DCLM Daily Manna 13 June 2023 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Holy Food For Holy People
TOPIC: Blessing Or Blaspheming? (DCLM Daily Manna 13 June 2023)
KEY VERSE: “Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 22:2).
TEXT: Leviticus 22:1-16 (KJV)
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me: I am the Lord.
3 Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I am the Lord.
4 What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;
5 Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath;
6 The soul which hath touched any such shall be unclean until even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he wash his flesh with water.
7 And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.
8 That which dieth of itself, or is torn with beasts, he shall not eat to defile himself therewith; I am the Lord.
9 They shall therefore keep mine ordinance, lest they bear sin for it, and die therefore, if they profane it: I the Lord do sanctify them.
10 There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.
11 But if the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat.
12 If the priest’s daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things.
13 But if the priest’s daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father’s house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father’s meat: but there shall be no stranger eat thereof.
14 And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing.
15 And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the Lord;
16 Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things: for I the Lord do sanctify them.
MESSAGE:
Food is a necessity for the continuity of life. We eat to sustain life and to meet our body’s basic needs for growth and development. Every cell in the body depends on a continuous supply of calories and nutrients, whether obtained through food or other means. No wonder God made abundant provision of food for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Our passage today emphasises the provision of God for the Levites in the Old Testament. God gave them the responsibility of ministering in the tabernacle. Because of this sacred duty, He made a special provision for them to eat the offerings that people brought for sacrifice. But there were restrictions regarding who among them could and who should not eat. God’s instruction focused on physical cleanliness and holiness in comportment, such that ‘unclean’ people would not eat the holy food.
The New Testament dispensation made a dramatic change to much of the ceremonial demands of the law. Jesus shed His blood on the cross and His vicarious death made the offering of animals for sacrifices unnecessary. Although salvation is free, there is still a need for believers to comport themselves in a manner that shows their readiness to eat God’s holy food daily, which is the Bible, the word of God.
The Scripture is a veritable source of spiritual strength and power for the hungry believer. Thus, the likes of Job and Jeremiah esteemed it highly. Just as God expects those who eat from the tabernacle of old to maintain a life of purity and cleanliness, so does He expect anyone feeding on His word today to live the risen life both in word and deed.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Spiritual nourishment comes from feeding on the word of God daily.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
2 Samuel 19-20
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
