Respect

Respect

Leviticus 16:1, 2

The introduction to the chapter is in the first two verses in which God communicates a message that needs to be heard by the people of God.

Respect" is a song originally released by American recording artist Otis Redding in 1965. The song became a 1967 hit and signature song for soul icon Aretha Franklin. The music in the two versions is significantly different, and through a few changes in the lyrics, the stories told by the songs have a different flavor. Redding's version is a plea from a desperate man, who will give his woman anything she wants. He won't care if she does him wrong, as long as he gets his due respect when he brings money home.[1] However, Franklin's version is a declaration from a strong, confident woman, who knows that she has everything her man wants. She never does him wrong, and demands his "respect".[2]

What you want Baby, I got it What you need Do you know I got it? All I'm askin' Is for a little respect when you get home (just a little bit) Hey baby (just a little bit) when you get home (Just a little bit) mister (just a little bit)

R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find out what it means to me R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Respect-a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something….

Synonyms: esteem, regard, high regard, high opinion, acclaim, admiration, approbation, approval, appreciation, estimation, favor, popularity, recognition, veneration, awe, reverence, deference, honor, praise, homage

This text in Leviticus 16 is birthed out of the disrespect and contempt from Leviticus 10.

Disrespect-lack of respect or courtesy

Synonyms: contempt, scorn, disregard, disdain, derision, mockery, ridicule, discourtesy, rudeness, impoliteness, incivility, unmannerliness, lack of civility, ungraciousness, irreverence, lack of consideration, ill/bad manners, insolence, impudence, impertinence, cheek, flippancy, churlishness, lip, nerve.

Illustration

Aside from his signature black suit and red tie, Rodney Dangerfield’s iconic catchphrase — “I don’t get no respect” — was the centerpiece of, not only his standup routines but also his award-winning career as a whole

Shortly after Dangerfield’s birth, his father, comic and juggler Phil Roy, abandoned the family, and he grew up “unloved and unwanted,” according to Dangerfield's widow, Joan.

Admitting that, as a kid, he had “no supervision at all,” Dangerfield wrote about being molested when he was five years old in his 2004 autobiography, Not Easy Bein' Me: A Lifetime of No Respect but Plenty of Sex and Drugs.

Argumentation

Like Rodney Dangerfield, we tend to allow the lack of respect shown to us through others relationship with us or the lack of respect shown for ourselves interfere with our relationship with God. We cannot come to God without dealing with our sinful past, our sinful thoughts and our sinful hearts toward HIM.

How can we begin to respect God when we do not know how to relate to ourselves? If we are created in the image of God (as the word of God tells us) We should have a desire and yearn to be in relationship with Him.

Familiarity breeds contempt. Aesop

Those who disrespect you with their mouth don’t deserve your ear. Curtis Tyrone Jones

Distance yourself from people who: Lie to you. Disrespect you. Use you. Put you down. Unknown

1 Samuel 2:30 NASB95

30 “Therefore the Lord God of Israel declares, ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Psalm 111:10 KJV[1]

Honour everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the emperor.

1 Peter 2:17 ESV

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What we see today in our world is the revelation of mankind heart that has no respect for themselves and God. Sin has corrupted, separated mankind from God.

Human knowledge of God may be a purely intellectual phenomenon, as when one knows about God through observing the results of his actions, but God’s people know him in a personal way because of their relationship with him.

The believer’s understanding and experience of Jesus Christ, which arises from a personal relationship established through faith.

5030 knowledge, of Jesus Christ

Knowledge of Jesus Christ acquired through a personal relationship with him

We have a responsibility to approach God with respect fear and awe! This is the baseline of our relationship with the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This relationship is spiritual, thus Spirit led……and during this season of Yom Kippur, we need to re-establish our respect for God……

The first step in reestablishing our respect for God is:

Point 1. Respect My Name (Leviticus 16:1)

NAMES DENOTE RELATIONSHIP TO SOMETHING OR SOMEONE…….

One INTERNET article states”

While ‘Say Their Names’ could be used for anyone who faces injustice from the police, it’s specifically created for members of the Black community. Black people are disproportionately affected by police violence, and too many have lost their lives too soon.

By encouraging people all over the world to say and use the names of the deceased, their stories live on. Oftentimes in the fight for justice, the focus is on the cause and the progress made. ‘Say their name’ encourages people to remember all of those who died on this journey for change. These names sparked a movement, and they deserve to be honored and remembered.

Illustration:

Respect is quickly becoming a faint memory in many cultures today. Unfortunately, this lack of respect has even found a way into the church.

One day two men were talking while eating lunch. The first man said to the other, “I notice you’ve got a bumper-sticker on your car that reads ‘Heaven Bound.’ Are you a Christian?” “Oh, yea,” said the second man. “I really owe a lot to the man upstairs. He’s my good buddy in the sky.”

