Today we read Leviticus 6:1 – 7:10 where we read the Lord saying to Moses, “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving his neighbor …” (verse 1). This verse reveals that sin – any sin – against our neighbor is also a sin against the Lord. So that we don’t misunderstand what this concept means, God provides a list of offenses – “something stolen; cheats; lies; swears falsely; any such sin that people may do; extortion; etc. God wants us to know that sin against a neighbor is also a violation against the Lord. The rest of chapter 6 covers the various regulations that govern the burnt offering (verses 8-13); the grain offering (verses 14-23); and the sin offering (verses 24-30). Chapter 7 begins with the regulations for the guilt offering (verses 1-10). These detailed regulations specify the kind of offering to be sacrificed, the place of slaughter, what the priest shall wear, the nature of the fire, what may or may not be eaten, and how to deal with the ashes, etc.
We are beginning to see that Leviticus is a book which explains (1) that holiness and purity are necessary for man to come into God’s presence. (2) Leviticus also shows how man’s sin has placed him [us] in a precarious and unsafe position before God. Our sinful state simply invites God’s wrath. (3) However, Leviticus also reveals that purity and holiness are recoverable. (4) Leviticus informs us that God - in His mercy – has established a path – the Levitical law – that can lead the Israelites back into a restored position of safe fellowship with Him. By keeping the legal rituals of Leviticus – complex though they are – the Israelites could obtain forgiveness and fellowship through their obedience - without incurring God’s holy and righteous wrath because of our sin.
In Proverbs 6:12-19, we see another section that describes how to develop a proper relationship with the Lord. This important passage relates to our total conduct and being – our eyes, our tongue, our hands, our heart, our feet, and our witness (i.e., this especially applies to our reputation, our attitudes, and our integrity). The verses identify the behaviors of a “scoundrel and villain” (verse 12). He “goes about with a corrupt mouth, signals with his feet, motions with his fingers, plots evil with deceit in his heart – always stirring up dissension” (verses 12-14). The scoundrel and the villain manifest any number of the “seven things that are detestable to the LORD” (verses 16-19). We would always do well prayerfully to check our own conduct regularly against these evils.
In Mark 10:46-52, we see the story of blind Bartimaeus receiving his sight at the miraculous hands of our Lord. The faith of this man is memorable and exemplary. He cannot see with his physical eyes, but blind Bartimaeus sees through the eye of faith. Today, many people are willfully blind - they do not want to see the truth - choosing rather to live out their lives in their self-imposed spiritual darkness. What is interesting about Bartimaeus receiving his sight is his insistence and his persistence to have Jesus remove his blindness. He was blind, but He recognized the mercy offered by the Son of David (we note that he proclaimed this twice, cf., verses 47-48) – something the Pharisees refused to accept. In his blindness, he could see more than they could see in their sight. Bartimaeus wanted to see so badly that he didn’t care how much noise or commotion he made. He was not about to let Jesus walk by him without a confrontation of healing. Jesus healed him and said, “Your faith has healed you” (verse 52).
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