Nu. 2-4: on micromanagement

       Numbers 2 gives the layout of the tribes’ camps about the tabernacle.

       Numbers 3:1-14 introduces the census of the Levites, with a reference to Nadab and Abihu. [I’ll come back to that.] Because all the firstborn belong to God, the Levites will replace the firstborn of all the tribes of Israel.

       Numbers 3:13 Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.

       Moses counts the Levites, every male of one month old or older. There aren’t enough Levites to cover all of the firstborn of Israel, so they collect money from the tribes to cover them. This is given to Aaron and his sons per God’s command.

       A few days ago, I wrote about when God says “if.” To get at the heart of scripture, to see God’s heart, character and motivation, I recommend you also take note of other specific words when God says them. Two more are “because” and “lest.” God says "because" in 3:13. Did you find “lest” in chapter 4? If you have a different translation, you will have to look harder for key concepts like “lest.” You’ll have to think of do/don’t do…or else. If you use a Strong’s concordance (I highly recommend), you can look up “lest,” find the verse in the concordance and then look it up in your translation. All right, I’ll tell you.

       Numbers 4:18-20 Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites: But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the most holy things: Aaron and his sons shall go in, and appoint them every one to his service and to his burden: But they shall not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they die.

       [More on the Kohathites later.]
       I was impressed by something in chapters 3-4. Talk about micromanagement! As a rule, I don’t like being micromanaged. As I think about it, it occurs to me that maybe I dislike it so much because I might possibly have that tendency. I’m blessed right now to have two bosses that aren’t micromanagers. They trust me to do my job. You have no idea how freeing it is to be trusted as competent. When you don't have to keep answering for every action, you can actually act!

       Having said that, why is God micromanaging? Is it possible that God didn’t trust the Levites to do their jobs? Ouch! God knows the past; He knows the future.

       Isaiah 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

       It follows that God knows how far Israel would fall, so He is careful to give such detail, lest people die. [To borrow from C.S. Lewis' concept, Aslan is not a tame lion.]
Therefore: Man micromanages=could be bad. God micromanages=bad sign but good intent!

       Which brings me to Nadab and Abihu.

Numbers 1: On Repetition.

       I love how God reveals Himself in the Old Testament. In Numbers, God is BIG and HOLY. Not only that, but you will read of the big and holy things people did out of zeal for God’s holiness and out of zeal for God’s people. Sometimes the accounts seem harsh. Sometimes you will see great mercy.

       True, in Numbers you will find genealogies, and lots of them. Some are phenomenally repetitive. In our bible study class, we discussed reasons for this. The bible scenes and accounts were first an oral tradition. Repetition helps the listener to remember the story. Also, there were literary devices familiar to the Hebrew tongue, devices that don’t always translate well. These are often in patterns of repetition.

       “But repetition is boring,” you say? Hmm, how do I say this lovingly? Get over it. God wants you to be able to read Numbers. If He wants you to do something, He'll help you. See what He says in Deuteronomy 30:11-14.

         For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

       In the days before blu-ray, DVD, VHS and even television or radio, children everywhere loved stories. They still do. Anyone who has had a child or cared for one knows that sometimes there was one story, a favorite, that you had to read over and over and over and over. Talk about boring.

       But then, something happens. There comes a point when that story becomes so familiar that you move past the boring to actually enjoying it with the child.

       I have favorite songs that never get old, some albums, too. I can watch Ben Hur over and over and over. Sure, I know Messala comes to the same nasty end, but his dying words to Judah are still just as horrific: “Look for them in the valley of the lepers.” Messala has won. (Or has he?)

       Many of us, if we're really honest, look forward to A Christmas Story, that crazy retro celebration of blue-collar Christmases. For several years now, a television station has been playing it for 24 hours straight at Christmastime. And we complain because the bible is repetitious. Ouch!

       Look at that: a whole page and I haven’t even started a study on Numbers. Let me remedy that:

       Numbers 1 gives a census of every Israelite who could go to war. The total number was 603,550. For the detail lover, the census numbers wax and wane through the course of Israel's history. (I've never tracked them.) The Levites were not counted in this census. Their principle duty was to the tabernacle. They were to pitch round about the tabernacle that there be no wrath [Puq qetseph] upon the congregation of Israel.

