November 27 Daily Discovery
November 27 Daily Discovery - Read Leviticus Chapter 6
Keep the Fire Burning
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt offering: It is the burnt offering, because of the burning upon the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be burning in it.
And the priest shall put on his linen garment, and his linen breeches shall he put upon his flesh, and take up the ashes which the fire hath consumed with the burnt offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar.
And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.
And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.
The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
Leviticus 6:8-13
God gave a charge to the Levites to NEVER let the fire that was kindled to burn upon the altar to be completely extinguished.
Each morning, the priests would have to gather wood to add it to the fire for the service of God.
The fire is God's Spirit.
Fire is often used to represent the presence of God.
Read Deut. 4:24 and Heb. 12:29
Our God is a consuming fire. There are nearly 100 references to God in the Scriptures that are associated with fire.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4
God Himself lit the first fire on the altar!
And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people.
And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.
~ Lev. 9:23-24
Fire is symbolic of the presence of God. Fire destroys what it can and refines and purifies what it cannot.
When a person has the Spirit of God, they are God's children. This is an act of God. We are only recipients of this. We do not make it happen.
This divine visitation is by God's mercy and grace.
We are saved by grace through faith, and even faith is not of ourselves, it is a gift of God. God not only gives us salvation, He gives us the faith to repent and believe in order to receive salvation.
A man left to himself will always reject God. God's spirit must "stir up" our human spirit and draw us to Himself for salvation.
Read Eph. 2:8-10, Acts 11:18 & John 6:44
God is the fire and He sends this fire by His mercy and grace upon the human heart.
The altar of sacrifice is the human heart.
The symbology continues with the altar. If God is the fire, then what is the altar?
The altar is the place where we meet with God.
The altar is the heart. The heart is man's center.
The heart is where the fire burns.
Remember the disciples on the road to Emmaus?
And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
Luke 24:32
These disciples experienced "holy heartburn."
Paul spoke of this "whole burnt offering" in Romans 12.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
~Romans 12:1
We present ourselves to God.
The altar of burnt offering was a place of death. Paul alludes to this as well when he says,"I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily." ~ I Cor. 15:31
This brings us to the conclusion of this application.
God lit the fire to start. That was His work.
Israel was chosen by God to become a kingdom of priests. (Ex. 19:6) New Testament believers are referred to as a "kingdom of priests" as well when Peter referred to this passage in his first letter.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
~ 1 Peter 2:9
The priests had to keep the fire burning!
They did not kindle the fire. God did. However, it was their responsibility to go and gather wood each morning to add to the altar of sacrifice so that the fire would keep burning.
So, we have this responsibility.
God has lit the fire that is upon the altar of our hearts.
EVERY morning, we must "gather wood" for the altar of sacrifice. We must "feed the fire." This is our part. Presenting ourselves to God each morning as a living sacrifice is our responsibility.
Walking with God requires our participation.
Our hearts will BURN as God illuminates the truths of His Word to us.
- Luke 24:32: "And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"
We must meditate upon them.
I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,
4 Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am.
5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
6 Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.
10 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
11 When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.
~ Psalm 39
Keep the fire burning!--------------
Continue Your Search
From this chapter, do you see any: Commands to Obey, Warnings to Heed, Promises to Claim, Examples to Follow, Vices to Avoid, Praises to Emulate, Prayers to Use, Principles by which to Live, Questions to Ask or Actions to Take?
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