Made An Example

Teach the People of Israel all the decrees that God has spoken to them through Moses.  Leviticus 10:11

Made An Example
By Rev. William Dohle

Examples.  You can't help but use them.  Try to explain anything to anyone and you're bound to use an example.

As a pastor, I use tons of examples to explain things...because examples connect.  It's easy to tell people: "You'd better not do it this way..."  or "You'd better try it that way..." but without an example, no one gets it.

But tell them a story and they understand.  Show they an example, and they get it.

That's how examples work.

Perhaps that is the reason why Scripture is full of examples.  More than all the poetry and proverbs and commandments in the Bible, there are examples to explain.

Take the example of Nadab and Abihu, two of Aaron's sons.  One day, we are told, these two sons "took their censers, put hot coals and incense in them, and offered “strange” fire to God—something God had not commanded." (Lev. 10:1)

Now we might think, So what?  Who cares?  What could happen to them?  Well... "Fire blazed out from God and consumed them—they died in God’s presence."(Lev. 10:2)

Wow!  You think!  That's harsh!  And yet, they are remembered as an example.  For, after they die, Moses tells Aaron.

“This is what God meant when he said,

To the one who comes near me,
    I will show myself holy;
Before all the people,
    I will show my glory.”(Lev. 10:3-5)

Nadab and Abihu die...and are used as an example to show, not only the consequences of disobeying God, but what God's holiness means.  God's glory and holiness is mysterious and even dangerous!  Look at what happened to Nadab and Abihu!  Remember their story...and heed their warning.

We all can be used as examples by others.   Stories can be told and retold about us as well, illustraing one thing or another.

But there are two kinds of examples.  One of them is a negative example.  A warning.  "Don't do what this person did..."

The other kind of example is a positive one.  "Look at what this person did.  Strive to be like them..."

I can think of many positive examples...modern and ancient.  I think Martin Luther King Jr. is an example of standing for what is right in a non-violent way.  I think Gandi is too.  I think Ruth is an good example of what to do with your family.  How to love them more than ever.  I think Esther is one who risks her life to save her people.

And the best example, as a Christian, that I can think of, is the example of Jesus the Messiah.  In the stories I read about him, in the tales told about his life, I see the way I want to live my life.  I see the kind of person that I want to be.  

Those are all positive examples...people who did right.

All these examples challenge us too.  They challenge us to be the people God has made us to be.  To stand up for the right.  To be people of integrity.  To be loving, caring, compassionate, and forgiving people. To be the positive examples for the next generation.

May God help us to be just that.  May he strengthen us in our walk with him today that, in the future, others might tell stories of our lives as positive examples of Christ's love.

God of holiness, you show yourself in the all consuming fire of the altar and in the tongues of flame over the disciples heads.  Make us positive examples of your grace, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Celebrate with Me!

Moses said to the assembly, "This is what the Lord has commanded to be done."  Leviticus 8:5

Celebrate with Me!
By Rev. William Dohle

In my years of ministry I have been privy to lots and lots of talk.  Good talk, bad talk, and even talk about talking.  I don't know how I would organize all the conversations I've had... but I must say that conversations around celebrations ranks high up there.

When a family is gone on a vacation, it's good to talk about their vacation.  When someone has been out celebrating an anniversary or a birthday or maybe just had a party at their house, talk of the celebration and of the details of it are common.

We like to ask: "How was it?"  And we don't mind hearing the details.

We share our celebrations in this way to include others in them.  When I hear about someone's trip to the Holy Land and see the excitement on their face, I can experience it through their eyes.  When I hear how their party was, how many people were there and who was present, I can almost attend through their experience.

In both of these instances... I celebrate...because they are celebrating!  Hearing about the party brings it to life for me.  It makes it real.

So it should be no wonder that the Bible is so full of detail, especially around celebrations!  The ordination of Aaron and his sons take up two chapters!  The service takes up an entire one itself.  Like a doting grandmother with all the details of the party in her head, we hear of every single move Aaron and Moses takes.  Including...

• He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him...(8:7)
• Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it and consecrated them...He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head and anointed him to consecrate him.(8:10, 12)
• He ten presented the ram for the burnt offering and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head...He then presented the other ram, the ram for the ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on it's head.(8:18, 22)
• 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. (8:30)

Detail after detail of the service are shared, not in the hopes that we would somehow reproduce it or mimic it, but that we might enter into this sacred moment.  We are invited to share in this day, in all the details of it from the beginning of the service to the end!

