“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe.” In honor of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12th, I open with a Lincoln quote. He was one of our most quotable presidents, I must say. The difficulty was not in finding one, but in choosing one. There are certainly more profound ones that could have started this bible study. “A house divided” and all of that, that was Lincoln. Well, OK, it was Jesus to start out with, but then Lincoln picked it up when lamenting the civil war and what it was doing to our nation.
One of my favorite Lincoln quotes is “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” I like that one. Sometimes they are funny ones: “I can make more generals, but horses cost money.” He was a witty guy was our Abe.
But I chose the one I chose because we are in the second week of our series on time. The text that Pastor Chris chose is ... well, it is way long for one thing. It goes on and on and on. And it is from Leviticus. Now if that doesn’t scare you, I don’t know what would.
OK, just kidding there. Leviticus is a fine book, one of the big five, or Pentateuch as they called it then. So, I would never speak ill of it. Heck, some of my best laws are levitical. So there.
The passage is about the ordering of time. Or as Chris puts it in his sermon title “the re-ordering of time.” Which means what, exactly? Well, take a look. At least give it a skim if you don’t want to read all the way through. Like I said, a long passage.
Leviticus 23:1-38 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: These are the appointed festivals of the LORD that you shall proclaim as holy convocations, my appointed festivals. 3 Six days shall work be done; but the seventh day is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work: it is a sabbath to the LORD throughout your settlements. 4 These are the appointed festivals of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall celebrate at the time appointed for them. 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, there shall be a passover offering to the LORD, 6 and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the festival of unleavened bread to the LORD; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. 8 For seven days you shall present the LORD's offerings by fire; on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation: you shall not work at your occupations. 9 The LORD spoke to Moses:
10 Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall raise the sheaf before the LORD, that you may find acceptance; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall raise it. 12 On the day when you raise the sheaf, you shall offer a lamb a year old, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD. 13 And the grain offering with it shall be two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD; and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 You shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements. 15 And from the day after the sabbath, from the day on which you bring the sheaf of the elevation offering, you shall count off seven weeks; they shall be complete.
16 You shall count until the day after the seventh sabbath, fifty days; then you shall present an offering of new grain to the LORD. 17 You shall bring from your settlements two loaves of bread as an elevation offering, each made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of choice flour, baked with leaven, as first fruits to the LORD. 18 You shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, one young bull, and two rams; they shall be a burnt offering to the LORD, along with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD.
19 You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of well-being. 20 The priest shall raise them with the bread of the first fruits as an elevation offering before the LORD, together with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21 On that same day you shall make proclamation; you shall hold a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. This is a statute forever in all your settlements throughout your generations. 22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the LORD your God.
23 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 24 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25 You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall present the LORD's offering by fire. 26 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 27 Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you: you shall deny yourselves and present the LORD's offering by fire; 28 and you shall do no work during that entire day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. 29 For anyone who does not practice self-denial during that entire day shall be cut off from the people. 30 And anyone who does any work during that entire day, such a one I will destroy from the midst of the people. 31 You shall do no work: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of complete rest, and you shall deny yourselves; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening you shall keep your sabbath. 33 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
34 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, and lasting seven days, there shall be the festival of booths to the LORD. 35 The first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. 36 Seven days you shall present the LORD's offerings by fire; on the eighth day you shall observe a holy convocation and present the LORD's offerings by fire; it is a solemn assembly; you shall not work at your occupations. 37 These are the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you shall celebrate as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD offerings by fire-- burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day-- 38 apart from the sabbaths of the LORD, and apart from your gifts, and apart from all your votive offerings, and apart from all your freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD.
Whew. What was that all about? Well, the re-ordering of time. Or sharpening the ax. Or ... It is about choosing how we spend our time. And remembering that our first allegiance is to God. And therefore choosing to do that which prepares us for the task that God has given to us. Which is many and varied, but at the heart is about being the body of Christ. It is about ordering ourselves in such a way that we are honed in ways that are useful to God and to our deepest selves, fulfilling our purpose and building up the body.
So, then, what do you want to spend your time doing? Chasing the empty promises of a consumer culture? Or seeking after that which brings us the most profound joy - service, sacrifice, reconciliation and relationship?
Excuse me, but I have an axe to sharpen. How about you?
One of my favorite Lincoln quotes is “Do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?” I like that one. Sometimes they are funny ones: “I can make more generals, but horses cost money.” He was a witty guy was our Abe.
