. Who can stop a person whom God decides
to bless? Who can make a thing done that God decide not to do? Who can stop God from doing
things he decided to do? Everything is confirmed through worship. We must not worship sloppily
or haphazardly but with awe and fear. We must spend the weekdays preparing ourselves for Sunday
worship with holiness and the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
Honey also must not be used. If you use honey, the shape of the bread is transformed. Honey was
used in the offering of the Gentiles. Spiritually speaking, honey refers to worldliness. Worldliness
must not be mixed into worship. Heretical elements pointed out in Galatians are exclusivism and
syncretism. Syncretism destroys worship. It is also worldliness. No elements or ritual practices must
be allowed in worship that limit the Holy Spirit. If the choir stops the move of the Holy Spirit in
your worship, you must get rid of it. All worldly elements that limit the flow of the Holy Spirit must
be removed. There are churches that have 26 worship activities. To my surprise, they do them all
in one hour. At times, the public prayer is longer than the sermon. It is nonsense. We must not add
honey in the offering. Proverb 5:3 says, “For the lips of an adulteress drip honey…” Honey refers to
worldliness. People’s favorite, humanistic things must not be mixed into worship. The same goes for
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sermons. Sermons that satisfy the appetite of the audience, that is, worldliness-seasoned sermons,
will kill souls. Only truth must be delivered. Truth does not sound nice, but rather rough. Most of
the things seasoned with worldliness that I’ve seen looked nice. If we live by truth, we cannot always
be humanly nice. If we live by spirit, it seems things are not going well. But we can see God working
himself.
Lastly, look at verse 16. “The priest shall burn the memorial portion of the crushed grain and the oil,
together with all the incense, as an offering made to the Lord by fire.” The grain offering is a memo-
rial portion. And the burnt offering and the fellowship offering are offerings made by fire. The offer-
ings are burned and go up in smoke. God smells the aroma when he accepts the offerings. The grain
offering is burned, but God does not smell the aroma; he remembers. What does he remember? He
remembers his promise to bless his children through worship. God made up his mind to bless us
through worship. This is what a memorial portion is about. Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of
me,” while referring to the bread as his body and the wine as his blood. The Holy Communion is an
important ceremony; God remembers that he gave us life, that we ate the flesh of Jesus and drank
his blood. To worship on Sundays is to celebrate Holy Communion. Whether or not we celebrate
the Eucharist, its meaning is involved in worship itself. Through worship we are eating the flesh of
Jesus and drinking his blood. Through a grain offering God remembers his relationship with his
children who call him “Abba, Father,” and that he surely blesses them. When we call “Father,” God
reveals himself and hears us. This is our relationship with God our Father. God never forgets this.
Therefore, if you fail to receive God’s blessing, it is strange. It is not supposed be so! You are sup-
posed to be blessed, because it is God’s will. Then why can’t you receive blessings? You are failing in
the grain offering. The first condition for a proper grain offering is to become fine flour; you must
be completely ground. Next, you must not add yeast and honey. Then you will be filled with the
Holy Spirit, and become influential. God will bless you abundantly. I bless that you may offer a grain
offering acceptable to God.
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4
by Rev. Min-Ho Kim
Leviticus 3
1. “ ‘If someone’s offering is a fellowship offering, and he offers an animal from the herd,
whether male or female, he is to present before the Lord an animal without defect.
2. He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the
Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood against the altar
on all sides.
3. From the fellowship offering he is to bring a sacrifice made to the Lord by fire: all the fat
that covers the inner parts or is connected to them,
4. both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he
will remove with the kidneys.
5. Then Aaron’s sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is on the
burning wood, as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
6. ○” ‘If he offers an animal from the flock as a fellowship offering to the Lord, he is to offer a
male or female without defect.
7. If he offers a lamb, he is to present it before the Lord.
8. He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it in front of the Tent of
Meeting. Then Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides.
9. From the fellowship offering he is to bring a sacrifice made to the Lord by fire: its fat, the
entire fat tail cut off close to the backbone, all the fat that covers the inner parts or is
connected to them,
11. The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made to the Lord by fire.
12. ○” ‘If his offering is a goat, he is to present it before the Lord.
13. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it in front of the Tent of Meeting. Then
Aaron’s sons shall sprinkle its blood against the altar on all sides.
14. From what he offers he is to make this offering to the Lord by fire: all the fat that covers
the inner parts or is connected to them,
16. The priest shall burn them on the altar as food, an offering made by fire, a pleasing
aroma. All the fat is the Lord ‘s.
17. ○” ‘This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must
not eat any fat or any blood.’ “
From chapter 8 are the details of the five sacrifices mentioned. The fellowship or peace offering
comes last. The fellowship offering is made in gratitude for one’s fellowship with God. It is not for
having fellowship with God, but for thanking him for putting us into a relationship with him, where
we can have fellowship with him and receive his peace and comfort. And through the fellowship
offering, you confirm your fellowship with God, and also your fellowship with your pastors and
other believers. God’s love must be revealed in your relationship with each other. If you are in
discord with each other in your church, there must be something wrong with your worship. Sadly,
also in our church are a few people who don’t have a good relationship with each other. They are
not offering a fellowship offering. They are likely to have a problem with God also. Their prayers do
not ascend to God. “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose
on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Therefore, we must not be at odds with anyone. There might be
someone who hates us. But we shouldn’t hate him. We should try to live at peace with everyone. We
are even told to love our enemies.
If your worship is not accepted by God, you should find out why. If God accepts your worship, there
is supposed to be evidence for it in your lives. When we find ourselves in relationship with God,
we realize how much he loves us, and receive his peace and comfort. In gratitude for this we offer a
fellowship offering. And because of the love, we are supposed to have peace with pastors. Those who
are at odds with their pastors cannot lead a faith life properly. God punishes them. A pastor is God’s
visible representative in the community. The number one cause of destruction of relationship might
be the pastor. Nevertheless, God first finds faults with the lay people. God is always with pastors.
This never means that pastors can do whatever they want. God himself handles them strictly. If you
know what this means, you cannot easily decide to become a pastor. You don’t want to enter into the
pastorate without confirming God’s call and seeing his glory.
Instructions for the fellowship offering do not differ much from those of the burnt offering and
grain offering. There aren’t particularly different things that we need to note. But we need to notice
the significance that the fellowship offering has in the New Testament. Let us look at how the New
Testament describes the fellowship offering and see its relevance to us today.
First, look at Romans 3:25. “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his
blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins com-
mitted beforehand unpunished-” God passed over the sins previously committed. Jesus came to give
himself as a sacrifice of all the offerings. Especially the New Testament authors described him as the
atoning sacrifice. The Greek word for a sacrifice of atonement is hilasterion, which is also used for
“mercy seat (or atonement cover)”. Jesus Christ sacrificed himself as an atoning sacrifice or fellow-
ship offering, and sprinkled his blood at the atonement cover. This is why we can have peace with
God.
God has anger against sinners. Sinners cannot stand before God. There is no place for sinners in the
whole universe or in the spiritual world. Sinners, as long as they are not free from sin, cannot live
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anywhere. God unceasingly comes to those who have been freed from sin, and gives his grace. But
to sinners does he come with his wrath. If you really know this, you won’t make light of any sin even
a moment. If you really know this, you won’t neglect your area of darkness where God cannot reign
over you. Even now God who is ever in the present is approaching us! We must fully accept him in
all areas of our personality and life. If we have any area that his grace cannot touch, it must be pain-
ful. Here repentance occurs. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” A
practical way to become poor in spirit is to mourn. When does this say we should mourn? It is not
when we go through sufferings and hardships. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are sup-
posed to have both peace and mourning. Fullness of the Holy Spirit is a secret to mourning. While
filled with the Holy Spirit, we can receive God who unceasingly approaches us, and allow his light of
glory to shine upon our souls. But in our areas of darkness, we cannot do so because it is so painful.
Over the areas where we cannot empty ourselves are we supposed to mourn. This is mourning while
being filled with the Holy Spirit. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Meekness is
to suspend your own judgment in all circumstances and receive God’s. Only when we receive God
who is Light can we see darkness in our souls.
Jesus Christ offered himself as an atoning sacrifice to take God’s wrath against us upon himself and
invite us into God’s presence. God said he would meet with Israel at the atonement cover. Now we
have been made righteous through the payment of Jesus’ blood, and so we can meet with God.
The sacrifice of Jesus covers all kinds of sacrifice. Especially he was the fellowship offering in the
sense that he reconciled us to God by giving himself as an atoning sacrifice. Hilasterion signifies
covering of sins. Jesus made peace between God and us by covering our sins with his precious
blood. Jesus became the hilasterion, restoring our relationship with God.
If you truly believe that his blood covered all your sins, you will understand what it means that God
is unceasingly approaching you. God is approaching! This is not about space. I do not know where
my children are now, but care about them, thinking, “What are they doing?” “Are they receiving
grace?” and the like. Because of my human limitations, I cannot completely care for them. But our
God knows everything. And he unceasingly approaches us. 1 Samuel 2:3 says, “…for the Lord is a
God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.” We experience God, and God also experiences
us. He pays attention to us and unceasingly comes to us to see how we are doing. This is possible
because Jesus Christ has covered us with his blood. God sees us covered with Jesus’ blood. Through
the blood, we were made righteous in God’s eyes. He considers that we didn’t sin even once. This is
difficult for your reason to accept. You think, “I’m still sinning, but is God really saying I have no
sin?” God created us humans to have fellowship with us. But as sinners cannot come to God, he
declares us to righteous so that he can have fellowship with us. Of course, we must not be satisfied
with this positional righteousness; we must become practically righteous. Anyway, we start with
being declared righteous. We who were beggars have become princes. To believe in Jesus is not like
a beggar’s meeting a gentleman one day and being treated to a good meal. But it is like a beggar’s be-
coming a prince. Now we are supposed to live as a prince. You must make sure of your new identity,
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and continually accept God who unceasingly approaches you.
Let us continue to look at the meaning of an atoning sacrifice in the New Testament. Ephesians
2:13 says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through
the blood of Christ.” The “once were far away” doesn’t just mean that we were estranged from God
but that we have no connection with him. We couldn’t meet him at all, because we are sinners. If a
person goes to church but does not have confirmation of the righteousness of Jesus imputed to him,
he is still 50 billion light years away from God. If he prayed to God, he would get his answer in 100
billion light years. That we “have been brought near through the blood of Christ” means that we
have become qualified to come to God. In other words, we have become a new creation. Only if we
truly know that we have become qualified to come to God, we will be able to live our whole life with
gratitude and joy.
When the life of salvation comes into us, we truly realize that we are sinners, and at the same time
we are moved and thrilled by God’s love that allows us to come to him. This happens to anyone who
is saved in common. Furthermore, we are allowed to know God. When we know more of God, we
become more overwhelmed by his love, in that I can dare come to him. Anyone who has the life of
salvation is supposed to experience this. If you don’t have this joy, examine yourselves to see if you
really have assurance of your salvation. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves to see whether
you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course,
you fail the test?” We must examine ourselves!
“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of
Christ.” We can come to God. He is closer to us than our own breath. This is described in Ephesians
2:14 and the following. “For he himself is our peace…” Jesus is the sacrifice of fellowship (or peace)
offering. He has connected us and God. “…who has made the two one…” According to the prin-
ciple seen in Ephesians, the “two” refers to the Jews and the Gentile, the rich and the poor, and all
the other conflict relationships. Jesus “has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” by
giving his own body. His blood restores all our relationships through worship. If you truly worship
with the blood of Jesus, your relationships with your pastors, other believers, or your spouses are
supposed to be restored. If this does not happen through one worship, it indicates your souls have
many factors that block his blood. But basically worship with the blood of Jesus sprinkled is sup-
posed to destroy all the barriers. This is the power of the precious blood of Jesus. If you have been at
odds with someone in your church for a long time, you need to examine yourselves to see if you are
really saved. You might believe you are saved, but there is no evidence of your salvation. If we do not
have assurance of our salvation, we cannot say we are saved. We will know that only after we die.
This is not the salvation that the Bible speaks about. Sadly many of you think about salvation that
way. Salvation is an event that is ever in the present. We should not live on the joy that we had at the
moment we were saved, nor should we have a vague hope for the future. We have to experience the
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saving grace of God in our lives ever in the present. Jesus has destroyed the barrier by giving himself
as a peace offering. Therefore, true worship breaks down all the barriers among us. Accordingly we
are supposed to be united as one. Colossians tells us that the church must be the kingdom of love.
How is it possible? Jesus has sprinkled his blood in the church, and the blood has all powers to
establish the kingdom of love.
Ephesians 2:15 says, “by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace.” Through
the blood of Jesus, we have become “new man,” so we can live at peace with anyone in all things.
Our new man (or new self) lives on the blood of Jesus, but our old man (or old self) does not. Our
new man continually maintains, activates, and prospers the life of Jesus, being at peace with God.
Disharmony is caused by our old man. If you are led by your old man, you cannot be at peace with
everyone. Our old man cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
“and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death
their hostility. (Eph. 2:16)” Basically “both of them” refers to the Jews and the Gentiles. Whether
the Jews or the Gentiles, everyone must be united as one in the community of church. There is no
reason for disharmony, because Jesus removed all the factors that cause discord. If you are at odds
with someone, it means you are living the way of old man that cannot receive the blood of Jesus. As
long as we are in at state of old man, we cannot be in peace with others. Therefore, we must put off
the old man, receiving the blood of Jesus. The power of the blood even enables us to make peace
with our enemies. Disharmony in the community is really a serious problem.
We can be at peace with anyone through the precious blood of Jesus. We must not allow any dishar-
mony with each other. It is bound on earth, and it will also be bound in heaven. If you fought with
someone, no matter whose fault it was, why don’t you just apologize first, and make up with him? It
is not wise of you to stand on your pride. It only shows you are stuck in bondage by your hurts and
sins. Solve it quickly. It is a matter of salvation.
“He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. (Eph.
2:17)” “Those who were near” refers to the Jews, and “you who were far away” the Gentiles. The
peace of God has been given to anyone. When we offer a fellowship offering properly in worship, we
are filled with the peace of God. We are not supposed to feel worried even after worship. John 14:27
says that we have God’s peace that the world cannot give. So we are not supposed to be shaken by
any troubles. Even if someone offends us, we can smile. Even if someone looks unkindly at us, his
eyes will look beautiful. In God’s peace everything is made beautiful. This is the joy we can receive
through worship. The church must offer this fellowship offering.
“For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. (Eph. 2:18)” This is a result
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of peace with God. When we are not in peace with our brothers, in other words, we don’t offer
a fellowship offering, we cannot come to God. This means our prayers don’t ascend to him. The
relationship between brothers is so important. As said in 1 John, how can we love God whom we
cannot see, if we cannot love our brothers whom we can see? If you say you can, you are deceiving
yourselves. The fellowship offering makes peace among all members in the church, uniting them as
one, as a result, allowing the entire church to come to God. There must not be even one person who
cannot come to God in the community. Otherwise, it will be a loss for the entire community. Our
relationships with our brothers and sisters are eternal. Our current relationship is the way it will be
after the kingdom of God comes. Imagine that you will be feuding with each other forever. Would
you want to do so? Don’t allow any disharmony among you.
If we have a good relationship with God, we can also build good relationships with people. A good
vertical relationship with God makes a good horizontal relationship with people. Some might think
they are in good relationship with God, but they are not with their brothers. It is because of their
bitter roots or something. In many areas of our lives we fail to let God’s peace and influence flow to
the world. There are also many losses in the community. In many cases they are caused by our poor
relationships with other believers. If a cell-leader and his follower are at odds with each other, their
prayers do not ascend to God, and consequently God cannot work through their prayers. After all,
their bad relationship causes a loss to the entire church, having a bad influence on it. This thing hap-
pens a lot. When I see some disharmony between some members, sometimes I point it out. But it is
not solved that way. They should offer a fellowship offering to God in the true sense of the word.
Many problems arise among members in the church. They are not just their personal problems.
They cause losses to the entire church after all. Especially, if you have got something against your
pastors, it is like refusing to receive God’s grace. You must solve it. Those who are at odds with their
pastors cannot receive blessings; they are under a curse.
The fellowship offering makes the relationships between believers perfect. It is the power of the
blood of Jesus. Those who continually receive it love each other. The early Christians laid down their
lives for their brothers. It means that they truly offered a fellowship offering. Their communities
were filled with love for God and brothers. With the love they could die for their brothers. Research-
es of the early churches show that there was no one who was arrested and killed because of betrayal
by his brother. They chose to die rather than betray their brothers. They had such brotherly love.
There is nothing those who have such love cannot do. Their assembly itself is the kingdom of love,
the kingdom of God. The things of God flow through the community, because their relationships
are not bound. They are happy to be together. They are in eternal relationship, and they are one in
the love of Jesus Christ. Our Zoe Ministry churches should be the kingdom of love. The secret is to
offer a fellowship offering in every worship.
We are looking at the fellowship offering described in the New Testament. Through the fellowship
offering we have access to God. Remember we cannot come closer to God with our relationships
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bound.
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and
members of God’s household. (Eph. 2:19)” We are a family. We are brothers and sisters. We are one
community. Therefore, we must not be in discord with each other.
“built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief corner-
stone. (Eph. 2:20)” This is about the church system. The cornerstone of the system is Jesus Christ.
We are established as one temple whose cornerstone is Jesus. We are one body in the system. So
how can we fight with each other? If we do so, it is to destroy the temple. Bad relationships between
believers destroy the temple. It is a deadly problem. It must not be allowed.
“And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
(Eph. 2:22)” The Triune God made his dwelling in us. We are God’s dwelling place. He who reigns
over individuals, peoples and the whole world is in us. The place the president of the USA resides in
is the White House. And the Air force aircraft which the president is on is Air Force One. Likewise,
since God is in us, we become his dwelling place, temple. We have that nobility. But if we fail in the
fellowship offering, it becomes just nominal. Otherwise, our prayers are supposed to be powerful
enough to let the sovereign God move. When we fail in the fellowship offering, our relationships
with pastors and other believers become bound, and consequently our prayers won’t ascend to God.
Our relationships are so important. Our bad relationships with each other frustrate the sovereign
God and limit his work. In this state, what can we do? We must make every effort to have peace
with each other.
Next, let us look at the fellowship offering in Colossians. Colossians talks about the doctrine of
church by clarifying who Jesus is and what we should be like as his body. Colossians 1:1-14 is the
introduction and verses 15-21 are about Christology, which is about who Jesus is. Jesus is the visible
manifestation of the invisible God. He is prototokos; he pre-existed and is the Creator himself. He
is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning. And 1:22 says, “But now he has reconciled
you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and
free from accusation-” Through Jesus’ physical death God reconciled us to himself. We have been
made holy and blameless before him. Jesus opened our way to God by giving himself as an atoning
sacrifice. And the relationship of peace with God leads us to practical holiness and blamelessness.
Therefore if we fail in the fellowship offering, we cannot grow in spirit.
Basically we grow in spirit through worship. Why? Through worship we meet with God. Through
the sacrifice of Jesus God reconciled us to himself. While meeting him every day we can grow
and become like him. His character, power and authority will be revealed through us. When our
relationship with God is broken, we cannot grow. Therefore, we must offer a fellowship offering
properly. We first have to make sure that we have relationship with God. Are you in his presence?
How are you sure you are in his presence? You need to make sure of your relationship with him. It is
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to believe that he has freed us from all our sins and made us righteous, so that we can come to him.
In the terms we picked up in Colossians, it is to believe “Jesus’ death is my death,” and “Jesus’ burial
is my burial.” When Jesus died, we died together with him. The flesh is put to death in our relation-
ship of peace with God. This shouldn’t just be a theory. We must make sure this occurs to us every
day. Then “Jesus’ burial is my burial;” we must have the evidence of our death in our lives. Then
“Jesus’ resurrection is my resurrection” will occur. We are supposed to grow day by day with the life
of resurrection. Then “Jesus’ throne is my throne;” our lives are ruled by his power and authority.
And “Jesus’ return is my return;” we are supposed to be thrilled by Jesus’ glory of the parousia. All
these events have occurred in us as we were reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Jesus. This is
what is meant in “to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” The
five events have been realized in us. This is what the fellowship offering speaks of.
A fellowship offering must be offered in every worship. If you are at odds with someone in your
church, it is supposed to be solved if you offer a proper fellowship offering in worship. Our church
has time for fellowship in worship. At that time you can go to the person you are at odds with, and
make up with him, embracing him, crying and apologizing. If you can’t make up with some people,
for any reason, it indicates that you are in bondage. If we hate someone, it is to kill us ourselves be-
fore that person. If we have something against someone, it is to kill us ourselves more than anyone
else. It is us ourselves who suffer a great damage. Therefore, we must make sure we offer a fellowship
offering in worship.
Why are your relationships bound? Usually you think this way, “We aren’t right for each other.” Are
only those who are right for us good? Not everyone can be right for us. We must not keep ourselves
aloof from some people because they are different from us. If we are one body in Jesus, we are sup-
posed to embrace everyone in the community.
How do you know your relationship with someone is bound? You cannot embrace him with joy.
You are reluctant to talk to him. You are not comfortable with being together with him. This reflects
your wounds. We must not form a barrier against anyone. We must open our hearts to anyone. This
is the attitude believers should take. And this is the key to loving our enemies. If there is someone
you cannot embrace with joy, it shows that you have wounds, and you are failing in the fellowship
offering. It keeps you from coming to God. “Jesus’ death is my death,” “Jesus’ burial is my burial,”
“Jesus’ resurrection is my resurrection,” “Jesus’ throne is my throne,” and “Jesus’ return is my return,”
these five events cannot be embodied in your lives. After all, you won’t be able to grow every day.
Therefore, you must remove any wrong factors in you, including your wounds. After this confer-
ence, go and make up with the people you are at odds with. Have peace with them.
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There are many reasons we must not hate anyone. First, we are all sinners. None of us deserves to
judge and hate someone. Second, in a certain area we might be better than someone, but in another
area we might be worse than that person. If we are hurt by someone, we are likely to blame that per-
son. But all of us have some factors that can hurt someone. Many husbands and wives blame each
other. But they fight because they are alike. None of us deserves to judge or hate anyone. Besides,
when we think of God’s love for us and his forgiveness of our sins, how can we hate others? Hating
itself is a pain. We should love everyone. A fellowship offering must be offered in every worship, so
that we may restore our relationships and grow to love each other and even lay down our own lives
for brothers. I hope no relationship will be bound among you. Bondages keep us from coming to
God and serving him. I hope all bondages will be removed. We must love!
Leviticus gives a deep understanding about worship. Worship is not simply to attend a service on
Sunday. We should prepare ourselves with holiness for worship. It is not too much to say that our
lives on weekdays are for worship on Sunday. If you really know what worship is, you will admit
that you should live that way. If you think of God’s grace, his love, and really know who he is, you
will try not to lose holiness in your daily lives. And you will always long to come nearer to God. To
come to God is worship. A person who always lives a life of worship and worships in holiness grows
in spirit. Anyone who continually meets with God changes, as you are tanned when you are exposed
to the sun.
Israel is a people for worship. Worship is everything to Israel. They cannot worship haphazardly.
Through Leviticus, we should realize that our whole life is a matter of worship. When those who
prepare themselves with holiness gather to worship, the worship is exploded with the Holy Spirit.
Sadly many believers just come to worship without being prepared with holiness. This is why we
have trouble going deep into the presence of God in the beginning of worship. This is why it is hard
for me to lead worship on the first day of our conference. It wouldn’t be so hard if all the believers
gathering here were those who continually grow in their relationship with God and by his grace.
When our conference had many people who were only seeking to solve their problems without
being interested in living a holy life, the first worship was difficult. In fact, our Zoe Ministry confer-
ences are not for such people. I don’t mean there will be no God’s mercy for them. But basically our
conferences are for establishing the remnant for the end times. The remnants always try to put on
holiness. I hope you will be the remnant.
Through Leviticus, I hope you will realize how big a deal it is to come to God. It should be clear-
ly seen to you how you should live your weekdays for worship on Sunday. Also you should truly
understand how important it is to have a good relationship with your brothers and sisters in coming
to God. You must not allow any of your relationships to be bound, not to mention the relationship
with your pastors.
Now, let us move on to look at the sin offering. It is described in Leviticus 4:1 through 6:7. A sin of-
fering can be offered any time when a person commits a sin. It is because we should always repent.
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Spiritually speaking, the sin offering for all has already been offered. It is what Jesus did on the cross.
The ultimate sin offering has been made. Nevertheless, a sin offering must be continually offered in
the sense that deep repentance should occur every day. This is what we have to learn through the
sin offering made on the Day of Atonement, July 10th. We will take a look at this later in chapter 16.
First of all, we need to understand the sin offering in the aspect of repentance.
The Hebrew word for “sin” is chata which means “missing the mark.” It is hamartia in Greek. A sin
offering is offered to be cleansed from sins. To sin is, in a word, to miss the mark of God. By the way,
the Bible is not focused on dealing with the results of sin but the motives for sin. When we miss the
mark of God, we are bound to sin. We are not sinners because we sinned, but we sin because we are
sinners. As long as we are sinners, we cannot be freed from sin. As long as we live a self-centered
life, we are bound to commit a sin. When we are God-centered, the enemy cannot make us sin. But
when we are self-centered, we can sin any time because the enemy can legitimately entice us to sin
by satisfying our sinful desires. The enemy can make us sin any time if we are in the state of old self.
How does the Old Testament describe what it is like to miss the mark of God? We can say that it
is to break the laws of purity in Leviticus chapters 11-15 and the holiness code in chapters 17-27.
When we neglect the law or God’s commands, we miss the mark of God. Deuteronomy tells us that
God’s commands are life. Israel is a people who risk their lives for the commands of God. “Hear,
O Israel” Shema! Israel is a people who listen to God. There is no other way to life than to hear the
word of God. God’s laws and commands are life. As long as the people of Israel listened to him, they
survived in any circumstances.
Let us take a brief look at Leviticus chapter 19. It mentions some laws. If we do not keep them, we
are regarded as guilty. By the way here’s a thing we need to note first. A sin offering is not an offering
that a person who commits a sin knowingly can offer to be forgiven of that sin. When wickedness is
put into action, it is called the fruits of sin. It is personification of sin. There is no sacrifice in the law
for the willful sins. A sin offering couldn’t be offered for such sins; the sinner was to be cut off from
the people. Then who is allowed to offer a sin offering? For example, Leviticus 5:1 says, “If a person
sins because he does not speak up when he hears a public charge to testify regarding something he
has seen or learned about, he will be held responsible.” If a person does not give evidence of what
he saw and heard as a witness in a court of justice, he is regarded as guilty. “Or if a person touches
anything ceremonially unclean-whether the carcasses of unclean wild animals or of unclean live-
stock or of unclean creatures that move along the ground-even though he is unaware of it, he has
become unclean and is guilty. (5:2)” How can these be sins? Looking at the lists of sins that require
a sin offering, we might think they are trivial offenses. A sin offering is only for unintentional sins,
not willful ones. We might wonder how people of the Old Testament times could live that way. The
Bible says they could. They were not allowed to sin deliberately. If a person did so, he was cut off
from the people. It was the heaviest punishment. We must understand the standard of holiness the
Bible says about.
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God’s standard of holiness is the same both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. He has
never changed his standard of holiness. Any sinners must die. The wages of every sin is death. God
is holy! The holy God paid everything to make us holy. By this grace we might feel relieved, but
basically sinners are supposed to tremble with fear. We are supposed to be afraid to sin as much as
we fear God. This is holiness. Those who do not fear God are not fearful of sinning, and vice versa.
Some people commit many sins lightly, because they are ignorant of wages of sin. The “holiness” is
a fearful word. “Be holy, because I am holy.” God is saying this, like “If you are not holy, you shall
die,” or “If you are not holy, don’t think of me as your God.” Imagine a scene where the king says to
the eunuch, “I’m thirsty,” and then the eunuch says, “I’m thirsty, too.” What would happen to the
eunuch? Probably he would be as good as dead. He is expected to get the king some water. When
we are told to be holy, the same thing happens. We are nothing. Nevertheless, God tells us to be holy
because he is holy. He calls you “saints.”
As the community becomes holy and pure, the first of the phenomena marked in worship is pres-
sure of holiness. If we were completely and practically freed from sin, we wouldn’t need to feel such
pressure. We have not yet entered the stage of glorification where we will perfectly be freed from sin.
Besides, we are sinners from a motivational point of view. So when we stand in the holy presence of
God, we are supposed to feel great pressure of holiness. Here’s what happened to a church because
of great pressure of holiness. The pastor passed out. The believers began to shed tears and repent
from before they arrived at the church. During the worship that continued for two nights and three
days, they continually repented in tears. When Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon titled “Sin-
ners in the Hands of an Angry God,” it is said that the listeners felt so great pressure of holiness that
they mourned over sin in great agony, scratching the floor and walls. The pressure of holiness was
so painful to them. This isn’t just a theory. This isn’t a special revival event. This should happen in
every worship. We must spend each weekday living a holy life for worship. Then the community
will be filled with pressure of holiness. How can we worship God the Creator while leaving our sins
untreated?
Such a thing rarely happens in our worship these days. This means we have many problems with our
worship. You might think it is probably because God has no will to let it happen. But basically we
are not preparing ourselves for worship by living a life of holiness. Consequently we are not pre-
pared to experience pressure of holiness. I don’t mean there is no church with holiness these days.
But churches which are not in God’s presence cannot have pressure of holiness. At least, we are sure
that our church has God’s presence. But things by the pressure of holiness are not happening. We
have some problems with holiness. We are failing in the burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship
offering, or sin offering. We have not reached a certain level of holiness, taking sin lightly. In my
early ministry about 15 years ago and until 7 or 8 years ago, our worship was filled with pressure of
holiness and wasn’t over ordinarily as in other common churches. The whole congregation fell back-
ward, deliverance from evil spirits occurred, and the like. But these days I see some people living a
sloppy faith life in our church. The powerful messages and the fire of prayer must touch their spirits
painfully, but they don’t change. They neither leave our church nor change. I don’t tell them to leave
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the church. But I think it is good if they leave the church because they cannot stand the pressure of
holiness. They should either leave the church or determine to change.
In fact, in our early ministry there were not a few who left in the middle of worship. There was a
person who became blind because of pressure of holiness during worship. I laid my hands on him
and his eyesight was restored. I experienced such pressure of holiness. But now some of us are
living according to their sinful desires but feel okay about it. This is a pain to us. It really is a serious
problem. They may not realize it, but I’m so distressed. I always examine myself to see if it is because
of my weaknesses, errors or something. But God does not point out problems on my side in this
matter. There might be various reasons why they fail to feel pressure of holiness. It might be because
of spiritual attacks. Whatever the reason, after all, it means that they are not preparing themselves
for worship with weeping and longing. They are attending worship haphazardly. They are losing the
community holiness. They cannot feel pressure of holiness. This is a problem with our church. I’m
not saying that there is no problem on my side. I have problems. But God is not yet making an issue
of my level of holiness. Things might be different in other churches. There might be a church whose
main problem is on the pastor. The priest’s problem was not just his own. It influenced the people. It
lost the entire community of Israel holiness. Likewise, in the church where the pastor lost holiness,
the whole congregation cannot have pressure of holiness.
As we learned in Romans 3:25, first, God’s righteousness is to judge sinners. His righteousness never
overlooks sin. Originally he had to kill us, but instead killed his Son Jesus Christ. Second, those who
receive this righteousness are regarded as righteous. God judges us for our sins! Those who truly
believe this don’t leave their sins untreated. They don’t allow any factors like immorality or world-
liness to control their lives. If a person doesn’t care about sin, it means that he doesn’t acknowledge
God as the Judge. When we truly receive this righteousness of God, we are supposed to make every
effort to deal with our sins, overwhelmed by his holiness. Therefore, pressure of holiness is a bless-
ing. If you feel such pressure, God is showing his will to deal with the roots of your sins and giving
his mercy and compassion. In other words, if you don’t feel this pressure, it means that you have not
been aware of your sins and wickedness, and how much they are destroying you. You don’t really
believe that God surely judges us for our sins. Such people don’t really believe in the Lord’s return,
either. They tend to think that God may return but not until they die. So they don’t care much about
holiness. God’s kingdom or glory sounds abstract to them.
When we are overwhelmed by God’s holiness, we cannot stand the pressure without laying down
ourselves. And the ways of living in his kingdom, his judgment, his love and such things are realized
in our lives. But when we don’t feel this pressure, we become spiritually lazy, procrastinating what
we should do to become practically holy. A few years ago God was dealing with my bitter roots. I
was afraid of everything. I didn’t know why at that time. Later I realized it was because of pressure
of holiness. I realized my bitter roots and wickedness, so I couldn’t sleep. I lost 75 kg. I was tensed
in fear that the Lord would come right away. At the same time, I was filled with God’s comfort and
love. I cried and laughed by turns. I was like a lunatic. I couldn’t leave my roots of sin untreated
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under the pressure of holiness. I couldn’t live with my bitter roots untreated. Indeed, pressure of ho-
liness is so unbearable that you will feel like you are going crazy. Even though you’re not there yet, at
least you must not live loosely, leaving your sins untreated. This is the sin offering. It is for maintain-
ing holiness. I hope you will offer a sin offering properly.
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5
by Rev. Min-Ho Kim
Leviticus 4
1. The Lord said to Moses,
2. “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in
any of the Lord’s commands-
3. “ ‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a
young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.
4. He is to present the bull at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the Lord. He is to
lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the Lord.
5. Then the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and carry it into the Tent of
Meeting.
6. He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord,
in front of the curtain of the sanctuary.
7. The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense
that is before the Lord in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour
out at the base of the altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
8. He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering-the fat that covers the inner
parts or is connected to them,
will remove with the kidneys-
10. just as the fat is removed from the ox sacrificed as a fellowship offering. Then the priest
shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.
11. But the hide of the bull and all its flesh, as well as the head and legs, the inner parts and
offal-
12. that is, all the rest of the bull-he must take outside the camp to a place ceremonially
clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it in a wood fire on the ash heap.
13. “ ‘If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any
of the Lord ‘s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are
guilty.
14. When they become aware of the sin they committed, the assembly must bring a young
bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting.
15. The elders of the community are to lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord,
and the bull shall be slaughtered before the Lord.
16. Then the anointed priest is to take some of the bull’s blood into the Tent of Meeting.
17. He shall dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle it before the Lord seven times in front
of the curtain.
18. He is to put some of the blood on the horns of the altar that is before the Lord in the
Tent of Meeting. The rest of the blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of burnt
offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
19. He shall remove all the fat from it and burn it on the altar,
20. and do with this bull just as he did with the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest
will make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.
21. Then he shall take the bull outside the camp and burn it as he burned the first bull. This
is the sin offering for the community.
22. “ ‘When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the
commands of the Lord his God, he is guilty.
23. When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering a male
goat without defect.
24. He is to lay his hand on the goat’s head and slaughter it at the place where the burnt
offering is slaughtered before the Lord. It is a sin offering.
25. Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it
on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base
of the altar.
26. He shall burn all the fat on the altar as he burned the fat of the fellowship offering. In this
way the priest will make atonement for the man’s sin, and he will be forgiven.
27. “ ‘If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any
of the Lord ‘s commands, he is guilty.
28. When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering for the
sin he committed a female goat without defect.
29. He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the
burnt offering.
30. Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the
altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar.
31. He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and
the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the Lord. In this way the priest
will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.
32. “ ‘If he brings a lamb as his sin offering, he is to bring a female without defect.
33. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it for a sin offering at the place where the
burnt offering is slaughtered.
34. Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it
on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base
of the altar.
35. He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the lamb of the fellowship
offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the Lord
by fire. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for the sin he has committed,
and he will be forgiven.
Leviticus 5
1. “ ‘If a person sins because he does not speak up when he hears a public charge to testify
regarding something he has seen or learned about, he will be held responsible.
2. “ ‘Or if a person touches anything ceremonially unclean-whether the carcasses of unclean