         Selah.

Blessings and Curses, Part 3 of Leviticus 26: the God who Remembers

Part 3.

Leviticus 26:40-45 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes. And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.

       The word for “iniquity” is Nwe `avon. No, not the cosmetic company. It means perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt or the consequence or punishment for iniquity. It is also translated as “fault” and “mischief” and “sin.” It comes from a root word meaning to be bent, twisted, distorted, to do perversely.

       A theme you will see throughout scripture is the concept of confessing both one’s iniquity and the iniquity of one’s forefathers. I don’t know why, exactly, except that God says this in Exodus 20:5b

         … for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.…

and in Exodus 34:7

            Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

       If iniquity’s punishment continues to 3 and 4 generations, it does seem like a good idea to spiritually clean the gene pool. How? Through repentance.

       In part 1, I asked whether the “if…then” is a contractual agreement. For myself, I conclude it is rather a covenant, a matter of the heart and devotion to the Giver of the Law, not just the Law.

       Here in the third part of Leviticus 26, we again see “if…then.” If we confess walking contrary to God and meet the other parts of this repentance, then God will remember his covenants with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Not only that, God will remember the land.

       Remember is rkz zakar, which means to remember. I believe God is saying that not only will He remember, but He’ll also do something about it. If we look at the 233 times this word appears in the Old Testament, when it refers to God remembering, God also does something:

Genesis 9:15 (Noah), Judges 16 (Samson), II Kings 20 (Hezekiah); Jeremiah (all over), and so forth.

       Even in the cases of an unrepentant nation of Israel, God says in Leviticus 26:44-45
         And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.

       I just can’t say it enough: what a compassionate, kind God we have!

Shalom,

exodus15

Blessings and Curses, Part 2 of Leviticus 26

Part 2.

Leviticus 26:14-15

But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant:

       Brace yourself for a litany of fates far worse than a thousand camels infesting your sleeping bag.

       First, please remember that these awful results come from despising [oam ma'ac] God’s statutes and abhorring [leg ga`al] His judgments [jpvm mishpat]. The choice to follow God’s ways and the choice to not follow His ways are yours and yours alone.

       Verses 16-39 describe the awful consequences of actively going against God’s laws, among them are fear, sorrow, illness, triumph of one’s enemies. There won’t even seem to be logic to it, such as fleeing when no one is pursuing.

       Were I to dump all obedience to God, were I to dump everything to defy Him, what would bother me most are verses where God says things like “I will set my face against you” and “my soul shall abhor you.” I am reminded of (and sobered by):

Hebrews 6:4+
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.

       Regardless of how you feel about “eternal security,” (the permanence of salvation by faith), the writer of Leviticus 26 spends a large amount of time describing the imminent dangers of deliberately tossing out God’s commands.

       Were these imminent dangers applicable to the Israelites? Yes, the Bible tells us so. History also tells us so. The cannibalism in verse 29 is also forewarned in Deuteronomy 28, Jeremiah 19 and Ezekiel 5. It is described as having happened in II Kings 6 and Lamentations 4.

       Does this passage apply to us as well? If so, how on earth do we apply this warning in Leviticus 26? First, I should do all I can to not despise God’s laws. Second, if I’m experiencing any of these consequences, is it not worth self-examination? Am I ridiculously nervous? phobic? No matter what I do, am I still losing? Does heaven seem like iron when I pray?

       My faith, our faith, is not a game. It is a war. I am not going to let a particular theology stand in the way of getting myself right before God. When unmistakably bad stuff is happening in my life, I shall ask God to show me where I’m despising His statutes and abhorring His judgments. It’s worth a shot and it might save my life.

       Furthermore, it is definitely pleasing to God when we say,

Psalm 139:23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

       In part 3, we will come full circle and meet the God who remembers.

Blessings and Curses, part 1.

Leviticus 26:3

If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

Leviticus 26:14

But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments;

Leviticus 26: 45 But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.

Part 1.

Leviticus 26:3

If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

       If you want to see good stuff in your lifetime, you must understand and apply Leviticus 26. I’m not saying that God is mean spirited and vengeful. Don’t get hung up on Leviticus 26’s curses. Remember that Scripture reveals God’s character to be merciful as well as holy and just.

