Daily Bible Study Spring 2021

By Cokesbury

A great companion to Adult Bible Studies, Daily Bible Study can also be used as a stand-alone study. It is presented in quarterly segments. Bible-based, and Christ-focused, it coordinates with the lesson themes of Adult Bible Studies. Each lesson includes a one-page Bible study for each day of the quarter, along with introductory reflection questions and commentary on the daily Scripture passage, life application, and a concluding prayer.

Spring Theme: Holy
This spring, DAILY BIBLE STUDY presents a series of readings supporting the theme “Holy.” Readings come from both Old and New Testament texts. These daily readings, which prepare us for the 13 lessons in Adult Bible Studies, are written by Randy Cross, Susan Groseclose, and Clara Welch.

Holy Living
The daily readings in this unit help us focus on living as holy people, ways we can nurture holiness in our lives, physical holiness, and prayer and holiness.

New in Christ
The readings in this unit support the apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Readings in the first week highlight Jesus’ resurrection, which is the basis for our new creation. Subsequent readings challenge us to consider some of the ways we are new in Christ: we live by new standards, we behave differently, and we allow ourselves to become carriers of the gospel message.

God Revealed
The five weeks of daily readings in this unit explore some of the ways God has revealed God’s self in the biblical account, including self-declaration, quietness, through Jesus, visions, and love. God is not limited to these avenues of expression, of course, but these help us grasp some of the scope of the ways God comes to us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cokesbury
• Release date: Jan 19, 2021
• ISBN: 9781501895463

Book preview

Why do you love your neighbor?

God’s command You must love your neighbor as yourself (Leviticus 19:18) is at the heart of what it means to live a holy life, a life that is set apart for God. We find this command in the middle of Leviticus 19, a chapter that the Common English Bible titles, Living as holy people.

We use the word love in a variety of contexts. We love our children. We love a favorite food. We love to spend time in the mountains or at the beach. What did God have in mind in commanding us to love our neighbor?

The commandment in verse 11 is straightforward: You must not steal nor deceive nor lie to each other. Verse 12 warns against desecrating the Lord’s name, specifically by making an oath or a promise in God’s name and then not fulfilling that promise. Worded another way, Do not use the LORD your God’s name as if it were of no significance (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11). Leviticus 19:14-16 commands us to extend kindness and fairness to others and not to take advantage of people who are vulnerable or experiencing hardship.

In this text, the designations neighbor and fellow Israelite are used interchangeably. Verse 34 expands the understanding of fellow Israelite, saying, Any immigrant who lives with you must be treated as if they were one of your citizens. Jesus expanded the understanding of neighbor even more. He said, Love your enemies and pray for those who harass you. . . . Therefore, just as your heavenly Father is complete in showing love to everyone, so also you must be complete (Matthew 5:44, 48).

Jesus’ teaching adds a global context to these commandments that the ancient Israelites never could have imagined. For example, Leviticus 19:13 states, You must not oppress your neighbors or rob them. As twenty-first-century Christians, we understand our neighbors to include people in our local communities and also people living in oppressive situations around the globe.

We live a life of holiness, a life set apart for God, when we obey the commandment to love our neighbor. Jesus said this is the second most important commandment. The first is, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).

The command to love your neighbor may seem burdensome as we look at all the rules and regulations listed in the Book of Leviticus. But when our love for other people grows out of our love for God, it is not burdensome at all. Our natural response to God’s love for us is compassion and kindness toward others. We find joy in the opportunities we have to offer our resources and time to serve others in the name of Christ. In this way, we embrace God’s call to live a holy life.

Loving God, open my eyes to the ways I may answer your call to love my neighbor. Amen.

What behaviors and practices do you observe that set you apart as holy for God?

It is fairly easy to find ways to apply the instructions in Leviticus 19:1-18 to our present-day lives. The instructions in today’s text may prove to be a little more difficult. It is important to remember that this text was written to address specific concerns at a specific point in history.

Scholars believe that the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, includes writings from four different sources. The Book of Leviticus is attributed to the Priestly source. The Priestly authors were primarily interested in the moral and religious life of the Israelites and the rituals related to Temple worship.

While the book is set in the time of Moses, scholars believe it was written during the time of the Exile in the sixth century BC after the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. During this time when the Israelites were displaced from their homeland, it was important that they remember who they were called to be and what it meant to be set apart as God’s holy people.

The prohibition in verse 19, Do not crossbreed your livestock, is one reason scholars date this document during the Exile. In earlier historical documents, crossbreeding does not seem to be an issue. For example, it was reported that Absalom was riding on a mule (2 Samuel 18:9). King David gave instructions to "put [his] son Solomon on [his] mule (1 Kings 1:33).

The idea behind these prohibitions against crossbreeding and combining seeds and materials was maintaining the sacredness and purity of God’s creation. Along these lines, the Israelites were not to harm their own bodies as they mourned their dead (Leviticus 19:28). The limits on when it was acceptable to eat the fruit of trees was also a reminder that the fruit belonged to God and was a gift to the people.

Surrounding pagan cultures practiced Temple prostitution. God forbade the people to engage in this practice (verse 29). It must have been challenging for the Israelites to avoid pagan religious rituals when they lived in exile in a foreign culture.

They lived as God’s holy people set apart when they treated the Lord’s sanctuary with respect and kept the Lord’s sabbaths (verse 30), when they looked to God instead of other spirits for guidance (verse 31), and when they respected the elderly (verse 32). The elderly may be frail in body, but they have wisdom born of experience. Note that God consistently reminded the people, I am the LORD (verses 25, 28, 30, 31, 32).