wild animals or of unclean livestock or of unclean creatures that move along the ground-
even though he is unaware of it, he has become unclean and is guilty.
3. “ ‘Or if he touches human uncleanness-anything that would make him unclean-even

though he is unaware of it, when he learns of it he will be guilty.
4. “ ‘Or if a person thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil-in any
matter one might carelessly swear about-even though he is unaware of it, in any case
when he learns of it he will be guilty.
5. “ ‘When anyone is guilty in any of these ways, he must confess in what way he has sinned
6. and, as a penalty for the sin he has committed, he must bring to the Lord a female lamb
or goat from the flock as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for him for
his sin.
7. “ ‘If he cannot afford a lamb, he is to bring two doves or two young pigeons to the Lord as
a penalty for his sin-one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering.
8. He is to bring them to the priest, who shall first offer the one for the sin offering. He is to
wring its head from its neck, not severing it completely,
9. and is to sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the side of the altar; the
rest of the blood must be drained out at the base of the altar. It is a sin offering.
10. The priest shall then offer the other as a burnt offering in the prescribed way and make
atonement for him for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven.
11. “ ‘If, however, he cannot afford two doves or two young pigeons, he is to bring as an
offering for his sin a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He must not put oil
or incense on it, because it is a sin offering.
12. He is to bring it to the priest, who shall take a handful of it as a memorial portion and
burn it on the altar on top of the offerings made to the Lord by fire. It is a sin offering.
13. In this way the priest will make atonement for him for any of these sins he has
committed, and he will be forgiven. The rest of the offering will belong to the priest, as in
the case of the grain offering.’ “
14. The Lord said to Moses:
Leviticus 6
1. The Lord said to Moses:
2. “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving his neighbor about something
entrusted to him or left in his care or stolen, or if he cheats him,
3. or if he finds lost property and lies about it, or if he swears falsely, or if he commits any
such sin that people may do-
4. when he thus sins and becomes guilty, he must return what he has stolen or taken by
extortion, or what was entrusted to him, or the lost property he found,
5. or whatever it was he swore falsely about. He must make restitution in full, add a fifth of
the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day he presents his guilt offering.
6. And as a penalty he must bring to the priest, that is, to the Lord, his guilt offering, a ram
from the flock, one without defect and of the proper value.
7. In this way the priest will make atonement for him before the Lord, and he will be
forgiven for any of these things he did that made him guilty.”
Let us look at the sin and guilt (or trespass) offerings together. They are mentioned in Leviticus 4:1-
6:7. The burnt and grain offerings are primarily corporate offerings. But the sin offering was made
voluntarily anytime as necessary. When a person sinned, he immediately offered a sin offering for
suspension of judgment. The sin offering was offered as a means of attaining atonement for sins of
individuals from the high priest to a common person, and the whole congregation. For example, on
the Day of Atonement, even the priest offered a sin offering to make atonement for him.
Look at Leviticus 4:2. “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is
forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands-” The sin offering is an offering for sins that are uninten-
tionally committed. Numbers 15:30-31 says, “But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born
or alien, blasphemes the Lord, and that person must be cut off from his people. Because he has
despised the Lord’s word and broken his commands, that person must surely be cut off; his guilt re-
mains on him.” Those who sin intentionally or deliberately cannot offer a sin offering. The law says
that they must be cut off from their people or put to death.
Unlike the Gentiles, Israel had notably strict laws. There was no provision of atonement for inten-
tional sins in the law. In a word, there was no solution for sin in the Old Testament times. But the
law was focused on the sacrifice of Jesus who would come and accomplish everything stated in the
law. All the provisions in the law were stated to foreshadow Jesus to come and what he would do,
not because the sacrifices could really atone for sins. The prophecies in the Old Testament also were
about Jesus and his sacrificial work for sinners. The whole Bible is about Jesus. There had been no
ultimate solution for sin until Jesus came. The judgment for the sins of the Old Testament people
had just been suspended until Jesus came. The blood of animals couldn’t cleanse sinners from their
sins but only suspended God’s judgment.
Leviticus chapters 11-15 and 17-27 describe the laws of purity and holiness in daily life. The words
about this are not difficult to understand. They are the holiness code given to Israel: How should
they live to become holy? The same goes for the New Testament believers. The church must be clear
about an issue of sin, salvation, and the like. We must not be vague about such things. The standards
must not change depending on the situation. If you are vague about an issue of salvation, for exam-
ple, it is because the doctrine of salvation has not been established in your church properly.
Why do many churches not teach Revelation and talk about the end time? They are afraid to be
shunned, called a heretic. If there is a head, there is supposed to be a tail. The reason they cannot
teach eschatology is that they do not have the head, that is, Christology. If we know who Jesus is, it
is natural we talk about the end time. Everything begins with Christology. Hebrews 6:1-2 mentions
“the resurrection of the dead,” which will occur when Jesus returns. This is related to the end time
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and a part of the elementary teachings about Christ. We must be clear about the head and the tail of
Christianity. This does not require any high level of spirituality. We should know well about escha-
tology. God is the Alpha and the Omega. We shouldn’t be ignorant of the end of the world under his
sovereignty. God lets the church know everything he does. We know what the enemies do. There-
fore, we are not supposed to die due to ignorance. God does not hide what he does from the church,
his body. If the church does not know it, it has a spiritual stroke.
The sin offering is brought only for unintentional sins. Let us now look at those sins. Leviticus 5:1
says, “If a person sins because he does not speak up when he hears a public charge to testify regard-
ing something he has seen or learned about, he will be held responsible.” This doesn’t look like a sin
to require an offering. Next 5:2 says, “Or if a person touches anything ceremonially unclean--wheth-
er the carcasses of unclean wild animals or of unclean livestock or of unclean creatures that move
along the ground--even though he is unaware of it, he has become unclean and is guilty.” Contact
with carcasses is also included in the list of sins to require a sin offering. Also verse 4 says, “Or if a
person thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil--in any matter one might
carelessly swear about--even though he is unaware of it, in any case when he learns of it he will be
guilty.” Carelessly swearing also is a sin to require a sin offering. In fact, those who live by the Holy
Spirit know these are sins. Whether it is intentional or not, to sin is to miss the mark of God. A
person commits a sin because he is a sinner; it is not that he is a sinner because he has sinned. The
Old Testament is focused on motives of sin. In a word, a person sins because he is self-centered and
not God-centered. The standards of holiness that both the Old Testament and New Testament say
about are the same. The only way to reach that holiness is Jesus Christ. The righteous people of the
Old Testament times had been saved through Jesus Christ who would come. As said in Hebrews 11:
39-40, they were approved through their faith, but didn’t receive what was promised; Jesus Christ
hadn’t come yet. But we have received what was promised. We are saved through Jesus Christ who
has come. The only way to salvation through all ages is through Jesus. To God who is ever in the
present, Jesus Christ who came, he who has come, and he who will come, are all the same.
Isaiah said to the Israelites, who were suffering because of their sins, that they would be saved from
sin through the Messiah who would come 700 years later. Some might wonder what good that was
to them at that time. To rephrase this, how can Jesus who came 2,000 years ago save us from our
sins? How? It is to receive what he did 2,000 years ago by faith. Then it becomes a present event. In
the same way, the Israelites endured suffering in the faith in the Messiah who would come. If they
had that faith, they were not just suffering but enduring in the hope of the coming of the Messiah.
The Messiah who would come and the One who came are the same. The only way to salvation is
Jesus Christ.
Anyone who lives by the Holy Spirit is clear about sin. As said in John 16:8, “When he comes, he
will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment,” the Holy Spirit
continually makes us realize sins. We don’t only realize our evident or habitual sins, but also become
more sin-sensitive, so that we get to repent of sins we have not committed outwardly. We get to
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realize we have an influence of sin on others because we are sinners. The Holy Spirit helps us realize
the motives of sin and repent of them. For example, we hate someone. Is there anyone who does
never hate someone? We desire to possess something. Is this a sin? Yes. According to the Book of
Habakkuk, it is a sin. We have desire for achievement and honor. Is there anyone who does not want
honor? This also is a sin. The trivial things that the world does not think of as sins are sins. For a
certain period of time, the Holy Spirit points out our sins to such an extent that we feel that we are
a lump of sin. His first work is the conviction of sin. When we first encounter with the Holy Spirit,
he says much about who we are and says, “I love you.” And he also says much about God. Then he
begins to convict us of sin. We get to be overwhelmed by such a long list of our sins he presents us.
And we begin to realize God’s righteousness.
For example, let’s say that I talked with Mrs. Shin, and on my way home the Holy Spirit told me that
I had boasted about myself. I sinned unknowingly. Also let’s say I inadvertently opened up some-
one’s old wounds during the conversation. In these cases I am in need of a sin offering. The Holy
Spirit in me convicts me of the sins immediately with groanings. And when I admit it, I’m filled
with the Spirit of repentance, admitting that I was wrong, and truly repenting. While I was talking
with a deacon before, she told me to be careful because the road was slippery. Then I said, “No prob-
lem. I have a good sense of balance.” At the moment I didn’t realize it was a sin. Later the Holy Spirit
pointed out that it was my pride. I should have said this way: “Thank you. It is very thoughtful of
you.” Many things happen for a day which require a sin offering. They are hardly recognized as sins.
But anything that is against the Holy Spirit is a sin. Today I didn’t listen to my wife, so I repented. In
fact, while I’m concentrating on God to receive revelations, I usually neither pay attention to others
nor could hear well what they are saying. There are times when I don’t bother myself to listen to
others. And when someone says about something obvious, I don’t want to listen to him. When I do
this, whatever the reason, the Holy Spirit wants me to repent. He says I didn’t treat souls properly by
not listening to them. Anyone who lives by the Holy Spirit is clear about what is wrong.
God talked about such sins in the Old Testament, having in mind that he would make the Holy
Spirit dwell in the believers. Those who do not know this are likely to react this way: “If even this is
a sin, how can I live? Are you telling me to stop breathing?” But those who try to live a holy life by
the Holy Spirit understand God’s intention regarding the sins for the sin offering. The sin offering
was only for unintentional sins. The Old Testament people understood that if a person committed a
sin intentionally, the sin would be personified in him, and then the community wouldn’t be able to
deal with the problem well. So the law said that he had to be cut off from the people or put to death
for the sake of holiness of the community. Such a sin couldn’t have been solved until Jesus came. At
that time, to cut off the sinner from the community was a dire punishment.
Even now Israel still has a particular sense of community. During the Six-Day War that took place
in 1967, the outnumbered Israel forces defeated the united Arab forces in six days. When a war
breaks out in Israel, the Jews who are scattered over the world gather together. They think that they
are one, so if they are cut off from the people, they are as good as dead. When they gathered, Arab
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people scattered. From the beginning, the victory was Israel’s. This is an image of the congregation
of Israel. The same goes for the church. Our church has a system of excommunication. We excom-
municate a person whose sin goes too far. Here’s what happened in our church lately. A girl had
double-eyelid surgery done. Our church decided to suspend her from church for a month because
worldliness could be stronger among children through her. Is a double-eyelid surgery so big deal?
Maybe not, but the situation at that time could have a serious influence on the other children. In
our church, suspension from worship is one of the heaviest penalty. Those who do not understand
the meaning of the sin offering and the standard of holiness might think that it is not the way the
church should look like. But those who live by the Holy Spirit and understand how he is leading
their lives to holiness will say that we are taking a right action.
The standard of holiness is very clear. It is in the Holy Spirit. He does not tell us to live a better hu-
man life by the moral or ethical standards but to live a holy life by God’s standard of holiness. Is this
possible by our own strength? No! It is not possible by what we are. So we must receive God and his
things. We must live by what he is. It is to receive the system of his existence. What does this mean?
When we receive God, he gives everything necessary to live by him. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, the
blood of Jesus is inherent in us, and the word of God has been written on our hearts! These three
elements of life help us to live the way God wants, reminding us of the fact that we have become a
new being. Especially the Holy Spirit convicts us of all things we have done against him. A daily life
is supposed to be a continuous sin offering. When we surf the web unnecessarily or get distracted
with things of the world, for example, the Holy Spirit will say, “Focus on God.” Then we should offer
a sin offering by responding to him, “Lord, I’m sorry I’m distracted. Help me concentrate on you.”
In this way we should allow God to lead our day in his presence. We must be sensitive to the Holy
Spirit. We have to listen to him who dwells and speaks in us. Otherwise, we will live as we want,
according to the flesh. To be sensitive to the Holy Spirit means to concentrate on him. Whenever we
hear him convicting us of something wrong we have done, we are supposed to offer a sin offering. If
we live with the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can hear what he tells us to do, know what he likes and
hates, and how he is feeling. This isn’t something that requires a high spiritual level. It is natural to
live as the Holy Spirit leads us like we have a meal if we are hungry. The reason you think it difficult
to live that way is because you are not sensitive to the Holy Spirit or you don’t rely on him in every
situation.
Do you now get what the sin offering is? The sin offering wasn’t for evident sins. God was already
picturing the life of the believers led by the Holy Spirit who dwells in them. Let me say it again.
God’s standard of holiness is the same in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The same
standard is applied to both the congregation of Israel and the New Testament church. The difference
is that the blood of Jesus who had been promised to the Old Testament people was substantiated in
the New Testament. Jesus set a perfect example of holiness during his life on earth. In this respect,
we are supposed to become holier than the Old Testament believers. As we noted in Hebrews
chapter 11, the ancients believed what God had promised; they believed they would be completely
cleansed from sin through Jesus to come. In their times they didn’t receive the evidence, but now
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they have assurance of their salvation, looking at us whom the Holy Spirit dwells in. Jesus came
and accomplished everything God had promised; the blood of Jesus is inherent in believers and the
Holy Spirit dwells in them. The believers of the Old Testament now fully understand what God said
to them. The blood of calves and goats was effective for one year, but it cannot be compared with
the power of the blood of Jesus. As said in Hebrews 12:24, the blood of Jesus speaks! The blood in us
continually testifies that we are righteous.
Look again at 4:2 “When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the
LORD’s commands-” The law clearly says that anything that is unintentionally done against the
commands of the Lord requires a sin offering. By the way, what are the Lord’s commands? For ex-
ample, God tells us to love. But if we don’t love, the Holy Spirit says that we sinned, encouraging us
to offer a sin offering. To love is to reveal God’s righteousness. How do we reveal his righteousness?
It is to do the will of God; do whatever he tells us to. If it is God’s will to excommunicate someone,
we must do so. Anything we don’t do according to the inspiration of God’s love is a sin. Suppose
someone hurt you. If you burst into a rage at it, you sinned. If you knew you had to pray but you
didn’t, whatever the reason, you sinned. God will not rebuke you for not having prayed because you
were so tired. But the Holy Spirit will say that you were distracted with doing things and didn’t pray.
If you had prayed instead of being busy doing something, God would have given you wisdom and
power to deal with it. You will realize this and so repent. Last week, I was so busy with my ministry
and other things. I could barely find time to pray. Nevertheless I prayed because God told me so.
In fact, if we pray, God leads us in everything, making things go in order. There are times the Holy
Spirit tells me to do something that I don’t understand. For example, God told me to cook for break-
fast. Then I said that I would buy gimbab instead. Sometimes God told me do to such a thing when
I was busy. I didn’t understand at those times, but later I realized why. This is the way we live with
the Holy Spirit. It is simple and easy. Only if we live according to the righteousness of God and not
mine, God himself makes things go in order. Our own thoughts and ways make our lives complex
and busy. Many people worry about money. They are hard up for money. By the way, suppose that
the Holy Spirit told such a person to give his money to somebody. They might feel it is absurd. But
from my experience I know why God does so. He tells me to do something that is beyond my pow-
ers. Nevertheless I do as he says. Then he sees my faith and work things out. Life with God is really
amazing. It is beyond our reckoning. So we must live by faith and according to the Holy Spirit. If he
says, “Go,” we must go. If he says, “Stop,” we must stop. This is the way of living with the indwelling
Holy Spirit. A sin offering is brought only for sins that are committed unintentionally, sins the Holy
Spirit reveals, but not for evident or intentional sins. When we offer a sin offering properly in our
lives, we can live like Jesus.
Let us look at Leviticus chapter 19. We can see some codes of conduct for holiness. In fact, the regu-
lations for the sin offering are difficult to understand. They might look ambiguous. An action might
be a sin or not. It is the Holy Spirit who judges it. Suppose that I said, “You bastard.” Mostly the Holy
Spirit says I sinned. According to the condition, it might have been an offensive word caused by my
roughness, or an expression of intimacy. The Holy Spirit knows it exactly. It is the Holy Spirit who
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judges whether it is a sin or not. So when it comes to sins that require a sin offering, they cannot be
specified. But the regulations for evident sins are very clear. This shows clearly how Israel should
live. This is the laws of purity and the holiness code.
19:1-2 The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Iarael and say to them: ‘be holy
because, I, the LORD your God, am holy.
19:1-2 says, “The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be
holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.” We must be holy because God is holy, not because
holiness is a good thing. Because God loves, we too must love. Because God is perfect, we too must
be perfect. God is the source of everything. He is the Creator, and we are his creation. So we must
be dependent on him. If we are not dependent on him, it is wickedness; we are bound to enter the
darkness. This is the spiritual order. Isaiah 45:7 says that God created darkness too. God created evil
too. So evil also is under the sovereignty of God. Demons didn’t create evil; they are just evil itself.
Then do I mean that God has evil? No! About this, listen to my sermons on Isaiah chapter 45; we
don’t want to look at this issue now. God says, “Be holy, because I am holy.” This is not a proposi-
tional command, but speaks about the result of what God paid for us to become holy. He paid his
holiness for our holiness. He gave up his honor and his omniscience. He transfused his holy blood
into us. Isaiah describes how great God is, talking about God’s first creation; the universe is so vast,
far beyond our comprehension. God created the universe and all things. And then Isaiah talks about
God’s second creation, saying that he created Israel. The Creator God tells us to be holy because he
is holy. This speaks of all his work of salvation.
Looking at the sacrifices mentioned in Leviticus, haven’t you wondered why they are necessary?
Why did God require animal sacrifices? Why didn’t he simply forgive those who came to the tem-
ple? Why did he bother to let animals killed and their blood sprinkled on the temple? Isn’t he an
almighty God? Doesn’t he know any other effective way to save us? Reading the Book of Leviticus,
have you not asked yourselves these questions? Many might think Leviticus is boring. When I first
studied Leviticus, I thought the priest was like a butcher. There is no big difference between the
work of the priest and that of the butcher; the priest only wore special clothing. Then why didn’t
God just let a butcher slaughter an animal for sacrifice? I wondered about this. And I came to
understand it clearly when I learned about God’s second creation through the Book of Isaiah. For
the second creation God had to pay a price. His love for us cost him a great deal. It couldn’t just be
paid with his almighty power. God had to administer his love directly. Here I understood why Jesus
called himself “Son of Man,” instead of the Messiah. By calling himself “Son of Man,” he was saying,
like “I know your pains and your sorrows.” As said in Hebrews, he is our God who can sympathize
with our weaknesses. He had been tempted in every way as we are, but without sin. His blood is
seen vividly through the Book of Leviticus. The Creator paid all for a person like me! The love of
God touches our hearts deeply. Seeing a sheep slaughtered in Leviticus, we see Jesus slaughtered.
The sacrifices described in Leviticus foreshadowed the death of Jesus Christ. This manifests God’s
holiness. Therefore, “Be holy, because I am holy,” this command shows God’s resoluteness towards
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holiness. Knowing this, no one can complain to God about any law he gave. Knowing his love and
the price he paid for our holiness, no one will think his commandments are burdensome. Rather,
they would even ask, “Lord, what is the eleventh commandment?”
Those who know God’s love are pleased to follow his commands. They wouldn’t think of tithing as
burdensome. In fact, tithing is not simply to give one-tenth of our income. It is to give as much as
God loves us. So I wouldn’t spare even my own life for him. It pains me not to be able to give him as
much as I want. If you fix a tithe at a tenth part of something, you cannot grow in spirit. We can give
more according to our faith and inspiration. So I give two-tenths, so do many of our church mem-
bers. Of course, those who make ends meet cannot help giving just one-tenth. I’m not judging them
or praising myself. But I want you to understand that all of God’s commands are commands of love.
God loves me, so I don’t want to live according to the survival instinct. I do not worry about what to
eat, what to drink or what to wear. It is not a thing I should care about but God.
Leviticus 19:3 says, “Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my
Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.” This also is notable. Don’t you think it would be more likely to
mention the command to keep the Sabbath before the command to respect one’s parents? Why is it
that the command to respect one’s parents was mentioned first? For Israel, the parents are God’s rep-
resentatives. Their relationship with their parents reflects their relationship with God. If they don’t
respect their parents, it means they don’t respect God, either. The command to respect one’s parents,
therefore, includes the command to respect God. Also, our love for God is manifested in our love
for our neighbors. To Israel, righteousness - tzedek in Hebrew – is to look after orphans and wid-
ows, for example. It is not a dimension of relief but a condition for salvation. Why is realization of
righteousness to look after orphans and widows? Our salvation by God’s grace and love is confirmed
through helping those in need. In the same sense, respecting our parents is directly connected to
our reverence for God. We must respect our parents.
“… and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.” The most important sacrific-
es are offered on the Sabbath. All worships are important, but the most important one is Sunday
worship. When we are blessed through Sunday worship, we can be blessed through other worships
on Wednesday and other occasions. Sunday worship is obligatory. Anyone who didn’t observe the
Sabbath was to be cut off from the congregation.
Next, 19:4 says, “Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD
your God.” The “idols” implies the world. We must not turn to the world. If Israel lives the way the
world lives, it is bound to die. The Israelites didn’t survive by their own strength. Even when they
were weak like a bunch of sheep, they were victorious only if God was with them. And even when
they were rich and strong, they were defeated by their enemies if they lived by their own strength.
They never survived by their own efforts. This is a scary fact. Why does a person fail in his life? In
a broad sense, it is because he lives by his own strength. Israel refers to people who cannot live by
their own strength.
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“When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be
accepted on your behalf. (19:5)” Why is the fellowship offering and not the other offerings men-
tioned here? It is because the conclusion of all sacrifices is the fellowship offering. In other words,
all the other sacrifices are included in this mentioning of the fellowship offering. All sacrifices must
be offered properly. Through sacrifices Israel was supposed to form its character, that is, to become
like God, so are we. Through worship we should become like God. We are supposed to change as
much as we see God’s glory in worship. You must realize how important worship is. If your com-
munity of church doesn’t change or your church members do not grow, you should first examine
your worship. Mostly God deals with us through worship. And other things are only follow-up
measures of worship. Therefore, pastors should focus on their energy on worship before everything
else. Sermons should be prepared all week, and all their energy should be brought to worship on
Sunday. And after worship they might feel relieved as if they unloaded their heavy burden. I feel
light-hearted on Sunday evening till Monday morning. From Monday I bear another burden for the
next Sunday worship. Priests retired from their regular service at the age of 52. Why did they have
to retire so early? Because the priestly service was like bearing a heavy burden so it was not easy to
continue for a long time. Instead, males of Levi from a month old and upward were counted, while
in case of the other tribes, males from twenty years old and over were counted. Service to God is
very precious and important. The priesthood was considered very special. Even now the Jews say
that there is a special genetic factor in the line of the Kohanim.
“It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day
must be burned up. (19:6)” This is about the fellowship offering. We don’t want to talk about this
here.
Next, look at 19:9-10. “When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of
your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or
pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your
God.” This is a regulation to help the poor. A community tends to easily collapse when the gap
between rich and poor widens. “As it is written: ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and
he who gathered little did not have too little.’ (2 Cor. 8:15)” 2 Corinthians says that everyone in the
community is supposed to have as much as they need to survive. God takes care of this. According-
ly, the church should support those in need and also help them devote themselves to God. So our
church is allowing any member in need to eat at our church cafeteria. And we are also trying to help
anyone who is very sick but has no money to be treated. There are people who live in the church
and devote themselves to serving God. The church has to owe them a living. Our church is doing so,
though we cannot fully support them. The church must be a reliable community where all members
help each other and trust each other as they trust God. We should be able to risk our lives for the
community. We must support every decision of the community with all our might, because it is
God’s will.
9:11 says, “ ‘Do not steal.’ ‘Do not lie.’ ‘Do not deceive one another.’ ” These are a list of sins a
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committer of which was to be cut off from the congregation of Israel. “Do not swear falsely by my
name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. (9:12)” The same applies to this, too.
“ ‘Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him.’ ‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired man over-
night.’ (9:13)” Even now this is a high moral standard. There are many people who fail to meet this
standard. But the moral standards of that time were much higher than now. If a person knocked
out someone’s tooth, the punishment was, so to speak, to kill him and not just to have a tooth of his
extracted. While the moral standard of the world is “A tooth for a tooth,” the law of God demands
much higher morality. Israel had high moral and ethical standards that cannot be compared with
those of the world. Why are the churches today being ridiculed? It is because the churches are no
different from the world. Rather, the churches are more wicked than the world. Pastors, elders,
and deacons are often involved in shameful incidents. But basically the church has high moral and
ethical standards that the world cannot think of. It is because we have to become holy because God
is holy.
“Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your
neighbor fairly. (9:15)” The trial must be fair. To be fair in judgment is not to show special favor to
the poor, to the rich or to the mighty.
“ ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people.’ ‘Do not do anything that endangers your
neighbor’s life. I am the LORD. (9:16)” A slanderer was to be cut off from the congregation of Israel.
Slandering and gossiping really are grave sins. Malice underlies slander, which is the produce of
wickedness that is inside. The spirit of slander or gossip must not be allowed to stir the church. Our
church does not take this issue lightly. If you whisper or grumble behind my back, you are going
to die spiritually. Especially if you do that in front of your children, you are cursing them indirect-
ly. Children who listen to and respect their pastors are blessed. If they grow hearing their parents
speaking ill of the pastors and their wives, they will be bound spiritually and suffer a great loss in
their lives. Don’t slander anyone, especially your pastors.
“Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in
his guilt. (19:17)” If your brother did wrong, you should rebuke him frankly. Otherwise, you would
commit a sin. And this is a serious offense. When this happened, the sinner was to cut off from the
congregation of Israel, because he neglected evil. The Israelites could survive only when they were
holy. So these regulations were not to be considered burdensome. The laws given to Israel were un-
thinkable to the Gentiles in Canaan at that time. They were not possible for them to observe. Then
how could the Israelites observe them? They were holy; while obeying the laws, they could become
holier.
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as your-
self. I am the LORD. (19:18)” Not practicing love is also a sin that causes excommunication from
the congregation of Israel. Looking after orphans and widows was obligatory.
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“ ‘Keep my decrees.’ ‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.’ ‘Do not plant your field with two
kinds of seed.’ ‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.’ (19:19)” God does not like
mixing. On the other hand, modern science mixes things to make something. This is a sign of the
end times. God hates mixture itself. So he really hates syncretism. God is pleased with pure faith.
We must not mix our faith with other things. Indeed the church must be pure and holy. The church
must maintain the purity of faith in Yahweh, continually filtering out impurities of the world and
perfecting holiness. This is Israel’s only way to life. Israel is bound to die unless it is holy. Israel
cannot live by money or something. Sadly, many churches today seek money. What Israel needs is
holiness. Only if the Israelites were holy, God made them survive in any unfavorable circumstance.
Be holy! This is God’s one and only request to Israel. It is supposed to be easy to live with God. And
it is really hard to live the way the world lives. We cannot survive in this world if we live as it re-
quests. But the only thing God asks for is holiness. So I have cried for holiness for the last 11 years.
You might not have understood what it is really meant by “Be holy” and why it is so important. Now
I think you’ve got it. Holiness is Israel’s only way of life, the meaning of its existence, and its power.
“When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three
years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. (19:23)” They had to wait 4 years until
they could eat fruits from the trees of the land. You might think, “It is waste of money to keep land
idle.” Why did they have to leave the land idle for 4 years? It took 4 years to break the curses that the
land had lied under. For the same reason, I have the land where I set foot anointed with oil spiritu-
ally. Sometimes I practically spray oil, praying that God may break the curses on the land. By the
way, we are not living in the Old Testament times. We don’t need to wait 4 or 5 years because we can
immediately break curses with the power of the blood of Jesus and the authority of his word. Then
how is this word to be applied to us? We have to learn about living according to God’s righteous-
ness. If God tells us to stop and wait for 5 years, we must do so, and when he says, “Go,” we must go.
Whatever he says, we must do it, even though we have a different opinion. Holiness is to obey God’s
words 100 percent. If God tells us to be circumcised to consecrate ourselves, even in the face of the
enemies, we must do so. Rationally thinking, how can we be circumcised before the enemies? But
to live and die depends on God’s will. All we have to do is do as he says. Aren’t there so many things
you have to repent of? You might feel you won’t be able to repent all your sins. But it is possible
through the blood of Christ.
Take a look at each regulation. Israel was expected to be holy to that extent. Whenever the Israelites
didn’t obey the commands of holiness, they had to go through tremendous sufferings for the last
3,000 years. Through the history of suffering, the Jews know instinctively that if it is God’s com-
mand, they have to obey it in any situation. Only if they acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, they
could be evangelized in one day, and the Holy Spirit would enter them, immediately leading them to
entire sanctification. It is said there are 25,000 Messianic Jews in Israel. I think the number is mean-
ingful because it is the same with the number of Kohanim. With that number of Messianic Jews,
it is now only a matter of time before the whole nation of Israel becomes a Christian. It won’t be
long before the remnants of Israel become Christians. They have been trained to be holy for the last
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3,000 years. They have never worshiped idols since the Babylonian captivity, holding God’s words
dear. It is really touching how they risked their lives to maintain holiness under the Nazis’ domi-
nation. Here is what happened in a town named ‘Kodumo’ during the Holocaust. 90 percent of the
Jews there were massacred. A person whose neighbors had been murdered came to the rabbi and
asked, “Rabbi, my children are starving. By the way, the whole family next door died and the house
is deserted. Is it right if I take some pieces of furniture from there and sell them for bread?” If you
were starving under such a circumstance, would you ask like him? The Jew didn’t sell the furniture
for bread before he had received a consent from the rabbi. The Jews strove to obey God’s words even
during the Holocaust. This is a picture of their life. Over a period of 3,000 years, God’s words have
led them. And in the same way, the Holy Spirit who dwells in us is leading us.
These laws and regulations are awesome! They are the codes of conduct that have led Israel over
3,000 years. So even in the gas chamber they could be dying saying “Even here is God.” Let us
examine ourselves. We easily compromise with the world when hardships come, and commit sins.
The New Testament authors say that the laws and regulations are the gospel of the Old Testament.
All the laws and regulations were the standards of perfection which would be accomplished by Jesus
Christ.
Now let us return to chapter 4. Verses 3 through 12 are about the regulations for the sin offering;
deal with the sin offering for the different categories of people. Verse 3 says, “If the anointed priest
sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the LORD a young bull without defect as a sin
offering for the sin he has committed.” The “anointed priest” refers to the high priest. The high
priest also had to offer a sin offering if he sinned. By the way, what is notable is that if the high priest
sinned, he brought guilt on the people. Why was that? A leader is important. His sin has a ripple
effect on the whole community. While Moses was shepherding Jethro’s flock in Midian, whether
he circumcised his sons or not was no big deal, but when he was picked by God to become a leader
of the whole nation of Israel, it mattered. Even the same issue could be different in its seriousness,
depending on whether a leader is involved in it or not. The standard of holiness for pastors is dif-
ferent from that of lay people. Even the qualifications for deacons and overseers, as described in 1
Timothy, are of high standards. And God’s criteria for pastors are more strict. Try coming and living
together with me for a month; even a week would be enough. I guess there might be people who
will be knocked out by my lifestyle and drift away. When I was going to seminary, a junior came to
live with me for 10 days, but he went away in two days. I’m not living this way by my own efforts. It
is the standard of holiness God requires me to reach. Sometimes I feel pressured not to waste even
a single minute. If I waste some time on Monday, I get to be panting out of breath by the weekend.
It is not simply about time, but about the standard of holiness God wants me to reach for the week.
Workout also is part of my way of life to maintain holiness. I exercise to build up stamina enough to
deliver a sermon for 8 hours. I wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning to pray, allowing God to lead my
day. Sometimes I feel sorry for my family who is sacrificing themselves to support me. Anyway this
has been my lifestyle for the last 23 years.
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If the high priest sinned, he brought guilty upon the people. Why was that? The high priest was a
representative of the people, and also the representative of God. He foreshadowed Jesus as the high
priest in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:1 says, “Every high priest is selected from among
men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for
sins.” The high priest was appointed for people. Jesus as a priest in the order of Melchizedek came
to earth as a fully Man to bear our sins. And he as a fully God also entered into glory on our behalf.
When he died for us, we died together with him. When he entered into glory, we too entered there
with him. This shouldn’t be just a theory. The blood of Jesus circulates in our spirits. If we don’t
believe in Jesus, fully Man, our sins cannot be imputed to him. When we read about the high priest
in Leviticus, we need to be clear about if it is about the high priest as the representative of God or
as the representative of the people. The high priest as the representative of the people had to offer a
sin offering for his own sins as well. So Hebrews 2-3 says “He is able to deal gently with those who
are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer
sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people.” This was quoted from Leviticus
chapter 5.
Hebrews 5:4 says, “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron
was.” The high priest according to the order of Aaron also had to offer sacrifices for his own weak-
nesses, but the priesthood was the most noble job. The high priest among all 25,000 Kohanim was
treated with the greatest respect and honor. The high priest is a great being among humans. By the
way, according to Hebrews, the honor we have received is not compared with that of the Aaronic
priesthood. Ours is greater than theirs. Why? We received it through Christ who is the royal Son
and King of all kings who reigns over the whole universe. And he is also the royal Priest who is able
to open our way to God. He is our high priest in the order of Melchizedek. Jesus Christ is the royal
Son and royal Priest. Only he meets both the positions. He is an awesome God!
Let us take a moment to look at Hebrews chapter 1, which describes who Jesus the Son is. He is the
heir of all things and creator of the universe. He is the radiance of God’s glory; emits the same light
of glory as the Father. He is the exact representation of his being; he is the very image of God – the
visible likeness of the invisible God. And he sustains all things by his powerful word. The countless
stars and planets in the whole universe and all creatures in there hold together because the word of
God is sustaining them all. If the word lets go of its hold of our life, our life is over. If the word says
“You will live,” we will live. If it says, “You will die,” we will die. And next we see a more important
fact about Jesus to understand the high priest of Leviticus better. He came to earth to provide puri-
fication for sins. Only he is the ultimate solution to our sin problem. He is a high priest whom God
appointed with an oath. There is no other way to live by but Jesus. He is the only way to life; there is
no other way! He who is God’s solution to all our sins, the only way to come to God, and reigns over
the whole universe is Jesus Christ!
Return to our text. Look at Leviticus 4:4. “He is to present the bull at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting before the LORD. He is to lay his hand on its head and slaughter it before the LORD.” We
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have noted that there is a big difference between a sacrifice on whose head the high priest laid his
hand and one on whose head he did not. When the priest offered a sacrifice for his sin, he laid his
hand on its head so that his sins might be transferred to it. And he slaughtered it before God. “Then
the anointed priest shall take some of the bull’s blood and carry it into the Tent of Meeting. (4:5)”
He entered into the Tent of Meeting with its blood. The Tent of Meeting refers to the tabernacle
which was divided into the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place (or the Holy of Holies). A thick
curtain (or veil), which wouldn’t be torn by two elephants, separated the Most Holy Place from
the Holy Place. In the Holy Place, the altar of incense stood before the veil, the golden lampstand
(menorah), at the left side, and the table of showbread, at the right side. The high priest entered the
Holy Place with the blood of the sacrifice. “He is to dip his finger into the blood and sprinkle some
of it seven times before the LORD, in front of the curtain of the sanctuary. (4:6)” He sprinkled the
blood seven times. At this time the veil wasn’t to be stained or splattered with blood. Otherwise, it
wouldn’t be opened, and consequently the sin offering couldn’t be made.
What does it mean that the veil was torn when Jesus died on the cross? It signifies that Jesus offered
himself as the sacrifice for all our sins on the Day of Atonement. I will deal with this later when we
come to chapter 16 on the Day of Atonement. Leviticus does not give more information or details
about exactly which part of the tabernacle is to be sprinkled with blood and which part must not be.
But it is very important. The blood of a sacrifice on whose head the high priest laid his hand wasn’t
to be sprinkled in the Most Holy Place. If the high priest sprinkled it there, he would die. The blood
of the sacrifice of general atonement wasn’t to be sprinkled in the Most Holy Place. By the way Jesus
Christ has opened the way to the Most Holy Place. Even Aaron the high priest was not allowed to
enter there as he wanted. He could only enter there once a year. But we can come in and out fre-
quently. How could we express this thrill and joy?
“The priest shall then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of fragrant incense that is be-
fore the LORD in the Tent of Meeting. The rest of the bull’s blood he shall pour out at the base of the
altar of burnt offering at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. (4:7)” In the Holy Place is the golden
lampstand at the left side, and the table of showbread at the right side, as well as the altar of incense.
But the blood was to be put only on the altar of incense. Why not on the golden lampstand or on the
table of showbread? The incense was to be left burning continually throughout the day and night.
It wasn’t to go out. This speaks of God’s presence. The lamp was lit and the bread was placed on the
table. But most importantly the incense on the altar, which sat in front of the veil into the Most Holy
Place, had to burn continually. Spiritually speaking, this represents prayer. The fire of prayer must
burn continually. The incense also represents holiness. In this sense, the priest put blood on the
horns of the altar of fragrance incense.
If a person becomes corrupt by sinning, his prayer is blocked. If we are alive to sin, our prayers
become dead; if our prayers are alive, we become dead to sin. Especially the incense of the high
priest’s prayer must burn continually. If his prayers don’t ascend to God, there must be something
wrong with him. The high priest must feel God’s presence at all times, and especially at the hour
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of the incense offering. The incense of prayer must continually burn and ascend to God. On the
Day of Atonement, the high priest took two handfuls of sweet incense with burning coals from the
altar of burnt offering into the Most Holy Place so that the smoke of the incense might cover his
eyes from a direct view of God. By the way, what is noteworthy is, Hebrews chapter 9 says that the
golden altar of incense stands in the Most Holy Place. This is symbolic of entering into the Most
Holy Place. A person’s corrupted prayer shows his corrupted spiritual life. If your prayers are dead,
your spirituality is corrupted. This is not simply about whether or not you are praying, but about
whether or not you are praying in the presence of God and the incense of your prayers is going up
to him continually. The priests always had to make sure that the fire and the incense didn’t go out.
Pastors, is the incense of your prayers going up to God? If the offering was an offering made by fire,
an aroma pleasing to God, the smoke went straight up to God even if it was windy. In the same way,
the prayers of godly people go up to God and shake his throne.
The church must have the altar of incense which always burns; that is to say, the prayer of the
community must go up to God continually. This is why our church has 24 hour intercessory prayer
system. Our intercessory prayer teams function as the altar of incense. God smells the aroma of
their prayers. Prayer is so important. Do not take it lightly. It’s been three years since our church
began the intercessory prayer system. At the start, we didn’t have enough number of people who
could afford to cope with the prayer system. Nevertheless we went ahead, because the Holy Spirit
moves the church through prayer. The incense of prayer must always burn in the church. The altar
of incense had to be kept clean and holy. The act of putting some of the blood on the horns of the
altar of incense speaks of the authority of prayer. We have to pray with the Lord’s authority. We have
so many things to pray for; our ministries, Zoe Ministry churches all over the world, our personal
matters, etc.
Next, look at verses 8-10. “He shall remove all the fat from the bull of the sin offering--the fat that
covers the inner parts or is connected to them, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and
the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys- just as the fat is removed from the
ox sacrificed as a fellowship offering. Then the priest shall burn them on the altar of burnt offering.”
All the fat was to be burnt on the altar of burnt offering. “But the hide of the bull and all its flesh,
as well as the head and legs, the inner parts and offal-that is, all the rest of the bull--he must take
outside the camp to a place ceremonially clean, where the ashes are thrown, and burn it in a wood
fire on the ash heap. (4:11-12)” What does this speak of? This symbolizes Jesus who suffered and
died outside the city gate. In this sin offering, is there any remainder of the victim for the priest to
eat? None! The victim was wholly consumed as the victims for the burnt offering. Take a moment to
look at Leviticus 6:26. This also is about the regulations for the sin offering. It says, “The priest who
offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.” Here the
priest was allowed to eat the victim. What’s the difference? The priest couldn’t eat the victims that
he, as a representative of the people, offered for his sins and the whole congregation of Israel, and
for the sin offering on the Day of Atonement. But he could eat the victims at the other sacrifices and
offerings that he officiated for the people of Israel as a representative of God.
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The high priest is a type of Jesus. Jesus Christ who is the Son of God came to earth as a fully man.
He laid down his divinity, served in public ministry as a fully man, and died on the cross for all our
sins, being made perfect. He is fully God and fully Man. This is a crucial point to understand his
blood. The blood of Jesus and the word of God have the same principle of operation. As the blood
includes plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and so on, the components of the blood
of Jesus are the words of God. The reason the blood of Jesus sounds like an abstract, mystical con-
cept is because you don’t know the word of God exactly. The blood of Jesus circulates in believers as
the word of God operates in them. The word of God has been written on the hearts of believers with
the pen of the Holy Spirit and the ink of the blood of Jesus.
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6
by Rev. Min-Ho Kim
Leviticus 6
8. ○The Lord said to Moses:
9. “Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering:
The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning,
and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.
10. The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body,
and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar
and place them beside the altar.
11. Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the
camp to a place that is ceremonially clean.
12. The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest
is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the
fellowship offerings on it.
13. The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.
14. ○” ‘These are the regulations for the grain offering: Aaron’s sons are to bring it before the
Lord, in front of the altar.
15. The priest is to take a handful of fine flour and oil, together with all the incense on the
grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the
Lord.
16. Aaron and his sons shall eat the rest of it, but it is to be eaten without yeast in a holy
place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.
17. It must not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share of the offerings made to
me by fire. Like the sin offering and the guilt offering, it is most holy.
18. Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it. It is his regular share of the offerings made to
the Lord by fire for the generations to come. Whatever touches them will become holy.’ “
19. ○The Lord also said to Moses,
20. “This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the Lord on the day he is
anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the
morning and half in the evening.
21. Prepare it with oil on a griddle; bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken
in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
22. The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest shall prepare it. It is the Lord ‘s regular
share and is to be burned completely.
23. Every grain offering of a priest shall be burned completely; it must not be eaten.”
24. ○The Lord said to Moses,
25. “Say to Aaron and his sons: ‘These are the regulations for the sin offering: The sin offering
is to be slaughtered before the Lord in the place the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is
most holy.
26. The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the
Tent of Meeting.
27. Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered
on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place.
28. The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot,
the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water.
29. Any male in a priest’s family may eat it; it is most holy.
30. But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make
atonement in the Holy Place must not be eaten; it must be burned.
Leviticus 7
1. “ ‘These are the regulations for the guilt offering, which is most holy:
2. The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is
slaughtered, and its blood is to be sprinkled against the altar on all sides.
3. All its fat shall be offered: the fat tail and the fat that covers the inner parts,
4. both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which is to
be removed with the kidneys.
5. The priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made to the Lord by fire. It is a guilt
offering.
6. Any male in a priest’s family may eat it, but it must be eaten in a holy place; it is most
holy.
7. ○” ‘The same law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering: They belong to
the priest who makes atonement with them.
8. The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide for himself.
9. Every grain offering baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the
priest who offers it,
10. and every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of
Aaron.
11. ○” ‘These are the regulations for the fellowship offering a person may present to the
Lord?
12. ○” ‘If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he
is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without
yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil.
13. Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes
of bread made with yeast.
14. He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord? it belongs to
the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings.
15. The meat of his fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is
offered; he must leave none of it till morning.
16. ○” ‘If, however, his offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall
be eaten on the day he offers it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day.
17. Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up.
18. If any meat of the fellowship offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It
will not be credited to the one who offered it, for it is impure; the person who eats any of
it will be held responsible.
19. ○” ‘Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be
burned up. As for other meat, anyone ceremonially clean may eat it.
20. But if anyone who is unclean eats any meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the
Lord, that person must be cut off from his people.
21. If anyone touches something unclean-whether human uncleanness or an unclean