What a wonderful gift God has given us!  The chance to experience life and enter into the world of our ancestors, seeing ourselves in the crowd watching as this event takes place instead of as 21st Century people three millennium later!

These words make us a part of the story.  Like a tale told by our grandparents, the story of Aaron's ordination is recorded here and passed down to us in order that we too may enter in and experience their world from the inside out.  True, we may not understand everything we read.  We may not be able to fully visualize it, but we are able to read and to see it as clearly as we can.

Not only does it call us back in time, but it also gives us an appreciation for the stories all around us.  The life experiences of our parents, our grandparents, and those who've passed on are stories just like the story of Aaron's ordination.  And just like this text, these stories too remind us of who we are.  They invite us to share in our ancestors' celebrations and victories, and sometimes, in their grief and defeat.  What a marvelous gift they have to give.  Through their words, we are able to experience life through their eyes...and rejoice and mourn with them too.

God experiences life through our stories too.  Through the telling and re-telling of our stories, our experiences are brought to life, not just for our immediate listeners, but also for God.  For God is the silent backstage hand, the hidden person behind the camera, the still small voice, and the constant companion.  For it is "in God that we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts 17:28)

Celebrate with me, God.  Mourn with me, God.  Move in the stories of my life that I may see your presence.  Amen.

"I Didn't Mean To..."

If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, he is guilty.  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.  Leviticus 4:27-28

"I Didn't Mean To..."
By Rev. William Dohle

"I didn't mean to!  I really didn't mean to..."

How many times have we heard that statement?  From our children?  From our spouse?  From those closest to us?  Our family and friends?  How many times have we heard the excuse that we really "didn't mean to?"

Or how many times have we USED that excuse to excuse our own behavior?

That happened to me just the other night.  For some reason or other, I was not paying any attention to what my wife was saying from the bathroom.  She was muttering something about not liking how she looked and not feeling pretty or something.  And here's what I said...

"Jenny, I really feel sorry for you..."

That caused a "What?!" to be heard from the bathroom.  "You pity me for not being pretty!!"

Oh boy, I thought.  How am I going to get out of this?  I tried to tell her I didn't mean it.  That I thought she had said something else and that my intentions were pure...but that didn't really matter.  What she wanted was an apology, an admission of guilt on my part.  Then, and only then, could we move past this slip-up.

Sometimes we think that if we don't MEAN to do something that we haven't done anything.  But that's not what the Bible tells us.  At least, that's not what the book of Leviticus tells us.  Instead the Bible tells us...

If a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible.(Lev. 5:17)

It would be one thing if it ended here...but unintentionality is a theme in the book of Leviticus.

If anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands... (Lev. 4:2)
If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands... (Lev. 4:13)
When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the the commands of the Lord, his God... (Lev. 4:22)
If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands... (Lev. 4:27)
If a person commits a violation and sins unintentionally in regard to any of the Lord's holy things... (Lev. 5:15)

Obviously, God doesn't care here whether we intentionally did it or not.  God doesn't care about motives...only results.

As much as we'd like to dismiss these passages, truth be told, we need to be held responsible for our unintentional sins.  Think of all the modern day unintentional sins committed...

• Did the oil companies MEAN TO kill off the wildlife when the oil spilled in the Gulf?
• Do we MEAN TO pollute our environment and kill off nature?
• Do we MEAN TO support a system of slavery in other countries by buying cheaply made goods in our own country?

Of course we didn't mean to!  It just happened... Or individually...

• Do we MEAN TO ignore the person who is trying to say "hello" to us?
• Do we MEAN TO make our family feel like they always take second place as we run around fulfilling our own needs?
• Do we MEAN TO fail to teach our kids the faith?

And we could go on.  Unintentional sins are the most frequently committed ones because, truth be told, we are not bad people.  Most times we do not MEAN TO hurt others by what we say or do or, more often, by what we fail to say and do.  It just happens.

We just do it.

And so, God is wise to point out our unintentional sins, to bring them to light, to hold us responsible for not being responsible, and for calling us to repentance.

For that end, repentance, is really what God is after.  "A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."  (Psalm 51:17)  God doesn't call us to our unintentional sins just to make us feel guilty, but to inspire us to change around and repent for it is through repentance that we are granted forgiveness.

May we approach God and others with heart felt apologies, not just for the things we have done intentionally to them, but for those things that we have done unintentionally that a spirit of repentance and forgiveness might overshadow us all.

O Lord, I have sinned against you and against others unintentionally.  I haven't meant to do anything wrong, but I have.  Forgive me for Jesus sake.  Amen.

