Verses 1-5, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, saying: “If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.” ' ” The days of purification for having a female child, were exactly double that of having a male child. Although it is unclear exactly why, I know it is not because God thinks less of women. Some suggest that by having a child, you are bringing a sinner into the world, and a female child will in turn also bring sinners into the world. Others think that the male circumcision after the seventh day, ended a mother's days of uncleanness, shortening both times in half. Children are not considered evil, and the purification ceremony is not punishment...they are a blessed reward from God. Psalms 127:3, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward.”
Verses 6-8, “When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then he shall offer it before the Lord, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female. And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.” Women who were poor could be atoned for with the sacrifice of pigeons. As you can see, it was not about the value of the sacrifice that concerned God, just the heart in obeying His commands. Jesus actually commended a poor widow for giving a very small offering to God, because her heart was right in doing so. Luke 21:1-4, “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, 'Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.' ”
God does not look down at one's poverty, because the outward physical status is not how He judges...He looks inwardly. He continually makes provisions for the poor, by blessing those who will in turn bless others. Psalms 41:1, “Blessed is he who considers the poor; The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.” How you care for others, especially His children, Gods takes very personally. Proverbs 28:27, “He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.” When you see a need and shut off your heart and refuse to give, you actually can bring curses upon yourself. Proverbs 19:17, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, And He will pay back what he has given.” The Lord will repay because when you give to the poor, it is as though you are giving directly to Him.
Matthew 25:31-46, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the gats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Comments
Post a Comment