The first man paused for a moment, then asked, “Well, what about your front license plate—‘Hell on Wheels’? What does that have to do with being a Christian?” The second man was quickly convicted by the Holy Spirit. It sounded like his car was going to heaven while he was going to hell. He had made the mistake of being too flippant with his faith. God was not his good buddy. God was his Almighty heavenly Father. The man owed God much more respect than he had been giving.

Neither is God our good buddy. God is our Almighty heavenly Father. And let’s be honest—we all owe God much more respect than we give Him.

“The Lord spake unto Moses” (Leviticus 16:1). The contents of this chapter are God-ordained. Moses did not invent this day or instructions.

The Master declares a proclamation to the man called Moses

respect, for God’s character

God’s revelation of himself calls for deference, honour and a response of right living.

(true God) (njb) Yahweh: Jehovah, the Lord as an euphemism for Adonai, most versions the name of the one true God, with a focus on sure existence and His relationship to his covenant persons and peoples (Ex 3:15) Yahweh, the proper name of the God of Israel.

This name is used 5330 times out of 13034 times God name is used ( or close to 40% of the time)

Psalm 29:2 tells us: Ascribe to the LORD the glory 1due to His name: Worship the LORD in holy array.

Hashem- Judaism a periphrastic way of referring to God in contexts other than prayer, scriptural reading, etc because the name itself is considered too holy for such use

1. Elohim, meaning "God," a reference to God's power and might Gen. 1:1; Ps. 19:1

2. Adonai, meaning "Lord," a reference to the Lordship of God Mal. 1:6

3. Jehovah (sometimes spelled Yahweh), a reference to God's divine salvation Gen. 2:4

4. Jehovah-Maccaddeshem, meaning "The Lord thy sanctifier" Exod. 31:13

5. Jehovah-Rohi, meaning "The Lord my shepherd" Ps. 23:1

6. Jehovah-Shammah, meaning "The Lord who is present" Ezek. 48:35

7. Jehovah-Rapha, meaning "The Lord our healer" Exod. 16:26

8. Jehovah-Tsidkenu, meaning "The Lord our righteousness" Jer. 23:6 9. Jehovah-Jireh, meaning "The Lord will provide" Gen. 22:13-14

10. Jehovah-Nissi, meaning "The Lord our banner" Exod. 17:15

11. Jehovah-Shalom, meaning "The Lord is peace" Judg. 6:24

12. Jehovah-Sabbaoth, meaning "The Lord of Hosts" Isa. 6:1-3

13. El-Elyon, meaning "The most high God" Gen. 14:17-20; Isa. 14:13-14

14. El-Roi, meaning "The strong one who sees" Gen. 16:12

15. El-Shaddai, meaning "The God of the mountains" or "God almighty" Gen. 17:1; Ps. 91:1

16. El-Olam, meaning "The everlasting God"

Point 2. Respect This Moment (of the Proclamation Leviticus 16:1)

Key word Intimacy-----Embracing the moment…..

Illustration

When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard. Kids see flowers for Mom and white fluff you can wish on.

When I look at a drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money. Kids see someone smiling at them, and they smile back.

When I hear music I love, I know I can’t carry a tune and don’t have much rhythm, so I sit self-consciously and listen. Kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing the words, and if they don’t know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk. Kids close their eyes, spread their arms, and fly with the wind until they fall to the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say “thee” and “thou” and “grant me this” and “give me that.” Kids say “Hi, God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don’t want to go to heaven yet; I would miss Mommy and Daddy.”

When I see a mud puddle, I step around it. I see muddy shoes and clothes and dirty carpets. Kids sit in the puddle. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from? No wonder God loves the little children!

—Anonymous[2]

Matthew 18:3-4 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little achildren, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whosoever therefore shall ahumble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

You and I when we approach God we must come with the attribute of humility as exhibited in some children…..We can never embrace or even respect the moment of intimacy unless we approach it with humility…….

Respect for Worship

Worship of God denotes intimacy with God…..Intimacy can be defined as:

Close relationships are part of God’s will for human life. Scripture speaks of intimate relationships between Jesus Christ and the Father, between God and his people, and between various individuals.[3]

Fire is represented as the symbol of Jehovah’s presence and the instrument of his power, in the way either of approval or of destruction. Ex. 3:2; 14:19, etc. There could not be a better symbol for Jehovah than this of fire, it being immaterial, mysterious, but visible, warming, cheering, comforting, but also terrible and consuming.[4]

Fire for sacred purposes obtained elsewhere than from the altar was called “strange fire,” and for the use of such Nadab and Abihu were punished with death by fire from God. Lev. 10:1, 2;

Num. 3:4; 26:61.[5]

Why did they die? They did not respect the worship as prescribed in the book of Exodus 30:34-38

34 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, spices with pure frankincense; there shall be an equal part of each.

35 “With it you shall make incense, a perfume, the work of a perfumer, salted, pure, and holy.

36 “You shall beat some of it very fine, and put part of it before the testimony in the tent of meeting awhere I will meet with you; it shall be most holy to you.

37 “The incense which you shall make, ayou shall not make in 1the same proportions for yourselves; it shall be holy to you for the Lord.