The Cost of Forgiveness

 If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible.  Leviticus 5:17

Forgiveness' Price
By Rev. William Dohle

I want you to do something... This week, I want you to count how many times you hear people say: "I forgive you."  When you need to apologize or when someone apologizes to you or when you overhear someone apologize to someone else, I want you to count.  How often do you hear "I forgive you" spoken.

I bet you hear it very VERY few times this next week or the weeks and months after that.  Why?

It's not because people are getting any better.  Sins abound in our lives all the same and they ain't going away.  So it can't be because we don't need forgiveness.

Nor is it because people aren't apologizing anymore.  I can't say it's because we don't hear "I'm sorry" on the streets.  In fact, I hear "I'm sorry" a lot, especially in my house.

No, I think the reason why you won't hear "I forgive you" spoken is because, deep down people know how costly forgiveness is!

Forgiveness requires a sacrifice on someone's part.

Most of the time forgiveness costs the forgiver the most.  They give up the right for retribution and for repayment.  If someone says: "Your loan is forgiven" it is the one who forgave the debt who took a loss.  If someone says: "You are forgiven" regarding a wrong you have done, they have sacrificed their right for vengeance.  They have said, "You owed me for that...but I have given debt up.  I will not hold it against you."

Forgiveness always costs the forgiver but sometimes forgiveness costs the one asking for forgiveness too.  Absolution in a catholic confessional, for example, has certain requirements.  "Say 5 Hail Marys and 5 Our Fathers".  Every action has its consequences and these consequences are passed down to the one asking for forgiveness.  They still must suffer loss for what they have done.

It is this second model of forgiveness that we see demonstrated in the book of Leviticus.  In this chapter, sin offerings are described for everything from intentional sins of the priest that affect the entire congregation to unintentional sins committed by the assembly to intentionally unintentional sins committed by individuals.

For an entire chapter, we are told what sacrifices to make in order to be forgiven.  Bulls, lambs, and doves are killed and chopped up, their bodies given to God in a certain way, and, in the end, the same refrain plays over and over again...

In this way the priest will make atonement for them before the Lord, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty.

I wonder sometimes... why such graphic detail?  Why describe the sin offerings in this way?

Christians borrow much of our language for Jesus' blood atonement directly from Leviticus.  It is here we see sacrifice atoning for sin.  The biggest difference, however, is that intentionally these sacrifices were not human ones.  Israel existed at a time when sins were atoned in other cultures by human sacrifices.  Somebody had to be killed in order to appease the gods.  Israel's laws changed that.  By sacrificing an animal you eliminate the need for a human sacrifice.  You take a loss...but not in human blood.

Details aside, though we realize through this reading that forgiveness is costly.  Very costly in fact.  The consequences for sinning against God and against each other, even though unintentional, still remain.  Someone must suffer the consequences of sin!  Someone must suffer.

Though very few Christians read these passages as anything significant, we still believe the world view they assert.  We still think that forgiveness is costly...not to us so much but to God, to Jesus the Christ.  In Christian thought, Jesus ransoms us from sin, death, and the devil with his blood.  He is lamb of God sacrificed for the sake of the world.  Despite our sweamishness at these passages, the sacrificial system itself remains intact for Christians...animals have just been replaced by Jesus Christ himself.

Though we'd like to think we can get rid of these passages and avoid them, truth is these passages make up the heart of much of Christian theology.  Getting rid of them would rid us of the need for a sacrifice for sin and, in many minds, the need for Christ himself.  Christ comes to forgive our sins through his blood on the cross.  That image is straight out of this text.

But, as Christians, we must realize too that forgiveness doesn't stop with God either.  Though God may have forgiven us, we still must pay the consequences of our sin and that is often very difficult.  It requires us to repent to others and humble ourselves in their presence.  It requires, at times, a sacrifice of time and even resources to truly say "I'm sorry."  It requires a price, smaller than the price paid by God, but a price nevertheless.

God help me forgive others as freely as you forgave me.  Give me strength to pay the cost of repentance, even as you paid for my sins.  Amen.

Come and eat with God!

It is a burnt offering, a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.  Leviticus 1:9

Come and eat with God!
By Rev. William Dohle


A year ago or so, a member of my congregation, having gone to France just a month before, invited my wife and I to a grand feast.  Food that she had sampled in France was reproduced before us to eat and share.  A glass of wine began the meal followed by appetizers followed by a meal that still makes my mouth water.  Six of us were invited to such a feast.