animal or any unclean, detestable thing-and then eats any of the meat of the fellowship
offering belonging to the Lord, that person must be cut off from his people.’ “
23 .“Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats.
24. The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other
purpose, but you must not eat it.
25. Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an offering by fire may be made to the
Lord must be cut off from his people.
26. And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal.
27. If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.’ “
29. “Say to the Israelites: ‘Anyone who brings a fellowship offering to the Lord is to bring part
of it as his sacrifice to the Lord.
30. With his own hands he is to bring the offering made to the Lord by fire; he is to bring the
fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast before the Lord as a wave offering.
31. The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons.
32. You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offerings to the priest as a contribution.
33. The son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering shall have
the right thigh as his share.
34. From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that is waved and
the thigh that is presented and have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as their
regular share from the Israelites.’ “
35. ○This is the portion of the offerings made to the Lord by fire that were allotted to Aaron
and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the Lord as priests.
36. On the day they were anointed, the Lord commanded that the Israelites give this to
them as their regular share for the generations to come.
37. ○These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin
offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering,
38. which the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to
bring their offerings to the Lord, in the Desert of Sinai.
Leviticus chapter 4 and the following are about the regulations for the sin offering. 4:1-12 is about
the sin offering for the sins of the high priest; 4:13-21, for the sins of the whole congregation of
Israel; 4:22-26, for the sins of a tribal leader; and 4:27-35, for the sins of a common person. And
chapter 5 and the following give some examples. As we noted yesterday, the sin offering is not pri-
marily an offering for real or evident sins. It is an offering for sins which don’t appear to be sins. The
regulations of the sin offering, therefore, is based on the standard of holiness of the age of the New
Testament when the Holy Spirit dwells in believers and convicts the world of sin. This is important.
Unless you live according to the Holy Spirit who indwells you, and realize his standard of holiness,
you won’t be able to understand these words of the Bible. You might say to yourselves, “Are these re-
ally sins?” God’s ultimate solution to the problem of sin had not arrived in the Old Testament times.
But everything related with the tabernacle was focused on Jesus.
One of the points we should consider in order to understand the Book of Leviticus properly is that
the high priest functions as a representative of God and also as a representative of the people. For
example, the high priest as a representative of God was allowed to eat the remainder of the victims,
but not as a representative of the people. The high priest as a representative of the people can be
applied to pastors today.
The regulations for the sin offering, regardless of the categories of people who offer it, are similar
except for several things. For example, the high priest was allowed to eat the victim of the offering
by an individual. But he couldn’t eat the victims of the offerings for his own sins, for the whole con-
gregation, and the offering made on the Day of Atonement; the victims were wholly consumed. And
Leviticus 5:7-13 provides an exception for the poor who cannot afford to sacrifice a lamb or a goat.
The poor were allowed to sacrifice two doves or two young pigeons; one for a sin offering and the
other for a burnt offering. And the poor who couldn’t even afford two doves or two young pigeons
were allowed to offer a small quantity of fine flour for a sin offering. By the way there were poor
people who couldn’t even afford grain. This is the poverty mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. Those
who were too poor to offer a sacrifice for their sins couldn’t help completely asking for God’s mercy.
They had no way to receive forgiveness of their sins, so they couldn’t live without God’s mercy. This
is what is meant by “the poor in spirit.” Such people completely rely on God. Offering one dove for
a burnt offering when the offerer sacrificed doves for a sin offering implies that the offerer cannot
live without offering himself wholly to God. We must be this poor. And offering fine flour implies
remembering God’s holiness.
Take a moment to look at 4:20. Here is a noteworthy word. “and do with this bull just as he did with
the bull for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for them, and they will be
forgiven.” Note the word “forgiven.” It is salach in Hebrew. Salach is a word that is applied to only
God. There are several Hebrew words that are applied only to God. Salach is one of them. This word
was also used in Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of
sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” This means we have completely been divorced
from sin. In the same sense David said in Psalm 51:9, “Blot out all my iniquity.” We have been
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released from all our debts. We are now free from debts of sin. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made
him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Jesus became sin and we became righteous. This righteousness is a sinless state that the children of
God should practically reach. It is more than the standard of holiness that Wesleyan perfectionism
or Calvinists’ teachings on justification by faith speaks of. It means a state of perfect holiness, com-
pletely separated from sin.
All the sacrifices and offerings of the Old Testament are focused on Jesus Christ, saying that only
his blood, not the blood of animals, can cleanse the offerers from sin. So there was no solution to
the problem of sin in the Old Testament times. The people of faith at those times had to wait for the
Messiah who is the ultimate solution, to come. And we have to acknowledge Jesus who has come.
The standard of holiness that was required of the ancient Israel is the same with that which is
required of us. When we repent our sins, we are divorced from sin. You have to believe this. God
didn’t just suspend his judgement of our sin, but made us righteous to have fellowship with us.
Those who have not solved the problem of sin cannot meet with God. So God has established a new
system of existence. Anyone who receives the system becomes a new being with the problem of sin
completely solved. It is not made by our own strength. We are under the new system. So God says
with confidence that he will make us like him. What God says with an oath never fails to be done.
Jesus Christ became a priest with an oath. This means there is no other way to life. He is the only
way. So we must hold on to Jesus. As said in Hebrews, we must fix our eyes on him! We must not
lose him even a moment. All the words of God are accomplished through him. There is nothing
we can do by our own strength. Indeed, all we have to is look to Jesus and hold on to him. It is the
easiest thing in this world to live by God. While you fail to be acknowledged by God, who else are
you trying to be acknowledged by? In fact, it is really difficult to be acknowledged by people. If you
make a mistake, though you have done well for 10 years, you are likely to lose their confidence. It
is difficult to be acknowledged by people, and almost impossible to be acknowledged by demons.
Samuel 26:25 says, “Then Saul said to David, ‘May you be blessed, my son David; you will do great
things and surely triumph.’ So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.” Like David, we
should be able to be acknowledged by our enemies. We must grow to be acknowledged by God, and
by extension, even by demons.
After all, all our fights against demons are a matter of holiness. If we are enough holy, nothing will
matter; no strong demon will defeat us. There are people who are deluding themselves that they will
only need powers. But the source of the powers is holiness. Powers are not received but revealed.
The Holy Spirit reveals powers and authorities in you as much as you are holy. To Israel, holiness is
a matter of life and death. Only if it is holy, there is nothing to be afraid of. The Book of Leviticus
teaches about this holiness.
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Now let us move on to the guilt or trespass offering. It is mentioned in 5:14-6:7. The guilt offering
is made for the wrong done unintentionally, specifically as a compensation payment for the harm
done in regard to the holy things; the transgressor should pay in full for what he did wrong, adding
one-fifth to it. Spiritually speaking, the guilt offering tells us that where there’s sin, there is grace.
This does not encourage you to sin. It means that the more you realize your sins, the more you
realize God’s grace. We can increase in grace as much as we truly realize that we are the worst of
sinners.
Why do you fail to receive grace? It is not because you have not encountered God dramatically, but
because you haven’t deeply realized your existence. If you really know that you cannot live without
hope in God, you are bound to be touched by his grace. There are people who had lived as they
pleased and failed in life, but met Jesus and were saved. They give their testimonies, saying how dra-
matically they received God’s grace. But as I was always saying, it is not the way we want to receive
grace. We want to be thrilled with grace while growing steadily in spirit and realizing our sins more
deeply.
The 120% restitution had to be paid. The transgressor had to present a guilt offering, in expiation of
his sin, to the priest, who received it as a representative of God. Spiritually speaking, the restitution
reminds us that Jesus Christ, who is the mediator of the new covenant, guaranteed our debts. The
Hebrew word for “guarantee” indicates legal force and indemnifying for someone going so far as to
ruin oneself. The word was used in Hebrews in these two senses. Meeting the two conditions, Jesus
Christ paid all our debts. Our relationship with the enemy was severed. God does not accuse us of
our sins. As said in Hebrews 8:12, God said he wouldn’t remember our sins any more. So if the ene-
my accuses us, we have only to say, “I don’t remember doing it,” because Jesus has already paid it all
for us. Here’s what I have talked about. I ministered to a woman who had lived a sexually immoral
life before she met Jesus. After she became a Christian, she met a good man and was going to marry
him. Her former way of life was weighing on her conscience. She was thinking she would confess
about her past. Then I asked her if she truly repented it and believe that God forgave her. She said
yes. So I said she didn’t need to talk about it. It is okay if God says so. “Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17)”
Now let us look at Leviticus 6:8 and the following. The five kinds of offerings, the burnt, grain,
fellowship, sin, and guilt offerings, are mentioned again. Here further instructions for each offering
are mentioned, with the priestly procedures of sacrifices, and with the instructions for the fellow-
ship offering mentioned at the end. For example, who the remainder of the sacrifice is given to is
dealt with. In the New Testament, this can be applied to the process of forgiveness of sin. In the case
of the burnt offering, the victim is eaten only by God. The grain, sin and guilt offerings are eaten by
God and the remainder by the priest. And the fellowship offering is eaten by God, the priest and
the offerer or the whole congregation of Israel. This is an important issue in the sacrificial system.
Focusing on this, we will look at the five offerings.
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First, let us look at the burnt offering in 6:8-13. Verse 9 says, “Give Aaron and his sons this com-
mand: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar
hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar.” This is the
regular burnt offering, which is made every day, in the morning and the evening with the grain and
drink offering. The burnt offering is a sacrifice that is first performed the day. The Israelites started a
day with a burnt offering, expressing their resolution to live in complete devotion to God. A person
who is completely devoted and faithful to God won’t go wrong. Start a day with a burnt offering this
way, with your grain and drink offering as well.
One lamb was offered as a burnt offering in the morning and another in the evening. Each day the
Israelites began and ended with a burnt offering. In the case of the burnt offering made in the eve-
ning, the fire had to be kept burning until the next morning. This implies that our devotion to God
must not be a temporary one. We must live by God, confessing that our life is his. We must always
be in his presence.
How can we know if we are living a proper Christian life? Is it from the fact that we have a spiritual
gift, can perform miracles, or preach good sermons? No! Even though I were not holy, God might
help me preach a good sermon because of his compassion for the listeners. Even though we were
not holy, our ministries might look successful. What is important is whether or not we are in the
presence of God. Who is a good servant of God? He is the one who cannot even say a word or do
anything without God’s presence. If a person is able to pray or minister even though he doesn’t feel
God’s presence, he is not in a proper relationship with God. If we cannot feel God’s presence, we are
supposed to be unable to do anything for ourselves. This is the way of living by the Holy Spirit.
What is the difference between taking advantage of the Holy Spirit and allowing him to lead our
ministry? They look similar. But those who take advantage of the Holy Spirit do not stop. But those
who are governed by the Holy Spirit stop when he stops. They don’t dare to proceed without him.
Those who work hard while the Holy Spirit not working are not living by him. They are taking
advantage of him. Our Yulbang church had stopped many times for the last 11 years. Generally it
wouldn’t be understood. You know our firm church system and lots of ministries. Nevertheless, we
stopped when we didn’t feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is important. Examine yourselves
to see whether you are taking advantage of the Holy Spirit or you are being governed by him. If he
doesn’t move, we must not move, either. This is the way of life of God’s people. Are you allowing
the Holy Spirit to lead your lives? Micah 2:13 says, “One who breaks open the way will go up before
them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the
LORD at their head.” We must allow God our King to take the head in our lives, and follow him. Ex-
amine yourselves to see if you are going ahead of God. If you cannot stop even though God doesn’t
move, it indicates you are going ahead of him. Some might say they cannot stop because they are
responsible for many areas of ministry. But they are deceiving themselves. We must stop anytime if
God stops. And no matter what the situation, we must move if he moves. This is the way of life of
those who are governed by the Holy Spirit. If you cannot stop when the Holy Spirit stops, you are
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living according to your desire for honor and achievement, not being led by the Spirit. If you are
so, you must repent and turn away from the way of life as soon as possible. Otherwise, you will be
sorry. In fact, many Korean churches take advantage of the Holy Spirit in their ministries. They set
up everything in their own way and want to fit the Holy Spirit to it. God hates it more than their
ignorance of the Holy Spirit. God warns them. If they keep ignoring his warnings, they will surely
be punished someday. It is so dangerous to take advantage of the Holy Spirit. When we minister
to somebody, we must make sure that we do it out of love, moved by the Holy Spirit, and within
the flow of the community. I also cannot minister by myself outside the flow of the community. Be
careful not to take advantage of the Holy Spirit.
The priest had to take care of the fire on the altar, keeping it burning continuously. This implies that
we have to live by the Holy Spirit. Then he will handle everything himself. The outcome depends on
him and not what we have to care about. All we have to do is do whatever God says, being willing to
risk our lives to do it. Remember how Mary responded when she was told that she would conceive
a son while being a virgin. If it happened, she could be stoned to death. Nevertheless, she said, “May
it be to me as you have said.” If God commands something, the people of God don’t be afraid of its
outcome.
The fire on the altar was to be kept burning all night. This also implies that we have to be always in
the presence of God and maintain his holiness. The Holy Spirit dwelling in us makes us offer a sin
offering moment by moment; he constantly convicts us of sin, saying about what part of us is con-
trary to him. When we listen to him, we can maintain the presence and holiness of God. Whenever
the Holy Spirit reveals our sins, we have to admit it. As said in Romans 8:14, “because those who are
led by the Spirit of God are sons of God,” the Holy Spirit in us confirms that we are God’s children.
We have to continually receive this righteousness of God. Only after that, we can do God’s work. If
we failed to receive God’s righteousness, it means we don’t have faith, and consequently, we cannot
minister or love.
What is God’s righteousness? It means that God considers us as sinless. To maintain his righteous-
ness is to be kept covered with the blood of Jesus. It means the blood of Jesus circulates in us. When
we confirm our righteousness, God can do anything through us. If we do not, we can do nothing.
Even though we are doing something well, we are doing it by our strength and not by faith, and by
humanly love and not by God’s love. We have to do everything by God’s righteousness. It will be
very easy for some people, but very difficult for some others. It will be very easy for those who are
governed by the Holy Spirit. Are you doing something by your own strength and in your own way?
If so, you must repent. Why did God have his Spirit dwell in us? When you face some hardships you
cannot handle, don’t just be despaired but repent. And allow the Holy Spirit lead your lives.
The first thing the priest did in the morning was to cleanse the altar and add firewood to prepare for
a new burnt offering. Every morning the priest did this. Spiritually speaking, this implies that the
priest must be renewed day by day. Otherwise, he is bound to die. Pastors must not do ministry by
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their own techniques and skills. They must continually be renewed in their relationship with God,
allowing him to lead their churches. The church must be renewed day by day, filled with God’s glory.
The church must see God’s glory and have the riches of his glory. Otherwise, the church is bound
to move by programs, out of its own effort. Unless we lay down ourselves before God, rely on him
alone, and focus on him, we cannot be renewed. Then we won’t be able to see his glory and experi-
ence his abundance. We must be renewed day by day!
As we noted, Israel began and ended its life with a burnt offering, committed to God. Israel cannot
live by its own strength. This is what Israel is. If a person prospers by his own strength, he is like an
illegitimate child; he does not belong to God. If he is God’s child but lives by his own efforts, he is
bound to fail in his life. The Bible shows that the Israelites were beaten by their enemies whenever
they lived by their own strength. 1 Peter 4:11 says, “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speak-
ing the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that
in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever
and ever. Amen.” Whatever we do, we have to do it with the strength God provides. When we lose
our strength, God infuses us with his strength and works through us. When we lay down our own
thoughts, God works through us with his wisdom and counsel. We should admit our ignorance,
weakness, and wickedness. And we have to admit that we cannot live without God, and pray, “Lord,
we cannot even breathe without you. Help me be poor in spirit to completely rely on you. Give me
a humble heart. Help me serve you humbly.” We should be servants who touch God’s heart and are
pleased to be used for even a few things by God.
Next, look at 6:10-11. “The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next
to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar
and place them beside the altar. Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the
ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean.” The priest wore his particular clothes
when he offered a burnt offering and entered the Holy Place, and wore other clothes when he went
outside the camp with the ashes. It is natural that he gets changed, because the temple must not
be defiled. The priest must maintain holiness in everything. The life of Israel depends on its holi-
ness. Likewise, the glory of the church is up to its holiness. Ephesians chapter 1 speaks about the
practical way to become a glorious church. In a word, it is to rip ourselves before the cross. When
we continually nail our five kinds of greedy desires to the cross, we can become a glorious church
through which God reveals his glory. As Jesus demonstrated to be King on the cross, the church,
his body, also must demonstrate its kingship by continually dying to itself on the cross. The glory of
the church is revealed when we rip ourselves on the cross every day. Holiness and glory go together.
Where there isn’t holiness, there isn’t glory, either.
Next, let us look at the grain offering in verses 6:14-23. The grain offering also confirms the offerer’s
holiness. God remembered Israel’s holiness whenever he accepted the grain offering. God did not
focus on what Israel did, but what it was. What God demanded from Israel was holiness. In a way,
this makes me fear. I don’t try to reach God’s standard of holiness on my own, but sometimes I find
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myself struggling to become holy by the works of the law. God’s mind about our holiness described
in the Bible makes me feel pressured and impatient. This is not good. But my point is, it is natural
we struggle with the issue of holiness. How do you think God feels about the church that doesn’t
care about holiness? He is restraining his wrath. Many churches are interested in increasing num-
ber and not becoming holy. Whenever there was a special mission in the church that I served as an
assistant pastor, the Sunday school teachers directed all their energies to attract as many children
as possible. And for spiritual camps, they bought some toys in quantity to attract children; the big
markets ran short of the toys. But when the camp was over, they went back to their original num-
ber. I told them not to sell the name of Jesus cheap that way. To my surprise, one of the churches we
visited in Mozambique had an offering time for 50 minutes in worship. At the end of the worship, I
told the pastor not to focus on offering in worship. The churches must be in alert to increase in ho-
liness. We have to always examine ourselves to see if we are growing in holiness. If the church does
not confirm its holiness, it cannot do anything. I’m not at all saying against such a special mission or
offering. If the church is not ready with holiness, they are mere human-oriented tactics.
Worship becomes corrupted in proportion to the number of ungodly worshipers. Worship becomes
dead as the pastor and believers are not holy. And worship becomes powerful as the pastor and
believers become holy. God is pleased with the community which is not influenced by the world.
Many churches today try to become a church that is acceptable to the world. Accordingly they use
the ways the people of the world like. The church of God moves only by God and stands by his ways.
The enemy deceives us, saying, “Then, how can you lead people of the world to salvation?” God
has never told us to lead people to salvation through the ways of this world, but to influence them
through living a holy life. It is to live according to the word of God.
One more important thing about the grain offering is the priest’s portion. 6:17 says, “It must not
be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share of the offerings made to me by fire. Like the sin
offering and the guilt offering, it is most holy.” Worship includes the priest’s portion. This is import-
ant. The priest should be allowed to be able to make a living. If the sacrifice is acceptable to God,
naturally there must be some portion for the priest who serves people as a representative of God.
Also he must be allowed to be able to make a living so that he can properly serve God as a represen-
tative of the people. If the priest doesn’t get a livelihood though worship, he won’t be able to serve
God alone. Then the people will suffer loss. This is clearly seen in the Old Testament. Even now the
Jews serve the Rabbis well so that they may focus on serving God and teaching the law. So usually in
a town, the Rabbi is the second richest man.
Do not think pastors are supposed to be poor. Pastors are ones who are rich but decide not to live
in affluence. They are those who possess nothing for their own sake. There is nothing in this world
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that I can own. But I’m the richest one in our church. I can eat and buy whatever I want, but I don’t
only do so. I’m given everything to use, but I don’t only own it. Pastors are not those who should be
poor. Their duty is giving. This is an important issue. If the church doesn’t allow the pastor to make
a living, the church members will make a loss. In worship there must be enough offering to serve
the pastor.
“Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it. It is his regular share of the offerings made to the LORD
by fire for the generations to come. Whatever touches them will become holy. (16:18)” There was
some portion of the priest and his household not only in the grain offering but also in other offer-
ings. But in the case of the remainder of the sin offering, only the priest could eat it. He as a repre-
sentative of God ate it, confirming that God accepted the offering and forgave the offerer’s sin. How
do we know if God has accepted our worship? God’s grace of forgiveness covers us, confirming our
righteousness. And we have confidence in our victory. This is why the fellowship offering is the last
one to be offered among all the offerings; it confirms our fellowship with God. If God doesn’t accept
our worship, we won’t receive his grace of forgiveness and consequently we will have no confidence
of our righteousness. So even after worship, we will still be bound by our problems. We won’t be
able to stay out of our own troubles. I’m not saying that if we receive God’s grace, we should have a
change of feelings. As said in Hebrews, we must fix our eyes on Jesus. This doesn’t suggest a change
of feelings, but that our “new self ” moves. In the same way, if we receive God’s grace of forgiveness
and confirm our righteousness in worship, we won’t just feel better but we will be headed in the
direction of God. It might not seem that things have changed. But as long as we keep being headed
for God, everything is bound to change. When our church was going through financial difficulties,
God always said to me that he would take care of it. At that time, I expected him to give us lots of
money, but he didn’t. Nevertheless I continually looked to him, believing his word. And one day I
found that our church was still in debt but it didn’t matter any longer. Indeed, he took care of all. If
you continue to be in the flow of God, you will surely experience practical changes. The change of
our being means operation of the new system in us, which brings a practical change in our lives.
This means to live according to God’s righteousness. If not, we are bound to go with the flow of this
world.
Note the words, “Whatever touches them will become holy.” We have two explanations about this.
First, according to the Book of Malachi, those who are holy must touch them. Second, they become
holier as they touch holy things. The Aaronic priests were allowed to handle the offerings. This is
why Hebrews chapter 5 says they were precious and noble. But the honor we have received is greater
than theirs. 1 Peter says that we are royal priests. We were entitled to touch holy things in worship.
This has huge significance. If a person attends worship with the presence of God without con-
firming the holiness, he will die in the face of God’s holiness. Believers who have confirmed their
holiness are royal priests who are qualified to touch holy things. We are supposed to live in worship
as the priests grew in holiness, taking care of holy things in the tabernacle. The more a holy person
touches God’s holy things, the holier he becomes. In the same way, we can grow in holiness while
experiencing God’s amazing grace and the power of the precious blood of Jesus.
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The high priest wore an ephod and a linen turban, and entered the Most Holy Place. Only the high
priest was entitled to serve God in the Most Holy Place. While serving God in his glory, the high
priest became holier. No one who was not qualified could enter the Most Holy Place. If so, he would
die. Likewise, unholy pastors are dying in worship. John 4:34 says, “ ‘My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do
the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’ ” We become perfected as we do God’s will. And
the food of the pastors is to do the will of God. Pastors are supposed to become holier while doing
God’s work and experiencing the love of the living God and the power of the blood of Jesus. In this
sense, ministry is important food for pastors. But those who didn’t confirm their holiness are bound
to die while doing God’s work. In the New Testament, all believers as well as pastors were entitled to
touch God’s holy things. We are qualified to touch the table of showbread, which refers to the word
of God, and to have fellowship with God at the atonement cover which has been sprinkled with the
blood of Jesus. We are allowed to frequently enter the Most Holy Place, into which only the high
priest was allowed to enter only once a year. So Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne
of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of
need.” We are allowed to come before God’s throne of grace. We are allowed to meet God and have
fellowship with him. Jesus constantly recommends us before God. We must confirm our holiness
in this grace. Otherwise, we are bound to die and become stuck in spiritual bondage. Failure of
worship brings failure of life. Those who are successful in worship can be successful in their lives. If
you failed in worship which didn’t have God’s presence, it might be okay. But if you keep failing in
worship with the presence of God, you are surely dying.
As I said in 1 Corinthians, the early Christians worshiped in holy tension where they recognized
themselves as a channel through which the Holy Spirit worked. They maintained a holy life, looking
forward to seeing what the Holy Spirit would do through them. The Holy Spirit revealed himself
through each of the believers in worship. This is why the worship of the early churches was powerful
and effective. Our worship today is not enough holy or powerful. All of us have to prepare our-
selves with holiness. Worship is everything. Through worship God provides everything we need to
become perfected. This is the riches of God’s glory.
“Whatever touches them will become holy.” Those who are holy must touch holy things of God and
they become holier as they touch them. 1 Corinthians 7:14 says, “For the unbelieving husband has
been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believ-
ing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” Remember,
you have been made a being who is qualified to enter the holy presence of God and touch his holy
things, as the high priest was allowed to touch the blood and entered the Most Holy Place. Con-
stantly approach his throne of grace!
Next, let us move on to the sin offering in 6:24-30. Verses 26 says, “The priest who offers it shall
eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting.” As we have already
noted, the priest was not allowed to eat the victim of the sacrifice for his own sins and for the sins of
the whole congregation of Israel. But he as a representative of God could eat the victim of the other
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sacrifices.
“Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a gar-
ment, you must wash it in a holy place. (6:27)” The priest became holier and holier as eating the vic-
tim of the sacrifices. In other words, as he offered sacrifices, he became holier and holier. He became
holier and holier while performing his priestly duties. Likewise, pastors are supposed to become
holier and holier as they do their ministries. They are not supposed to become stubborn and cor-
rupt. I find myself much different from what I was 15 years ago. I can say that I have changed while
doing ministry. Whenever I couldn’t see myself during my ministry, God made me realize it and
repent it. I find myself becoming holier and holier as I touch God’s holy things. So the more pastors
do ministry, the more they are supposed to be made whole. As time goes by, they are supposed to be
more excited, expecting God’s new work. Ministry must not be done with skills.
“…and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place.” The
blood-spattered garment had to be washed because the blood had a record of sins, which would
defile a person, a thing, or a place stained with the blood. On the other hand, some appointed
places, such as the horns of the altar, were to be put with the blood. Then they became purified and
holy. Why? The blood confirmed the atonement for sins. When God saw the blood in his appoint-
ed places, he passed over. This speaks of God’s redemptive grace. The other things stained with the
blood were to be washed.
Next, the regulations for the guilt offering are mentioned in 7:1-10. The skin of the sacrifice was the
priest’s portion. The priest officiated as a representative of God.
And the regulations for the fellowship offering are mentioned in 7:11-27. Particularly, the fellow-
ship offering for thanksgiving includes leavened bread. Leaven or yeast is usually symbolic of sin.
So, unleavened bread symbolizes purity. Then why is leavened bread included in this offering? Here
leavened bread has nothing to do with sin but with God’s best flavor.
Look at verse 14. “He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the LORD; it
belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings.” This is a heave offering,
which is not a kind or type of offerings but a way or manner of presenting offerings to the Lord.
The offerings were made through movement of “lifting” or “heaving” the sacrifice toward the altar.
A heave offering implies that the offerer has resolved to exalt God alone. Another way of offering
is a wave offering, which is to present the offerings by waving them in the air before the Lord. This
implies the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Unless we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are bound to
be shaken. By the way, don’t you think the ways of heave and wave offerings don’t seem fit to the
sacrifices in the Old Testament? In these heave and wave offerings, we can picture the phenomena
that occur when the Holy Spirit comes upon people and works through them. All the sacrifices and
offerings in the Old Testament foreshadowed what Jesus would accomplish.
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“The meat of his fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; he must
leave none of it till morning. If, however, his offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering,
the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day he offers it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next
day. Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up. (7:15-17)” No meat of
the sacrifice left over till the third day was to be eaten. This implies that our fellowship with God
must be continually renewed. We must not worship like doing a repetitive task. Even the world
seeks new things. We must always be renewed in the presence of God. We see in chapter 9 that the
fire of God came down and consumed the offering. The same thing must occur in every worship.
All believers are supposed to come to worship, looking forward to seeing God’s work. If you have no
expectation of God’s work, it indicates you are worshiping God just ceremonially. It means that you
have spiritual obesity. “What will God do today?” “What message will God give me today?” Worship
must be filled with such expectations. Therefore, it is wrong to doze off in worship filled with the
presence of God. This might indicate a serious spiritual problem. There are people who doze off at
