Daily Devotions

How do I apply this?

This theme of holiness extends to the church. In the New Testament, 1 Peter 1:15–16 references Leviticus 19:2 when it says: “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’” Those who are redeemed by the mercies of God offer different sacrifices today; they offer themselves (Romans 12:1).

Like He did with the Israelites, God has redeemed and consecrated Christians. Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice on our behalf, taking the punishment that we deserved so that we might be forgiven. Those who place their trust in Jesus’s atoning act become God’s children, saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8–9).

If you are His child, then He wants you to reflect His character. He is sanctifying you much like He did the nation of Israel. Does your life echo His? In what ways are you growing more like Christ?

https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-pentateuch/leviticus

Day 1 (December 1)
Leviticus 11:1-47
Key Verse: 24

Day 2 (December 2)
Leviticus 12:1-8
Key Verse: 8

Day 3 (December 3)
Leviticus 13:1-28
Key Verse: 25

Day 4 (December 4)
Leviticus 13:29-59
Key Verse: 56

Day 5 (December 5)
Leviticus 14:1-20
Key Verses: 10-11

Day 6 (December 6)
Leviticus 14:21-57
Key Verses: 21-22

Memory Verse
Leviticus 18:22
Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Where are we?

The Law found in Leviticus was spoken by God to Moses at or near Mount Sinai, where the Israelites camped for some time. Because God delivered these detailed laws after the original Ten Commandments, the most probable date for their revelation is 1446 BC. Whether every law was written down at that time is impossible to determine; it may be that they were codified progressively during the ensuing forty-year
wandering.

https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-pentateuch/leviticus

Day 1 (December 8)
Leviticus 15:1-33
Key Verse: 31

Day 2 (December 9)
Leviticus 16:1-34
Key Verse: 11

Day 3 (December 10)
Leviticus 17:1-16
Key Verse: 10

Day 4 (December 11)
Leviticus 18:1-30
Key Verses: 3

Day 5 (December 12)
Leviticus 19:1-37
Key Verses: 1-4

Day 6 (December 13)
Leviticus 20:1-27
Key Verse: 2

Memory Verse
Leviticus 20:13
If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

Why is Leviticus so important?

“The book of Leviticus was the first book studied by a Jewish child; yet is often among the last books of the Bible to be studied by a Christian.”² Today’s readers are often put off by the book’s lists of laws regarding diet, sacrifice, and social behavior. But within these highly detailed directives we discover the holiness—the separateness, distinction, and utter “otherness”—of God. And we learn how sin devastates humanity’s relationship with their Creator.

God established the sacrificial system so that His covenant people might enjoy His fellowship through worship; it also allowed for repentance and renewal:

When an Israelite worshiper laid his hand on the animal victim, he identified himself with the animal as his substitute . . . this accomplished a symbolic transfer of his sin and a legal transfer of his guilt to the animal victim. God then accepted the slaughter of the animal . . . as a ransom payment for the particular sin which occasioned it.³

Many years after Moses wrote Leviticus, Jesus came to offer Himself as the ultimate sacrifice, holy and perfect, once for all, fulfilling the Law and rendering future animal sacrifices unnecessary and void (Hebrews 10:10).

https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-pentateuch/leviticus

Day 1 (December 15)
Leviticus 21:1-24
Key Verses: 22-23

Day 2 (December 16)
Leviticus 22:1-33
Key Verses: 19-20

Day 3 (December 17)
Leviticus 23:1-44
Key Verse: 27

Day 4 (December 18)
Leviticus 24:1-23
Key Verses: 13-16

Day 5 (December 19)
Leviticus 25:1-22
Key Verses: 18-19

Day 6 (December 20)
Leviticus 25:23-55
Key Verses: 25-28

Memory Verse
Leviticus 19:18
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.

How do I apply this?

God moved the hearts of secular rulers (Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes) to allow, even encourage and help, the Jewish people to return home. He used these unlikely allies to fulfill His promises of restoration for His chosen people. Have you encountered unlikely sources of blessing? Have you wondered how God can really work all things together for the good of those who are called by His name (Romans 8:28)? Take time today to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and mercy in your life. Recommit to Him your trust, your love, and your obedience.

https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-historical-books/ezra

Day 1 (December 22)
Leviticus 26:1-24
Key Verse: 16

Day 2 (December 23)
Leviticus 27:1-34
Key Verses: 26-27

Day 3 (December 24)
Ezra 1:1-11
Key Verses: 1-5

Day 4 (December 25)
Ezra 2:1-70
Key Verse: 70

Day 5 (December 26)
Ezra 3:1-13
Key Verse: 3

Day 6 (December 27)
Ezra 4:1-24
Key Verse: 24

Memory Verse
Ezra 1:2
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

What’s the big idea?

Ezra’s narrative reveals two main issues faced by the returning exiles: (1) the struggle to restore the temple (Ezra 1:1–6:22) and (2) the need for spiritual reformation (7:1–10:44). Both were necessary in order for the people to renew their fellowship with the Lord.

A broader theological purpose is also revealed: God keeps His promises. Through the prophets, God had ordained that His chosen people would return to their land after a seventy-year exile. Ezra’s account proclaims that God kept His word, and it shows that when God’s people remained faithful to Him, He would continue to bless them. Hence, the book emphasizes the temple and proper worship, similar to Chronicles (which was also written during these days). 

https://insight.org/resources/bible/the-historical-books/ezra

Day 1 (December 29)
Ezra 5:1-17
Key Verses: 16-17

Day 2 (December 30)
Ezra 6:1-22
Key Verses:11-12

Day 3 (December 31)
Ezra 7:1-28
Key Verses: 27-28

Day 4 (January 1)
Ezra 8:1-36
Key Verses: 21-23

Day 5 (January 2)
Ezra 9:1-15
Key Verses: 2-3

Day 6 (January 3)
Ezra 10:1-44
Key Verses: 1-4

Memory Verse
Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.