       God proclaimed this about Himself in Exodus 34:5-8. And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

       In light of God’s mercy and amazing love for us, I recommend that believers look at the curses in a special light. It’s not an angry, grumpy, distant, human god pronouncing curses. It is a loving Father urging His children.

Jeremiah 31:9b for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

       Don’t we warn our children to not touch the hot stove? We don’t want them to get burned. God doesn’t want us to get burned.

       My favorite Bible is over 20 years old. The cover is held together by every Vermonter’s, Mythbusters’ and Redd Greene’s favorite: duct tape. My mom, a former librarian, first fixed it with library tape. That wasn’t enough, so I moved to the big guns. But even the miracle tape is showing its age. The strings are permanent but the silver backing is rolling up and no stickier than the pages it protects.

       This Bible has one word underlined more than any other. What word?

         If.

       “If… then… else….” God was the original writer of computer logic.

       Leviticus 26:3 opens with if. In order to experience the phenomenal blessings of Leviticus 26, the believer is to follow three conditions.

1.    Walk in my statutes

2.   Keep my commandments

3.    Do them

       Is this really a contractual agreement between God and man? Was it only meant for the Israelites, or does the principle apply to us today? Do these principles also work for non-believers?

       As God is perfect in His love and wisdom and goodness, is it safe to assume that, if these blessings are contractual in nature, it’s not God’s fault when we don’t experience all of them? Before we get mad at God for reneging on His part of the deal, let’s look at the conditions of the deal.

1. Walk [Kly yalak] in my statutes [hqx chuqqah].

       Yalak means to go, walk, come, depart, proceed, move, etc. It also means to die, live, manner of life. Moving ahead to Judges 4, here is part of the conversation between Barak and Deborah. Deborah has just told Barak he is to war against the oppressive Sisera and King Jabin. (Warning! shameless self-promotion: My screenplay Deborah was the one that made quarterfinalist in the Blue Cat screenplay competition a few years ago.)

       Oops, back to Judges 4:8-9.

And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go [yalak] with me, then I will go [yalak]: but if thou wilt not go [yalak] with me, then I will not go [yalak]. And she said, I will surely go [yalak] with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went [yalak] with Barak to Kedesh.

       It’s quite possible that Barak and Deborah understood the second use of yalak, but admittedly, this is extrabiblical. I haven’t heard that many sermons about their conversation (actually, I’ve heard none). The point is, for illustration, that walking in God’s statutes is to be a way of life, a manner of living.

       Chuqqah means statute, ordinance, limit, enactment, something prescribed, custom, manners, rites. In other words, statutes means “statutes.” Ah.

2. Keep [rmv shamar] my commandments [hwum mitsvah].

       Shamar is a wonderful word. It means to keep, guard, observe, give heed, preserve, watch/watchman, watch for, wait for, keep oneself, keep, pay heed…. What a rich, thick word!

       We get bar/bat mitzvah from this word. Mitsvah means commandments, precepts, law, ordinances.

       To shamar mitsvah requires more than a surface obedience. Like walking in His statutes, this is a way of life. It seems the mitsvah is to be cherished and protected as a treasure, not just as a code of conduct.

3. Do [hse `asah] them.

       The Hebrew definitions for `asah are many. In English, we would say, “and do them.”

       To sum up, the blessings God wants to give are much less of a contract than a matter of the heart. May we, like the psalmist say,

Ps 119:97 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.

chickadee

This morning before 7, a chickadee was calling out, "phoebe, phoebe." What I noted was "phoebe" had three syllables, like the cadence of "cheeseburger." It sounded like "phoebe-wee."
Has the chickadee love song evolved, or was it once again a warm-up for the day's music?

The Sabbath Year

       Counting for the Sabbath year was to start when the Israelites entered into the land which [hwhy Y@hovah] gave to them. For six years they could sow and prune and gather from the land. The seventh year was to be a year of sabbath rest for the land and a sabbath for [hwhy Y@hovah].

       I love how God takes a moment to answer the fears and doubts about a whole sabbath year. He is talking to chiefly agricultural people. If they don’t sow or reap, how will they live?

