Daily Dose of Hope New Hope

Daily Dose of Hope
May 22, 2024
Day 4 of Week 8
 
Scripture:  Leviticus 19-20; Hebrews 7
Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the daily devotional and podcast that complements New Hope Church’s daily Bible reading plan. 
Let’s start with Leviticus, chapter 19.  This includes a list of various laws that illustrate a lifestyle of holiness.  These are laws that demonstrate that being holy isn't simply about how we interact with God but itis most seen in how we live our lives in community.  Holiness indicates separation; the Israelites were to be separate and behave differently from the cultures around them.  While holiness was often seen as religious piety, how they obeyed and worshiped God, it is clear from this chapter that God also saw holiness as being lived out in how people cared for one another. This valuing of human life separated the Israelites from the people around them. 
As Christ-followers, we often think that holiness is something that was required of God's people long ago.  But living a life characterized by holiness is still an important attribute of God's people.  In Romans 12, the apostle Paul urges us to offer our whole selves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.  In I Thessalonians 4, Paul tells the church in Thessalonica to live holy lives.  I Peter 1 says to be holy is all we do.  
What are we to make of this?  How does this connect to the Old Testament passage we just read? As previously mentioned, God was forming a holy nation, a people that behaved and looked different from the pagan nations surrounding them.  In the same way, God calls us to behave and look different from the people around us.  If we are blending so well into the culture around us that people don't know we belong to Jesus, then we've got a huge problem! I want to be clear, as Jesus-followers, we aren't supposed to separate ourselves from the world.  We need to be in the world to shine the light of Jesus, to be in the world but not of it.  We are to seek a life that reflects the holiness of Jesus Christ; to live with integrity and Godly values, to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, to love and care about others.  These things will naturally separate us from our surrounding culture and people will take notice.
Chapter 20 is filled with some very serious regulations.  Most, but not all, are related to sexual relations.  The penalty for sexually deviant behavior was usually death (although there isn't a lot of evidence that the death penalty was actually carried out as a result of these offenses).  To our twenty-first century, post-resurrection sensibilities, this all seems very severe.  But I have to keep returning to this point: God was forming a holy people, a nation that was so very different from the pagan cultures around them, a group of people who valued the God-given gift of creation.  Anything that even slightly resembled the pagan people groups around them, things like child sacrifice, incest, or the occult, was absolutely detestable to God.  His people were set apart.  God still calls us to be set apart. While we have experienced the grace of Jesus Christ, we aren't supposed to abuse our freedom.  There are still standards of behavior for God's people.  It was never the plan for us to blend so nicely into our culture that no one would know who and whose we are.  How are you set apart?  What kind of changes may you need to make to live a life characterized by holiness?  Spend some time in prayer today.
Let’s move on to Hebrews 7.  In this chapter, we see that the ideal qualities of a high priest are found in Jesus and Jesus alone.  What are the qualities?   First, the ideal high priest exemplifies holiness. Jesus is totally holy and without sin.  Second, he was set apart from sinners.  He is blameless, innocent and free from any kind of moral contamination or weakness.  He did not need to constantly make sacrifices on behalf of others.  Rather, he was

