Experiencing More of God’s Presence

Today’s passage is Leviticus 9:1-24. With a humble heart, see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Leviticus 9:1-6 (NIV)
¹  On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel.
²  He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for your sin offering and a ram for your burnt offering, both without defect, and present them before the LORD.
³  Then say to the Israelites: ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb–both a year old and without defect–for a burnt offering,
⁴  and an ox and a ram for a fellowship offering to sacrifice before the LORD, together with a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you.'”
⁵  They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the LORD.
⁶  Then Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.”

On verses 1-6:  Seven days after Aaron has been ordained to serve as the high priest (Leviticus 8), Moses tells Aaron to present a number of offerings.  First, he is to present a sin offering and a burnt offering for his own sins.  Second, he is to present a sin offering and a burnt offering for the sins of the people (v3). Third, he is to present a fellowship offering and a grain offering to God (v4).  The reason Moses tells Aaron to present all these offerings is because: “For today the Lord will appear to you” (v4), and “so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” (v6)

What can we learn from this?  Leviticus 9 teaches us some powerful lessons about how to experience more of God’s presence.  Aaron and the Israelites had of course experienced much of God’s power and presence in the past: delivering them from slavery in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, manna provided from heaven, and many other miracles described in the book of Exodus.  But Moses was preparing Aaron and the Israelites to experience more of God’s presence.

No matter how much you’ve experienced of God in the past, there is always more of God and His glorious presence to experience.  Don’t be complacent in your relationship with God.  There is more of God to know and to experience in this lifetime, so seek God out even more.

Leviticus 9:7-16 (NIV)
⁷  Moses said to Aaron, “Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.”
⁸  So Aaron came to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself.
⁹  His sons brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger into the blood and put it on the horns of the altar; the rest of the blood he poured out at the base of the altar.
¹⁰  On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver from the sin offering, as the LORD commanded Moses;
¹¹  the flesh and the hide he burned up outside the camp.
¹²  Then he slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it against the altar on all sides.
¹³  They handed him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar.
¹⁴  He washed the inner parts and the legs and burned them on top of the burnt offering on the altar.
¹⁵  Aaron then brought the offering that was for the people. He took the goat for the people’s sin offering and slaughtered it and offered it for a sin offering as he did with the first one.
¹⁶  He brought the burnt offering and offered it in the prescribed way.

On verses 7-16:  Preparing himself and the Israelites to experience more of God, Aaron presents the first set of offerings that Moses told him to present:  a sin offering and a burnt offering, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people.

What can we learn from this?  Experiencing more of God begins with recognizing that in our sin we didn’t deserve to have anything to do with God and that if we want to be with God, a perfect sacrifice would need to be made on our behalf.  Praise God!  Jesus Christ is our perfect sacrifice.  Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we could be brought back to God.

So if you want to experience more of God, start here: (1) recognize that it is only by Jesus offering Himself as a sacrifice for us that we can enter into God’s presence; (2) repent and confess your sins to God, thanking God for sending Jesus to atone for our sins.

Also, whereas Aaron, Israel’s high priest, had to present a sin offering and a burnt offering first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people, Jesus Christ, our great high priest, was different.  Jesus did not need to present a sacrifice for his own sins because he had no sin.  Instead, as the perfect, sinless lamb of God, Jesus sacrificed all of Himself for us.  That is why Hebrews 7:27 says, “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”  In this way Leviticus 9 shows us the incomparable greatness of Jesus Christ as our high priest.  Only sinless Jesus could be that perfect bridge between God and people, fully divine and fully human at the same time.

Leviticus 9:17 (NIV)
¹⁷  He also brought the grain offering, took a handful of it and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.

On verse 17:  Next Aaron brings a grain offering to God.  Remember the purpose of a grain offering: to give thanks to God for His goodness.  What can we learn from this?  If you want to experience more of God’s presence, come to God with an attitude of gratitude.  Give God praise for who He is and what He has done.  Focus your attention on Him, not on yourself.

As Psalm 50:23 says, “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”  Thanksgiving and experiencing more of God’s presence go together.  So come into His presence with praise and thanksgiving in your heart.

