Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry

Episode: February 23 (Leviticus 10–11; Psalm 50; Luke 14)
Date: February 23, 2026
Host: Crossway

Episode Overview

This episode features a journey through three bible passages: Leviticus 10–11, Psalm 50, and Luke 14. The readings explore themes of holiness, obedience, God's requirements versus outward rituals, humility, and the cost of discipleship. The scripture selections highlight both the gravity of relating to God under the Old Covenant and the radical call to discipleship that Jesus presents in the New Testament.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Leviticus 10–11: Holiness, Judgment, and Clean vs. Unclean

[00:01 – 08:41]

The Judgment of Nadab and Abihu

• Nadab and Abihu Offer Unauthorized Fire:
  Aaron’s sons offer “unauthorized fire” before the Lord, resulting in immediate divine judgment as fire consumes them (00:01).
• God’s Standard for Holiness:
  Moses reminds Aaron of God’s words:

  “Among those who are near me, I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (00:30)
  This serves as a sobering lesson on approaching God with reverence.

Regulations for Priests

• Instructions to Aaron and Surviving Sons:
  The priests are told not to display outward mourning, and they must remain at the tent of meeting, emphasizing the seriousness of their office and the sanctity of God’s presence (00:50).
• Call to Distinguish the Holy and the Common:
  God tells Aaron:

  “You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean. And you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them by Moses.” (01:35)

Holiness in Sacrificial Practice

• Controversy Over Sin Offering:
  Moses inquires about a sin offering that was burnt up rather than eaten. Aaron explains his grief would make the ritual inauthentic, and Moses accepts this (03:14).
• Quote:

  Aaron: “If I had eaten the sin offering today, would the Lord have approved?” (03:11)

Laws of Clean and Unclean Foods

• Details covering which animals are clean and unclean:
  • Clean animals must part the hoof and chew the cud (03:18).
  • Restrictions on sea creatures, birds, insects, and swarming creatures, emphasizing ritual and moral separation (04:00–07:38).
• Memorable Instruction:

  “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” (07:34)

• The Purpose:
  All these distinctions are called to shape the character of God's people—to “make a distinction between the unclean and the clean” (08:38).

2. Psalm 50: True Worship and God’s Judgment

[08:43 – 10:38]

God’s Authority and Ownership

• God gathers his covenant people and declares his ownership over all creation:

  “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” (09:24)

A Rebuke of Empty Rituals

• God sets aside ritual sacrifices in favor of a sincere heart:

  “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (09:43)

Warning to the Wicked

• God condemns those who take his covenant lightly, ignore discipline, and practice deceit (09:55).
• Stark Warning:

  “Mark this then, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there be none to deliver!” (10:26)

True Worship

• The episode of the Psalm closes on the call for authentic worship:

  “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly, I will show the salvation of God.” (10:28)

3. Luke 14: Healing, Humility, Banquets, and the Cost of Discipleship

[10:42 – End (~14:19)]

Healing on the Sabbath & the Heart of the Law

• Jesus heals a man with dropsy, confronting the Pharisees’ legalism about Sabbath laws (10:44).

  Jesus, to the lawyers and Pharisees: “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” (10:49)

Parable of the Wedding Feast: Choosing Humility

• Jesus teaches about humility by instructing not to seek places of honor:

  “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (11:41)

Radical Hospitality

• Jesus instructs hosts to invite those who cannot repay—"the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind”—a call to generosity and selfless love (11:55).

Parable of the Great Banquet: The Open Invitation

• When invited guests make excuses, the master invites the outcasts, illustrating God’s inclusive invitation and the danger of taking God's call for granted (13:02).

The Cost of Discipleship

• Jesus starkly lays out the terms:

  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” (13:35)

• Emphasizing evaluation before commitment:

  “For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost...?” (14:00)

On Commitment and Witness

• Being a disciple means wholeheartedly following Jesus, above all else—echoed in the final analogy about salt keeping its flavor (14:12).

  “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (14:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Moses to Aaron:

  “Among those who are near me, I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.” (00:30)

• God to Aaron:

  “You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.” (01:35)

• God in Leviticus:

  “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” (07:34)

• Psalmist:

  “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” (09:24)

• Jesus:

  “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (11:41)
  “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother... he cannot be my disciple.” (13:35)

Important Timestamps

• 00:01 – Leviticus 10: Judgment of Nadab and Abihu
• 01:35 – God instructs on distinguishing the holy/common
• 03:14 – Moses and Aaron discuss the sin offering
• 03:18–08:38 – Laws of clean and unclean animals
• 07:34 – “Be holy, for I am holy”
• 08:43 – Psalm 50 reading begins
• 09:43–10:28 – True worship vs. empty ritual; “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving…”
• 10:42 – Luke 14 begins: Healing on the sabbath
• 11:41 – Parable of humility: self-exaltation and humility
• 11:55 – Call to radical hospitality
• 13:02 – Parable of the great banquet
• 13:35–14:18 – Call to costly discipleship; counting the cost; “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”

Conclusion

This episode weaves together themes of God's holiness, the seriousness of approaching God on his terms, and the radical and transformative call of Jesus to humility, generosity, and total devotion. The juxtaposition of ancient Israelite ritual laws with Jesus’s teachings about the kingdom and discipleship fosters reflection on how God’s standards and grace call believers to a life set apart for Him.