Week 9, February 22–28: Leviticus 23–27; Luke 1–12; Psalms 18–24

• Sun      Feb 22 Lev. 23–25      Ps. 18
• Mon     Feb 23 Lev. 26–27      Ps. 19
• Tue      Feb 24 Luke 1–2         Ps. 20
• Wed     Feb 25 Luke 3–5         Ps. 21
• Thu      Feb 26 Luke 6–7         Ps. 22
• Fri        Feb 27 Luke 8–10       Ps. 23
• Sat       Feb 28 Luke 11–12     Ps. 24

As you finish reading Leviticus, notice how the theme of holiness continues right up to the end of the book. Also notice how, in chapter 26, the Lord looks ahead into Israel’s future and tells them what will happen if they are faithful to him and if they keep his commandments, and what will happen if do not listen to him and obey his commandments. Moses will address the next generations of Israelites with similar prophetic predictions in chapter 28 of Deuteronomy.

Both Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 give a preview of the rest of the OT. All the consequences for sin outlined here would end up coming true, including the exile and the scattering of Israel and Judah among the nations (Lev 26:33). Despite the foreboding tone of the chapter, and the sad reality that ensued after Moses’s time, there is also a glimmer of hope in this chapter. If they confess their sin and turn humbly back to the Lord, he will remember their forefathers. He will remain faithful to his covenant promises (26:40–44). Looking back on this as Christian readers, we can praise God he has made good on those promises in the atoning sacrifice and great high priest of a new and better covenant!

The Gospel of Luke includes the most extensive and familiar account of Jesus’ birth and early life. The first few chapters in Luke are filled with miraculous stories, angelic worship, fulfilled promises, the Messiah’s arrival, and profound declarations of worship for the God who lifts up the lowly, redeems his people, and is worthy of the highest praise.

Luke begins his Gospel by saying he is writing these things to give an orderly account so Theophilus (and we) can know with certainty about the things he has been taught, so Theophilus (and we) can be confident that these things are true and that they really matter (Luke 1:1–4).

There are many similarities between Luke’s Gospel and Matthew and Mark, and John too, but there are also some differences. Like we have noted before, it is important to notice the distinct emphases and messages of each of the four Gospels. We are not just trying to understand “what really happened,” but we are trying to understand the inspired meaning of each of these four accounts of Jesus’s life and ministry. As a biblical author writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Luke is trying to say something that is distinct from what Matthew, Mark, and John are saying—similar and complementary to be sure, but unique, nonetheless.

One of the distinctive aspects of Luke’s Gospel is the emphasis on the universal scope of God’s saving work in Christ. Salvation is for all nations and peoples. We see this in places like Simeon’s song in chapter 2, where he blesses God as he holds the child Jesus in his arms. He quotes from Isaiah and rejoices that he has now seen the Lord’s salvation, which he prepared “in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:29–32).

Luke also pays special attention to the lowly and marginalized in the eyes of the world. Notice as your read along how often Jesus highlights people like shepherds, women, the poor, and others who may be devalued or thought of as lower-class citizens, particularly in the first-century Roman-ruled world. The values of God’s kingdom are often opposite the systems and values of the world, and this right-side-up kingdom value system is exemplified most clearly in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. Luke pays special attention to this theme throughout his account.

There is a pivotal moment in chapter 9 of Luke. There, in verse 51, it says, “Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.” The rest of Luke’s Gospel moves in that direction, towards Jerusalem. That is where Jesus would accomplish what he came to do. The reason Christ came, the purpose for which the second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, took on flesh and dwelt among us, was to die for the sins of the world.

Next week we will be reading Luke’s account of the culminating events of Jesus’ life on earth, his death on the cross for our sins, and his miraculous and victorious resurrection. This is the good news announced to the shepherds by the angelic host (Luke 2:8–14), the message John the Baptist prepared the way for in the wilderness (3:4–6), the gospel Jesus commissions his disciples, and us, to take to the world (24:44–49; Acts 1:8).

Reading through each of the Gospels allows us to savor both the deeds of Jesus and the cross of Christ. As long as people have been reading Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John there has been a tendency either to emphasize Jesus’ compassionate works—healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, loving the lowly—or to focus only on his atoning death and victorious resurrection. But reading the Gospels well urges us to reject this binary choice. The Gospels call us to see Jesus as the one who came into the world to meet the physical needs of those around him. And the Gospels make it clear that Jesus’ miraculous deeds of compassion demonstrated to those he healed and to us today that he was the long-expected Messiah who came to conquer sin and death through his own death on the cross and through resurrection from the dead three days later. The compassion he showed in his acts while here in the flesh demonstrated who we was and pointed to the greatest act of salvation and healing he would accomplish at the cross. Rather than having to choose one emphasis or the other, we rejoice in both as we read the Gospels.

We also continue our reading in the Psalms this week. Psalm 19 is one of the psalms for this week, and this is one of the psalms that extols the value of Scripture. There are two main movements of this psalm: The first speaks of God’s revelation in creation, and the second of his revelation in his word. After praising the God whose glory is declared in the heavens and whose handiwork can be seen in all of creation (Ps 19:1–6), the psalmist, David, recounts the value and benefit of God’s word. 

The law of the LORD is perfect,

          reviving the soul;

the testimony of the LORD is sure,

          making wise the simple;

the precepts of the LORD are right,

          rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the LORD is pure,

          enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the LORD is clean,

          enduring forever;

the rules of the LORD are true,

          and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

          even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey

          and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

          in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7–11)

“The law (Torah) of the Lord,” “The testimony of the Lord,” “the precepts of the Lord,” “the commandment of the Lord,” “the fear of the Lord,” and “the rules of the Lord.” Each of these has significance in its own right, but, generally speaking, they are all different ways to refer to what God has given in his inscripturated word.

The psalm speaks of the intrinsic nature and value of Scripture, and also of its benefit to those who read it, meditate on it, and live by it. This psalm helps cultivate in us a desire for God’s word. It reminds us the truth of what the Scriptures are—their invaluable qualities and great benefit to us. And while simply knowing this should foster in us a longing to know God through his word, even if our desire is lacking, we can trust the Lord to help us. We can ask him to strengthen our faith, to help us see the value of his word, to open our eyes and hearts to see what he has to say through it, and to grow us in Christlikeness so we live lives that glorify him in response to our reading of his word. He if faithful and he will bring joy to our hearts and enlighten our eyes as we cultivate habits of seeking him in his word. And we can be confident that, as we do, we will taste and see that he is good.