Leviticus 9:18-21 (NIV)
¹⁸  He slaughtered the ox and the ram as the fellowship offering for the people. His sons handed him the blood, and he sprinkled it against the altar on all sides.
¹⁹  But the fat portions of the ox and the ram–the fat tail, the layer of fat, the kidneys and the covering of the liver–
²⁰  these they laid on the breasts, and then Aaron burned the fat on the altar.
²¹  Aaron waved the breasts and the right thigh before the LORD as a wave offering, as Moses commanded.

On verses 18-21:  Next Aaron offers the fellowship offering.  In particular, he offers to God the fat inner parts of the ox and the ram and even waves the breasts and right thigh of the sacrificed animals to God.

What can we learn from this?  If you want to experience more of God, give to God what is on the inside of you, including your innermost feelings, thoughts, struggles, disappointments, hurts, and burdens.  When you’re transparent and real with God, you make room for God to reveal Himself to you.  As Psalm 62:8 says, “Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

Leviticus 9:22 (NIV)
²²  Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down.

On verse 22:  Aaron the high priest finished offering his sacrifices on the altar, blesses the people and then steps down.  Many centuries later, Jesus our high priest would finish offering his sacrifice on the cross.  He would step down into death and be buried.  He would rise again, bless the people, and ascend to heaven, where now Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father.   Praise God for the way Jesus finished His redeeming, saving work and stepped down.

Leviticus 9:23a (NIV)
²³  Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people…

On verse 23a:  Aaron goes into the Tent of Meeting with Moses, where they would worship God privately (v23).  After some time, Moses and Aaron come out of the Tent of Meeting and bless the people (v23b).

What can we learn from this?

1.  Remember that Moses and Aaron had just spent the day worshiping God with the people, but after that Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of Meeting to draw near to God privately.  If you want to experience more of God’s presence in your life, guard your time worshiping God with your church, but also guard your time to worship God privately.  Some of the most powerful times you spend with God will be worshiping together with God’s people, but some of the most powerful times you spend with God will also be in private, just you and God.  You need both.  When was the last time you spent quality time one on one with God?  Not sure how?  At Thrive Discipleship School: Growing in Your Relationship with God, we provide you with teaching and tools to help you have a daily time with God.

2.  Moses and Aaron exited the Tent of Meeting with the intention of blessing the people.  Likewise, if you want to experience more of God in your life, don’t be self-centered, but other-centered.  Have a heart to bless the people around you.  Serve them.  Pray for them.  When you do, you make room for God to move in your own life.

Leviticus 9:23b-24 (NIV)
²³  …and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people
²⁴  Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

On verses 23b-24:  After all the offerings, worship and blessings Moses, Aaron and the people gave, the Lord appears to them in a glorious way.  Fire, not representing judgment but God’s power and presence, comes down and consumes the burnt offering and fat portions on the altar.  When the people see it, they shout for joy, fall face down and worship God even more.

In many ways I believe this scene is pointing forward to Acts 2.  There Jesus’ disciples are all together.  Having now recognized that Jesus is Lord and that He died for their sins, rose from the grave and ascended to heaven, Jesus’ disciples worship the name of Jesus, drawing close to Him, and praying to Him.  There, with a similar attitude of faith, repentance, thanksgiving and longing for God, tongues of fire fall upon the disciples, enabling them to speak in tongues and experience God’s presence like never before.

What can we learn from this?  When we come to God with an open, repentant, thankful, longing, worshipful heart, believing Jesus to be Lord, and when we’re willing to spend extended time with Him, God brings His presence and we will experience Him in a powerful and glorious way.

May you take these lessons to heart and experience more of God’s presence in your life.  Are there sins you need to confess to God?  Are there burdens and cares you need to bring to Him?  Are there thanks, praise and worship you can give Him today?  Is there time you can make to draw near to Him?  Do it and you will experience more of God today.

Heavenly Father, thank You that through Jesus Christ and His death on the cross I have access to Your powerful presence.  With an open, repentant, thankful, longing, worshipful heart, I pray for more of You.  Let Your presence and Your power fill my life.  May we all spend quality time with You and experience the fire of Your presence lighting us up more and more.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!