Friday, June 20, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Leviticus 3-5
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 71
Key Verse
Leviticus 4:19 — “And he shall take all his fat from him, and burn it upon the altar.”
Devotional Thought
The book of Leviticus opens a window into the bustling courtyard of the tabernacle, where the air is thick with the smoke of sacrifice and the lowing of cattle. Here in chapters three through five, Moses receives detailed instructions for peace offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings. We see the people of Israel bringing their best—a bullock, a lamb, a goat, or even two turtledoves—laying their hands upon the animal’s head, and confessing their sins. The priests, Aaron’s sons, are busy sprinkling blood upon the altar and burning fat as a sweet savour unto the LORD. It is a bloody, messy, and yet profoundly holy scene. These laws address sins committed in ignorance, hidden faults, and even the failure to speak up when one has witnessed wrongdoing. The sheer variety of offerings—from a young bullock for a priest down to a tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for the poorest—reveals that God makes a way for every soul, regardless of wealth or status, to find atonement.
As we read this on a warm June day, when summer’s fullness is upon us, we might be tempted to think these ancient rituals have little to do with our lives. Yet the heart of these chapters beats with a truth we still need: sin is real, it defiles, and it separates. The Israelites could not simply shrug off their guilt; they had to bring it before God. Notice the repeated phrase, “and it shall be forgiven him.” What a gracious refrain! Whether the sin was a lapse in judgment, a forgotten vow, or a hidden contamination, the LORD provided a way to cleanse. The fat and the blood were His; the life was in the blood, and the fat was the richest portion. By offering these, the worshipper acknowledged that their very life belonged to God. In our own season, when we are busy with gardens, vacations, and the hum of summer activities, we can forget that we too carry the weight of unconfessed sin. The peace offering reminds us that fellowship with God is restored through sacrifice, and the sin offering reminds us that even our unknown faults are known to Him.
The psalm portion, Psalm 71, echoes this need for a strong habitation. The psalmist, likely in old age, cries out, “Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort.” He trusts in God’s righteousness to deliver him, not his own. He remembers that God has held him up from the womb and taught him from his youth. Now, as his strength fails, he asks not to be cast off. This is the same God who provided the offerings in Leviticus—a God who is both holy and merciful, who commands sacrifice but also promises forgiveness. The psalmist’s hope is not in his own performance but in the LORD’s faithfulness. In the summer of life, whether we are young and vigorous or old and greyheaded, our refuge is the same: the God who redeems.
So today, as you go about your Friday, consider the offerings. They point forward to Christ, the perfect sacrifice who bore our sin outside the camp. But they also teach us to approach God honestly, to confess our hidden faults, and to trust in His provision. The fat is the LORD’s; our lives are His. Let us not neglect the cleansing He offers, for He is our rock and our fortress, and in Him we find forgiveness and peace.
Reflection
- In Leviticus, even sins committed in ignorance required a sacrifice once they were known. Are there hidden faults or unconfessed sins in your life that you have been ignoring, and how might God be calling you to bring them into the light today?
- The psalmist declares, “Thou art my trust from my youth” and asks God not to forsake him in old age. How does your trust in God’s faithfulness across your lifetime shape the way you face present uncertainties or the limitations of aging?
Prayer
O Lord God, our strong habitation and our Redeemer, we come before You acknowledging that we often sin through ignorance and neglect. We have failed to speak when we should have, touched unclean things, and made promises we did not keep. Forgive us, we pray, through the perfect sacrifice of Your Son. Let us not hide our guilt but confess it, trusting in Your righteousness to deliver us. Be our rock and fortress all our days, from youth to greyheadedness. Fill our mouths with Your praise, and let our souls rejoice in Your salvation. In the name of Jesus, our peace offering and sin offering, we pray. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 71:1 — “In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.”