February 8th, 26:Leviticus 7–9; Acts 15; Daily Bible in a Year

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! In this powerful episode, Heather invites us on a journey through Leviticus 7–9 and Acts 15, exploring the weighty requirements of Old Testament law and the freeing grace found in Jesus. As we gather from around the world, Heather reminds us that the Scriptures ultimately point us to Christ—the true source of life.

Together, we witness the complex rituals and sacrifices that marked Israel’s worship, and then pivot to the liberating message of Acts: salvation is not about meeting an impossible set of demands, but about receiving the undeserved grace of Jesus. Heather draws a beautiful distinction between the heavy yoke of the law and the easy yoke that Christ offers, challenging us to lay down the burdens we create for ourselves and rest in His completed work.

This episode also includes a time for prayer, reflection, and encouragement for the journey ahead. Whether you carry the weight of ancient law or your own modern expectations, today’s episode offers a fresh invitation to surrender to the love, peace, and freedom found in Jesus alone.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

Did you feel the weight of it? The heavy yoke of Leviticus? The requirements of the law were elaborate and complex. The details were exacting, right down to putting blood on the right ear, thumb, and right big toe of the priest. It was a heavy yoke with staggering specificity. They put themselves in peril if they got it wrong. Yet in Acts today, Paul and Barnabas are preaching a different message. A gospel of good news, not a heavy yoke. All the demands of the Law of Moses are fulfilled in Jesus. He is the sacrificial lamb, the high priest, our advocate, and our temple. Jesus is the reality behind all the shadow play of the Law of Moses.

The pressures of the law are lethal if they are misunderstood or misapplied. We are to trust in Jesus, who has made us right with God, not the heavy yoke of the Book of Leviticus, and not all our attempts at fulfilling the law's demands. This heavy yoke was more than anyone could carry, then or now. Essentially, Peter says in Acts, let’s not put the book of Leviticus on the backs of these Gentile converts and tell them to fulfill it when neither we nor our ancestors could carry it. We know that the only one who has ever been able to bear the weight of it is the Lord Jesus himself. Salvation and being made right with God comes only by grace through the faith of Jesus. Jesus alone carried that heavy yoke. We can't do it. No one ever has.

And God is proclaiming that gift of life and hope, the easy yoke, to Gentiles too. It's not Jesus plus circumcision, Jesus plus Levitical law, or Jesus plus Moses. It's just Jesus. His undeserved grace is it. That’s how we are made right with God. By walking in His Spirit, we are released into the goodness of this good news. You and I may not have the Levitical laws around our neck. It's not the Levitical laws that make it hard for us to receive God's grace.

When we read Leviticus, most of us probably think it’s just a little weird. But we do create our own morally equivalent barriers that make it hard to live and experience God’s grace and strength. We come up with things like: if I were just a better mom, made more money, got my temper under control, if I was more moral, read my Bible more, went to church more, gave more, then I’m sure God would love me more. It’s not the Book of Leviticus you are trying to carry. It’s the Book of Heather, or Carol, or Andrew, or Hunter. Just insert your name. We create our own morally equivalent books that make it hard for us to receive the good news of the gospel.

When the church of Antioch got the letter delivered by Barsabbas and Silas, it brought the believers great joy as they read it. It said, “Take off your yoke.” That’s why they were joyous. They were freed from that burden that they could not carry. You don’t have to shoulder the book of Leviticus, or the book that you have written for yourself. You can rejoice because Christ Jesus has done everything necessary for you to live the life that he intends for you to live, in the strength that he alone can p