Day 60- Exodus 40; Leviticus 1-2; Psalm 27

I have to say that I was ready to end the reading of Exodus and interested in what Leviticus had to bring.  I am sort of bored by lists and this seems to be more lists, but I am interested in the offerings.  Let's see what Matthew Henry has to say about these.

As for Chapter 40, God took possession of the tabernacle by a cloud.  We are about to consecrate our new building, our new church.  So, this intrigues me.  I guess I am excited to see what will happen on that day. 

Note, God will dwell with those that prepare him a habitation. The broken and contrite heart, the clean and holy heart, that is furnished for his service, and devoted to his honour, shall be his rest for ever; here will Christ dwell by faith,

I hope that God joins us in our new church. 

Leviticus starts off as follows:

This book begins with the laws concerning sacrifices, of which the most ancient were the burnt-offerings, about which God gives Moses instructions in this chapter. Orders are here given how that sort of sacrifice must be managed.

The explanation of leaven, honey and salt is interesting.  Do you sort of follow this pattern also? 

Here, I. Leaven and honey are forbidden to be put in any of their meat-offerings: No leaven, nor any honey, in any offering made by fire, v. 11. The leaven was forbidden in remembrance of the unleavened bread they ate when they came out of Egypt. So much despatch was required in the offerings they made that it was not convenient they should stay for the leavening of them. The New Testament comparing pride and hypocrisy to leaven because they swell like leaven, comparing also malice and wickedness to leaven because they sour like leaven, we are to understand and improve this as a caution to take heed of those sins which will certainly spoil the acceptableness of our spiritual sacrifices. Pure hands must be lifted up without wrath, and all our gospel feasts kept with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 2. Honey was forbidden, though Canaan flowed with it, because to eat much honey is not good (Prov. 25:16, Prov. 25:27 ); it turns to choler and bitterness in the stomach, though luscious to the taste. Some think the chief reason why those two things, leaven and honey, were forbidden, was because the Gentiles used them very much in their sacrifices, and God’s people must not learn or use the way of the heathen, but his services must be the reverse of their idolatrous services; see Deu. 12:30, Deu. 12:31 . Some make this application of this double prohibition: leaven signifies grief and sadness of spirit (Ps. 73:21 ), My heart was leavened; honey signifies sensual pleasure and mirth. In our service of God both these must be avoided, and a mean observed between those extremes; for the sorrow of the world worketh death, and a love to the delights of sense is a great enemy to holy love.II. Salt is required in all their offerings, v. 13. The altar was the table of the Lord; and therefore, salt being always set on our tables, God would have it always used at his. It is called the salt of the covenant, because, as men confirmed their covenants with each other by eating and drinking together, at all which collations salt was used, so God, by accepting his people’s gifts and feasting them upon his sacrifices, supping with them and they with him (Rev. 3:20 ), did confirm his covenant with them. Among the ancients salt was a symbol of friendship. The salt for the sacrifice was not brought by the offerers, but was provided at the public charge, as the wood was, Ezra. 7:20-22 . And there was a chamber in the court of the temple called the chamber of salt, in which they laid it up.

And, this Psalm.  It was beautiful.  Henry provides historical insights.

Some think David penned this psalm before his coming to the throne, when he was in the midst of his troubles, and perhaps upon occasion of the death of his parents; but the Jews think he penned it when he was old, upon occasion of the wonderful deliverance he had from the sword of the giant, when Abishai succoured him (2 Sa. 21:16, 2 Sa. 21:17 ) and his people thereupon resolved he should never venture his life again in battle, lest he should quench the light of Israel. Perhaps it was not penned upon any particular occasion; but it is very expressive of the pious and devout affections with which gracious souls are carried out towards God at all times, especially in times of trouble.