Leviticus 17:1-18:30

This is cool: the Israelites weren't to eat blood because in the blood is a creature's life force.  That goes for animal or human.  Blood was considered sacred and not only were the Israelites to abstain, but also any strangers (non-Israelites) living among them.  Today, modern science backs that up (yeah, don't tell me the Bible isn't real) as we know the blood carries nutrients, oxygen, a whole host of things necessary to the living cells and organs of the body.  The stop of blood flow, life is gone.  Now, add to this these verses:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. --Romans 6:23
Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.  --Hebrews 9:22

Maybe this is not great leap I'm making here, but do you see how it all fits together? The life force is the blood.  The recompense of sin is the taking of life, in other words, death.  The Day of Atonement worked because blood, the life force, of an animal was offered in substitution for the real payment: our own blood for our own sins.  There could be no forgiveness of sins unless there was the shedding of blood, the taking of a life (why we all die in the first place, check out Romans).  HOWEVER, Jesus came and shed his own blood, sacrificed His own life force so that we may be forgiven, His blood substituted for ours.  And so, we are forgiven and life is granted to us.  Seriously, this dovetails so beautifully with Hebrews, that maybe Hebrews and Leviticus should be studied side-by-side.  But then, it dovetails so well with Romans, too.  And I'm sure, if I were given enough time to really think it over, so many other books in the Bible.  See how it all correlates?  I'm sure we'll see more of it as we continue to read and become more familiar with what the Bible has to tell us.  So, so cool.

Tomorrow's Reading: Leviticus

Leviticus 16:1-34

The Day of Atonement.  You know, this passage plays right into a lot of what we believe as Christians.  The Book of Hebrews explains how Christ's once-and-for-all sacrifice pretty much fulfilled the priests' office of going in once a year to offer atoning sacrifices all at once.  And no sacrifice was necessary to be offered for His own atonement, because He was without sin.  Pretty cool, huh?  Reading through this passage just impressed upon me how much they had to do to atone for their sin, and this only once a year.  All the sin for an entire people accumulated over a year is atoned for on this one day with these few sacrifices.  But even more, all the sin for not simply an entire nation, but the entirety of all nations, for every single person, throughout all time, was atoned for in one single sacrifice of the God-Man Jesus.  He who was wholly human and wholly divine.  That's about as far as I can wrap my mind around.

Tomorrow's Reading: Leviticus 17:1-18:30

Leviticus 15:1-33

This has truly been one of those days where I have not had a moment to myself (except lunch).  I was able to get the passage read rather superficially while eating my lunch, but that's about all the time I've been able to give to it today.  What a discouraging day!  Not just in regards to my private quiet time, but many things.  The bright spot in my day (completely irrelevant to this passage) has been a visit from friends and my daughter giving her daddy kisses for the first time.  For now, I'm going to bed.


Tomorrow's Reading: Leviticus 16:1-34

Leviticus 14:1-32

Luke 17:11-19 is where you can find the story of the ten lepers whom Jesus healed.  Reading the passages in Leviticus about what was required to live as a leper under the Old Testament system, from diagnosis to healing and cleansing, gives a greater appreciation for what was required for these lepers to be declared clean again and accepted back into society.  Interesting, isn't it, that the one leper who turned back before he had even reached a priest was a Samaritan?  It was quite a lengthy process to be cleansed, as we see here in chapter 14.  I suppose you could try to make the excuse that the other nine intended to return to Christ and thank him after they were finished with the purification process.  Only the Samaritan had good sense, though, to realize that he may or may not find Jesus again so easily, that maybe it was more important to praise God and thank his Savior than to go through the rituals.  After all, didn't God say, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit" (Psalm 51:17) and "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).  There are some things God prizes above the fulfillment of rituals.  Granted, the Old Testament Law should not be looked upon as merely ritual: this is what was required to live in the presence of the Holy God, as the Israelite camp did day-in and day-out.  It was simply that God did not desire the rote practice of the Law, but rather that the Law be practiced out of a loving and obedient heart.  Such a heart the Samaritan had, and likely retained throughout the protracted ceremonies.  But I wonder, what about the other nine?

(I sure hope I'm not stealing my own thunder for Luke 17!  But then, it is another year and a half before I'll come to that passage, so maybe it won't matter, or I'll be struck by something else completely then.)

Note: I've actually been working on this short post all day, off and on.  While I'd like to devote time in the morning to this, I can't say I can complain about being in and out of the Word all day, with these things twirling around in my mind like good background music.

