{"id":1127,"date":"2025-04-07T06:44:40","date_gmt":"2025-04-07T11:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/?p=1127"},"modified":"2025-04-07T06:44:40","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T11:44:40","slug":"24-draw-me-near","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/2025\/04\/07\/24-draw-me-near\/","title":{"rendered":"24 – Draw Me Near"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_heading title=”Draw Me Near” _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”Georgia|700|on||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_font_size=”42px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”http:\/\/h4you.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/BE6E3DCC-91C1-4A4E-9830-6456538301C2.png” title_text=”BE6E3DCC-91C1-4A4E-9830-6456538301C2″ align=”center” _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” min_height=”1000px” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″ custom_padding=”||0px|||”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-40px||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

By Terance Clark \u00a0 \u00a0 April 7, 2025 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a08 Minute Read<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”241px” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” inline_fonts=”Georgia” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

\n

Week 24<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

This Weeks Passage: Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26<\/o:p><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

When Jewish children turn five years old they begin their study of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) with the book of Leviticus.\u00a0 Five year olds learn first the hardest book of Moses and the one that most Christians don’t have any idea about.\u00a0 Leviticus is easily the least read book in the Christian Bible.\u00a0 It’s kind of funny when you think about it, our salvation is based on a ritual that Jesus did for us on a cross, one which we proudly proclaim has ended the need for sacrifices forever and yet no one knows a thing about how what He did accomplishes what we say it accomplishes.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

It’s one of the reasons why I knew I needed something more.\u00a0 A deeper understanding of God’s word.\u00a0 My eternal soul was dependent on something I didn’t understand.\u00a0 Atonement is not about death and as Christians we keep pointing to the death of Jesus, but that is not where atonement happens.\u00a0 Atonement is about life, so we need to understand more of how Jesus paid for our sins.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ inline_fonts=”Georgia” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

“Atonement is about life<\/span><\/strong><\/em>“<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-3px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” hover_enabled=”0″ inline_fonts=”Georgia” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

This week we crack open the book of Leviticus, and honestly it will be one of the hardest things to teach in such a short weekly blog, but if you stick with me I think you will come away encouraged as we expose the myths and confusion so often taught and find the hope and purpose for why God initiated so many rituals.\u00a0 Let me be clear some things will continue to be a mystery as some things God just doesn’t make clear, but today I am in a much better place than I have ever been in understanding what Jesus actually did for us on Calvary.\u00a0 Let’s jump into it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leviticus begins with a Hebrew conjunction in the very first letter, much like the word “and” because God wants us to understand that it\u2019s a continuation of what was happening in Exodus.\u00a0 Exodus ends with a problem that is solved in Leviticus.\u00a0 The glory of God settles into the tabernacle.\u00a0 His presence is now among us (Exodus 40:34), but in Exodus 40:35 it says that Moses was unable to enter the tent.\u00a0 The separation still existed because although Moses had stood face to face with God when God actually truly came personally Moses could not come close to Him.\u00a0 So God calls out to Moses and then what begins in Leviticus is His solution as He begins to describe the process for coming near to Him.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-3px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” inline_fonts=”Georgia” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

Exposing the Myth<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a myth that Jews believed that sacrifices paid for sins.\u00a0 It goes like this, when a person sinned God demanded payment so people brought a lamb or goat that died in their place and God covered their sin through that process and then Jesus came later to pay once and for all for all the sins.\u00a0 But there were actually five different types of sacrifices and most of them had nothing to do with sins.\u00a0 So what was the purpose for the other sacrifices?\u00a0 Did Jesus’ sacrifice cover the other sacrifices too?\u00a0 How did it?\u00a0 You see we rarely talk about it or explain it because I don’t think we ever truly understood it to begin with.\u00a0 In reality, we simplified a very complex process, but in doing so we lost the real meaning of what was really being done.<\/span><\/p>\n

The words offering and sacrifice translated from the Hebrew word Korban do not accurately express what is happening.\u00a0 The root word for korban actually means to come near.\u00a0 One brings a korban (sacrifice) to come closer to God it was not to pay for sins.\u00a0 Sacrifices were considered gifts and by bringing a gift one could draw near to God that was the goal.\u00a0 It’s not that God needs a gift it’s that he presented a way for us to get close to Him.\u00a0 To be fair, there was a sin and guilt offering as well, but the death of the animal was not used to pay for the sin it was used as a proxy to bring the worshiper near to God.\u00a0 There is a sort of sense that death was associated with drawing near to God so in some ways it could look like it was a payment and it certainly causes one to think about the cost of coming into the presence of God so that could be where some of the confusion came in.\u00a0 Just understand that Jews never believed that sacrifices paid for sins, they always believed that salvation came by faith as taught to them by Abraham.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-3px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” inline_fonts=”Georgia” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

Connecting the Soul to the Animal<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jews believed that the soul was in the blood.\u00a0 They brought the animal and through laying on hands invested their identity on to the animal.\u00a0 Now the animal was legally bearing the worshiper’s identity.\u00a0 The person slaughtered the animal to draw out the soul within the blood.\u00a0 The priest caught the blood and applied it to the alter.\u00a0 You see it was not the death of the animal that brought atonement, that was the means needed to provide the blood with the persons soul attached to it and applying it to the alter is where atonement took place.\u00a0 On the alter the persons soul connected to the blood entered the presence of God bringing the person near to Him.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ inline_fonts=”Georgia” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

“It was not the death of the animal that brought atonement<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

that was the means needed to provide the blood”<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”27px|auto|-1px|auto|false|false” custom_padding=”2px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-25px||||false|false” inline_fonts=”Georgia” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n

The purpose was to draw close to God.\u00a0 To be able to have relationship and that was the reason God instituted it.\u00a0 There were five different ways to draw near to Him including when you sinned but that was really a rare case.\u00a0 Usually, it was just an opportunity for the worshiper to come and show his love to God.\u00a0 There is so much more to understand but this is a start as we work through the book.\u00a0 Let’s end this week by reminding us that God initiated a way for us to draw close to Him and Jesus eventually came to make a way for us to draw near eternally but the most important thing to remember is God wants you close, so draw near!<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_heading title=”Trending Posts” _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”|700|||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_text_color=”#000000″ title_font_size=”43px” title_letter_spacing=”1px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_heading][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_blog posts_number=”1″ use_manual_excerpt=”off” excerpt_length=”0″ show_author=”off” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_excerpt=”off” show_pagination=”off” _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_blog posts_number=”1″ use_manual_excerpt=”off” excerpt_length=”0″ show_author=”off” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_excerpt=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”1″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_blog posts_number=”1″ use_manual_excerpt=”off” excerpt_length=”0″ show_author=”off” show_date=”off” show_categories=”off” show_excerpt=”off” show_pagination=”off” offset_number=”2″ _builder_version=”4.26.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Terance Clark \u00a0 \u00a0 April 7, 2025 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a08 Minute Read Week 24 \u00a0 This Weeks Passage: Leviticus 1:1 – 5:26 \u00a0\u00a0 When Jewish children turn five years old they begin their study of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) with the book of Leviticus.\u00a0 Five year olds learn first […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1080","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1127"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1152,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1127\/revisions\/1152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/h4you.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}