February 24-28
[M] Lev 24-25; Psalm 81; Hebrews 9
[T] Lev 26-27; Psalm 112; Heb 10
[W] Numbers 1-2; Psalm 64; Heb 11
[T] Num 3-5; Heb 12
[F] Num 6-7; Heb 13
Dwell Plan Day 41-45 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF
Notes from Jon & Chris
Monday
Leviticus 24:17-23 | An Eye for an Eye | The ancient world was a harsh and violent place, and the law of “an eye for an eye” wasn’t about encouraging revenge, it was about ensuring justice. God gave this law to keep punishment fair, preventing people from taking matters into their own hands and escalating violence. It was meant to guide Israel’s leaders in upholding justice (see Exodus 21:18-19).
But this law wasn’t just about personal behavior; it was about building a just society. Then Jesus came along and took it even further in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:38-42). He taught that in His kingdom, our response to wrongdoing shouldn’t be retaliation, but radical love. Instead of demanding payback, we’re called to serve—even those who hurt us.
That’s not natural, right? But this is exactly what Jesus did for us. While we were still sinners—fully deserving of judgment—He took our punishment on Himself. Instead of an eye for an eye, He gave His life so we could be forgiven. Now, as His people, He calls us to live out that same grace in our daily lives.
Leviticus 25 | Sabbath and Jubilee | For centuries, God’s people ignored His commands about the Sabbath year and the Year of Jubilee—times when the land was supposed to rest, debts were to be forgiven, and people were given a fresh start. Instead of trusting God’s provision, they kept working the land and living as if His commands didn’t matter.
But God wasn’t going to let their disobedience go unchecked forever. When the exile came, He made it clear: “You owe me 70 Sabbath years.” And so, just as they had skipped 70 Sabbath years, they spent 70 years in exile (2 Chronicles 36:20-21; Leviticus 26:33-35). God’s discipline wasn’t random: it was measured, just, and purposeful. The exile wasn’t just punishment; it was God resetting what His people had neglected. But even in judgment, God’s mercy was at work, because after 70 years, He brought His people home with a renewed sense of His presence.
Leviticus 25 | What sort of God is this? And what does this rhythm of years tell us about God’s goals for us? How do you see Jesus in the Jubilee?
Psalm 81:10 | “I am the LORD your God” is something that God says again and again, as if that statement alone explains everything. It also happens frequently in Leviticus. Everything we’re reading is grounded somehow in revealing God’s character as a person. You may not like it, and you might find Him offensive or strange. It doesn’t matter, because He is who He is, now who we wish He would be. This becomes the ultimate rationale that God says to us, and we can’t go any further, “It’s because of Who I AM,” God says repeatedly. It’s an early form of what Paul says later that “of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things.” God’s character and personhood ground everything in scripture.
Tuesday
Hebrews 10:12-14 | Do you remember Psalm 110:1? We just read it last week. I love reading the Bible like this and seeing how it’s all woven together.
Hebrews 10:19 | Our access to God isn’t all that stunning to us, unless you’re reading Leviticus at the same time as Hebrews! The wonder and joy of the early Christians must have been infectious and powerful. Having lived under the shadow and dominion of the law, of the tabernacle and all of its rules, of the holiness that means death for sinners–to know that you can just saunter on in to the holy places is mind boggling to them. Draw near! Get in as close as you can!
Leviticus 26-27 | Congrats: you made it through Leviticus. :)
Wednesday
Numbers 1 | We all have lists of people we know, people we’re related to, and people we work with. The lists go on and on in our lives. Our own circle of good friends might be pretty small, but our larger set of contacts, acquaintances, and old friends is bigger than we often realize. And each name means something to us–some memory or connection.
That’s what these lists originally felt like to the first readers! Just imagine if your family was even mentioned in your holy scriptures–wouldn’t that be amazingly affirming? These lists and genealogies don’t mean much to us, but they meant the world to someone at some point (and here’s the kicker) they actually matter to God Himself. He has no regard for how important someone is! His attention, love, and care are the same for the very least person we know. And His attention, love, and care are eternal for each and every individual! That’s the power of an eternal God. He never gets tired and never loses absolute focus on you and your problems and your circle of friends. That’s the promise in these lists.
