15:12 "If a fellow Hebrew sells himself or herself to be your servant and serves you for six years, in the seventh year you must set that servant free. 13 "When you release a male servant, do not send him away empty-handed. 14 Give him a generous farewell gift from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. Share with him some of the bounty with which the Lord your God has blessed you. 15 Remember that you were once slaves in the land of Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you! That is why I am giving you this command. 16 "But suppose your servant says, 'I will not leave you,' because he loves you and your family, and he has done well with you. 17 In that case, take an awl and push it through his earlobe into the door. After that, he will be your servant for life. And do the same for your female servants.
I see a similarity between this passage and the fact that out of love, the servant Christ was completely obedient to the Father as He was nailed to the Cross of Calvary - the door to eternity with God. Moreover, Christ calls to the Christian "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me"; in so doing, we will crucify the sinful nature that lurks within us in complete obedience to the Father's will.
Chapter 17 is a sweet review of the festivals, which ties into a blog from Leviticus, but the emphasis is slightly different this time. The three festivals listed in this passage might be interpreted prophetically/chronologically:
- Feast of Unleavened Bread (Christ's crucifixion)
- Feast of Weeks (rapture at the end of this age)
- Feast of Tabernacles (eternal residence with Christ in heaven)
A neat verse that a Brother pointed out to me a few months ago:
17:18 "When [the king of Israel] sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. 19 He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the Lord his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. 20 This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel.
That is a direct scriptural imperative for a daily time in the Scriptures. Furthermore, it also emphasizes the utility of copying Scripture - there is something about reading, writing, and meditating on Scripture that helps it soak deep into a person. The consequences are tremendous:
- learn to FEAR the LORD my GOD!!!
- obey Him
- prevent pride
- prevent backsliding
- blessing for my children
Whew! I don't know if it gets any more practical than that - read your Bible every day and let it soak, and then you will grow in your relationship with Him. How simple!!! Why is that so cool? Because God commands us:
18:13 But you must be blameless before the Lord your God.
Chapter 18 concludes with more Messianic Prophecy:
18:18 I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. 19 I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. 20 But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.' 21 "But you may wonder, 'How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?' 22 If the prophet speaks in the Lord's name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.
You can be sure that every single thing Christ prophesied WILL COME TRUE! And you better believe that the Father is going to punish anyone who does not heed Christ's Message of Hope and Redemption.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I want to be your servant. Lord, I want to be faithful and obedient. Lord, as I read your scriptures each day, I pray that you will soak your word into my heart and change me. Lord, please humble me and help me obey you. Please forgive me for not being bold. Lord, I pray that you will keep me pure and blameless, because I know that I can not. I ask you this in the name of Jesus Christ, your perfect servant and perfect prophet. Amen.
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