Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Victim Offers Two Birds (Lev. 14:4-7)


9/19/2008 7:20 AM



SPIRITUAL DIARY



My Worship Time                    Focus:  The victim offers two birds



Bible Reading & Meditation     Reference:  Lev. 14-4-7



            Message of the verses:  “4  then the priest shall give orders to take two live clean birds and cedar wood and a scarlet string and hyssop for the one who is to be cleansed.  5  "The priest shall also give orders to slay the one bird in an earthenware vessel over running water.  6  "As for the live bird, he shall take it together with the cedar wood and the scarlet string and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was slain over the running water.  7  "He shall then sprinkle seven times the one who is to be cleansed from the leprosy and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the live bird go free over the open field.”

            In his commentary on this section of Scripture Dr. Wiersbe points out that this whole section of a picture of Jesus Christ coming to earth, dying, and then being resurrected from the dead.  The two birds represent Jesus Christ coming down from heaven to live on the earth as a man, (the clay pot), “As it were, He put Himself into a clay jar so that He might die for our sins.”  Now the running water that ran over the bird over which the bird was killed reminds us of the Holy Spirit.  What the blood stained bird that was let loose represents is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 

            This ritual was done in the OT times to a person who had been cleansed from leprosy by the Lord, but is it possible that that person felt that he was clean?  So it is when believers accept the Lord Jesus Christ forgiveness through what He has done for them on the cross, they too may not feel as if they have been cleansed from their sins and are now free from it and on their way to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ someday.  How do they know that they are clean?  Well the Word of God tells them this and the Holy Spirit will apply the Word of God to their heart showing them that they are now clean.  This is in fact a wonderful picture of the work of Jesus Christ as He came to earth and then died for the sins of the world and then was resurrected from the dead to go back to heaven and intercede for His Church before the Lord God in heaven.



            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I truly love things like what I learned from this passage today.  It is like a big mystery that is solved, for when I first read this section I was scratching my head wondering what God was up to by putting, what seemed to me as a weird ritual in His Word, but after understanding it then it put a smile on my face because I worship a God who solves mysteries and never makes mistakes.



My Steps of Faith for Today:



  1. As the Lord to remind me of any unconfessed sins in order to confess them before Him.
  2. Give myself to the Lord for service and worship today.
  3. Trust the Lord to guide my path today.
  4. Put on the spiritual armor in order to be able to stand today.
  5. Trust the Lord to teach me, and for me to learn contentment through the things that are going on in my life today. 



Memory verses for the week:                                  Exodus 20:8-11



  1. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
  2. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
  3. but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, your or your son or your daughter, your male or female servant or your cattle or the sojourner who stays with you.
  4. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in it, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.



9/19/2008 8:00 AM

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