And it’s also an offer to you and me: bring Him your lists! He loves lists, doesn’t ever get tired of them, and never stops intimately caring about all the folks we intimately care about. It’s truly amazing that all of these anonymous people are mentioned. You may feel anonymous at times: a cog in a wheel, or employee #564539, but to our God, you are precious enough to sing over and redeem. Praise Him!
Psalm 64 | It’s quite important to learn how to complain in a Godly manner. And it’s possible. We need to learn and reproduce the moods, attitudes, and life of true faith. Sometimes that means asking God to stop bad folks from doing bad things. We get to pray for that sort of thing, and God takes it quite personally on our behalf. Go, and in the power of the Spirit, learn to complain the way that pleases God. After all, it is Wednesday!
Hebrews 11 | You’ve been reading the Old Testament for the past six weeks or so. When you read this chapter, ask yourself a question: do you read the Bible the way that the writer of Hebrews does? Do you see the story of constant faith? Can you line up your faith with theirs and see the contrasts and similarities? This chapter is a tour de force in Bible interpretation, inviting us to see all the folks of the Bible as having the same struggles and faith that we ourselves have. Ask the Spirit to give you a “Hebrews 11” view of your Bible!
Hebrews 11:10, 16 | One of the key marks of deep faith is living with a real eternal perspective—not just believing in eternity, but letting that reality shape daily life. Abraham was willing to live as a wanderer, without a permanent home, because he knew his true inheritance in God’s kingdom was just around the corner (Hebrews 11:9-10). In the book of Acts, believers sold their homes and possessions to care for one another, because they understood that their eternal home was coming soon (Acts 4:32-35).
As we read scripture together this year, our hope is that you’ll gain a renewed sense of the inheritance that is yours in Christ. Because through Jesus, you’ve been adopted into God’s family—and that means your future is secure, your hope is certain, and the best is yet to come.
Thursday
Numbers 3:40 | All of this focus on the “firstborn” can seem culturally odd to us. It isn’t about their culture though, this “firstborn” claim has bigger implications: God’s claim over every firstborn of all the people of God is staking a claim. It’s God previewing for us what is most precious to Him as He is revealing it to us in His word. The “firstborn” from the dead is Jesus Himself. He is the promise that this cultural practice anticipates. The “firstborn” of Adam and Eve was a murderer. That’s what sin creates. God’s “firstborn” is the eternal Son of God, who, when He becomes man, He is then the first among many brothers–because we’re all adopted into the family. These ancient ideas are all a setup: they’re equipping and preparing us to see and believe something that no one could have expected or made up. The scriptures have a wholeness and a unity that is mysterious and remarkable, pointing to their author–the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 12:2 | This is one of the most incredible verses in all of Scripture because it gives us a glimpse into the very heart of Christ. The cross was brutal. He endured torture, shame, and the full wrath of the Father. The author of Hebrews says, “He endured the cross…” But why? “For the joy that was set before Him…”
So here’s the big question: What was the joy? What made it all worth it? The answer is you. You were the joy set before Him. He went through the suffering of the cross because He wanted you–redeemed, restored, and with Him forever. That’s how much He loves you.
So, the next time you sin and feel flooded with shame, thinking, “God must love me less. There’s no way He still wants anything to do with me,” remember this verse. He didn’t go to the cross reluctantly. Nobody made Him do it. He went joyfully, because you are His joy, His prize, the apple of His eye.
Friday
Leviticus 6:1-21 | The Nazarite Vow | Take a careful look at this section and remember it when we get to the story of Samson in the book of Judges. Samson takes this vow and then breaks pretty much every part of it.
Leviticus 6:22-27 | This blessing will be fully realized when we enter into eternity and God shines his face upon us. I can’t wait.
Hebrews 13:7 | This is the writer’s interpretive principle: Jesus never changes. Therefore, all of the details of the law and the tabernacle and the sacrificial system have power to teach us. Even the way that Jesus was crucified outside the city of Jerusalem is predicted in the rules of the law! You had to go outside the camp in the law to deal with the ugliness of sin and the demands of atonement. In the same way that you had to leave the camp, they also left the city to crucify Jesus. They enacted the law of the atonement sacrifice without even intending to, revealing to us all of these thousands of years later that the events in the Bible simply aren’t fiction. They are a revelation of the consistent saving work of a loving God across all of history.