Leviticus 12:1-13:59

A very good friend of mine once told me a story about how she and her brother and sisters played "leper" as kids.  They would throw towels or blankets over their heads and walk about crying out, "Unclean! Unclean!" so that all may know their leprosy and not come near.  Whether they based the game on this passage or on stories from the New Testament, I don't know.  If you think it unlikely that a bunch of kids would know a passage in Leviticus, you haven't met this family. :)

I couldn't help but think of my friend and her siblings as I read this passage.  It is such a funny story to think of a bunch of kids wandering around their farm, yelling "Unclean!"  And yet, it's also a little heartbreaking when you compare it to these Scriptures.  The truth is, there were people who for thousands of years under the Old Testament Law who did have to shun the company of others and have to call out warnings of their uncleanness to those who might pass them by.  They were ostracized for fear that their disease was infectious, and therefore dangerous.  It was necessary, but how difficult would it be to send your son or daughter away, your mother or brother, dad or uncle, knowing that you would likely never live with them again?  To fear that you might be infected already and only a matter of time would show it on your skin.  What would it be like to be subjected to a priest for examination, one who may fear the Lord and have compassion, or one who loves his position more than God or people and looks at you with distaste?  I couldn't help but think these things and imagine being shut up for seven days while we wait to see if the spot, sore, or abscess is infectious or not.  It gives me a greater appreciation for the joy of the lepers Jesus healed, the relief and excitement of being able to present oneself to the priest with the proper offering, be examined and pronounced clean again.  And it amazes me all the more that only the single leper returned to worship at Christ's feet.  What an incredible gift the Lord gave them!  And only one thought to return to their Savior and thank Him.

I want to say, "I hope I'll never be like that," but I have to examine myself and be sure that I never have.  Have I ever taken a blessing for granted?  Have I ever received and not given back?  It's a very humbling question.  Lord, may I not have that attitude again, and give You daily thanks for all that You have given me!

UPDATE on Leviticus 11:1-47

After some more reading, I found a few reasons why God may have chosen that animals that come under specific exceptions might be unclean.  Mainly, the information comes from a commentary, "A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments," by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fusset, and David Brown, dating from 1871.  In their comments on this particular passage, they list two possible reasons for these restrictions: 1) to ensure distinction between the Jews and surrounding nations they were not to co-mingle with, and 2) dietary reasons.  Both make some sense.  Jews were known throughout their history for their distaste for certain foods based on their religious law, and at times of captivity or oppression, even used that distinction as a basis for looking down upon their oppressors.  The fact that they would detest or have a distaste for food their neighbors were eating would provide a barrier for completely assimilating into other nations, no matter how much they might adopt the strangers' habits (which was still not good).  Dietary reasons for excluding certain foods and preparation practices include that these meats or practices may have led to a greater risk of illness and disease amongst a large people living in close quarters.

Leviticus 11:1-47

This is one of those passages where the resounding question in my mind was, "But, why?"  I saw the logic of it: whatever chews cud and has a cloven foot, both, are acceptable to eat.  But if they don't have both criteria, they are not acceptable to you; therefore, the camel, the rock badger, etc. are not acceptable.  No problem, I get that.  But why do these things constitute defilement?  Why isn't it the other way around?  It's not the logic of how the rule works by why the rule in the first place I don't understand.  I've been reading some commentaries and they have yet to explain that to me.  They are perfectly capable of explaining the rule, which I already understand, and even the principle of abstaining from that which defiles us, even today, which I also understand.  But why does God say that the cloven-footed cud-chewer is acceptable, but the non-cloven-footed cud-chewer, or the non-cud-chewing cloven-footed are not?

I've been wondering if there really isn't a particular reason, other than that the Lord has decreed this and it is to teach the principle that some things can defile us (like, say, lying, murder, sex outside of marriage, gossiping, hating our brothers, Christian or familial) and therefore we should detest them and abstain from them.  (If you don't believe me on the parenthetical examples, check out Colossians 3:5, 2 Timothy 3:5, 1 John 3:14-15, Ephesians 5:19-21, just to name a few).  Granted, I've not yet exhausted my commentaries and helps, and I by no means have an exhaustive library with which to research.  Maybe the answer's out there and I just haven't found it.  But from the standpoint of someone who is simply reading through Leviticus, this principle makes sense: there are things in life that make us unclean, that will separate us from the Lord.  And we are to avoid them, abstain from them, not only that but to hate them and detest them.  After all, they separate us from our Lord.  If only we had that attitude towards the sin in our lives!  If only we understood how the seemingly "little sins" can make us unclean and can taint our relationship with the Lord!  Things that perhaps we think we can slide by with.  Or that we are only hurting ourselves with.  But one thing I am learning for sure from Leviticus (and I know will be supported in Numbers and Joshua, definitely), that one sin among the people of Israel affected the entirety of Israel: look at Moses' warnings to Aaron and his sons after Nadab and Abihu.  Does it not work the same for the church?  This is not a call to point fingers at other people, by no means! (To borrow a Paul-like phrase.)  But perhaps it's an even greater call to examine our own lives and make sure that we are confessing our sins to the One who is faithful to forgive: our sin affects our relationship with the Lord and our relationship with others.  It makes us unclean.

Tomorrow's Reading: Leviticus 12:1-13:59