Daily Dose of Hope
May 21, 2024
Day 3 of Week 8
 
Scripture:  Leviticus 15-17; Psalm 31; Hebrews 6
Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the daily devotional and podcast that complements New Hope Church’s daily Bible reading plan.  I know that we are getting into some of the drier parts of Leviticus.  Stay with me.  God will honor your dedication.
With that, let’s get into our Leviticus passage for today. The first chapter we read deals with abnormal male discharges and normal and abnormal female discharges.  What a fun chapter!  According to the law, when a woman had her monthly period, she was unclean for seven days.  Whatever and whoever she touched would also be considered unclean.  At first, I had a tendency to be put off when I read this.  What do you mean a woman is unclean because she's on her period?  She has no choice in this matter!  But after I thought about it a bit, I wonder if this wasn't a time of respite for women.  In a world where they worked constantly caring for children, cooking, and cleaning, there was one week a month during which they removed themselves from the world and got a little break.  Other women probably stepped up and cared for their families.  Then, they would care for the children of these other women when it was their time of the month.  What initially appears punitive may in fact be healing and restful. 
Chapter 16 details what is called the Day of Atonement (the contemporary name for this Yom Yippur).  This was the one day of the year in which the high priest would enter the most holy place, also called the holiest of holies, in which God's presence dwelt.  He had to engage in some pretty elaborate purification rituals and sacrifice many animals in order to atone for the sins of the people.  While we may see this task as an honor from our modern vantage point, the reality was that this was a pretty scary time for the high priest.  He had to do everything just right.  He was going to be in the presence of the Lord and if he didn't follow instructions properly, there was always the risk of being killed, which was what happened when something unholy came into contact with the holy.  This was serious business.
I just can't read this chapter without thinking about Jesus.  Why?  Because when the high priest went into the holiest of holies, probably shaking in his boots, his rituals and sacrifices atoned for the sins of the people for one year.  Then it had to be done again the next year and the next and the next.  Besides that, there were sacrifices that had to be done on days in between to atone for other individual sins.  Because humans are sinful and mess up a lot, these acts of atonement were a constant in the lives of the Israelite people.  Jesus put an end to all of it.  Jesus was the "once and for all" sacrifice that ensured all these other rituals and sacrifices could cease.  The perfect sacrifice, the lamb of God, voluntarily sacrificed his life on a cross so that our sin could be atoned for forevermore!  And now, we don't have to be scared to enter the presence of God.  God welcomes us boldly to his throne of grace.  We may still be a broken mess, but God doesn't see that.  Rather, he sees the atoning work of Jesus.  The blood of Jesus covers us and that makes all the difference.
Chapter 17 begins what scholars call the holiness codes for the Israelites.  These are the everyday ways that they were to seek holiness, to be set apart from the surrounding cultures and nations.  On the surface, it looks like this chapter is more instructions on where to do their sacrifices and what food to eat, but it is really about not sacrificing animals to demons (the goat idol), violating the first and second commandments. 
 
Apparently, the sacrifices made in open fields rather than the tent of meeting tended to be for the purposes of idolatry.  This was about worship of the one true God.  It's easy for us to say that we don't sacri

Daily Dose of Hope
May 20, 2024
Day 2 of Week 8
 
Scripture:  Leviticus 12-14; Psalm 111; Hebrews 5
Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the daily devotional and podcast that complements New Hope Church’s daily Bible reading plan. 
Let’s get right into our Scripture for today, beginning with our reading in Leviticus.  In chapter 11 (which we read yesterday), we began the discussion of clean vs. unclean.  While chapter 11 dealt specifically with food, the next few chapters talk about uncleanliness surrounding bodily functions. 
Chapter 12 details childbirth.  It seems important to point out that because something is unclean, it doesn't make it morally sinful or wrong.  Childbirth was seen as a joy; God commanded humanity to be fruitful and multiply.  A woman who has just given birth is in no way sinful but is considered ritually unclean.  Blood was associated with life and the loss of it meant things were not whole and clean.  Loss of blood could lead to death.  If you haven't been part of a birthing experience, just trust me that there is a great deal of blood (and other fluids) lost in the process.  It's messy.  Thus, there was a process then for bringing things back into a state of cleanness. 
I can't help but think this time of seclusion after birth was a gift that God gave the mother.  Before she had to move on to the normal activities of life, she was forced to rest, to be cared for, to have other women tend to her children and her physical needs.  Life slowed down for a time so that she could heal.  This was not a time of punishment but part of God's bigger plan of caring for new mothers.
Leviticus 13 details the various skin conditions and diseases that could make someone unclean.  Anyone with these ailments had to live outside the camp by themselves, wear torn clothing, let their hair down, and yell, "Unclean!" if someone were to come near.  Being outside the camp would have meant being separated not just from other people but also from God, since the presence of God dwelt in the camp itself.  It was almost like the unclean person was in mourning, being isolated and alone, and the behaviors they had to engage in (torn clothing, unkempt hair, etc.) certainly would have been associated with the mourning process.
This is hard for me to read.  I struggle with ostracizing anyone for being afflicted with something out of their control.  At the same time, I understand that isolating the sick person minimized spread, which could have occurred at an alarmingly quick rate in the Israelite camp.  Furthermore, at the time, there was a strong connection between wholeness and healthy things without blemish AND holiness. If a priest had a physical flaw or disability, he couldn't be a priest.  If an animal had a defect, it could not be sacrificed in the tabernacle.  Only that which was totally clean, healthy, and whole could risk being near the holiness of God's presence in the tabernacle. 
This was an almost impossible standard to keep up. In fact, the people could not keep it up.  One purpose of the law was to demonstrate that humanity could not measure up.  They could not be whole enough, healthy enough, perfect enough, or pure enough.  It just wasn't possible.  Thus, a savior was needed.  A mediator between God and the people was essential.  Jesus Christ became that mediator, the final, perfect sacrifice to end all sacrifices. Jesus fulfilled the law.  Everything about him was whole, healthy, pure, and holy. Of course, the irony here is that there was something about the holiness of Jesus that sinners, outcasts, and the sick flocked toward.  And Jesus welcomed them with open arms. No more banning skin diseases to outside the camp, Jesus touched the ill. He demonstrated acceptance and love.  He turned their mourning into dancing and joy.
Finally, chapter 14 details the cleansing rituals for skin conditions once an individual was well enough to be included back in t

