Congratulations…you have finished yet another book of the Bible. Now we begin a difficult book to read. The author of The Year of the Bible recommends that you read Leviticus quickly. It is filled with laws that we, for the most part no longer keep.

Leviticus 1 talks about burnt offerings of cattle, sheep and birds. These are offerings of atonement for sin. The cattle and sheep must be without blemish. As the animal is burned on the altar the smoke creates a pleasing odor to the Lord.

Leviticus 2 speaks about a grain offering. The flour is to be mixed with oil and frankincense for the burning of the offering. Unleaven baked or grilled cakes must also be combined with oil. There must also be salt of the covenant missed with the offering. There should not be any leaven or honey on or in the burnt offerings. The priest is to take a portion of the offering for burning to make a pleasing odor to God and he is allowed to keep the rest.

Leviticus 3 speaks about the offering for a sacrifice of well-being (the Hebrew word “shalom”). The animals used for this sacrifice are without blemish like the offering of atonement. This time though the priest will only burn the fast, kidneys and liver as the sacrifice. The people were not to eat any fat or blood.

As Acts 5 opens the people have been selling their property and giving the proceeds to the community of faith. There is a man Ananias and his wife Sapphire who sell a piece of property. But they keep back a portion of the proceeds for themselves. Peter confronts Ananias knowing by the Holy Spirit that he has lied about giving the apostles all of the proceeds. Peter says that Ananias has not lied to the apostles but to God and Ananias dies on the spot. They bury his body. Later Sapphira comes to Peter and also lies about the offering. She is confronted with the truth and also dies. She is buried beside her husband.

Many people bring their sick family members to be healed. The Sadducees arrest the apostles and put them in prison. That night an angel of the Lord opens the prison doors and tells them to go to the temple. They go to the temple in the morning.

The priests call for the apostles to have them stand trial and learn that the apostles are gone from prison. Someone tells the priests that the apostles are in the temple teaching. The temple police were ordered to bring them before the council. The high priest questions them with the fact that they were told not to speak to the people and yet they are doing it. The apostles say that they must obey God not human authority.

The apostles witness about Jesus. This makes the council angry but a Pharisee, Gamaliel reminds them that others have claimed to be the Messiah and eventually their popularity died down. He says that they should leave the apostles alone since, if their plan is of human origin they will fail and if it from God they council will never be able to win.

The council have the apostles flogged and tell them again not to speak in the name of Jesus. The apostles rejoice that they were worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of Christ. They continue to teach at the temple and at home that Jesus is the Messiah.

Jesus is our sacrifice for atonement, the reason for abundance and our well-being. He is worthy of our praise. We should be honored if we must suffer for his sake, because he suffered for ours.