Leviticus 5, Psalms 3–4, Proverbs 20, Colossians 3

Date	Version	Reading Plan
@April 2, 2024	ESV (2016)	M’Cheyne Plan 2024

Leviticus 5

Leviticus 5:1 (ESV) “If anyone sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity;

If anyone bore witness to an incident involving sin, they were to testify to the violation. According to the Faithlife Study Bible, “Those who refused to testify about an offense would incur guilt and require atonement.” This rings very similar to the concept of a subpoena in our modern era and the penalties incurred when ignored. It is a fascinating instance in which we see the impact of Judeo-Christian values on Western culture.

Psalms 3–4

Psalm 3:3–4 (ESV) 3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. 4 I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah

The LORD was David’s shield as he fled from his son Absalom who rebelled and tried to usurp the throne. How wonderful it is to exult in the LORD and see Him as our shield and glory as well. He lifts our head, giving us confidence in Him, that we may walk boldly and upright as children of the Most High God.

Proverbs 20

Proverbs 20:10-23 (ESV) 10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the LORD. …

23 Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good.

Unequal weights and measures convey deceit, a deplorable posture of gaining at the expense of others. This is abominable to the Lord because it does not represent His character of justice, a God who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds (1 Pet. 1:17). Our conduct is thus to be virtuous so as to represent our Lord who graciously deals with us in equal measures.

Colossians 3

Colossians 3:5–6 (ESV) 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

We are to put to death the things that are earthly. Particularly telling here is how Paul compares covetousness with idolatry. To desire more than others is to place a value on possessions that is greater than God. There is nothing that we are to view as more sacred than the Lord. Herman Bavinck puts this well:

But all this that we need, according to soul and body, for time and eternity is without exception available to us—original, perfect, infinite—in God. He is the highest good and the overflowing fountain of all goods.

Carson on Leviticus 5

Understand…that in this society the rules have been laid down by God himself. They are not the results of some elected Congress or Parliament, easily overturned by a fickle or frustrated public eager for something else. To ignore or defy these rules is to defy the living God.

Carson points out something interesting that the laws of Leviticus did not originate by any earthly means but by God Himself. This seems especially foreign for those of us living in a democratic society where we tend to think we have a voice in our own oversight and legislation. But this was not the case for the Israelites. The rules and structure of their culture were given directly by the Lord along with the supreme weight of their adherence.

Justin Houtz