It was one of the most intimate and enjoyable experiences I have ever had!

There is something to be said for eating with someone.  Entering into their home.  Sitting down for a meal prepared by them.  Smelling the food.  Tasting the wine.

There is no closer experience.  To this day, I covet such experiences, enjoying the closeness such sharing can bring.

But how would you reproduce these events and invite God?  What would you cook?  How would you fix it?  What would you need to bring and prepare?  And how would you prepare it?

Such questions are at the heart of these first chapters in Leviticus.

Upon first glance, the sacrificial portions of Leviticus seem barbaric.

"You are to cut it into pieces, and the priest shall arrange them, including the head and the fat, on the wood that is burning on the altar. You are to wash the internal organs and the legs with water, and the priest is to bring all of them and burn them on the altar." (Lev. 1:12-13)

Such language often can make us shudder!  Why would God command his people this way?!

We wonder what a barbaric people the ancient Israelites were that such things were commanded by God!  And we thank God that such sacrifices are not done today!

But, before we dismiss this entirely, perhaps we should look at the reason WHY these sacrifices were made.  We are apt to think that ancient Israelites sacrificed animals to APPEASE God.  But that's not the case at all!

Ancient Israelites sacrificed animals to gain intimacy with God.  Literally to eat with God!

If you wanted to prepare a meal for an unseen, almighty deity, what would you make?  What could God possibly want?

Perhaps a bull... but how would you prepare it?
Or a bird...but how would you slice it?
Or perhaps an offering of grain and bread?

And what would be the occasions for such a feast?  When would you be expected to throw a dinner for God?

For an ordinary meal with God... what would you bring?
If you're thankful to God... what should you give?
If you have sinned against God, either intentionally or unintentionally, how do you say "Sorry?"

All these are questions that Leviticus answers in detail.

Do they apply to us??  Well... yes and no.

We do not literally sacrifice anything, bulls or otherwise.  Nor do we need instructions on where to put the fat on the altar and what to do with the carcass.

But...

Leviticus does point to the why of sacrifice and the need to give back to God.

Sacrifice was never done to appease God.  The aroma was said to be pleasing to God, but it was never meant to stop God's wrath or anger.  That was never the purpose of sacrifice in the first place.  The people sacrificed to God to gain intimacy with God and to obey his commandments.

We may crave this too... but we cannot sacrifice or worship God as they did.

Still... we need to give back to God.  We need to celebrate with God.  We need to give of ourselves when times are good, in thanksgiving for what God has done.  We need to give of ourselves when we are sorry, as a way of repenting for what we have done wrong.  We need this give back more than God does.  And the more ways we give back.  The more ways we sacrifice what we have to celebrate with God, the more connected we will feel we are to God.

And the aroma of our sacrifices will be pleasing to God too!

God you give everything to us and hold nothing back.  Give us sacrificial hearts too that we might give back to you what you have first given us.  Amen.

To Keep or Not To Keep

These are the commands the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.  Leviticus 27:34

To Keep or Not To Keep
By Rev. William Dohle

It's amazing what laws are still on the books...even though they are rather ridiculous!

Take a few laws from my home state, Utah.

• In Salt Lake County it is illegal to walk down the street with a violin in a paper bag.
• In Trout Creek, Utah it is illegal to cure a cold with gunpowder.
• It is a felony to persistently tread on the cracks between paving stones on the sidewalk of a state highway.
• It is illegal to hunt whales in Utah.  (By the way, Utah isn't even close to the ocean!

In Illinois, where I live now...

• The English Language is NOT to be spoken.
• Law prohibits eating in a place in Chicago that is on fire.
• It is forbidden in Chicago to fish while sitting on a giraffe's neck
• In Galesburg, no one may keep a smelly dog.
• And in Kirkland, IL bees are not allowed to fly over the village.

Google Outdated laws yourself and see what you find.

The funny part is that...these laws are STILL on the books.  I wonder sometimes if anyone has been caught breaking these laws.  What would they do to them?

The Bible too is full of outdated laws.  Whole books of them in fact.  Many are obvious.  Some not.  Laws, for instance, that concern the treatment of slaves do not apply to a society without slavery.  A Templeless religion has no need for instructions about burnt offerings and priesthoods.  And a society that gives the right to kill to the state has no need of laws with corporal punishment.

But how do you decide?  How do you choose?  How do you know what laws to keep and what laws not to keep?  How can you tell?

