Leviticus 6, Psalms 5-6, Proverbs 21, Colossians 4

Date	Version	Reading Plan
@April 3, 2024	ESV (2016)	M’Cheyne Plan 2024

Leviticus 6

Leviticus 6:10–11 (ESV) 10 And the priest shall put on his linen garment and put his linen undergarment on his body, and he shall take up the ashes to which the fire has reduced the burnt offering on the altar and put them beside the altar. 11 Then he shall take off his garments and put on other garments and carry the ashes outside the camp to a clean place.

The LORD spoke to Moses with instructions regarding the burnt offering. The burnt offering was to be burned and remain on the altar all night until morning, at which time the ashes carried to a clean place outside the camp. However, it was the garments worn during this process that seemed most intriguing. According to the CSB Notes, “Special holy garments were required of the priest (Exod. 28:42–43) when handling the ashes in the sacred courtyard. Other clothes were appropriate since the priest left the sacred precinct.”

Psalms 5-6

Psalm 5:7 (ESV) 7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you.

David acknowledges the means by which he will enter the LORD’s house: through the abundance of His steadfast love. It is only by the LORD’s will and work are we granted entry into His house. Deserving of eternal banishment, our sin keeps us closed off from dwelling with Him for all time. And yet, the faithful in Christ are able to cross the threshold, cleared from the guilt of sin and covered by the righteousness of His Son. Once inside, may we bow down as with David before His holy temple, in reverent fear of the Lord of all mercy and grace.

Proverbs 21

Proverbs 21:9, 19 (ESV) 9 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife. …

19 It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.

Multiple times in this chapter, David analogically describes the difficulty of living with a quarrelsome woman. It is interesting how the sentiment intensifies, a desert land being considerably more treacherous than a corner on a housetop. From an application perspective, I am honestly not sure if these proverbs are prescriptive or descriptive. Are we to look for a woman who does not express quarrelsome qualities or is David simply stating the challenges of being with quarrelsome woman? Certainly, we should use discernment in the selection of a wife and whether they exude attributes of Godly character, but every woman—indeed every human—has the potential to become quarrelsome when pressed.

Colossians 4

Colossians 4:5–6 (ESV) 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Paul exhorts the church in Colossae in how they were to conduct themselves among outsiders. As with Colossian church, we are also to make the best use of our time as we interact with unbelievers, being gracious in speech with anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is inside of us. It is through our upright speech that we may know how to answer each person. By this, we not only respond with the right words but also embody the answers with the manner in which they are spoken.

Carson on Leviticus 6

Even the sins mentioned in this passage — all sins against some other human party — are treated first of all in relation to God: “If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the LORD by deceiving his neighbor” (6:2, italics added). The guilt offering is brought to the priest; the offender must not only provide restitution to the offended human, but must seek the Lord’s forgiveness. Defiance of God is what makes wrongdoing sin, what makes sin odious.

Carson makes a crucial point that as we sin against others, we are ultimately sinning against the Lord. David spoke of this in the Psalms when he said, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Ps. 51:4). Whether our sin impacts someone directly or not, it is a transgression against a holy God, requisite for us to seek forgiveness from any offended party as well as from the Lord.

Justin Houtz