Daily Dose of Hope
May 19, 2024
Day 1 of Week 8
 
Scripture:  Leviticus 8-11; Psalm 110; Hebrews 4
Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the daily devotional and podcast that complements New Hope Church’s daily Bible reading plan.  Today is Pentecost Sunday.  As Christians, Pentecost is the day we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2.  Pentecost was originally a Jewish harvest celebration, specifically to commemorate the beginning of the wheat harvest.  It was called the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks.  It was for that reason that so many people had gathered in Jerusalem in Acts 2, When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.  I would encourage you to read through the rest of Acts 2 and see the miracles that occurred that day.  As Christ-followers, we don’t celebrate Pentecost as a harvest day but as the day the Holy Spirit came and changed everything!  From that point forward, the Spirit of the Living God would reside within believers.  Think about it, the same power that raised Jesus lives in us.  There is power in that!
Okay, let’s move on to our Scripture reading for today, beginning with Leviticus.  We read about Aaron and his sons being ordained as priests and beginning their ministry. Their first act is to sacrifice a bull calf and a ram as a sin offering to the Lord.  It is worth mentioning that the last time Aaron was the main character in the text, he allowed the people to make a golden bull calf to which they bowed down and worshiped.  God could have taken his life then and there but instead we see God's great mercy.  Rather than death for allowing idolatry, Aaron is now high priest.  Aaron is now the representative for the people before God, responsible for the sacrifices that atone for the sins of the community and individuals-a hugely important task.   
But then we move to chapter 10.  It’s here we abruptly moved from joy to horror.  Up until this point, everything has been done just as the Lord commanded.  But here, we find two of Aaron's sons bring unauthorized fire before the Lord.  What does this mean?  Most likely, they brought fire from an unholy place outside the sanctuary and then presented it before the Lord.  Maybe they had the attitude that fire is fire.  Who cares?  I think we should mention that their behavior wasn't simply a slip-up; this wasn't an accident but an intentional disregard for what God commanded.  It demonstrated irreverence before a holy God, possibly like a Christian pastor adding some kind of cult ritual to a service of communion.  As Christians, we like to worship God with gladness and joy; he is Abba Father, daddy, we are comfortable with him.  All of this is wonderful.  But we also have to remember that he is still holy God.  He is powerful, he has all authority on heaven and earth, he is the God of all.  Thanks to Jesus, we get to have a relationship with holy God.  We get to walk hand in hand with him.  At the same time, how important it is for us to remember that God's holiness is real.  There always needs to be some level of reverence, deep respect for the God who was and is and is to come, the God who deserves our utmost worship, veneration, and awe.
Take time to read Psalm 110.  We won’t be discussing it today except to say it was written by King David and it is considered messianic prophecy.  As you read through it, can you find the verses that speak to the coming of Jesus Christ? 
Hebrews chapter 4 begins with a discussion about entering God’s rest. Moses and Joshua tried to lead the Israelites into God’s rest but the people disob

Daily Dose of Hope
May 16, 2024
Day 5 of Week 7
 
Scripture: Leviticus 4-6; Hebrews 3
 
Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional that complements New Hope Church’s Bible Reading Plan.  I hope you’ve had a great week.  Keep me posted on your big takeaways from the reading. 
 
Let’s start by continuing with the book of Leviticus.  First, we find God giving Moses instructions for the kinds of sacrifices needed for unintentional sins.  The first section details what needs to be done if a priest unintentionally sins.  This is particularly important because the priest is the representative of the people before God.  If they sin, then the whole nation is guilty.  Next, we read about how to atone for the unintentional sins of the community, the leaders, and the individuals. 
 
After unintentional sin sacrifices, we read about sacrifices needed for inadvertent sins, such as accidentally touching a dead animal or a dead body. 
 
The final kind of offering that we read about in Leviticus is the guilt offering.  So, we have covered the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the fellowship offering.  Confused yet?  Each of these offerings was intended for a very specific purpose.  What’s interesting is that the more I researched these offerings, the more I realized that even the best scholars aren’t clear on the distinctions of each one.  Thus, we will certainly do our best to understand and pray God offers the clarity we need.
 