But I chose the one I chose because we are in the second week of our series on time. The text that Pastor Chris chose is ... well, it is way long for one thing. It goes on and on and on. And it is from Leviticus. Now if that doesn’t scare you, I don’t know what would.
OK, just kidding there. Leviticus is a fine book, one of the big five, or Pentateuch as they called it then. So, I would never speak ill of it. Heck, some of my best laws are levitical. So there.
The passage is about the ordering of time. Or as Chris puts it in his sermon title “the re-ordering of time.” Which means what, exactly? Well, take a look. At least give it a skim if you don’t want to read all the way through. Like I said, a long passage.
Leviticus 23:1-38 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: These are the appointed festivals of the LORD that you shall proclaim as holy convocations, my appointed festivals. 3 Six days shall work be done; but the seventh day is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work: it is a sabbath to the LORD throughout your settlements. 4 These are the appointed festivals of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall celebrate at the time appointed for them. 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, there shall be a passover offering to the LORD, 6 and on the fifteenth day of the same month is the festival of unleavened bread to the LORD; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. 8 For seven days you shall present the LORD's offerings by fire; on the seventh day there shall be a holy convocation: you shall not work at your occupations. 9 The LORD spoke to Moses:
10 Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall raise the sheaf before the LORD, that you may find acceptance; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall raise it. 12 On the day when you raise the sheaf, you shall offer a lamb a year old, without blemish, as a burnt offering to the LORD. 13 And the grain offering with it shall be two-tenths of an ephah of choice flour mixed with oil, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD; and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, one-fourth of a hin. 14 You shall eat no bread or parched grain or fresh ears until that very day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements. 15 And from the day after the sabbath, from the day on which you bring the sheaf of the elevation offering, you shall count off seven weeks; they shall be complete.
16 You shall count until the day after the seventh sabbath, fifty days; then you shall present an offering of new grain to the LORD. 17 You shall bring from your settlements two loaves of bread as an elevation offering, each made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of choice flour, baked with leaven, as first fruits to the LORD. 18 You shall present with the bread seven lambs a year old without blemish, one young bull, and two rams; they shall be a burnt offering to the LORD, along with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering by fire of pleasing odor to the LORD.
19 You shall also offer one male goat for a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old as a sacrifice of well-being. 20 The priest shall raise them with the bread of the first fruits as an elevation offering before the LORD, together with the two lambs; they shall be holy to the LORD for the priest. 21 On that same day you shall make proclamation; you shall hold a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. This is a statute forever in all your settlements throughout your generations. 22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the LORD your God.
23 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 24 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. 25 You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall present the LORD's offering by fire. 26 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 27 Now, the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you: you shall deny yourselves and present the LORD's offering by fire; 28 and you shall do no work during that entire day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement on your behalf before the LORD your God. 29 For anyone who does not practice self-denial during that entire day shall be cut off from the people. 30 And anyone who does any work during that entire day, such a one I will destroy from the midst of the people. 31 You shall do no work: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your settlements. 32 It shall be to you a sabbath of complete rest, and you shall deny yourselves; on the ninth day of the month at evening, from evening to evening you shall keep your sabbath. 33 The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
34 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: On the fifteenth day of this seventh month, and lasting seven days, there shall be the festival of booths to the LORD. 35 The first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall not work at your occupations. 36 Seven days you shall present the LORD's offerings by fire; on the eighth day you shall observe a holy convocation and present the LORD's offerings by fire; it is a solemn assembly; you shall not work at your occupations. 37 These are the appointed festivals of the LORD, which you shall celebrate as times of holy convocation, for presenting to the LORD offerings by fire-- burnt offerings and grain offerings, sacrifices and drink offerings, each on its proper day-- 38 apart from the sabbaths of the LORD, and apart from your gifts, and apart from all your votive offerings, and apart from all your freewill offerings, which you give to the LORD.
Whew. What was that all about? Well, the re-ordering of time. Or sharpening the ax. Or ... It is about choosing how we spend our time. And remembering that our first allegiance is to God. And therefore choosing to do that which prepares us for the task that God has given to us. Which is many and varied, but at the heart is about being the body of Christ. It is about ordering ourselves in such a way that we are honed in ways that are useful to God and to our deepest selves, fulfilling our purpose and building up the body.
So, then, what do you want to spend your time doing? Chasing the empty promises of a consumer culture? Or seeking after that which brings us the most profound joy - service, sacrifice, reconciliation and relationship?
Excuse me, but I have an axe to sharpen. How about you?
Shalom,
Derek
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