sermon and cannot hear right the word of God. They do not doze off because they are tired.
The priest’s portion is mentioned in 7:28-38. As we noted earlier, there must be the priest’s portion
in sacrifices. If there isn’t enough offering in worship to serve the priest, it indicates the worship is
dead. The Book of Joel says that grain and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD
and so the priests are in mourning. The drink offering’s being cut off refers to the stopping of wor-
ship, and at the same time it implies that God doesn’t accept the worship. Because the worship is
not acceptable to God, it doesn’t have the priest’s portion. Failure of the drink offering means that
the worshipers are not moved by worship. Then, the priest is the one who is most sad. Joel said that
the unqualified priest corrupted worship and the corruption of the people made it worse. Through
corrupt worship, God never blesses the people. Consequently, the priest cannot be served properly.
He becomes sad and cannot offer prayers for them. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and
submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them
so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” Believers
should allow their pastors to watch over them with a glad heart. Otherwise, they cannot be blessed.
So Joel said, “The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the
apple tree-- all the trees of the field--are dried up. Surely the joy of mankind is withered away. (Joel
1:12)” Believers have no joy. This is the image of the churches today.
It is God who feeds pastors. Also from my experience, I can say this with confidence. Even when
I had only one church member, I decided to live by God alone, cutting myself off from all support
from outside. And I really experienced God’s own support. I’m a pastor, so I do not rely on peo-
ple, because I believe God feeds me through worship. What matters is not whether the church has
members who can make an offering of much money, but whether the worship is acceptable to God.
When we had a conference in Africa, I made myself clear about this. Most of them are so poor that
they have a job. I understand their situations. But pastors are not supposed to move according to
their circumstances and conditions. If they were sure God had called them to be a pastor, I told
them to quit their jobs. A pastor is a person who serves God alone and lives only by what he pro-
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vides. Otherwise, he does not fit the first of the requirements for being God’ servant. The servants of
God are supposed to be fed through worship. This is the basic trust relationship between God and
the priests. If you have a problem with this, you should first examine your worship. Worship must
not only have the priest’s portion, but also God’s abundant blessings for the entire church.
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7
by Rev. Min-Ho Kim
Leviticus 8:1-10:20, 16:1-34 [NIV]
Leviticus 8
1. The Lord said to Moses,
2. “Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering,
the two rams and the basket containing bread made without yeast,
3. and gather the entire assembly at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”
4. Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to
the Tent of Meeting.
5. ○Moses said to the assembly, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.”
6. Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward and washed them with water.
7. He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe and put
the ephod on him. He also tied the ephod to him by its skillfully woven waistband; so it
was fastened on him.
8. He placed the breastpiece on him and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.
9. Then he placed the turban on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the sacred diadem, on
the front of it, as the Lord commanded Moses.
10. ○Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it,
and so consecrated them.
11. He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its
utensils and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.
12. He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate
him.
13. Then he brought Aaron’s sons forward, put tunics on them, tied sashes around them and
put headbands on them, as the Lord commanded Moses.
14. ○He then presented the bull for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands
on its head.
15. Moses slaughtered the bull and took some of the blood, and with his finger he put it
on all the horns of the altar to purify the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the
base of the altar. So he consecrated it to make atonement for it.
16. Moses also took all the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver, and both
kidneys and their fat, and burned it on the altar.
17. But the bull with its hide and its flesh and its offal he burned up outside the camp, as the
Lord commanded Moses.
18. ○He then presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their
hands on its head.
19. Then Moses slaughtered the ram and sprinkled the blood against the altar on all sides.
20. He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces and the fat.
21. He washed the inner parts and the legs with water and burned the whole ram on the
altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord by fire, as the
Lord commanded Moses.
22. ○He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons
laid their hands on its head.
23. Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s
right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.
24. Moses also brought Aaron’s sons forward and put some of the blood on the lobes of
their right ears, on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet.
Then he sprinkled blood against the altar on all sides.
25. He took the fat, the fat tail, all the fat around the inner parts, the covering of the liver,
both kidneys and their fat and the right thigh.
26. Then from the basket of bread made without yeast, which was before the Lord, he took
a cake of bread, and one made with oil, and a wafer; he put these on the fat portions and
on the right thigh.
27. He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved them before the Lord as a
wave offering.
28. Then Moses took them from their hands and burned them on the altar on top of the
burnt offering as an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made to the Lord
by fire.
29. He also took the breast-Moses’ share of the ordination ram-and waved it before the Lord
as a wave offering, as the Lord commanded Moses.
30. ○Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood from the altar and
sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. So he
consecrated Aaron and his garments and his sons and their garments.
31. ○Moses then said to Aaron and his sons, “Cook the meat at the entrance to the Tent
of Meeting and eat it there with the bread from the basket of ordination offerings, as I
commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’
32. Then burn up the rest of the meat and the bread.
33. Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your
ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days.
34. What has been done today was commanded by the Lord to make atonement for you.
35. You must stay at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and
do what the Lord requires, so you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded.”
36. So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded through Moses.
Leviticus 9
1. On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.
2. He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering,
both without defect, and present them before the Lord.
3. Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb-both a year
old and without defect-for a burnt offering,
4. and an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a
grain offering mixed with oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.’ “
5. ○They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the
entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord.
6. Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of
the Lord may appear to you.”
7. ○Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt
offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is
for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.”
8. ○So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself.
9. His sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on
the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.
10. On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver from the sin
offering, as the Lord commanded Moses;
11. the flesh and the hide he burned up outside the camp.
12. ○Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons handed him the blood, and he
sprinkled it against the altar on all sides.
13. They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned
them on the altar.
14. He washed the inner parts and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering
on the altar.
15. ○Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat for the
people’s sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the
first one.
16. ○He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way.
17. He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in
addition to the morning’s burnt offering.
18. ○He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people. His sons
handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it against the altar on all sides.
19. But the fat portions of the ox and the ram-the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the
covering of the liver-
20. these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar.
21. Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as a wave offering, as
Moses commanded.
22. ○Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having
sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped
down.
23. ○Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they
blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
24. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the
fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell
facedown.
Leviticus 10
1. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense;
and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command.
2. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died
before the Lord.
3. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: “ ‘Among those
who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’
“ Aaron remained silent.
4. ○Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them,
“Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.”
5. So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered.
6. ○Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair
become unkempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be
angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the house of Israel, may mourn
for those the Lord has destroyed by fire.
7. Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting or you will die, because the Lord ‘s
anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said.
8. ○Then the Lord said to Aaron,
9. “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go
into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to
come.
10. You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the
clean,
11. and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through
Moses.”
12. ○Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain
offering left over from the offerings made to the Lord by fire and eat it prepared without
yeast beside the altar, for it is most holy.
13. Eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons’ share of the offerings made
to the Lord by fire; for so I have been commanded.
14. But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast that was waved and the
thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place; they have been given
to you and your children as your share of the Israelites’ fellowship offerings.
15. The thigh that was presented and the breast that was waved must be brought with the
fat portions of the offerings made by fire, to be waved before the Lord as a wave offering.
This will be the regular share for you and your children, as the Lord has commanded.”
16. ○When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering and found that it had been
burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked,
17. “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to
you to take away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before the
Lord.
18. Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten the goat in the
sanctuary area, as I commanded.”
19. ○Aaron replied to Moses, “Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering
before the Lord, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the Lord have
been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?”
20. When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.
Leviticus 16
1. The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they
approached the Lord.
2. The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into
the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or
else he will die, because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
3. ○”This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and
a ram for a burnt offering.
4. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to
tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so
he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.
5. From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for
a burnt offering.
6. ○”Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his
household.
7. Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the Lord at the entrance to the
Tent of Meeting.
8. He is to cast lots for the two goats-one lot for the Lord and the other for the scapegoat.
9. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the Lord and sacrifice it for a sin offering.
10. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord to
be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat.
11. ○”Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and
his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering.
12. He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the Lord and two
handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain.
13. He is to put the incense on the fire before the Lord, and the smoke of the incense will
conceal the atonement cover above the Testimony, so that he will not die.
14. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the
atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the
atonement cover.
15. ○”He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood
behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on
the atonement cover and in front of it.
16. In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness
and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the
Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
17. No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement
in the Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his
household and the whole community of Israel.
18. ○”Then he shall come out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it.
He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the
horns of the altar.
19. He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and to
consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.
20. ○”When Aaron has finished making atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of
Meeting and the altar, he shall bring forward the live goat.
21. He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the
wickedness and rebellion of the Israelites-all their sins-and put them on the goat’s head.
He shall send the goat away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task.
22. The goat will carry on itself all their sins to a solitary place; and the man shall release it in
the desert.
23. ○”Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put
on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.
24. He shall bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his regular garments. Then
he shall come out and sacrifice the burnt offering for himself and the burnt offering for
the people, to make atonement for himself and for the people.
25. He shall also burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26. ○”The man who releases the goat as a scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe
himself with water; afterward he may come into the camp.
27. The bull and the goat for the sin offerings, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy
Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; their hides, flesh and offal
are to be burned up.
28. The man who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water;
afterward he may come into the camp.
29. ○”This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month
you must deny yourselves and not do any work-whether native-born or an alien living
among you-
30. because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the
Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.
31. It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance.
32. The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest is to make
atonement. He is to put on the sacred linen garments
33. and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and
for the priests and all the people of the community.
34. ○”This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: Atonement is to be made once a year for all
the sins of the Israelites.” And it was done, as the Lord commanded Moses.
We need to know what the Book of Leviticus teaches us about worship. Otherwise, it is difficult to
worship properly. You’ve heard the word of John 4:24 many times; “God is spirit, and his worshipers
must worship in spirit and in truth.” But many of you might have wondered how you can worship in
spirit and in truth. What does it mean to worship in spirit and in truth? To worship in spirit means
that you offer all the five offerings in one worship. Especially the most important one of all offerings
was a sin offering made on the Day of Atonement, on the tenth day of the seventh month of the
Hebrew calendar. The sacrifice of Jesus was not a usual sin offering but a sin offering made on the
Day of Atonement. We are going to look at this with Hebrews.
Leviticus chapter 8 belongs to the second section. Chapters 1-7 describe the five kinds of sacrifices.
If you understand the main five offerings exactly, you won’t have much difficulty understanding
the rest chapters of Leviticus. And chapters 8-10 are about the installation and ministry of the high
priest. The ordination of Aaron and his sons is mentioned. Here we can see who the priest is and
what the priesthood is. In the New Testament, it is associated with “Who is the pastor?” “What are
the qualifications for overseers?” and the like, which are seen in 1 Timothy chapter 3. Especially
pastors need to know this exactly. A person shouldn’t enter ministry without knowing the qualifi-
cations for pastors. When I sensed God’s calling to enter full-time service, I considered it seriously.
Reading the Book of Malachi, I had ever thought I would never become a pastor. But God had led
me to enter his ministry. I suggest that especially pastors should exactly know the words concern-
ing the qualifications for pastors or leaders in Leviticus, 1 Timothy, and Malachi. And realize how
honorable and also scary your positions are. Otherwise, you are likely to do ministry as you want,
thinking of the church of God as yours. You must know how dreadful it is. Pastors must not allow
themselves to have idle moments to lose holiness. In this sense, pastors are supposed to be increas-
ingly in a tension where they try not to get out of the presence of God even a moment.
“Who is the priest?” The priesthood is an office of honor and tension at the same time. I suggest
that especially pastors should listen to this sermon. Pastors have the most responsibility for worship.
Therefore, the corruption of worship is primarily their fault. Through Leviticus, I hope you pastors
to examine your worship and your calling. “I’m a servant of God.” If you confirmed this calling and
who you are, you wouldn’t be shaken by any circumstance. Even though you have only one person
in your church, you can be excited with your calling and have pride in your position. Otherwise, the
pastorate will just be a job to you.
Let us look at chapter 8. This describes the installation offerings. Verse 1 says, “The LORD said to
Moses.” This phrase occurs every time, making it clear that it is God who spoke through Moses.
Moses heard what God said as his representative who spoke for him to his people.
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“Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two
rams and the basket containing bread made without yeast, (8:2)” The Aaronic family was chosen
as the one from which Israel’s priests would be taken. As said in Hebrews 5:4, it is an honor to be a
high priest, but no one takes that honor for himself. God himself chose Aaron and his sons to the
priesthood among the congregation of Israel. By the way, God calls us a royal priesthood. This hon-
or comes from Jesus, the royal Son and royal Priest. This honor cannot be compared with that of the
Aaronic priesthood. It must not be taken lightly. Believers who have this identity do not compro-
mise with the world. They do not give in to the world. They do not rely on the world. They are not
afraid of the world. Indeed, the world is nothing. It is destined for burning, fuel for the fire. Do not
be afraid of the world.
“Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments…” The instructions concerning the garments are men-
tioned in verse 7 and the following. The garment is not for a good-looking appearance but for show-
ing the identity, who the high priest is. If a person who is not the high priest wears the garments,
he is to die. The garments represent the qualifications for the high priest. This is associated with the
qualifications for overseers described in the 3rd chapter of 1Timothy. Let us take a brief look at a
few important points.
1 Timothy 3:1 says, “Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer…”
Being an overseer and wearing the priestly garments are the same thing. Both are about the qual-
ifications. “…he desires a noble task.” First, an overseer should be a person who always seeks to
do all his tasks according to the will of God. Leviticus 8:8 says, “He placed the breastpiece on him
and put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece.” The Urim and Thummim are objects used in
seeking God’s will. The high priest must always act according to the will and plan of God. There-
fore, he must always have his ear turned to what God is saying. But he cannot do so unless he loses
his own will. The priest must continually die to himself to become fine flour acceptable to God. I
usually pray 5 to 6 hours a day. For two or three hours out of six, I get rid of my ego. It takes such
an amount of time for me to get rid of my ego. If I don’t do this, my own will comes up. In order to
avoid this, I continually examine myself in light of the words of the Lord’s Prayer, the Beatitudes and
Ephesians. “Am I now acting according to the will of God?” As long as we are alive to self, we are
bound to live according to our own will. Pastors must make every effort to die to themselves every
day. They must be fine flour and pure silver. Pure silver is gained by removing 97 percent impurities.
The pastor’s ego should disappear day by day. Therefore, you cannot do ministry without seeing
God’s glory. In fact, there are many pastors who would be happy if they were not pastors. The pastor
first needs to see God’s glory. Then the glory spreads among the congregation. And God answers by
fire. Without the pastor’s seeing God’s glory first, the congregation cannot see it. This is why I say
that pastors have the most responsibility for worship. Pastors must risk their life for worship. Pastors
are not people who can be acceptable even though they make a mistake. Pastors must be alert.
God has intention of establishing this Zoe Ministry churches as the remnant for the end time.
Pastors, more than anyone, must strive to become holy. I do not mean you should reach holiness
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by your own strength. I’m telling you to continually lay down your own will and keep yourselves
focused on the will of God.
Second, “Now the overseer must be above reproach… (1Tim. 3:2)” An overseer should be a blame-
less person. The pastorate is a life-saving office. Imagine that a doctor made a cut in the patient’s
stomach but cannot suture. A life-saving work requires proficiency in everything. Likewise, a pastor,
who deals with the life of a soul, must be a blameless one, through whom the Holy Spirit can do
anything. A pastor should be able to preach sermons, teach, heal, or anything. Bible colleges or sem-
inaries don’t teach this. It is the word of God that teaches it. The Book of Malachi teaches us that not
only the food on the altar but also the hand of the priest offering it must be clean. If the priest is not
holy, the food also becomes defiled. Likewise, if a pastor preaches a good sermon but he is not holy,
the word of God is bound to be defiled. The priest must be perfect. In this sense, our pastorate feels
difficult because of our weaknesses and errors. Sometimes I ask, “Do I really have to continue this
ministry?” “I cannot love other souls as you do.”
Return to Leviticus. The priestly garments represent the honor of the priesthood. I have heard the
high priest’s garments are extremely expensive. The priesthood is an office revealing the glory of
God. So the high priest was the most honored one among the whole congregation of Israel. This is
the identity pastors should have.
“Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil…” The anointing oil reminds us of
the Holy Spirit. Pastors must always maintain the fullness of the Holy Spirit. They must not repeat
rising and falling. The fullness of the Holy Spirit must be embodied in their lives. They must always
have the anointing oil. The pastorate is an office that cannot go without maintaining the fullness of
the Holy Spirit. Pastors deal with many various people and face a lot of attacks. They cannot handle
them by their own strength. Therefore they must be filled with the Holy Spirit all the time.
The process of the ordination is the same as that of the burnt, fellowship and sin offerings. The or-
dination was performed in the form of personal burnt and sin offerings. So Aaron and his sons laid
their hands on the heads of the victims. We’ve noted the difference between laying hands and not
doing so. We will examine this again in chapter 16.
8:23 says, “Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood…” Aaron and his sons had laid
their hands on the head of the ram, so its blood had a record of their sins. And when Moses put the
blood on their body parts, God looked at the blood, considering that the price had been paid for
their sins, and so considering them holy. He passed over their sins. “…put it on the lobe of Aaron’s
right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.” This means to make
the whole personality holy. A person’s whole personality includes his spirit, life and everything.
Pastors should wholly be in a personal fellowship with God in every area of their lives. To put the
blood on the ear lobe, spiritually speaking, means to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, pastors must be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit because they cannot do ministry by
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their own strength. Their reckless mistakes can make them meet their doom. Chapter 10 describes
that fire from the Lord killed Nadab and Abihu because they offered unauthorized fire before the
Lord. There are various explanations for the unauthorized fire. It is most likely to mean that they
mixed the fire with something, rather than that they took the fire from a different place. Likewise,
if a pastor is doing ministry without being dominated by the Holy Spirit, he is unknowingly dying.
In the initial stage of my ministry, I made many mistakes. By God’s mercy I didn’t die. But my spirit
was being damaged at those times, and some people died in spirit because of me. I repented this.
God takes some time for training pastors, allowing them to learn through trial and error. During
this period, God might pass over their mistakes and correct them. But pastors must not stay there
all the time. Pastors must be well trained by the word of God and see the glory of God.
Let us move on to chapter 9. This deals with the installation offerings. Verse 1 says, “On the eighth
day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.” The ordination service was per-
formed for 7 days, as said in 8:33, “Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days,
until the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven days.” Important
services like the ones made on the Passover and the Day of Atonement were performed for 7 days.
This shows that the ordination of the high priest was a very important thing to Israel. It is not too
much to say that the fate of a church almost rests on the pastor. When God entrusts a pastor with
his church, he gives the same authority as he gave the high priest. Besides, given that our Lord Jesus
is the head of the church, to be responsible for the church means to be responsible for all things
of the whole universe. The church has the authority over all things. So pastors are supposed to be
known everything God is going to do. God lets them know everything. I’m not saying this to flatter
pastors or to weigh them down. But this is the nature of the church. The pastorate is not a gift but
an office. A pastor is not supposed to do ministry by gifts. Jesus is the head of the church, his body,
and the pastor acts as the central nerve of the body, allowing the life of Jesus to flow throughout the
whole body. The seven-day ordination ceremony implies that a pastor is not established in one day.
“On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.” Here we can
think about the calling to the priesthood. Those who were called could come to God. A person who
was not called couldn’t become a priest. Likewise, before you enter into full-time ministry, you need
to confirm the calling first. There are many insurmountable stumbling blocks in ministry. When
you are faced with them, if you are not sure of your calling, you will be frustrated. You won’t be able
to overcome those obstacles. But if you confirmed your calling, you know you have nowhere else
to go, so you would be able to move on in the midst of suffering. Since I began this ministry, I have
gone through many various hardships. I experienced loneliness. Nevertheless I have never been
swayed or sought for another way to go, because I was sure of my calling. A pastor is a person who
was called into ministry.
“and an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the LORD, together with a grain
offering mixed with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you. (9:4)” God appeared to the priest
first. “Then Moses said, ‘This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the
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LORD may appear to you.’ (9:6)” God first revealed his glory to the priest, and then to the people.
“Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the
people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. (9:23)” Moses saw the glory of God
in no other place than the Tent of Meeting. Then he blessed the people, and “the glory of the LORD
appeared to all the people.” Likewise, the pastor is supposed to see God’s glory first. And the glory
appears to the congregation in worship. This is why the degree of the presence of God’s glory when
the senior pastor occupies the pulpit is usually greater than when the other people do so. This is not
due to the difference of their spiritual levels or something. This is the spiritual order.
“Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat por-
tions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. (9:24)”
When the glory of God appears to the church through the pastor, God answers by fire. The congre-
gation is bound to respect and obey the pastor, because they see God’s glory through him, and not
because he is nice to them. A pastor and his church members are not in human-based relationship,
but in spiritual one; the Spirit of God is between them. Those who saw God’s glory through their
pastor serve him wholeheartedly, as the followers of Paul did to him. Paul’s followers were willing to
give their life for him, because through him they saw God’s glory.
Now, let us move on to chapter 10. Verse 1 says, “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers,
put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary
to his command.” The priest fills the censer with live coal from the fire on the altar of burnt offer-
ing. By the way, Nadab and Abihu “took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they
offered unauthorized fire before the LORD.” There are various possible explanations for the “unau-
thorized fire,” as I said earlier. For example, probably the fire had a weak flame, so they might have
added some other coals or something. They might have thought it was okay. But when they stood
in front of the Most Holy Place with the fire, they were struck before the presence of glory of God.
Nothing that was not perfect or holy was allowed to stand before the Most Holy Place. If anyone
who was not holy stood before the presence of God, he would die. Doesn’t this tension toward holi-
ness exist in the New Testament? There must be more tension. In the Old Testament, the Most Holy
Place was opened only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. But now it is always opened. There-
fore, there must be more tension. Even when the Most Holy Place was not opened, God struck those
who were not holy. Holiness is life. Indeed, holiness is a matter of life or death to Israel. If we are not
holy, we are bound to die. It is nonsense to worship while mixed with worldly things. It would be
lucky not to die immediately. Now the Most Holy Place is always opened. If you are living loosely, it
indicates you don’t know what the glory of the Most Holy Place is like. Anyone who knows this will
lie down flat before the glory, seeing his impurity and saying, “Lord, forgive me who deserve to die,”
like Isaiah, who trembled in fear at the glory filling the temple, crying “Woe to me! … I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips … and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty. (Isaiah
6:5)”
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It is really dangerous for pastors to do ministry without knowing this tension toward holiness.
God works and reveals his glory through holiness. The endless love of God flows through holiness.
Everything is supposed to be done by God, not pastors themselves. The size of the ministry isn’t
important. The number of the church members is not important to the pastors. God decides the
portion for each pastor. What they must care about is holiness.
“So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the
LORD. (10:2)” From the context, it seems that the fire burnt their faces rather than their entire
bodies. “Moses then said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD spoke of when he said:’ ‘Among those
who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’ Aaron
remained silent. (10:3)” “Those who approach me” refer to priests. The priests are people who serve
God nearby. And the high priest is a person who is allowed to come into the Most Holy Place and
serves God in there. Therefore, their lives are directly related to the glory and holiness of God.
Pastors more than anyone else are supposed to serve God in fear, and at the same time to have joy.
God displays his holiness to his servants. If God’s holiness is not displayed among the congregation,
the determining cause is that his holiness was not displayed through the pastor. We pastors should
repent this. I’m repenting of this.
“…Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be
honored.” As God’s holiness is manifested, his glory appears. Holiness and glory are the same thing.
Where there is no holiness, there is no glory, either. Especially pastors must see God’s glory. If you
fail to see it, you have a problem of holiness. In Exodus 33:18, Moses said, “Now show me your glo-
ry.” Seeing God’s glory could have caused him to die. Moses had seen his glory many times before,
but he asked for new glory. He was willing to die for the glory. He was saying, like “If I’m not holy,
take my life.” Why did he seek for more glory so much? He was leading the entire people of Israel,
and he couldn’t do it by his own strength. Whenever the people committed sins, he might have felt
his own limitations. So even though he had seen God’s glory many times, he desperately asked for
more glory. In the same way, pastors must make every effort to become holy and see God’s glory.
“Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, ‘Do not let your hair become un-
kempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole
community. But your relatives, all the house of Israel, may mourn for those the LORD has destroyed
by fire. (10:6)” Moses told Aaron who lost two sons not to mourn for them, because otherwise God
would strike the whole community. Nadab and Abihu died because they had lost holiness as priests.
It was not a death to mourn for. There were times holiness required the priest to exclude humane
considerations. The priesthood or pastorate is an office that requires going beyond the human ways