With that, let’s move on to Hebrews 3. Just as the Israelites were susceptible to falling away from God, the author of Hebrews makes the point that Christians are also vulnerable to sin and turning away from the living God.  The audience of Hebrews was already drifting from the core of the faith; they were disconnected and a sense of apathy had set in. 
 
What was life like for these early Christ-followers?  Really, really hard.  They were experiencing persecution from Jews and Gentiles alike.  It was difficult to be a faithful Christ-follower in the first century.  For that reason, the author stresses the importance of supporting one another, not allowing your fellow brother or sister in Christ to turn away from the faith, encouraging one another daily. 
 
How often do we encourage one another daily?  While we aren’t experiencing the same kind of persecution as our first-century brothers and sisters, our world isn’t an easy place to follow Christ.  We are painfully distracted by so many outside voices, we are inundated with negativity and division, and we are part of a culture that is increasingly hostile to anything related to the church.  Thus, we often settle for mediocre faith-oriented lives, religious activity rather than Spirit-filled, passionate lives solidly rooted in Jesus.  Churches have become social clubs rather than springboards for mission and discipleship.  And we accept this as if there is no other way.  Friends, there is another way.  What if we each made an intentional decision to live for Jesus, pay attention to the Spirit, and love others extravagantly?  To do so, we would have to encourage one another daily (maybe even hourly).  We need each other.  We need the body of Christ.  Life can be hard (think John 16:33) but Jesus is still on the throne and for that, we should constantly rejoice.
 
Blessings,
Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope
May 15, 2024
Day 4 of Week 7
 
Scripture: Leviticus 1-3; Psalm 27; Hebrews 2
 
Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, New Hope Church’s daily devotional that complements our 5 day a week Bible reading plan. 
 
Today, we are starting the book of Leviticus.  This means we are right in the middle of the Torah.  Leviticus has a reputation for being both harsh and boring, but there is definite purpose in this book.  In Genesis, we saw the origin story of both humanity and Israel.  We see God revealing himself among a people.  We meet Abraham and see how God covenants with him and promises that he will become a father of many nations.
 
Then, we read through Exodus.  If you recall, the Hebrews had multiplied greatly in Egypt and this threatens the Egyptian authorities.  Thus, they enslave and oppress the Hebrew people.  God hears the cries of his people and frees them from bondage through a man named Moses.  It’s also through Moses that God covenants with his people.  He provides them the law and they agree to obey.  In return, God will provide for and protect his treasured possession.
 
Despite its bad reputation, Leviticus is actually an important book.  It’s in this book that we once again see God living among his people.  We might say that the theme of the book is holiness, both God’s holiness and the holiness he expects of his people.  They are a set apart people, and these laws that God provides are both for their protection and to ensure that they look very different from the cultures around them.  God very specifically outlines what his expectations are for the priests and for his people. 
 
In chapters 1-3 of Leviticus, we find God giving very specific and detailed guidelines for giving offerings.  In chapter 1, God is giving Moses instructions on burnt offerings, specifically how to choose an animal out of one's herd or flock.  The Israelites would have been familiar with burnt offerings, as the cultures around them used them, and we see burnt offerings in both Genesis and Exodus.  While familiar, God's instructions were unique to their particular circumstance.  In chapter 2, God offers them instructions for grain offerings and in chapter 3, we read the guidelines for fellowship offerings. 
 
I think we typically see burnt offerings as something the people did because of their sin.  And that certainly is true.  But the fellowship offering, also called a peace offering, was offered because of a peace that God has brought into their life.
 
What peace has God brought into your life?  Take a few moments and list some of the ways.  It’s easy to get fixated on the problems, but where are you experiencing peace.  Take a moment and give thanks.  No burnt offerings needed, but do spend some time in prayer.
 
Let’s move on to our psalm for today.  Psalm 27 is truly beautiful.  Be sure to read through it.  The psalmist, most likely King David, has this deep longing for God.  At the same time, there is a trust in God’s power and provision.  Picture yourself speaking these words to God.  How do they sit with you?  Do you believe them?  Why or why not?
 
Let’s move on to Hebrews 2.  This chapter focuses on why we should listen to Jesus.  The author begins by speaking about how the consequences of NOT listening to Jesus are incredibly severe.  It is only through Jesus that we can receive salvation.  Salvation does not come through the law or any other means – only through faith in Jesus Christ.   Second, Jesus is the central figure in God’s new plan, what we call the New Covenant.   Jesus is the fulfillment of all the covenants and prophecies that came before.  The author quotes Psalm 8:4-6, ...what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.  You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you pu