The book of Leviticus is itself a book of laws.  With few real stories within it, Leviticus was written to aid God's people to walk God's path.  It exists to help design Israel into the the people that God would be proud of.  It contains commands on what to eat and not to eat, how to clean your home from mildew, rules on the various festivals that are celebrated among other things.

It was written thousands of years before Christ, but its words still sting today.  Many of the Bible's worst critics and strongest allies quote from Leviticus to bolster their arguments.  The best known passages, like the ones about sexual behavior which only constitute one chapter of the book, are thrown around so much that we might think they were written yesterday for us and not to another people thousands of years ago.  Many laws in the book are ignored while other laws are held up as models of what God wants.

So... how do you decide what to keep?

As I come to the book of Leviticus in my journey through Scripture, I am sorely tempted to skip the book altogether.  It would be easy to put it behind me and focus instead on the narratives in Numbers and the passionate discourse in Deuteronomy.  Anything to keep from dealing with Leviticus!

But something compels me to look deeper.  The Spirit of God perhaps.  Something calls me deeper into the book... to wrestle with the laws that disturb me and to celebrate the laws that invigorate me.

So... join me through the season of Easter, as we explore the book of Leviticus further and understand the laws that the Jew, Jesus of Nazareth, knew by heart.  And God help us on the journey!

Your word, O Lord, is full of disturbing and uncomfortable commandments, many of which I don't follow.  Give me eyes that I may see you through the words on the page.  Amen.

New Promise? Old Promise? Or Renewed Promise?

"The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin..."(Ex. 32:6-7)

New Promise?  Old Promise?  Or Renewed Promise?
By Rev. William Dohle

It's amazing how your childhood affects your adulthood!

As a child, I was promised many things.  Some of them were fulfilled.  Others not.  And I'm sure I promised my parents in return many things as well.  Some were fulfilled... others not.

So, as a parent I have tried VERY hard NOT to promise my kids anything.  My favorite word is "Maybe"...which they usually cheer about because they think it means "Yes"...but what it really means is "Probably yes, but I'm not going to promise anything."

Promises have a weight about them.  When a promise is kept, all is well.  Nothing changes between us because the relationship is secure.  In fact, promises kept are seldom remembered long.  But when a promise is broken...the weight of expectations lands on your head.  You start to question your relationship.  You wonder if you should believe them or not.  You take their word, as a suggestion and a maybe, rather than a certainty.

Scripture is full of promises.  Covanents they are called.  Promises made by BOTH parties for the good of their relationship.  These covenants are binding...as long as both parties remain faithful to their word.

In Exodus, a covenant is made, broken, and renewed all while the people are on Mt. Sinai.

It is made when God says: "I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery..."(Ex. 20:2) and the people respond : "Everything the Lord has said we will do."(Ex. 24:3)

It is broken when the people turn away from God, saying, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."(Ex. 32:4)  and God says "Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them." (Ex. 32:10).

And it is renewed when, after making new stone tablets, Moses proclaims, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin..."(Ex. 32:6-7)  And God says, "I am making a covenant with you."(Ex. 32:10)

Promise made... promise broken... promise renewed!

This pattern is repeated again and again in all of Scripture.  Promise made...broken...and renewed.  Sometimes I wonder if God ever thought NOT to promise things to a people who can never keep their promises.  But God didn't.  Instead, God tries again and again to help us live up to our promises and live as God's people.

This pattern is even taken into the New Testament.  Only there we see the renewed promise in Jesus Christ.  Jesus isn't a new promise, eliminating the old.  Rather Jesus is the old promise renewed by God.  In the old promise, God says God will never leave us or forsake us.  In the old promise renewed, even death itself cannot separate us from God's love.

In this renewed promise, we see God's promising again to be the God of Sinai...only not just for Israel but for the entire world.  The God who is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love is the God alive and at work in Jesus the Messiah.  God renews in Jesus the promise to be the God he was at Sinai...to everyone this time, not just to the Jews, in Jesus Christ.

We live in that renewed, expanded promise.  Our prayers depend on God's faithfulness to God's promise.  Without those promises, we are lost.  With those promises, we are able to approach God's throne of grace boldly and with confidence.  "Standing on the promises" is exactly what we do.  For without them, we have nothing to cling to.

So... be bold!  Stand on God's promises!  God has promised to be "compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin..."  take him up on that promise!  Ask forgiveness with bold confidence in God's grace.  Present your requests with certainty that God hears.  Be bold!  For God has promised to be good...and God doesn't go back on his promises.

As you renewed your promises to me in Jesus Christ, renew my own commitment to you, Lord, that I may mirror your love and faithfulness in my own life.  Amen.