and thoughts.
Deuteronomy 33:8 says, “About Levi he said: ‘Your Thummim and Urim belong to the man you
favored. You tested him at Massah; you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.” The priests
were chosen from the tribe of Levi. It was not because the Levites were better than the other tribes.
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Rather, they had rebelled against God. Nevertheless, they were called into the priesthood by God’s
grace. And they were expected to become specialists in determining the will and plan of God.
And 33:9 says, “He said of his father and mother, ‘I have no regard for them.’ He did not recognize
his brothers or acknowledge his own children, but he watched over your word and guarded your
covenant.” If the priests are influenced by humane considerations, they can hardly obey what God
commands. The Levites killed their own sons and brothers as God had commanded; about three
thousand of their brothers died. If it is God’s command, the priests must do it even though it is
against their own parents or brothers. “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is
not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. (Matt.
10:37)” God’s holiness requires us to go beyond our humane considerations.
I realized this before I became a pastor. This is why I hesitated about becoming a pastor. I really
didn’t want to become a pastor. But God showed me his glory and cornered me. I couldn’t stand it.
And when I was fasting for 40 days in Mt. Chilbo, I saw the anointing poured from both sides. At
that moment I knew by intuition that it was time. And then I became a pastor.
Return to Leviticus. 10:10 says, “You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between
the unclean and the clean.” The priest had to distinguish the holy from the common, and the clean
from the unclean. This was one of the priest’s main duties. Likewise, pastors must check the lives of
the believers. They must know about their holy areas and unholy areas of their lives. And they must
call them to ministry according to the degree of their holiness.
“Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to
take away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before the LORD. (10:17)”
Aaron should have eaten the sin offering, because the priest was to eat the sin offering for the sins
of a common person. When the priest ate it in front of the offerer, it confirmed the offerer had been
cleansed from his sins. “Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten
the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded. (10:18)” The priest had to eat the sin offering as a
representative of God. Then the offerer could confirm that God forgave him.
“Aaron replied to Moses, ‘Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering before the
LORD, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the LORD have been pleased if I had
eaten the sin offering today?’ (10:19)” Aaron talked about the deaths of his sons. He meant that it
was not because he was so sad that he didn’t eat the sin offering. He was so regretful of his having
brought his sons up badly that he couldn’t eat the sin offering. Instead, Aaron burnt it up. It was
against the law. But “When Moses heard this, he was satisfied. (10:20)” Moses understood Aaron’s
mind, approving of it. Aaron didn’t act that way out of his personal feelings. He understood what
the priesthood was and that imperfections of the priest could lead to such a tragedy. Repenting,
Aaron didn’t eat the sin offering. The priest is a person who lives and dies for God’s work, who lives
only in the presence of God, and who should transcend the humane considerations to carry out his
mission.
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Now let us look at chapter 16, which is the most important part of Leviticus. What was the ministry
that Jesus, our great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, did here on earth? How did people in
the Old Testament times receive forgiveness of sins? How can we say we have been divorced from
sin? “No one who is born of God will continue to sin… (1 John 3:9)” What does this mean? And
how is it possible? In order to understand all of these, you need to have a good grasp of the 16th
chapter of Leviticus.
Chapter 16 plays a role as a bridge between the chapters 11-15 about the laws of purity and the
chapters 17-27 about the holiness code. The key to living a holy life according to the law is in the
Day of Atonement. All the sacrifices climax in the offerings made on the Day of Atonement. With-
out the Day of Atonement, all the offerings are meaningless. Think about a criminal who committed
many crimes. And let’s say he was sentenced to death for murder. Even if he was acquitted of the
charges of all the other crimes, it would be meaningless. In the same way, if we were destined to die
forever, to be forgiven of all sins in this world would be meaningless. It would be meaningless as
long as our ultimate problem of sin wasn’t solved. But the source of all sin problems that leads to
death was solved. It is the significance of the Day of Atonement.
According to the Hebrew calendar, a new year begins in July. On the first day of July, the Israelites
celebrated New Year’s Day. And on the tenth day of July, they celebrated the Day of Atonement, on
which the high priest performed elaborate rituals to atone for the sins of the people. Their sins were
forgiven for another year. They experienced freedom from sin. So this day was a complete Sabbath.
On this day, the high priest made atonement for the Most Holy Place, as stated in 16:33, “and make
atonement for the Most Holy Place, for the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and for the priests and all
the people of the community.” You might ask, “Are you saying the Most Holy Place was defiled?”
Did the tabernacle become unclean? Yes. Especially the Most Holy Place was defiled. As we noted,
sins were transferred to the sacrificial animals by the laying on of the hands of the offerers. Then
their blood got the record of sins. And when the blood was sprinkled, the offerers’ sins were covered
and God’s judgment was reserved. But the places or things spattered with the blood still had the
record of sins. Sin is alive. If it is not disposed of, it continually works and grows. Even though you
committed a sin and forgot it, it doesn’t mean that it was removed. Sin is alive and active. Whenever
the Israelites offered a sin offering for their sins, the information of the sins cumulated in the Most
Holy Place and defiled the place. If it had not been removed, their sin offerings would have been
meaningless. So the Day of Atonement was a gracious day for disposal of the vitality of sin cumulat-
ed in the Most Holy place for one year, and for a new beginning and reconciliation with God.
What is the significance of the Day of Atonement in the New Testament? The moment Jesus died on
the cross, the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was torn in two from top
to bottom. This means that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was the ultimate fulfillment of the sacrifices
offered on the Day of Atonement as well as a general sin offering. So, Hebrews 10:19 says, “There-
fore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.” We
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have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place.
The Day of Atonement is a day for the disposal of the record of sins cumulated in the Most Holy
Place by the cleansing of the places and the furnishings of the tabernacle, such as the altar of burnt
offering, which were sprinkled with the blood of the sin offerings. You need to know this in order to
understand chapter 16.
“The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they ap-
proached the LORD. (16:1)” The atonement cover couldn’t be approached by anyone who was not
allowed to, because it was a place with the presence of God. Even the High Priest could enter the
Most Holy Place only once a year, and couldn’t enter it without preparations. To worship means to
enter the Most Holy Place. God now has opened the way for us to enter it any time. But we cannot
enter there to worship without preparations. Ephesians 2:18 says, “For through him we both have
access to the Father by one Spirit.” And also Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach the throne of
grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
This is God’s amazing grace. We can come into the Most Holy Place anytime if we are holy. We
are allowed to come to God’s throne of grace any time “in our time of need.” There our Lord Jesus
Christ, who is the mediator of a new covenant and the guarantee of a better covenant, is waiting for
us. He takes us by the hand, recommending us to the Father. “Therefore he is able to save complete-
ly those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews
7:25)” How thrilling it is! We should always live before the throne of grace. If so, God’s glory will
fill our lives. What is the condition? We must confirm our holiness. No one who is not holy can
approach the throne.
“The LORD said to Moses: ‘Tell your brother Aaron not to come whenever he chooses into the
Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die,
because I appear in the cloud over the atonement cover. (16:2)” The “cloud” is not a real cloud, but
represents the presence of God. The atonement cover is a place where is always God’s presence. So
no one except for the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, because he would die. Even the
high priest was allowed to enter it only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. Where there is God’s
presence, a person is bound to tremble in fear. We are there.
“This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram
for a burnt offering. (16:3)” As a preparation for sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, Aaron offered
a sin offering to cleanse his own sin. And “He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen under-
garments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These
are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on. (16:4)” He wore
plain linen garments, not the gorgeous robes that ordinarily he wore. Linen symbolizes holiness. He
had to be holy in order to enter the Most Holy Place. In the New Testament, this means that we can
enter it only after we are justified by God through the precious blood of Jesus. Even with a single,
littlest sin, we cannot enter it. Only those who are considered to be sinless can enter into the pres-
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ence of God. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are declared as a righteous one. Hebrews 12:24
describes this blood as the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. The
blood says that we are righteous. The blood inherent in you is even now saying, “You are righteous.”
This is what is meant by the wearing of the plain linen garments. It speaks of the perfect righteous-
ness of God. It is beyond expression how thrilling it is to be justified and enter the Most Holy Place.
Those who didn’t confirm this righteousness fail to enter it and only trample the courtyard of the
temple. Isaiah 1:12 says, “When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this
trampling of my courts?” There are people who are worshiping in the court of the Gentiles. They
are worshiping in vain. The presence of God is not there. Even if they worship there, calling on the
name of the Lord, God won’t answer them. We are supposed to meet God at the atonement cover in
the Most Holy Place, because he promised to meet us there. When a person meets God there every
day, his life and whole being will change. Worship in the Most Holy Place and worship in the court
of the Gentiles are utterly different. If you are still worshiping in the court of the Gentile, come out
of there.
“From the Israelite community he is to take two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt
offering. (16:5)” Two goats are required for a sin offering of the Day of Atonement. The high priest
cast lots to choose between the two goats. One goat was sacrificed as a sin offering for atoning for
the Most Holy Place. The laying on of hands on the head of this goat wasn’t to be performed. And
the other one was for the scapegoat, Azazel in Hebrew. This goat was released to the wilderness after
the sins of the people were placed on its head. This symbolically means separation from sin. When
the people saw the goat disappear with their sins from their view, they enjoyed freedom from sin.
“Aaron is to offer the bull for his own sin offering to make atonement for himself and his house-
hold. (16:6)” Before the high priest made atonement for the people, he first had to make atonement
for himself and his household. “Aaron shall bring the bull for his own sin offering to make atone-
ment for himself and his household, and he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. (16:11)”
When the high priest offered this sin offering, the veil to the Most Holy Place was opened. We don’t
know whether Aaron opened it for himself or the veil opened by itself. According to the unofficial
history, it is said that the angels opened it in the presence of God. Anyway, as noted before, the veil
was so thick and strong that it wouldn’t be torn even if elephants pulled it from both sides. The veil
was opened on the Day of Atonement. Aaron had to sacrifice a bull as a sin offering for himself. This
foreshadowed Jesus’ crucifixion at Golgotha. This implies that salvation first requires individuals to
receive Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross.
Then, “He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls
of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain. He is to put the incense on the
fire before the LORD, and the smoke of the incense will conceal the atonement cover above the
Testimony, so that he will not die. (16:12-13)” He had to make the smoke of the incense conceal the
atonement cover, because otherwise he would see God’s glory and die.
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“He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement
cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover.
(16:14)” He sprinkled the blood on the east side of the atonement cover, and then seven times in
front of the atonement cover. With this blood, the high priest approached the Most Holy Place. This
speaks of the cross of Jesus, which showed his great love for us and made us holy. But at this point
we were not yet perfected. There needed to be one more sacrifice, which was the sin offering of the
Day of Atonement. The Book of Hebrews clearly speaks of the sacrifice of Jesus as the sin offering of
the Day of Atonement.
“He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the
curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover
and in front of it. (16:15)” This goat is one on whose head he didn’t lay his hand. Its blood doesn’t
contain the information of sins. As we noted in Hebrews, when Jesus was baptized by John the
Baptist, the sins of all mankind were imputed to him. He came to earth as a man and became a lamb
to which all sins were transferred to die as a substitute for sinners. This is Jesus’ sacrifice on the
cross. Anyone who believes in him has been made righteous and holy. Jesus is fully Man, and also
fully God. He is the Son of God who has no sin. Even though he put on human flesh, sarx, he never
sinned during his earthly life. As seen in Hebrews 5:7-9, he confirmed his perfection by living a
perfect life. Through the seed, 1 Peter says, we are made holy. This is clearly seen also in 1 John. The
blood of Jesus did double duty; one thing functions as the blood of a sacrificial animal to which all
sins were transferred, and the other as the blood of one to which no sin was transferred. The former
is the blood Jesus shed on the cross. And the latter is the blood with which Jesus our great high
priest came into the Most Holy Place.
Let us take a moment to look at Hebrews. The Most Holy Place had the records of sins that the
people of Israel had committed for one year. And on the Day of Atonement, they were removed
with the pure blood of the goat to which no sin was transferred. This was a Sabbath-rest. On this
day, the people enjoyed complete freedom from sin. In the same way, Jesus bore all our sins in his
body and died on the cross. And he descended into Sheol or Hades to free the imprisoned spirits of
the righteous and take them to Paradise, and then he was resurrected on the third day. After his res-
urrection, Jesus met Mary at the tomb. He didn’t allow her to touch him, saying, “Do not hold on to
me, for I have not yet returned to the Father.(John 20:17a)” He was not talking about his ascension
but his ministry in heavenly sanctuary. After that, he appeared to the disciples and allowed Thomas
to touch him.
Hebrews 9:11 says, “When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he
went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part
of this creation.” After his resurrection, Jesus went to the sanctuary in heaven. What did the high
priest enter the Most Holy Place for? He entered there for removal of the sins cumulated in there for
one year. For the same reason, Jesus entered the heavenly sanctuary that had all the records of sins
of all mankind. If the records existed, we would be destined to die. As the high priest entered the
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Most Holy Place every year with the blood of a goat on the head of which he hadn’t laid his hand,
Jesus entered with his own blood into the heavenly sanctuary to remove all the records of sins.
Therefore, we are righteous by the root. When we sin on earth, the sin is recorded on our con-
science, and not in heaven. And when we repent, the precious blood in us removes it immediately.
The sin loses its effect in our lives. This way we become practically righteous. “He did not enter by
means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own
blood, having obtained eternal redemption. (Heb. 9:12)” He entered there with his own blood and
removed all the records of sin completely. “The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer
sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.
How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve
the living God! (Heb. 9:13-14)” By the root we have been made righteous. So now we can become
practically righteous. Hebrews 10:14 says, “because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever
those who are being made holy.” “Those who are being made holy” refers to believers who offered a
sin offering through the work of Jesus on the cross; if not, the word “sinners” would have been used.
And they are made perfect by “one sacrifice.” This sacrifice refers to Jesus’s ministry in heavenly
sanctuary. Through this sacrifice, we are made perfected forever. In other words, we confirmed our
holiness through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, but we need to grow in holiness in order to come
to the throne of God. It is through the heavenly ministry of Jesus.
No one who didn’t have the root of his being changed by receiving the cross of Jesus can come to
God. His sins are continually effective. Only after he solves this problem will the blood of Jesus
work. Hebrews 10:22 says, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed
with pure water.” The precious blood of Jesus is in us. This is the result of his heavenly sanctuary
ministry. Therefore, we don’t need to offer a sin offering on the cross over and over again whenever
we sin; Jesus’ sacrifice was a perfect and complete sacrifice for sins. When we repent, our sins are
removed through his blood in us. I hope you to see by faith that your sins have been completely
deleted in the heavenly sanctuary. You have to confirm that there is no record of your sins. Other-
wise, you will try to ask Jesus to die on the cross over and over again. His death on the cross was a
perfect sacrifice that requires no more sacrifice. Now we should only offer a sacrifice of praise and
good deeds.
“because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” We have
been made holy, and also given power to be practically freed from sin. This is so-called being under
the new covenant. It is the accomplishment of Jeremiah 31:33; ‘This is the covenant I will make with
the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it
on their hearts…’ God put his law in our minds! The word of God works in us. Ezekiel 36:26 also
says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of
stone and give you a heart of flesh.” God made his Spirit dwell in us. And through Jesus’ heavenly
sanctuary ministry, the blood of Jesus is in us. The three elements of life, Jesus’ blood, the word of
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God, and the Holy Spirit, are inherent in us, enabling us to become practically righteous. This is
God’s second creation. We are under the new covenant.
Hebrews 10:17 says, “Then he adds: ‘Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.’ ” All the
records of our sins were completely deleted. When we believe in the power of the blood of Jesus and
repent deeply, we will sin less and less. And we will find it difficult even to sin once a year. The Holy
Spirit dwelling in us continually reveals sins that are rarely recognized as sins, leading us to live a
holy life. After all, we are expected to become like Jesus. “And where these have been forgiven, there
is no longer any sacrifice for sin. (10:18)” There is no more sacrifice for sins. Jesus won’t die on the
cross again. His blood in us cleanses us from sins when we repent. You are righteous by the root.
Believe in Jesus’ heavenly sanctuary ministry.
Hebrews 9:15 says, “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are
called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them
free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant. He
leads those under the new covenant to the throne of God. And he is also the “guarantee of a better
covenant. (Heb. 7:22)” Hebrews 7:25 says, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come
to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” He intercedes for us. He says
to the Father, “This is my brother.” These are all amazing results of Jesus’ ministry in the heavenly
sanctuary.
The Book of Hebrew is the fifth Gospel. It clearly speaks of Jesus’ heavenly sanctuary ministry.
Without knowing this, how could you be sure of your salvation? Of course, you were saved by God’s
grace. But many of you fail to repent properly and grow in holiness. And whenever you sin, you are
harassed with Satan’s accusations. In fact, if you truly believe this heavenly ministry of Jesus, the
enemy cannot accuse you of sins. If he accuses you of something wrong you did, just say, “I don’t
remember doing it!” If God does not remember our sins, why do we have to remember them? All
the records of our sins in the heavenly sanctuary have been deleted through the blood of Jesus. Our
names were not written in the book of death but in the book of life. By the way, what about the sins
recorded in our conscience? The sins we do not repent of are recorded in our conscience, making
spiritual bondages. Believers won’t be judged before the great white throne of God. But, as said in 2
Corinthians 5:10, we will be judged before the judgment seat of Christ. Therefore, we must remove
all our sins in our conscience through repentance. When a person is resurrected, his spirit, the
substance of his being, is resurrected. And the function of the spirit, which is intellect, emotion and
will, revives. Then the mind and conscience revive as well. This is why the rich man in the parable
of the rich man and Lazarus remember his life and things before his death. Everyone will have a
perfect body and stand before the white throne of the Lord or the judgment seat of Christ. We will
still have the memories of sins which we didn’t repent of. Therefore, we must remove all the records
of sins in our conscience so that we may immediately enter into glory. For more details, see my
exposition on theological anthropology.
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Return to Leviticus 16:15. The blood is the sacred blood of the goat to which sin was not imputed.
This foreshadowed Jesus’ own blood, with which he entered into the sanctuary in heaven and made
atonement for it. “In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the un-
cleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the
Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness. (16:16)” The high priest
made atonement for the Most Holy Place. This is a greatly important thing. To make atonement for
the Most Holy Place means to remove all the records of sins cumulated there for one year. “He is to
do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.” He
also made atonement for the places or things in the Holy Place which were stained with information
of sins.
“No one is to be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the
Most Holy Place until he comes out, having made atonement for himself, his household and the
whole community of Israel. (16:17)” Otherwise, they would die. “Then he shall come out to the altar
that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He shall take some of the bull’s blood and some
of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. (16:18)” What is this altar? This is the altar
of burnt offering. “He shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it
and to consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites. (16:19)” All the places or things stained
with blood that contained information of sins had to be cleansed.
“He is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the wickedness and
rebellion of the Israelites--all their sins--and put them on the goat’s head. He shall send the goat
away into the desert in the care of a man appointed for the task. (16:21)” This goat is Azazel goat.
The people couldn’t see the high priest doing his duty in the Most Holy Place. But when he sent the
scapegoat into the wilderness with the sins of the people, they could confirm that he had finished
his ministry in the Most Holy Place, and shouted with joy.
“Because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD,
you will be clean from all your sins. (16:30)” All the records of sins were completely deleted. How
thrilling! “Lord, we praise you! You have cleansed us from all sins!” Anyone who truly confirmed
this by faith can enjoy true freedom. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross fulfilled the Day of Atone-
ment completely. As a result, the heavenly sanctuary was opened. I hope all of you will receive this
heavenly sanctuary ministry by faith and confirm your righteousness. We have been made free from
sin. If you don’t truly believe this, you are bound to be consumed with guilt and repeat the same sin
over and over again, even though you repent it.
“It is a sabbath of rest, and you must deny yourselves; it is a lasting ordinance. (16:31)” The Day of
Atonement is a Sabbath-rest.
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8
“Show Us Your New Glory (1)”
Delivered on Sunday, December 28, 2014
by Rev. Min-Ho Kim
Leviticus 9
1. On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.
2. He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering,
both without defect, and present them before the Lord.
3. Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb-both a year
old and without defect-for a burnt offering,
4. and an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the Lord, together with a
grain offering mixed with oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.’ “
5. ○They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the
entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord.
6. Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of
the Lord may appear to you.”
7. ○Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt
offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is
for the people and make atonement for them, as the Lord has commanded.”
8. ○So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself.
9. His sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on
the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.
10. On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver from the sin
offering, as the Lord commanded Moses;
11. the flesh and the hide he burned up outside the camp.
12. ○Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons handed him the blood, and he
sprinkled it against the altar on all sides.
13. They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned
them on the altar.
14. He washed the inner parts and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering
on the altar.
15. ○Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat for the
people’s sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the
first one.
16. ○He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way.
17. He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in
addition to the morning’s burnt offering.
18. ○He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people. His sons
handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it against the altar on all sides.
19. But the fat portions of the ox and the ram-the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the
covering of the liver-
20. these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar.
21. Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the Lord as a wave offering, as
Moses commanded.
22. ○Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having
sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped
down.
23. ○Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they
blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people.
24. Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the
fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell
facedown.
This sermon’s title is “Show Us Your New Glory.” The Book of Leviticus is greatly important. Never-
theless, many churches don’t teach about this well. The Book of Hebrews is also greatly important,
especially chapters 7 through 10. But many churches deal with chapter 11 only. As I said in my pre-
vious exposition on Leviticus, without understanding Leviticus, it is difficult to properly understand
what it truly means to worship in spirit and in truth. Leviticus teaches us how to worship in spirit
and in truth.
We read in the Book of Exodus that Moses received the instructions on building a tabernacle at
Mount Sinai. This filled almost half of Exodus. It indicates how important the tabernacle was. And
Leviticus is a turning point where God who spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai begins to speak from the
Tent of Meeting in the camp of Israel. Now God who had spoken from the distant mountain began
to speak from the Tent of Meeting.
Leviticus begins with the instructions on worship. Worship is the most important thing Israel
should risk its life for. Worship is mentioned as a main stream throughout the Bible, from Genesis
to Revelation. Man lives an eternal life through worship. As we noted in the Book of Isaiah, the
main cause of the destruction of Israel was its corruption in worship. Those who fail in worship can-
not change and grow in spirit. God began to speak from the Tent of Meeting, and his first topic was
worship. Worship is immensely important. Before I deliver a message with the title, “Give Us Your
New Glory,” I need you to know that the glory must be proclaimed and manifested in worship first.
In fact, our community saw God’s glory so much in worship. Comparatively our worship is good.
But by the Biblical standards, our worship is also corrupt. There is something wrong with our
worship. Even if we are restored to the glorious worship we used to have, it won’t be enough. Now
we must see God’s new glory. We stopped all our ministries. Our church has stopped this past year,
even though many believers around the world are waiting for our help. They are suffering from
spiritual hunger. Nevertheless, God is focusing on informing us with his life. He is waiting for us to
revive. Therefore, we must not idle away this time. We read in Numbers chapter 12 that the Israelites
waited for God’ will, repenting outside the camp for seven days. We must not idle away our “seven
days.” We must make every effort to focus on God and desire for him. We must concentrate more
deeply on God in any unfavorable situation. This is our winning move. Of course, everything is
done by God’s grace. But it requires us to respond to his grace and concentrate on him.
The first section of Leviticus, chapters 1 through 7, is about sacrifices. And the second one, chapters
9 through 10, is about the priestly system. Our text today is in the second one. The key person for
proper worship mentioned in chapters 1-7 is the priest. So chapters 8-10 deal with the topics like
who the priest is and what priestly duties he has. The first offerings of Aaron and the priests’ death
caused by their corruption of worship were described in this section.
The priestly system in Leviticus requires a threefold approach. First, the high priest was a type of
Jesus as high priest in the order of Melchizedek. For example, the priest ate the remainder of the sin
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offerings for common people of Israel. In fact, who could dare eat an offering for sins? Jesus bore
our sins in his body and died on the cross. In this sense, the high priest ate the sin offering. Second,
the priest stood as a representative of man; acted as a mediator between the people and God. As
seen in Hebrews, Jesus our great high priest offered one sacrifice for sins for all time. This sacrifice is
enough; no need for more sacrifice. But the earthly high priest had to offer a sin offering for himself
repeatedly. And third, we were made a royal priesthood. Today’ message is primarily for pastors
and their children. But as my spiritual children, and also as royal priests, you too should hear this
message.
First, let us look at chapter 8. “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Bring Aaron and his sons, their garments,
the anointing oil, the bull for the sin offering, the two rams and the basket containing bread made
without yeast,(8:1-2)” “Bring Aaron and his sons…” As Aaron was the priest, his sons became
priests as well. A priest’s sons automatically become priests, because they eat the same food as the
priest. Spiritually speaking, all of you are priests, because you are my spiritual children. Therefore,
those who don’t want to risk their life for the word of God or who didn’t confirm their calling to
this church cannot remain here. If you were really called to this community, you are supposed to
risk your life for this church. As I said about the doctrine of church, it is very important where you
belong. If you are sure of your calling to this church, you should ready yourselves to be willing to
die for the word of God. The enemy tries to win a victory by killing us. But it is our victory. The
moment Jesus died on the cross, Satan must have thought he won. But it was Jesus’ victory. His put-
ting on human flesh meant that he lost his glory completely. But at the same time, he gained glory.
Martyrdom is not a defeat but a victory. Therefore, we must continually deny ourselves and die to
ourselves.
Aaron and his sons wore their garments. A uniform shows a person’s identity. If a person is wearing
a police uniform, generally it means he is a police officer. And the high priest wore a garment called
an “ephod.” By the way, this robe was very special. Even if a person who is not a police officer wore a
police uniform, he wouldn’t die. But if a person who is not a priest wore the ephod, he would die.
As to the priestly garments, let us take a look at Exodus chapter 28. The garments of the high priest
are very significant. The instructions are mentioned in two places of Exodus; chapters 28 and 39.
Success or failure in worship considerably depends on the priest. Of course, it is also important
how well the congregation is prepared with holiness for worship. But success or failure in worship
depends primarily on how holy the priest is. As a pastor I am important. And you are also import-
ant because you are royal priests. What is the significance of the priestly garments? Exodus 28:3
says, “Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make
garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest.” Note “make garments for
Aaron, for his consecration.” Does this mean that the garments consecrated Aaron? Yes. By the way,
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if a person who was not holy wore the priestly garments, he would die. No one who was not a priest
could wear them. And the garments made the wearer holy. In other words, if a person wears the
priestly garments, he becomes a priest. This is a different perspective from the world’s viewpoint.
If oil is poured on a thing, it makes it holy. And if oil is poured on a thing which is already holy, it
confirms the holiness. This is a very important issue. When God said, “Take off your sandals, for
the place where you are standing is holy,” it means that you have a responsibility to make where you
are standing holy, and also that where you are standing is holy. In the same sense, one of the most
important qualifications for the priest is holiness. As the priest was a person who was set apart to be
holy, he wore holy garments. And the garments confirmed his holiness so that he could carry out
his priestly duties. If an unholy person wore the priestly garments, he also would be made holy. But
he would be made holy while dying.
This is a very important issue. As you know, here is God’s presence, so all of you are made holy in