38 “aWhoever shall make any like it, to 1use as perfume, 2shall be cut off from his people.”[6]

Although the sons do not appear in that incident in Exodus 32, the connection is a reasonable one from a literary perspective.11 In fact, this is the closest narrative event before Leviticus 8–10, in which Aaron is the main character. His own abuse of the cult in the act of creating the Golden Calf and leading the people in worship foreshadows that of his sons, who also abuse their privileges in their performance of the cult. Like their father, the sons introduce practices that are foreign as decreed by Yahweh.

ONE JOURNAL STATES:

. Martin Greenberg (“The True Sin of Nadab and Abihu,” JBQ 26 [1998] 263–67) asserts that Nadab and Abihu designated the Golden Calf as Israel’s gods in Exod 32:4. Their sin in Leviticus 10 was a failure to confess and atone for this earlier idolatry. However, this is contrary to the explicit statements of Lev 10:1 that focus the issue on the “strange fire.”

The Moment was dictated possibly by the Generational Sin produced by his father Aaron in his act of Idolotry by

Point 3. Respect The Manifestation (Leviticus 16:2)

When you and I respect His Name and the Moment, we can begin to see the Manifestation

Manifestation can be defined as: a visible expression[7] of something or someone.

Theophany- A temporary visible manifestation of the presence and glory of God. This may be in natural phenomena such as cloud or fire, in human form or in prophetic visionary experience.[8]

The introductory message was brief but instructive.

• The man for the message. “Speak unto Aaron” (Leviticus 16:2). The instructions for the Day of Atonement were especially applicable to Aaron for it all involved him as the high priest.

• The mandate in the message. “That he come not at all times into the holy place [holy of holies] within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not” (Leviticus 16:2). The only time Aaron, the high priest, was permitted to enter the Holy of Holies was on the Day of Atonement. Therefore, to go into the Holy of Holies at any other time meant death.

• The manifestation in the message. “I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat” (Leviticus 16:2). When Aaron does enter the Holy of Holies, God will manifest Himself in a cloud between the cherubim’s on the mercy seat where He had promised earlier to be the place where He would commune with Israel (Exodus 25:22).

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 1:18

Answer: A theophany is a manifestation of God in the Bible that is tangible to the human senses. In its most restrictive sense, it is a visible appearance of God in the Old Testament period, often, but not always, in human form. Some of the theophanies are found in these passages: 1. Genesis 12:7-9 – The Lord appeared to Abraham on his arrival in the land God had promised to him and his descendants. 2. Genesis 18:1-33 – One day, Abraham had some visitors: two angels and God Himself. He invited them to come to his home, and he and Sarah entertained them. Many commentators believe this could also be a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. 3. Genesis 32:22-30 – Jacob wrestled with what appeared to be a man, but was actually God (vv. 28-30). This may also have been a Christophany. 4. Exodus 3:2 - 4:17 – God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, telling him exactly what He wanted him to do. 5. Exodus 24:9-11 – God appeared to Moses with Aaron and his sons and the seventy elders. 6. Deuteronomy 31:14-15 – God appeared to Moses and Joshua in the transfer of leadership to Joshua. 7. Job 38–42 – God answered Job out of the tempest and spoke at great length in answer to Job’s questions.

1 John 3:2, KJV: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." ...

Preaching finality: To see God is to respect HIS NAME and the MOMENT……WE Cannot come to Jesus anyway we feel like it……To know Jesus is to honor the Father……To say we know God means we will FEAR GOD…and HONOR Him with respect…..Jesus ….

Hebrews 4:16, KJV: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." The only reason you and I can come boldly is because of Jesus……He was dis-respected,so we can come with respect….We can come honoring His name and the moment……Preach…..

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KJV King James Version

KJV King James Version

[1] Martin Manser, ed., Christian Quotations (Martin Manser, 2016).

njb New Jerusalem Bible

[2] Craig Brian Larson and Phyllis Ten Elshof, 1001 Illustrations That Connect (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2008), 331.

[3] Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).

[4] William Smith, Smith’s Bible Dictionary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1986).

[5] William Smith, Smith’s Bible Dictionary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1986).

a Ex 29:42

a Ex 30:32

1 Lit its proportion

a Ex 30:33

1 Lit smell of it

2 Lit even he shall

[6] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ex 30:34–38.

11 Both the rabbis and modern commentators observe verbal and thematic connection between Exodus 32 and the narratives of Leviticus 8, 9, and 10. See. Hartley, Leviticus, 122, 123, 134. Wenham, The Book of Leviticus, 148; Mark E Rooker, Leviticus (NAC 3A; Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2000) 149. Martin Greenberg (“The True Sin of Nadab and Abihu,” JBQ 26 [1998] 263–67) asserts that Nadab and Abihu designated the Golden Calf as Israel’s gods in Exod 32:4. Their sin in Leviticus 10 was a failure to confess and atone for this earlier idolatry. However, this is contrary to the explicit statements of Lev 10:1 that focus the issue on the “strange fire.”