Leviticus – Be Still…

Leviticus 18:1-30 – Prohibited Sex

Read Leviticus 18:1-30

Do you think it helped that God reminded them more than once that he was the LORD, their God? Why such emphasis? I imagine it was because he wanted their attention because he was going to start talking about sex. That was a hot button topic then as well, especially considering the fact God wanted them to be set apart from the culture they had left (Egypt) and the one they would soon enter (Canaan).

God knew that his model for sex was different than the world’s view and practice. You may notice right off the bat that God speaks of multiple partners. He thought of everything, certainly, but in that culture it was not uncommon for men to have multiple wives. This is known as polygamy, and according to Google it is illegal in most countries and is the practice of only about 2% of the global population. In our day, with the prevalence of divorce, people will often have more than one spouse during a lifetime, just not at the same time. Continue reading “Leviticus 18:1-30 – Prohibited Sex”

Leviticus 17:1-16 – Life is in the Blood

Read Leviticus 17:1-16

Don’t drink blood–we’re not vampires! We know vampires aren’t real, but who else would be a fan of a blood cocktail? God’s intention here is to caution us from consuming something we shouldn’t. Our passage repeats the reason for refraining from ingesting blood, which is, the life is in the blood.

Of note, these regulations call out all native Israelites and foreigners living among them. This is a rule included in the Old Covenant. The restrictions set out here are not simply a suggestion either, are they? If someone ignores this counsel, they will be removed, “cut off from the community.” God’s message is to be taken seriously. Can you imagine being removed from everything you have ever known? Continue reading “Leviticus 17:1-16 – Life is in the Blood”

Leviticus 16:1-34 – Day of Atonement

Read Leviticus 16:1-34

Once a year, the high priest (starting with Aaron) would enter the most holy place where God’s presence was found. The process of forgiving sins would begin. Atonement is a big “churchy” word that means payment for sins to get right with God. As we see in our text, the Day of Atonement is when animals would be sacrificed to cleanse the people from their sins.

As Christians, we know that Jesus has accomplished this work for us, and the atonement for our sins is complete in him. Before Jesus came, this yearly process was repeated year after year for the forgiveness of sins. Today, the Jewish community still celebrates this holy day, now known as Yom Kippur. Animals are no longer sacrificed, but it is a day of fasting when Jews reflect on the past year and ask God for forgiveness for their sins. Continue reading “Leviticus 16:1-34 – Day of Atonement”

Leviticus 15:1-33 – Bodily Discharges

Read Leviticus 15:1-33

No promises were made that walking through the book of Leviticus would be easy. For Christians, since we have the New Covenant, we shouldn’t worry about having to follow all of these laws. But it still does us good to know what they are. For devout Jews still living under the Old Covenant, these rules are still followed–all but the sacrificing because the tabernacle and temple no longer exist. Back then, you might wonder how many days a month the average Israelite walked around unclean.

Sometimes we encounter passages like this and just wonder. God is touching on some personal things. I remember when having your period was something you wanted to keep hidden and were appalled when any spots appeared on your clothes. It’s a revelation to know that moment was talked about in the Bible as an “unclean” situation for the people God loved. Continue reading “Leviticus 15:1-33 – Bodily Discharges”

Leviticus 14:1-32 – Pure Before God

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I wonder how many people were cured of leprosy or similar skin disease requiring this purification. It would seem God is very serious about how to clean up after such a healing. There are multiple steps very dependent upon each other. And now that we have a clearer picture of the process, there are burnt offerings after all.

What surprised you most in this reading? For me, it was the sprinkling of dead bird blood on the healed person. How unpleasant! We may also be trying to imagine how somebody who has been shunned by society because of their disease would be able to afford the items required to perfect their purification. Continue reading “Leviticus 14:1-32 – Pure Before God”