worship. But what matters is whether you are made hoy while alive, or you are made holy while dy-
ing. This is why those who didn’t confirm their holiness die in worship. For example, if a person has
greed and worship in the presence of God, he will be made holy while dying. As a result, his life will
continually go through financial problems until he solves his problem of greed. God won’t allow his
financial problems to be solved. This is why such a person becomes poorer in this church. We are
touching God’s holy things in worship. Therefore, anyone who is not prepared with holiness is dying
while worshiping. As I was always saying, in worship filled with the presence of God, life and death
are clear. Therefore we must confirm our holiness before worship. To confirm holiness is not about
“doing” but about “being.”
Aaron and his sons were given the holy garments by God, regardless of their will. So they became
holy. But what matters is how to live after being made holy. Success or failure of worship depends on
whether or not we are holy. Holiness is our winning move. Today I will talk about holiness frustrat-
ingly repeatedly. You might even get tired of hearing the word “holiness.” Who is Israel? Who is the
priest? They were set apart for holiness by God and expected to live a holy life. Humanly speaking, it
is very difficult to live a holy life. But it is simple, because they were given God’s holiness and knew
it was their only way of living. The same goes for us. Those who have received the Spirit of God and
his new life know what it is like to live by God. They might not say that such a way of living is easy,
but know it is the only way of living. Knowing that our only choice is to walk either by the Spirit or
by the flesh, we must always choose to live by the Spirit, which is to live by grace. Living by grace is
much easier than living by the flesh. To live in the flesh is to live according to the principle of sow-
ing and reaping (See my exposition on Habakkuk); if you sow one, you will reap one. But if you live
according to the principle of grace, you will reap a hundred, sixty or thirty times what you sowed.
And if you sinned 30 times, one grace would cover them all. Examine yourselves to see whether you
are living by grace or by the flesh. Our flesh can never free us from sin. It is much easier to live by
grace. Nevertheless, many of you are not living by grace. You are accustomed to living by the flesh.
The moment we received Jesus Christ’s redemptive work on the cross, we were covered with his
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holiness, as seen in Hebrews 10:10. This is about our being, not our works. When Jesus died on the
cross, we died with him. Hebrews 4:16 says that we can approach the throne of grace. If you believe
it, you can find yourselves being in front of God’s throne of grace. If you lead your lives before the
throne of grace every day, you will be filled with grace and regulated by the Spirit of God. Then it
will be impossible to live by the flesh.
Everything about the priest, including all his priestly garments, is related to “holiness.” Who on
earth is the priest, whose whole life must reveal holiness? Who on earth is Israel, who must live
enraptured in the word of God? How could the Israelites observe all the laws of offerings mentioned
in Leviticus, every morning and evening, and whenever they sinned? Indeed, they lived in worship.
How could they live such a life? And why did they have to live that way? Those who met God can
live such a life. Those who believe that they were God’s chosen people can live such a life. Those who
believe they are God’s children can live such a life. If you think you can have a choice, you won’t be
able to live such a life. If you admit it is the only way of living, you can live that way. The kingdom of
God is for those who live by him alone. And those who received God’s new life can live such a life.
In conclusion, we must be holy. Failure of worship is a matter of holiness. Why are you not grow-
ing in faith? Why did our community have to stop? Why can’t we see glory as we did before? The
answer to all of these is “because we are not holy.” Because we are not holy, the enemy is trampling
over us as he likes. You don’t even realize that you are worshiping idols and following the Babylo-
nian system of this world in spite of yourselves. Many of you love money and this world. You don’t
realize what idols are in you and what your darkness is. You don’t understand what a serious and
pressing problem it is that our community had to stop. We are living in the end times. Nevertheless
you have a vague notion of the second coming of Jesus. You tend to think, “He will come some-
day, but not soon.” Even if he comes today, no one can complain about it, because all the words of
God have been accomplished. Once the age of the lethargic church, as mentioned in Isaiah 26, is
over, things will move with great speed. We are living in the last days of seven years of abundance
preceding the seven-year Tribulation period. The seven-year Tribulation is around the corner. I’m
not the only one who thinks so. Many other people around the world are saying so, encouraging
the believers to prepare for the second coming of Christ. As Pastor Henry Gruver also said, God is
holding this last period of abundance. Therefore, we have no time to waste. Indeed, we have to grow
in holiness. In this situation, we pray, “Show us your new glory!” This must not sound hollow or
something. We really are supposed to be desperate for God’s new glory. Holiness is a very important
issue. It is a matter of life and death.
We have already been made holy, so we must wear holy garments. As said in Colossians 3, we have
put on the new self, and accordingly we must wear new garments fitting the new self. If our old self
is still alive, we will wear holy garments while dying. We must not allow this to happen. Leviticus
10 describes the death of Nadab and Abihu. They were consumed by the fire of the Lord. The fire
coming out from the presence of God is a consuming fire. This fire is also described in Daniel 7
as a river of fire coming out from before the Lord. Like the blazing fire from the midst of a bush
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that Moses saw at Horeb, the presence of God represents holiness, and accordingly is described as
fire. We know the story of Uzzah and Obed-Edom. Both touched the ark of the LORD. By the way,
Uzzah died but Obed-Edom did not. Why? In a word, a person who has already been dead cannot
die again, but a person who is alive will die. Obed-Edom didn’t want to see the ark of God left alone
there. He must have thought that he would be willing to die if he had to die to take the ark of God
to his house. So he didn’t die because he had already been dead before he took it to his house. In the
same way, Moses had been ready to meet God, willing to die for his nation during his life in the des-
ert. So when he faced the fire of the Lord, he didn’t die. Facing the fire of God, those who are dead
to themselves will live, but those who are alive to themselves will die. Therefore, you should confirm
your death before you come to worship. Those who are not dead to themselves are bound to be con-
sumed by the fire of God in worship like Uzzah or Nadab and Abihu. And this fire of God is a fire of
judgment to the enemies, but a fire of power to people of God, because they have already died with
Jesus Christ. Those who confirmed their death in Jesus are answered by fire in the glorious presence
of God. And they will be renewed by the fire. But the fire will consume anyone who is alive.
We are looking at Exodus 28 about the priestly garments. Look at verse 6 and the following. The
instruction on the shoulders of the ephod is mentioned. And two onyx stones are fastened on the
shoulder pieces of the ephod. Onyx is a kind of jewelry. The names of the twelve sons of Israel are
engraved on the two stones; six of the tribes on each stone. The priest wears the ephod and bears
Israel’s names on his shoulders. The priest must embrace Israel. In the same way, when I pray for
you, I bear your names. In fact, this is very painful. In a broad sense, Israel refers to the kingdom of
God. In this sense, to bear Israel’s names means to carry God’s kingdom. This requires us to deny
ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus. Though not a pastor, for example, cell leaders should
embrace their cell-group members’ names, teachers, their students’ names, and fathers, their family.
But we should not take it as a burden, because we were freed from the obligation of the flesh. It is
what those who wear God’s holy garments ought to do. “Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders
as a memorial before the LORD. (Exod. 28:12)” Note “as a memorial.” The priest must not forget
that Israel is the kingdom of God and he was called to serving the people. And Israel also refers to
souls that you are entrusted with.
Verse 15 and the following are about the breastplate of judgment. The high priest wears it over the
ephod. On the breastplate are twelve precious stones in four rows of three, each stone engraved with
the name of one of the twelve tribes. This plays an important role with the Urim and the Thummim,
which are tools for discerning God’s will. “Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the
names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial
before the LORD. (Exod. 28:29)” The priest bore the names of the sons of Israel over his heart as
well as on his shoulders. He had to embrace the people. You are royal priests. Therefore you also
ought to embrace your brothers and others that you are entrusted with. The breastplate of judgment
and the Urim and the Thummim were all used to keep Israel holy. They were used to ask God about
their spiritual condition. To help Israel maintain holiness was the priest’s most important mission.
The priest always had to be on alert against sin and sensitive to an issue of sin. This was the way the
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priest embraced the people.
Remember you too are priests. You should care about holiness most. The significance of the priestly
garments is holiness. “Be holy, because I am holy.” As God’s children, we are supposed to be holy.
Israel refers to those who risk their life for holiness.
And verse 31 and the following are about the robe of the ephod. Verse 33 says, “Make pomegranates
of blue, purple and scarlet yarn around the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them.” The hem
of the robe is embroidered with alternating gold bells and pomegranates. What does this symbolize?
If the high priest who was not holy entered the Most Holy Place, he would die instantly. Then, the
gold bells would stop ringing, informing of his death so that he could be pulled out of there. There-
fore, the gold bells also reminded the high priest of holiness. And the alternating bells and pome-
granates reveal the wholeness of the priest. This implies that the high priest needs to have balance
between the word and the power. Having lots of love only or having lots of power only doesn’t make
him a whole person. As seen in 1 Timothy, an overseer should be a blameless person. Likewise, the
high priest must be holy and blameless. But it is not meant that he is perfected by works, but that
God called him to the priesthood, leading him to holiness. If he truly receives his calling, God him-
self leads him to become a whole person. God called me to this pastorate and has led me so far. And
God also called you to this community and he is leading you to become a holy and blameless one.
When he called us to holiness, he gave us all the power and authority we need.
We have to listen carefully to what Leviticus is saying. Failure in worship and life is a matter of holi-
ness. It doesn’t matter what we have or what we can do. The One we are living with is the Almighty
God. In 1 Timothy Paul describes God as the “blessed God.” He infinitely provides the church with
everything necessary for us to be victorious. So the church is supposed to be victorious. We are
in this relationship with God. You have to believe this. What matters is to confirm your calling to
a church and respond to it by faith. Once you are sure of your calling, God molds your lives as he
sees fit. Your failures in your lives are not because you didn’t have something or you didn’t try, but
because you were not in a proper relationship with God. What matters is our relationship with God,
and not what we have or do.
And verse 36 and the following are about the turban. Verse 36 says, “Make a plate of pure gold and
engrave on it as on a seal: HOLY TO THE LORD.” This isn’t simply an inscription. This symbolizes
that the priest was invested with holiness by God when he was called to the priesthood. Everything
is grace. When we died with Jesus on the cross, we were covered with his holiness. Because we
received this positional, legal righteousness in Jesus, we are now supposed to grow toward practical,
perfect holiness. This righteousness has been accomplished according to God’s justice, mishpat,
through the cross of Jesus. Romans 8:30 says, “And those he predestined, he also called; those he
called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” For us to become holy is God’s predes-
tination and his strong will. And he made everything done. All we have to do is receive what he
accomplished by faith, look to him alone and walk with him. We have been made righteous by the
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grace of God; nothing is earned by our owe efforts or our works. The high priest wears the turban in
front of which has the gold plate with the inscription “HOLY TO THE LORD.”
And look at verse 38. “It will be on Aaron’s forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the
sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron’s forehead
continually so that they will be acceptable to the LORD.” The priest bore the guilt of the people.
This means that he received God’s holiness, so he was able to bear others’ guilt. Our Lord Jesus was
perfect and so could bear our sins. If he had sinned only once, he couldn’t have born our sins. He-
brews 13:17 says that leaders are those who keep watch over their followers as men who must give
an account. Therefore, if a priest didn’t confirm his holiness, he would bear others’ sins. He couldn’t
afford to pray for others’ sins. A priest is a person who confirms his holiness every day, making
every effort to maintain his holiness. Of course, if you repent, you are forgiven by God. But when I
as your pastor bear your sins and pray for you, you have more strength to overcome sin. But if I’m
not holy, I won’t be able to afford to pray for you. The same goes for you. You also, as royal priests,
should always prepare yourselves with holiness. What is the hope of the world? It is Israel’s holiness
to influence the world. Therefore, if Israel becomes corrupt, there will be no hope for the world.
And God will have to judge the world that has corrupted Israel. After all, the reason the world will
be judged is not because it is wicked but because Israel is not holy. Why do your brothers not grow
in faith? Why are your neighbors becoming corrupt? It is because you are not holy enough to em-
brace them. Who can judge whom? James 5:16 says, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and
pray for each other …” This requires us to be holy enough to bear each other’s sins. I’m afraid our
community is not that holy. Romans 15:1 says that we ought to bear with the failings of the weak.
The community has to bear the failings of the weak. It is the principle of love. Those who are holy
can afford to do so. We should be holy enough to bear the sins of our children, our brothers, our
nation, and even the world. This is God’s purpose for this community; he called us to bear the sins
of this world in these last days. We are supposed to continually grow in holiness and cover the sins
with our holiness. Because we have a problem with holiness, we are only attacked and defeated by
the enemy. This is our sad reality.
Now it is time to be alert! Stop trying to live in a happy-go-lucky way. I always tell you that we have
to risk our life for the word of God. This must not be just a theory. You must really put it into prac-
tice if you really are sure of your calling to this community. Isaiah chapter 42 says that God reigns
through his righteousness and his righteousness is revealed through his word. If you are not sure of
your calling and don’t receive God’s word, you cannot be governed by God. Consequently, you won’t
be able to grow. Allow God to reign over you and lead you according to your calling.
Look at verse 40. “Make tunics, sashes and headbands for Aaron’s sons, to give them dignity and
honor.” As we’ve noted, everything about the priestly garments is focused on holiness. And the
holiness is directly related to glory in Leviticus. Holiness and glory are the same thing. Why is God’s
glory not revealed in worship? It is because the worship is not holy. And because there is no glory,
there is darkness, and consequently no dignity and honor. Where there is glory, there is abundance,
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freedom and power. And the glory is revealed through holiness. Look at your own face. Do you
have a dark complexion? Why do you not smile? I’m not telling you to force a smile. I can rarely see
joy and liveliness on your faces. If you saw glory, its beautiful light would be shown on your face.
The community of those who saw glory is beautified.
Holiness is directly related to glory and beauty. The starting point of holiness is to confirm that
we died with Jesus. And we should continually die to ourselves and empty ourselves, so that we
may be found in Jesus, as said in Philippians 3:9. Only when we are in Jesus, we can be with him,
and consequently, with him we can die, and be buried, resurrected, and seated on the throne, and
return. This beautifies us. We must believe that when Jesus died for us, we died with him, receiving
his righteousness every day. Jesus, our advocate who shed blood for us, confirms our righteousness.
This is what Hebrews 7:25 speaks of. We are allowed to come to the throne of God every day, and
Jesus recommends us before the Father. Therefore, we must fix our eyes and thought on Jesus alone.
It is time to live such a holy life. We have no time to waste.
Now return to Leviticus 8:2. Let us look at the anointing oil. Verses 10 through 12 talk about the
anointing oil. Verse 10 says, “Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle
and everything in it, and so consecrated them.” Anointing makes a person or thing holy. Anyone
anointed with oil by God’s grace becomes holy. Becoming holy this way should be distinguished
from becoming holy while dying. This is why an unholy person who touched the holy things of the
tabernacle died. For the same reason, Nadab and Abihu died. Aaron lost two sons. But Moses told
him not to mourn for them, because their death was what God did for the sake of holiness. In this
matter of holiness, there are times God’s people should be hard-headed. We read in Deuteronomy
that the Levites were blessed by God for having killed their own sons and brothers. They killed their
brothers, because it was God’s command for the sake of holiness. Some people excuse themselves
for not doing what God tells them to do. For example, some might say, “I couldn’t pray because of
my husband,” or something like that. Some even say, “I couldn’t worship because of someone.” They
don’t know at all what holiness is. Those who understand holiness are not shaken by their situations
in doing what God tells them to do. I do not attend a wedding on Saturday. I also want to bless the
bride and groom. But I cannot allow myself to be deprived of energy to prepare for Sunday worship.
Do not separate love from holiness. Love is included in holiness. Both justice and love are included
in holiness. You tend to neglect holiness by humanism and worldliness. When Phinehas killed the
Israelite man and the Midianite woman by pushing the spear through both of their bodies, he and
his descendants had a covenant of a lasting priesthood. It was a matter of holiness. Holiness is a
matter of life and death. When we are holy, we can please God.
“He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils and
the basin with its stand, to consecrate them. He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head
and anointed him to consecrate him. Then he brought Aaron’s sons forward, put tunics on them,
tied sashes around them and put headbands on them, as the LORD commanded Moses. (8:11-13)”
Everything God commanded Moses is related to holiness. Those who received God’s holiness can-
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not help living a holy life. They take it for granted. It is not an option in any circumstance. Indeed, it
is not an option to live a holy life. And it requires us to live by grace and by the Spirit. Only when we
live by grace and by the Spirit can we see the eternal kingdom, and accordingly we won’t be shaken
by our circumstances. Everything of life is focused on eternity. If we saw the eternal kingdom, it is
natural that we make every effort to live a holy life. If we do not see things by the Spirit, whatever
we do, it is only a way to failure and death. But when we see things by the Spirit, to die is to win a
victory, to lose is to gain, and to be humble is to be great.
Next, “…and the basket containing bread made without yeast. (8:2)” The unleavened bread is men-
tioned in verse 26. “Then from the basket of bread made without yeast, which was before the LORD,
he took a cake of bread, and one made with oil, and a wafer; he put these on the fat portions and on
the right thigh.” “Bread made without yeast” symbolizes holiness. And it is used in the ordination
offering. And a cake of bread made with oil symbolizes the abundance of the kingdom of God. If a
believer grows in holiness properly in his relationship with God, though he might go through suf-
fering in the process of being trained for godliness, basically his life won’t be ruined. His life is not
ruined because of money matters or something like that. Holiness is followed by the riches of God’s
glory mentioned in Ephesians. Is there any dark area in your lives? Are you not growing in faith? Do
you have some problems with your personality and life? If so, you need to examine yourselves to see
if you have something wrong with holiness.
After putting one unleavened loaf, one loaf of bread mixed with oil and one wafer on the fat por-
tions and on the right thigh, the priest waves them as a wave offering before the Lord (v. 27). The
wave offering foreshadowed the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes and shakes peo-
ple. There are people who do not respond to him. Something in them is limiting the Holy Spirit. We
are supposed to respond to him. If the love of God comes and fills our hearts, how can’t we confess
our love to him? If not, it means the love is restrained in us. Likewise, if the Holy Spirit fills our
spirits, we are supposed to respond to him. For example, we usually lift our hands while praying.
We get shaken when unclean spirits leave us. Especially when our deep wounds are touched by the
Spirit, we get shaken in pain. A person who is deluding himself that he is perfect won’t be able to
offer a wave offering. As long as we are not practically perfect, it is natural we offer a wave offering
by responding to the Holy Spirit.
Next, verse 14 talks about a sin offering. Let us look at Leviticus chapter 4. Cases requiring a sin of-
fering are mentioned. The sin offering was an offering for unintentional sins. There was no offering
available for intentional sins. A person who sinned intentionally was cut off from his community or
sentenced to death. This shows how high God’s standard of holiness toward Israel is. This is clearly
seen in the New Testament. It is not big, evident sins that the Holy Spirit reveals, praying for us with
groanings; anyone can see they are sins. Leviticus 4:13 says, “If the whole Israelite community sins
unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, even though the com-
munity is unaware of the matter, they are guilty.” When we did something wrong but are unware of
it, the Holy Spirit makes us realize it. For example, when you said something to someone, the Holy
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Spirit might say that it was a sin. He shows what we did wrong and wants to correct it. To respond
to the Holy Spirit who convicts us our sins is a sin offering. The standard of holiness God has
toward the New Testament churches is not different from that toward Ancient Israel; rather higher.
The Israelites were only expected to be faithful to God the Father and his commandment. But now
the word of God, the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit have been placed in believers. Therefore,
we are in much better conditions to live a holy life in than the people of the Old Testament times.
The word of God sustaining the entire universe, the blood of Jesus that has deleted all the records
of sins, and the Holy Spirit are all in us. Therefore, we are expected to be holy and blameless. This
doesn’t mean we can reach the holiness by our own efforts. We must completely rely on the word of
God, the blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Even now the Holy Spirit is convicting of our sins. He
wants to correct us, showing what we did wrong. What he speaks about most is our identity and our
sins. Listen to what he says to you.
The word “forgiven” appears in Leviticus 4:20 and 26. It is salach in Hebrew. Its meaning is different
from the word in the New Testament. It was temporary forgiveness; God’s judgment had been only
suspended until Jesus came to earth and solved the problem of sin. If the Israelites kept holiness in
such a situation, how much more should we be holy whom the Holy Spirit dwells in and the blood
of Jesus is in? We must not take this matter of holiness lightly. Besides, when we repent, our sins are
not just forgiven but completely deleted. The moment we repent, the records of sins in our con-
science are deleted by the blood of Jesus. When we truly repent, we are supposed to sin less and less.
Now, look at Leviticus 8:23. “Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on
the lobe of Aaron’s right ear, on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.”
The “right” side symbolizes what belongs to God. To put the blood on the lobe of the right ear
implies that the priest must hear the voice of God clearly. To put the blood on the thumb of his right
hand and on the big toe of his right foot implies that his hands must be holy and he must go where
God wants. In order to hear the voice of God clearly, we must not be carried away by the voices of
demons or the noises of this world. We must not listen to them. We must wholly listen to God. This
requires us to be filled with God’s holiness.
“Then burn up the rest of the meat and the bread. (8:32)” To neglect holiness is a sin. All the things
that lead us to neglect holiness must be burnt up. “Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting
for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for your ordination will last seven
days. (8:33)” The priest must be wedded to holiness. We also must be so as royal priests. “What has
been done today was commanded by the LORD to make atonement for you. You must stay at the
entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and do what the LORD requires, so
you will not die; for that is what I have been commanded. (8:34-35)” If a person is not holy, he will
die. He will die because he is not holy, rather than because he sinned.
Let us move on to chapter 9. Verse 1 says, “On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons
and the elders of Israel.” After the seven-day ordination service, they must have come back to their
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own tents. And Moses summoned them again. The Hebrew word for “summon” is qara. It means
“call,” “cry,” or “shout.” What is the significance of the use of this word? Aaron and his sons and the
elders were those who were qualified to pray to God. They were expected to pray to God with their
whole being. Chapter 9 is about Aaron’s first offerings as high priest. Moses summoned the leaders
of Israel to talk about the sacrifices. Probably he wanted them to pray for it.
“He said to Aaron, ‘Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering, both
without defect, and present them before the LORD.’ (9:2)” Moses ordered Aaron to offer a sin offer-
ing who must have been wearied by the seven day ordination service. The possibility that he might
have sinned in one night was not overlooked. “Didn’t they get tired of offering that many?” “How
can we live that way?” You shouldn’t think this way. Those who have God’s standard of holiness are
supposed to live that way. “Hear, O Israel (Shema Yisrael)!” Those who hear the word of God are
supposed to live that way, being enraptured in the word of God. Those who received the new life
of God are supposed to live that way. As said in Colossians, they set their hearts on things above.
As said in Hebrews, they fix their eyes and thoughts on Jesus Christ. They do not live on their own,
but allow God to lead their lives. This is the way of life of those who have God’s new life. It is not an
option. Why do you think it difficult to live that way? It’s because you are conflicted between God
and the world. But there is no other way but living by grace and by the Spirit. Therefore you must
remove all the factors of worldliness which keep you from living by God alone.
“and an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the LORD, together with a grain
offering mixed with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you. (9:4)” When everything is prepared
as commanded and the worship is acceptable to God, “the LORD will appear to you.” The Hebrew
verb for “appear” here is the perfect tense, while the verb in the other places like verses 6 and 23 is
the imperfect tense. Hebrew only has two tenses - perfect and imperfect. The perfect tense expresses
a completed action. Therefore, the perfect tense of the verb “appear” in verse 4 implies that God has
already appeared. He appeared on Mount Sinai. He appeared at the Tent of Meeting. And as Mal-
achi had prophesied, God suddenly came to his temple. He manifested himself in human form; he
revealed his glory through Jesus Christ. Now that he revealed himself, we can meet him. Otherwise,
we could never meet him. As said in Hebrews, Jesus Christ opened a new and living way by his own
body. The way to the throne of grace has already been opened for us. Confirm this by faith. As said
in Ephesians 1:3, God has already given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. Indeed,
God has given us everything we need. The way of living in the kingdom of God and God’s power are
inherent in us. Therefore, what we should focus on in our faith life is how to reveal them, and not
how to receive them. God’s appearance was completed!
By the way, look at verse 5. “…the entire assembly came near and stood before the LORD.” They
“came near and stood.” The verbs are the imperfect tense. The imperfect tense expresses an ongoing,
uncompleted action. If we continually come near to God, we can continually meet him. We must
continue to come near to God, continually accepting God who unceasingly approaches us. We must
always be open to accepting God. Continually approach the throne of grace! If you can’t do so, it
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indicates that you have a problem with your belief and holiness, or that you are spiritually idle. If
you solve this problem, you won’t fail to meet God and see his glory in worship. Basically we are
expected to see God’s glory in worship. Also when we pray, all we have to do is come near to God
by faith. And verse 6 says, “Then Moses said, ‘This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so
that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.’ ” The verb “appear” also is the imperfect. When we
continually come near to God by faith, we will continually experience God. His glory will be shown
continually. Only if we come to God, we are supposed to see his glory. The problem is our unbelief,
unholy state, and spiritual idleness, which keep us from coming to God.
The ritual activities stated in verse 8 and the following are all related to holiness. Aaron washed
the inner parts and the legs, and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar. The “inner
parts” symbolizes the old self, and the “legs” the old self ’s way of behaving. To be holy, one must
burn them up. The fat portions of the animal are eaten only by God. The fat must not be eaten by
people. How considerate God is! He asks us to give him what is not good for us to eat. And the hide
also symbolizes the old self. The hide and all the rest of the animal must be burnt up outside the
camp. This foreshadowed Jesus’ suffering and dying outside the city gates.
“Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin
offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down. (9:22)” Worship ends with
the priest’s benediction. “Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came
out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. (9:23)” The
“appeared” is the imperfect tense. This implies that the glory of the LORD continually appeared. The
glory of God appears in holy worship. Therefore, we must mourn for our failure in seeing God’s glo-
ry in worship. Worship without God’s glory is so painful to me. If I fail to see God’s glory in worship
on Sunday, then I get to have a hard week. Even now I’m dying in worship without glory. It is so
hard to offer such worship. Essentially God’s glory is supposed to be revealed in worship. You must
understand why our church had to stop. We must restore holiness so that we can see God’s glory
again. And we must be beautified in our faith.
When God’s glory comes, what happens? He reveals his glory in various ways. He might lead us
to deep repentance, give us blessings, and the like. How did he reveal his glory in Leviticus? “Fire
came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on
the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown. (9:24)” With the
appearance of the glory of God, the fire came out from his presence. This fire was a fire that revived
the whole congregation of Israel. But this fire consumed Nadab and Abihu. What was the differ-
ence? It was whether the fire was received by the dead or the living. The Israelites shout for joy and
praise God in the fire. It means that they had been dead through all the offerings. Our community
needs a powerful fire of God. But more importantly, we must make sure that we have been dead
when we receive the fire.
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9
“Show Us Your New Glory (2)”
Delivered on Wednesday, December 31, 2014
by Rev. Min-Ho Kim
Leviticus 10
1. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense;
and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command.
2. So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died
before the Lord.
3. Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke of when he said: “ ‘Among those
who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’
“ Aaron remained silent.
4. ○Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them,
“Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.”
5. So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered.
6. ○Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair
become unkempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be
angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the house of Israel, may mourn
for those the Lord has destroyed by fire.
7. Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting or you will die, because the Lord ‘s
anointing oil is on you.” So they did as Moses said.
8. ○Then the Lord said to Aaron,
9. “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go
into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to
come.
10. You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the
clean,
11. and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through
Moses.”
12. ○Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain
offering left over from the offerings made to the Lord by fire and eat it prepared without
yeast beside the altar, for it is most holy.
13. Eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons’ share of the offerings made
to the Lord by fire; for so I have been commanded.
14. But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast that was waved and the
thigh that was presented. Eat them in a ceremonially clean place; they have been given
to you and your children as your share of the Israelites’ fellowship offerings.
15. The thigh that was presented and the breast that was waved must be brought with the
fat portions of the offerings made by fire, to be waved before the Lord as a wave offering.
This will be the regular share for you and your children, as the Lord has commanded.”
16. ○When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering and found that it had been
burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked,
17. “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to
you to take away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before the
Lord.
18. Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten the goat in the
sanctuary area, as I commanded.”
19. ○Aaron replied to Moses, “Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering
before the Lord, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the Lord have
been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?”
20. When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