Leviticus 19 is identified as the Holiness Code. If you were to write a code for how to live a holy life in our secular world, what would you include? How would God’s command to love your neighbor as yourself (verse 18) be at the heart of your code? In what ways do you hear God saying, I am the LORD?

Holy Lord, open my heart to the ways you call me to live a holy life set apart for you. Amen.

How do you obey God’s command to love others with acts of justice?

When we go for an appointment at a doctor’s office, the nurse will often check our weight, height, and blood pressure. At one doctor’s office, there was a sign over the scale that read No Complaining.

When I was in the sixth grade, we studied the metric system. One day, our math class went outside to measure the school fence. Each student had a meter stick. We lined up and placed our meter sticks against the fence. Then, the first student in line ran to the end of the line and placed the meter stick against the fence. Each student in turn followed until we had measured the entire fence. I doubt the measurement was accurate, and it would not have been admissible in court. It was, however, a fun activity!

We see in this text from the Holiness Code in Leviticus that the command to live a holy life includes treating others with justice. God says, You must not act unjustly in a legal case involving measures of length, weight, or volume (Leviticus 19:35). Scales and weights must be accurate (verse 36).

Think about all the times you depend on accurate measures of length, weight, or volume. The scale at the doctor’s office is one example. The scale at the post office that determines the weight and shipping cost of a package is another example. We depend on accurate measurements of length when we purchase a home or a piece of property. We depend on accurate measures of volume when we purchase milk or juice at the grocery store. In what ways do others depend on you to provide accurate measures of length, weight, or volume?

The people of Israel knew well the life of an immigrant because they had been immigrants in Egypt (verse 34). They moved to Egypt to find food during the famine and received a warm welcome because they were related to Joseph. Joseph was highly regarded in Egypt since God had given him the wisdom to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams and oversee a plan to store food.

The Israelites also experienced oppression and injustice in Egypt when, years later, a new king came to power in Egypt who didn’t know Joseph (Exodus 1:8). This king feared the powerful numbers of the Hebrews and enslaved them to do forced labor.

As I write this, immigration is a divisive and challenging concern in our country and around the world as church and government leaders consider what it means to act with justice (Leviticus 19:33-34). How do you put these commands to treat others with justice into practice as you respond to God’s call to live a holy life?

God of love and justice, open my eyes to the ways you call me to treat others with love and justice. Amen.

How do you live your life separate from the world, set apart for God?

God chose the people of Israel to be a special people and to follow a way of life that was completely separate from the pagan religious life of the other nations: I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from all other peoples (Leviticus 20:24). God desired that the Israelites honor and maintain this separateness by following God’s rules and regulations (verse 22).

The reward for obedience sounds wonderful, the opportunity to own and live in a fertile land . . . full of milk and honey (verse 24). The consequence of disobedience, however, sounds awful: The land would vomit them out (verse 22).

In the Scripture for March 1, we read God’s command: You must be holy, because I, the LORD your God, am holy (Leviticus 19:2). In Leviticus 20:26, this command is worded a little differently: You must be holy to me . . . I have separated you from all other peoples to be my own.

God gives us a choice concerning our obedience to the rules and regulations but makes it clear that disobedience has consequences. One of God’s rules and regulations is, You must not participate in divination or fortune-telling (19:26). In today’s Scripture text, God declares that if people disobey this, their blood is on their own head (20:27), meaning they are responsible for their own actions and the resulting consequences.

As Christians, we do not follow all the rules and regulations of the Law that God gave to the Israelites. Instead, we follow Jesus and live according to his example. Jesus summed up the Law by identifying the two greatest commandments: Love God, and love our neighbor. When we do this, we fulfill God’s command to be holy (verse 26). The world encourages us to live a self-centered life. When we follow the example of Jesus, we live a God-centered life.

What have been your experiences of living separated . . . from . . . other peoples (verse 24) because of your love for God? How does God’s command to be holy influence the way you interact with other people, the places you go, the words you speak, and the choices you make? What helps you remain strong in your resolve to live a God-centered life and resist the pull of self-centered temptations around you? How have you experienced joy as a result of your faithfulness?

Loving God, help me remain strong in my faith as I obey your commandment to live a holy life for you. Amen.

How have you devoted yourself to obeying the two greatest commandments?

The Pharisees devoted their lives to studying, keeping, and enforcing the Jewish law. This was quite a task, as there were 613 laws! The Pharisees were frustrated with Jesus when he did not share their goal of following the Law to the letter. We may want to say to them, Seriously, Pharisees? Why are you not celebrating the fact that Jesus just said you can fulfill all 613 laws by focusing on only two?

The Pharisees and Sadducees were asking Jesus questions related to the Law in an attempt to find just cause to arrest him and stop his ministry. Jesus’ responses left the Pharisees astonished (Matthew 22:22) and the Sadducees speechless (verse 34). Then a legal expert among the Pharisees asked yet another question in an effort to test Jesus (verse 35). He asked, Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law? (verse 36).

The idea of identifying the most important commandments was not new. For example, in Psalm 15, attributed to David, the psalmist lifts up 11 behaviors related to interacting with other people and honoring God. The prophet Micah summarized the intent of the commandments, saying, He has told you, human one, what is good and what the LORD requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

Jesus cited Deuteronomy 6:5 as the first and greatest commandment (Matthew 22:38). This would have been familiar to the Pharisees, as it is part of the Shema that Jews recite in the morning and in the evening. Jesus said, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind (verse 37). Deuteronomy 6:5 also includes all your