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Going through the Bible a chapter a day.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus%2020&version=KJV

Leviticus Chapter 12: The Law Of Motherhood: After giving birth and the blood and discharge a woman is considered unclean. So she waits a week for a boy and two weeks for female before she can return to sanctuary and make atonement with offering. The act of having a child itself is n<t considered sinful just the blood and other things afterwards are.

Leviticus 13: Leprosy: Leprosy in the Bible is not the same Leprosy we know today. This was speaking of sores that appear on the body and the Priests where instructed on to handle it.  From keeping the person outside of camp to confiding that person to dealing with the garments they where to shaving head and facial hair.

Leviticus 14: The Law of Leper’s Cleansing: Is the cleansing ceremony and what was to be done and how God commanded it to be done.

Leviticus 15: The Imperative of Cleansing: This is both man and women and how they are unclean and everything they touched unclean and what to do.

Leviticus 16: The day of Atonement: Sin and Sacrifice: Even the high priests could not enter the holy place whenever he wanted so the opening instructions are to prepare Aaron to enter into that sacred place.

Leviticus 17: But One Place of Sacrifice:  prohibits anyone living in Israel to eat blood of any animal. Make atonement for doing so also case out of Israel.

Leviticus 18: The Work of God’s People: God reminds the Israelites off heir relationship to Him.  Knowing that they have a tendency to mimic the cultures around them. He also gives them specifics for how they should live as the people of God by following His ways and statutes.

Leviticus 19: Refresher course on the ten commandments and a repeat of ceremonial law surrounding the peace offering.

Leviticus 20: Sins listed in chapter 18 repeat here this time Penalty listed for each.

God bless you and your loved ones.

Who’s in Charge of a World That Suffers? By Bill Graham

Day 5 of 5:

Suffering for Christ

In the power-packed Sermon on the Mount, Jesus included these words: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:10–12). According to what Jesus said, not only are we to expect persecution to be our lot as we follow Christ: we are to rejoice in those persecutions! Paul echoed that divine instruction when he wrote to the Philippians who were suffering for their faith, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (4:4). They were to rejoice not only when the going was good, but always! Circumstances are not to color our reactions to persecution. When Christians encounter trial and testing, we are to rejoice again and again, right to the end of our lives. 

The apostle John in recording Christ’s message to the church in Smyrna wrote, “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution . . . Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). 

Mysterious as it appears to be, true faith and suffering go hand in hand. You can’t have the one without the other. 

Again, it is difficult to understand that suffering is with God’s permission. We may sometimes forget that we can bring suffering upon ourselves. It is wrong to believe, for instance, that if you are sick it is because Satan has inflicted it upon you and if you have enough faith, it will go away. Sometimes God delivers, but not always; and when He permits suffering, His grace is sufficient for you to endure it. He gives added strength. He walks hand in hand with you through your suffering, but He does not necessarily deliver you out of it. 

Writing to Timothy, his young son in the faith, Paul said, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12, italics mine). That is putting it pretty bluntly! I think the principle is stated clearly so that you and I, as Christians, will not be in doubt. To be sure, some seem to suffer for their faith far more than others. Some of us have never known what it means to be physically persecuted for our faith, but all true Christians are subject to subtle suffering and insidious persecution. It may lie in the ridicule of our faith by those in the world around us. It could also exist in the discreet discrimination often practiced against Christian principles in the sophisticated arena of economics and society. For example, there are often discriminatory practices against the businessman, labor leader, or political figure trying to practice biblical, ethical, and moral standards. 

Subtle persecution may happen to you in your office, school, or social gathering; an outcast and not considered “one of the crowd.” 

Victorious Suffering

No suffering that the Christian endures for Christ is ever in vain. Living for Christ, walking in His way, is not an easy path—but it is a path to peace and power. The way of the cross is a hard one, but it offers eternal rewards.

At the heart of our universe is a God who suffers in redemptive love. We experience more of His love when we suffer within an evil world. Someone has said that if one suffers without succeeding, he can be sure that the success will come in someone else’s life. If he succeeds without suffering, he can be equally sure that someone else has already suffered for him.

Respond: 

When have you experienced persecution as a result of following the Lord? How did you respond?

Read Philippians 4:4-7. What does this passage say about God’s character towards those who suffer? 

Why do you think that Christians are not exempt from suffering?

Matthew 5:10-12 King James Version

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Revelation 2:10 King James Version

10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

2 Timothy 3:12 King James Version

12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Philippians 4:4-7 King James Version

4 Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.

5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.