“Show Us Your New Glory!” God’s new glory appears in worship. We hope to see his new glory on
the New Year’s Sunday. We should be filled with the new glory in the New Year.
Last Sunday, we noted in Leviticus 9 that when Moses blessed the people, the glory of the LORD
appeared to all the people, and the fire of God came out from his presence in the midst of the glory.
Leviticus chapters 8, 9 and 10 belong to the second section. And the first section, chapters 1-7, is
about sacrifices. And it is noticeable that Leviticus begins with God’s calling Moses from the Tent of
Meeting; before then God had spoken out of Mount Sinai.
How important is the tabernacle? Half of Exodus is about building the tabernacle. The tabernacle
is the church. And God’s first topic was about worship. Indeed, we should always see God’s glory in
our worship.
As we noted last Sunday, the Lord has already appeared; he came to his temple. His appearance was
completed. Now what we should do is continually come near to him. Then we are supposed to meet
him continually. Your problem is that you do not come to him. What keeps you from coming near
to God? It is your unbelief, unholy state, and spiritual idleness. Solve these problems and every day
approach the Lord and meet him. We can approach God with confidence. Believe this. Without
faith, we are bound to become lazy. Let us come to God by faith.
Who is the key man for worship mentioned in chapters 8, 9 and 10? It is the priest. The priestly
system described in Leviticus requires a threefold approach. One of them is, you as well as pastors
like me are royal priests and the key men for worship. If the priest is not holy, the worship is bound
to go wrong.
Last Sunday, we looked at the priestly garments and other things about the priest. After all, every-
thing about the priest and the priestly system is related to holiness. Failure of holiness brings failure
of worship, which means absence of glory and consequently severance from God. In a word, failure
of holiness means death.
In 2015, we must enter into God’s new glory in worship. Each of us must be a channel through
which the Holy Spirit works. Therefore, we must prepare ourselves before worship by repenting and
being filled with the Holy Spirit. And in worship we must respond to the word of God, his presence
and anointing, allowing the Holy Spirit to move and use us.
Now look at 10:1. “Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and add-
ed incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command.” The
censers are vessels for carrying live coal from the sacred fire on the altar of burnt offering. Nadab
and Abihu filled the censers with other fire and offered it before the LORD. What was this unautho-
rized fire which God had not commanded them to use? I don’t know exactly what fire it was, but it
is obvious that the fire was not from the altar of burnt offering. Fire represents the presence of God.
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When we worship or pray without the presence of God, we will die in the end. As I said last Sunday,
we become holy either while living or while dying. This is clear in worship filled with the presence
of God. I hope none of us will die in worship. To die in worship means that one’s life is not led to
Mount Ebal. Israel is supposed to either stand in front of Mount Gerizim or in front of Mount Ebal,
that is, either receive God’s blessings or curses. We must be in the stream of God’s blessings. We
must not allow ourselves to be spiritually bound and incompetent. Yahweh or El is a God who both
blesses and curses. Therefore we must be in a state where God can give us blessings. We must ready
ourselves so that the Holy Spirit may work through us whenever we gather together in the name of
the Lord.
Why did the Israelites have to live such a holy life according to the laws mentioned in the Old Testa-
ment? And how could they live that way? First of all, they couldn’t help living that way because they
had been made to live so. In the same way, we were made to come to God. If he didn’t accept our be-
ing, we would never be able to come to him by our own efforts. He is an awesome God. He isn’t only
able to bless people but also curse them. His blessing is not to give us more money but to lead our
life to his glory. We cannot be successful in our lives by our own efforts. The secret to our success in
life is to become a channel of God’s blessings. To become so, we must constantly come to God with
fear and awe and grow in holiness. But we must not become holy while dying, which is in vain. Only
Jesus’ death benefits us. God’s righteousness is confirmed through our death too, because a sinner
dies before God. But in the New Year we do want to become holy while dying that way, but become
a channel of God’s blessings. I hope all of us will become a living channel of God’s righteousness
in 2015. We must not be bound in relationships, matters of money, or any other areas in our lives
so that God can give us anything without limitation. We must be holy enough not to stumble over
whatever God gives us.
We must learn from the mistake of Nadab and Abihu, who died because they offered unauthorized
fire before the LORD. We don’t want to make the same mistake. Therefore, we must always be in the
presence of God. We must not offer other fire before God. The Book of Malachi says that the food
on the altar becomes defiled if the hand offering it is not clean. Likewise, if we are not a clean chan-
nel for the fire of God, the fire also will become defiled. Not only must the fire be authorized one,
the hand offering it also must be clean. We must be holy enough to come near to God in every area
of our lives. This is not possible by our own efforts. Our first step to holiness is confirming God’s
righteousness imputed to us. We must confirm every day that we died with Jesus, by completely
denying and emptying ourselves and being filled with the Spirit of God. We must completely rely on
God alone and trust in him alone. The only way is the fullness of the Holy Spirit.
“So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the
LORD. (10:2)” When the authorized fire is offered before God, his fire comes out and confirms his
holiness. If we are not holy, God forces us to become holy. God does not leave his people unholy.
Notice that God’s fire “consumed” them. The verb is the imperfect tense. The action continues. The
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Bible describes God as “a consuming fire.” It is the same fire as this. The same fire accompanies the
presence of God. This fire is described in Daniel chapter 7 and also in Exodus chapter 24. Exodus
24:17 says, “To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the
mountain.” It is the same fire as “a river of fire flowing, coming out from before him” mentioned in
Daniel 7. God’s glory and presence is usually manifested in the form of fire. God answers by fire as
he did when Elijah called upon him. Fire symbolizes holiness. Some people are consumed by the
fire and some are not. Moses and Obed-Edom didn’t die, but Uzzah, Ananias and Sapphira died.
The point is, the dead won’t die, and the living will die. If we see God’s glory while being alive, we
are bound to die before his glory. Nadab and Abihu died because they came to God while being
alive. We must make sure we are dead before coming to God, so that his fire won’t consume us but
make us alive. The fire of God is a fire of judgment to destroy the enemy and a fire of glory to revive
God’s children. I hope the fire will revive and purify you in 2015. Remember our church is in the
presence of God. The fire of his presence becomes our power to accomplish his works. We don’t
want to be consumed by the fire.
“Moses then said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD spoke of when he said: “ ‘Among those who ap-
proach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’ “ Aaron remained
silent. (10:3)” In order to see God’s glory in worship, the priest must be holy. Moses couldn’t mourn
for his nephews’ death. And instead of offering words of consolation to Aaron, he carried the Lord’s
message to him. This is a response of those who understand God’s holiness.
There are factors that stop us from growing in holiness. One of them is the world’s standards.
Especially humanism is a fatal obstacle. Those who are human-centered and worldly cannot know
holiness. They tend to criticize the holy for lack of humanity. Think about what Elijah asked the
widow at Zarephath to do. All she had was only a handful of flour and a little olive oil, with which
she was going to make a meal, eat it, and die. Elijah asked her to bring him a piece of bread. Could
we do so in such a situation? Humanism and worldly tendency will keep us from doing as Elijah
did. With such tendencies we cannot grow in holiness. When our church was small, I didn’t hesitate
to encourage believers to do what God wanted them to do. For example, I told a poor believer to
make an offering of 50,000 dollars. It was not my will. Humanly speaking, how could I ask a poor
person to offer that much? The believer did as he was told, and he received great blessings. If God
said something, I spoke it out in any situation. But I’ sorry that I find myself not doing so these days.
Holiness requires us to jump over the humane considerations and the human standards. Those who
act according to humanism cannot do God’s work. They are alive to themselves; cannot follow God’s
will.
To define holiness, therefore, it implies a dying to the humanistic and worldly standards. Those who
are not dead to such things cannot be holy in the true sense of the word. In 2015 we must be clear
about this. If I tell you to do something unreasonable, you should be willing to obey it. Otherwise,
it is you who will make a loss. In fact, it might look unreasonable, but if God wants you to do it,
it is a blessing to you. Through it, he wants to bless you. Therefore, pastors must not be afraid to
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speak about God’s demands. For example, some of you seem unable to fast for 40 days. But if God
wants you to do it, I should suggest you do it. If you are told to do something, you might hesitate,
thinking, “Can I do this?” Before you are worried this way, first you need to make sure if you are
thinking the way God thinks, if you are submitting to God’s will, and the like. Remember that the
way God moves is holiness. We must make sure of our relationship with God, and pay attention to
holiness, because God is holy. A person who knows God’s holiness focuses on what God says and
is not swayed by humane considerations or fleshly things. If one of us dies a martyr, we should not
mourn but rather be glad. What we should be sorry for is that a person dies without confirming his
glorious inheritance of the kingdom of God. If a person who confirmed his glorious inheritance of
the kingdom of God, we should be glad. When I die, do not mourn for me but instead have a party.
Remove humanism, human-centered thoughts and worldliness. Then you will be able to grow in
holiness more quickly.
“Among those who approach me I will show myself holy...” God unceasingly approaches us,
showing his holiness. He has continually approached us since he made us righteous by his grace.
We cannot be holy by our own efforts. At some point in the past, God imputed his holiness to us,
like he clothed Aaron in the priestly garments, declaring him to be holy. And now he unceasingly
approaches us. We must continually accept his holiness. This is a way of life of the priest. We can
sleep well, eat well and have fun. But we must maintain holiness. This is to be in a state of spiritual
tension. This is not possible on our own. It is possible only when we have ceaseless fellowship with
God. It is to breathe by the Holy Spirit and to constantly accept the holy God who unceasingly ap-
proaches us. You should learn to live this way. I don’t mean you should do it by your own efforts. If
you maintain the fullness of the Holy Spirit, you will understand it. We must be in a state where we
can immediately respond to God any time.
Note the phrase “among those who approach me.” “Those who approaches me” primarily refers to
the priests. And it also refers to worship leaders or anyone who is near with God. God describes
worshipers or offerers as those who approach him. To approach is to be within one’s reach. Theolog-
ically speaking, this implies that God is in us. He is closer to us than our own breath. It is a wor-
shiper’s or offerer’s privilege to experience God who is near. Worshipers or offerers are persons close
to God. A person close to a beggar is just a beggar. But we are those close to the King, qualified to
share all his honor and glory.
“Among those who approach me I will show myself holy…” God shows his holiness to those
who approach him, but not to those who don’t approach him. When we approach God, he shows
himself holy. It is a blessing. When we worship him, God approaches us, showing himself holy. We
must not forget this. Even this moment, God is approaching us through his word, presence, and
anointing. I said in the Gospel of John that his approaching is not a spatial concept. If you have
faith, you will understand what this means. God unceasingly approach you. As I said before, God’s
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kairos is not marked by the march of time, from the past to the present and then to the future. His
time is marked by the future’s approaching to the present. In God’s time, we are not going toward
the future, but the future is approaching us. If we think we are going toward the future, we tend to
take time, becoming lazy or getting sidetracked. But if we think the future is approaching us, we
can hardly take time. So when it comes to salvation, we are in a state of tension. God unceasingly
approaches us. Of course, we too should approach him by faith. But we can approach God because
he approaches us. And he gives us powers, wisdom, and everything we need. If he doesn’t approach
us, we can do nothing.
“In the sight of all the people I will be honored.” What is God’s purpose of approaching you and
showing you his holiness? It is for revealing his glory through you. God approaches the priest and
shows his holiness, and the holiness is manifested in glory. A holy person reveals the glory of God
through his holiness. The glory of God tastes of his glorious freedom, glorious riches, and glori-
ous might. When we are holy, we can enjoy these tastes. Holiness brightens our face and changes
the way we speak and act to reveal God’s glory. In the presence of God, his glory is supposed to be
revealed. This is a blessing that is given to those who continue to receive God’s holiness.
The verb in “I will be honored” also is the imperfect tense. God continually reveals his glory. We
should allow this to occur in our lives in the New Year by continually receiving the holiness of God
who unceasingly approaches us. If we continue to receive his holiness, his glory will be revealed
through us. This is to live in the manner of God’s existence. If we do so, we will have confidence in
living with the Holy Spirit and doing God’s work. We must not struggle to win our spiritual war-
fare by our own strength, but allow God our “seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men” to work
through us. The severer our spiritual warfare becomes, the more we realize that there is nothing
we can do. We must say, “Lord, you do it yourself!” We must be in a spiritual state where we can
respond to God in all areas of our lives. This way of life is not special but basic. The Israelites lived
so, then how much more should we live so whom the Holy Spirit dwells in?
“Aaron remained silent.” Aaron could have cried over the loss of his sons, but remained silent.
He must have been sad but admitted that what their sons did was something to deserve death. He
knew the importance of holiness. When problems of holiness occur, make sure you learn holiness.
Otherwise, you will become holy while dying. You must realize the wrong factors that have bound
your lives, and be still and know God’s will. And be open to receive his holiness, instead of being
in sorrow or despair. Do not be frustrated or despaired over adversities and hardships, but learn
holiness through them. If you are failing in prayer, for example, do not just think it is because of the
attack from the enemies or something, but examine yourselves to see if you have a problem with
your holiness. Suppose that you lost two sons suddenly like Aaron. How would you react? Some
might abandon their faith in God. But Aaron learned holiness through the pain. We should be able
to react to an issue of holiness like Pastor Joo Ki-chul’s mother and his wife, who encouraged him
to die a martyr. To do so, we must not have any idols in us. Only when we love God alone and he
becomes everything to us can we receive his holiness.
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“Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, ‘Come
here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.’ (10:4)” This also
might sound shocking. Moses didn’t let the dead buried but removed from the camp. “So they came
and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered. (10:5)” This was their
reaction to an issue of holiness.
By the way, how do you think Nadab and Abihu died when the fire of God consumed them? Did
they die from burns? As I said earlier, this fire kills some and revives some. I think Nadab and
Abihu died of a heart attack, because the fire of God is pressure. When we are urged to receive God’s
holiness, we feel intense pressure. The pressure of holiness make those who receive it fall facedown.
Nadab and Abihu died because of this pressure of holiness. But God also reveals his holiness to
those who are ready to receive it. Sometimes he reveals his holiness regardless of whether or not we
are ready with holiness. When he reveals his holiness, it is blessing. You should experience this. We
must desire for this pressure of holiness. In this sense, we desire for God’s new glory. Moses was be-
fore the glorious presence of the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking
water. The pressure of God’s holiness makes us transcend the limitations of our human body. Allow
the Spirit to lead your personality and life; do not be led by your mind and flesh. If we live in the
flesh and with our heads, we are bound to live with limited energy. But if we live by the Spirit, we
are provided with limitless energy. It is to live by what God provides and not by our own. So Isaiah
40:31 says, “but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like
eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” This is because they are
provided with limitless energy that comes from the Spirit. If you live by the Sprit while continually
receiving God’s holiness, you will be able to pray, do God’s work, and such things unweariedly. Do
not live with your own limited energy. Otherwise, you are bound to get weary. But if you allow the
Spirit to lead your minds and lives, God will do his work without limits through you. This is why we
need to have the pressure of holiness.
“Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, ‘Do not let your hair become un-
kempt, and do not tear your clothes… (10:6)” Moses told them not to mourn over the death. This
implies that an issue of holiness must not be judged by human standards or the world’s standards.
This is basic to the priesthood. And you are royal priests. Do not judge things by human standards
or the world’s standards. Elijah asked the widow to bring him a piece of bread who had only a hand-
ful of flour and a little olive oil. When a thing like that happens to you, “How could he ask for it?”
you shouldn’t think this way.
“…or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community.” If the priest copes with
a problem of holiness in a humane way, he will die. We also must not undermine God’s holiness
according to humanism or worldliness. Otherwise, we will die. Many things we do in our daily lives
might have to do with an issue of holiness. For example, if God tells you to pray but you are very
busy, you might think it is okay not to pray. If God tells us to pray now, we must pray now in any
circumstance. There might be someone you really hate and God tells you to forgive. There might be
133
someone you don’t like but God wants you to be good to. Such things, great and small, occur in our
relationships with many people in our lives, where God approaches us revealing his holiness every
day. Do not react in a humane way, but by the Spirit of God.
“…the LORD will be angry with the whole community.” If the priest dies because of his problem
of holiness, it is not the end of the story. It influences the whole community. If you are dying, it
will also lead your family and church to death. But if you react to holiness properly, it will revive
other people as well as yourselves. Each of you is not just an individual but a public person. Many
other people around you are influenced by you. They can die or live, depending on whether or not
you grow in holiness. As said in 1 Peter 2:9, we are royal priests. We were made holy. And we must
practically become holy by continually accepting the Lord who approaches us showing his holiness.
We cannot do this by our own efforts. We must always be open to God, continually laying down our
humane and worldly ways.
“But your relatives, all the house of Israel, may mourn for those the LORD has destroyed by fire.”
Aaron was not allowed to mourn for the death of his sons, but the people of Israel had to mourn.
The death of the priests was because of their problem of holiness. But it was also God’s punishment
of the whole community of Israel. My problems become yours. So you need to pray for me and
my children. This is why the church must not let the pastor worry about their livelihood and such
things. The church must take care of such things so that the pastor can concentrate on holiness in
his daily life. Otherwise, it is you who will suffer losses after all. I’m not saying this out of greed. No
normal pastor would gratify his selfish desire. The priest was a person who came near to God as a
representative of the people, bearing the names of the sons of Israel over his heart as well as on his
shoulders. The same is true with pastors. You need to support me to care about holiness and to serve
you well. You need to pray for me and my family.
“ ‘Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting or you will die, because the LORD’s anoint-
ing oil is on you.’ So they did as Moses said. (10:7)” Holiness means to die, whether physically or
spiritually. Holiness is to deny ourselves and take up our cross. In order to become holy, we must die
to self. It is our victory. And martyrdom is the greatest victory. Do not just take this as a theory. In
order to live a God-centered life, we must die to ourselves. In order to live in the presence of God,
we must be free from our ego.
“…because the LORD’s anointing oil is on you.” As we noted last week, everything about the priest,
including all his priestly garments, has to do with holiness. The priest must risk his life for holiness.
The LORD’s anointing oil also was for holiness. The same is true with us. The Lord makes us holy
through the anointing of the Holy Spirit according to the principle of churchship by which Christ
the head of the church moves the church. So outside the principle of churchship, we are bound to
die. God’s purpose in everything he does for us is to make us holy. He continually anoints us to
make us holy. Seraphim stand above the throne of the Lord and praise holiness of the Lord. And the
Lord tells us to be holy because he is holy.
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“You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent
of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. (10:9)” The priest
must not drink wine. In this part, Catholicism is wrong. The Catholic Church does not throw away
the wine left after the Eucharist, so the priests must drink it up. The priesthood is not easy to carry
out. How could the priest manage it if he were drunk? The priest deals with souls, which requires
him to have discernment and the like. He cannot do it while being drunk.
“You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,
(10:10)” What the priest should care about most is holiness. So he must always be alert against
the common and the unclean. “What is wrong, that which goes against God?” How much money
believers earn doesn’t matter, but how much holy they are. This is what I most care about in shep-
herding you. Indeed, pastors must react sensitively to an issue of holiness. The same goes for you. If
you are holy enough, God will give you everything you need.
“and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the LORD has given them through Moses.
(10:11)” The Israelites learned holiness by discerning between the holy and the unholy. Remember
you are influencing someone, for good or evil. We Christians must have a holy influence on others.
You are not just an individual but a public person. God called you to holiness. He expects his holi-
ness to be expressed through your lives. Examine yourselves to see whether you are having a holy
influence on others or having a bad influence on them.
Now let us move on to verse 17. It says, “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area?
It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the community by making atonement
for them before the LORD.” The sin offerings for the sins of common people, the priest had to eat
in a holy place, as seen in Leviticus chapter 6. When he ate the sin offerings, he bore the sins of the
people. This foreshadowed the ministry of Jesus who is the high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
By the way, Aaron didn’t eat the sin offering this day.
“…it was given to you to take away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them
before the LORD.” When the priest ate the offering, it confirmed that the sins of the people were
forgiven. Therefore, the priest had to eat the offerings and to bear their sins. When you repent, your
sins are forgiven. And I also have to bear your sins and repent as if I were the one who committed
the sins. In this sense, a pastor’s pay isn’t just a salary. Pastors get paid because they help believers
overcome sins and practically live a holy life. When I eat meals and something, I do not forget to
pray for those who prepared them, saying, “Lord, bless them.” Through pastors, God provides be-
lievers with the strength by which they can live a holy life.
“Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten the goat in the sanctu-
ary area, as I commanded. (10:18)” In the cases of the sin offerings for the high priest, the whole
congregation, and the sin offering of the Day of Atonement, as said in Leviticus 6:3, the blood of the
offerings was brought into the tabernacle to make atonement in the Holy Place, and the flesh was
135
not to be eaten by anyone but to be burnt. But the flesh of the offerings of the laity was to be eaten
by the priests.
“Aaron replied to Moses, ‘Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering before the
LORD, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the LORD have been pleased if I had
eaten the sin offering today?’ (10:19)” Aaron bore the sin of his sons. He felt guilty. So he as a sinner
couldn’t eat the offering.
“When Moses heard this, he was satisfied. (10:20)” Moses understood Aaron’s mind. But the prob-
lem in this case was that God didn’t receive the sin offering. Look again at verse 6. “Then Moses said
to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, ‘Do not let your hair become unkempt, and do not tear
your clothes…” The priests wore their priestly garments and turbans. “Do not let your hair become
unkempt” means “Do not take off your turbans.” And “Do not tear your clothes” means “Do not
take off your priestly garments.” This implies that the priest must not neglect their priestly duties for
any personal reasons. Otherwise, the people would die. Even though Aaron’s reaction was under-
stood by Moses, it was not acceptable to God. The priest must perform his duties no matter what
happens. He must not act according to the situations or humanism. We read in Deuteronomy that
the Levites killed their own sons and brothers as commanded and then they were blessed. The priest
must not get entangled in his personal affairs. 2 Timothy 2:4 says that no one serving as a soldier
gets entangled in civilian affairs. We must not serve God, entangled in our personal affairs. We must
not be moved by the humane and worldly standards in order to faithfully serve God alone.
Holiness! The priest must risk his life for holiness. Remember that God continually approaches us
revealing his holiness.
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Leviticus

