Show Notes
In Genesis, Chapter 39…
We read about a time Joseph was blamed for something he didn’t do! If you remember from yesterday’s episode, Joseph was thrown into a pit by his own brothers who were angry and jealous of him because of his special coat and his crazy dreams… Then Joseph’s brothers felt bad about leaving him in a pit… So they sold him to some passing businessmen, and those businessmen took him all the way to Egypt, about a two-week journey from Joseph’s hometown… It was in Egypt that Joseph was sold as a slave to man named Potiphar…But even in this terrible situation for Joseph, we read something really important in Genesis, Chapter 39…If you have a Bible, turn with me to Genesis, Chapter 39 and then look at verse 2: 2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned… Just like with Joseph, God is with us wherever we go! #DoxologyGO
More from Doxology Go
Today's episode is a Math Teacher's dream! We enter into the book of Numbers with God instructing Moses to count the Israelite men and organize all of the families of the 12 tribes around the Tabernacle. This story in Numbers 1 and 2 shows us that every person matters to God!
In Leviticus 16, God tells Moses and Aaron to set aside a very special day called the Day of Atonement, a day when God would graciously forgive the sins of His people. On this special day, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle, a place he could only enter once a year! God also instructed the high priest to take two goats. The first goat would be sacrificed, and its blood would be offered to make atonement for the sins of the people. But the second goat had a very different job! The high priest would place his hands on the head of this living goat and confess the sins of all the Israelites. This was a picture of the people's sins being placed on the goat. Then the goat would be led far away from the camp and released into the wilderness, symbolizing how God had taken away the sins of His people! This second goat was called the scapegoat! Now, here's the AMAZING part of this story! Both goats point us to JESUS! Just like the first goat, Jesus shed His blood on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sins. And just like the scapegoat was taken outside the camp, Jesus was crucified outside the city gates of Jerusalem, carrying away the sins of His people! But here's the BIG difference! The Israelites had to offer these sacrifices every single year. Jesus only had to die ONCE! (Hebrews 10:14) His sacrifice was perfect, complete, and enough to forgive our sins forever! What an AMAZING Savior we have in JESUS!
In Leviticus 8, God tells Moses to appoint priests to help lead the Israelites in worship, including the five offerings we learned about in Leviticus chapters 1–7. And guess who God chooses for this important job? Moses’ brother Aaron and Aaron’s sons! Now, this is an incredible picture of God’s grace! Remember Aaron? Back in Exodus, he was the one who helped lead the Israelites into sin by making a golden cow for the people to worship instead of God! Aaron had made a terrible mistake. But God was not finished with him! God showed Aaron grace, and now He was giving Aaron and his sons the incredible responsibility of leading the Israelites in worship! Think about that! The same man who helped lead God's people away from Him would now help lead them in worshiping Him! What an amazing picture of God's forgiveness, grace, and second chances!
The book of Leviticus begins with detailed descriptions in Chapters 1 through 7 of how the Israelites are to approach God in the Tabernacle with five unique offerings.
In Exodus, chapters 35-40, God gives Moses and the Israelites detailed instructions on what the tabernacle will look like, the place where God's presence will dwell among the people!