발행처 ANBI All NAtions Bible Institute

Copyright 2016 by ANBI all rights reserved.

이책은 ANBI수업 교재의 용도로 제작된 비매품입니다.

[1] Lev. 1:1-2

[2] Lev. 1:3-6

[3] Lev. 1:7-2:16

[4] Lev. 3:1-17

[5] Lev. 4:1-6:7

[6] Lev. 6:8-7:38

[7] Lev. 8:1-10:20, 16:1-34

[8] Lev. 9:1-24 “Show Us Your New Glory (1)”

[9] Lev. 10:1-20 “Show Us Your New Glory (2)”

Leviticus 1:1-2 [NIV]

Leviticus 1:3-6 [NIV]

6. He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces.

Leviticus 1:7-2:16 [NIV]

6. Crumble it and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.

15. Put oil and incense on it; it is a grain offering.

Leviticus 3:1-17 [NIV]

7. If he offers a lamb, he is to present it before the Lord.

12. ○” ‘If his offering is a goat, he is to present it before the Lord.

Leviticus 4:1-6:7 [NIV]

1. The Lord said to Moses,

2. “ ‘Or if a person touches anything ceremonially unclean-whether the carcasses of unclean

3. “ ‘Or if he touches human uncleanness-anything that would make him unclean-even

14. The Lord said to Moses:

1. The Lord said to Moses:

Leviticus 6:8-7:38 [NIV]

8. ○The Lord said to Moses:

19. ○The Lord also said to Moses,

24. ○The Lord said to Moses,

21. If anyone touches something unclean-whether human uncleanness or an unclean

22. ○The Lord said to Moses,

28. ○The Lord said to Moses,

Leviticus 8:1-10:20, 16:1-34 [NIV]

1. The Lord said to Moses,

8. ○Then the Lord said to Aaron,

20. When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

Leviticus 9:1-24 [NIV]

Leviticus 10:1-20 [NIV]

8. ○Then the Lord said to Aaron,

20. When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.

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