       From our 20/20 hindsight, we might be tempted to condemn the Israelites as faithless and foolish. Didn’t God provide the manna? Didn’t He provide extra manna the day before Sabbath? Didn’t He provide more than enough quail to fill their grumbling bellies, if not their grumbling hearts (Exodus 16, Numbers 11)?

       Let’s not condemn them, but think of our own faithlessness and fears. But don’t despair. In verses 20-22, God in His goodness answers them before they can ask.

       20-22 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.

       When I used to have a garden, I once practiced a miniature sabbath year. I lived long enough at one place to have a garden for over seven years. I deliberately left it alone to see what happened. The perennials grew back and I had onions and oregano and chives. Maybe a self sown cantaloupe.

       Did I overflow with financial and spiritual blessings? At the time, life was very hard and my “stuff” blinded me to a lot of blessing that was there.

       In an exegetical argument, one might say that God never told me to have a sabbath year. True. I just wanted to give it a try. As I was a passionate gardener and found great joy in gardening, perhaps it was a sacrifice God never requested of me. As I said, life was hard.

       Perhaps one lesson of my own story is to be sure that what we choose to sacrifice or offer God is the thing that God is actually asking. (If I smoke, for example, but have been stealing, God probably would want me to stop stealing first.)

1Sa 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

Well, the coffee cup is empty and it’s time to go to work. Thanks for reading.

Shalom!

Jubilee! Leviticus 25

Oooooh, here's the good stuff. Leviticus 25 discusses the sabbath year and the year of Jubilee. Read the chapter first, then watch Michael Card's sweet rendition of his song "Jubilee." It is only 2-3 minutes. Be ready to get happy.
(If the hyperlink doesn't work, cut and paste the address below it.)

Michael Card: Jubilee (acoustic)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se2_SaEfL-0

Blessings,

Exodus 15

mweep mweep mweep

   This morning, a little bird just started warming up for its song. I heard it start at about 0658. First, I heard a little twee. Then I heard tweep tweep. Then it sang tweep pmweep mweep. It called out four times mweep mweep mweep mweep. It must have flown to a tree further away, for its voice grew softer. It decided to stay at the three mweeps.
   Why did it remain at the three syllables? Is it a function of lung capacity? Is it genetically programmed to prefer three mweeps? Is three mweeps the most pleasing to itself? Does a song of three attract the mates? Does the three distinguish it from a different but similar species?
   At 0702, a crow began its wakeup call. Kwaah kwaah kwaah. Also in three. I grew up loving morning call of crows. To me, it meant it was going to be a good day. In my adult life, I realized that in the winter months, if a crow calls, it should be above freezing. Look at that: the temperature in Colchester is 31º. I love my crows.
   For another birdcaster, I look at the distance between the pigeons on the power lines outside my workplace. No pigeons: warm. Pigeons 1-2 widths apart: chilly. Pigeons a beak width apart: Yowza cold!

An Eye For An Eye?

      In Leviticus 23, while the LORD commands further details of perpetual offerings, there was striving in the camp. One man was half-Israelite and half-Egyptian; one man was an Israelite. While they strove (hun natsah), the half-Israelite blasphemed (bqn naqab) the name of the LORD and cursed (llq qalal).

       Being that I love to look at names and their meanings, I looked up the name of this man’s mother. Her name was Shelomith, which means “peaceful,” from the Hebrew Shalom. She was the daughter of Dibri (“my word”), from the tribe of Dan (“a judge”). We don’t know anything about the father of this man, other than he was Egyptian. Did he stay in Egypt? Was Shelomith his slave, or was she free? We simply don’t know and we can’t speculate. At least we shouldn’t speculate, but it is kind of fun.

       The people take the man and bring him to Moses. They rmvm mishmar -d him (put him in confinement or prison) until the mind (hp peh or mouth) of the LORD could be shown (vrp parash or made clear) to them. Here again, we don’t know how long this took. Did Moses use the Urim and Thummin? I think probably not, since God usually spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend (Exodus 33:11).

       The LORD does speak to Moses. All who heard the man curse will lay their hands on his head. Then the whole congregation will stone him. Furthermore, others who do this will meet this end, whether Israelite or stranger. It’s that important to not blaspheme and curse God.

       [This deepens the meaning of what it meant when Job’s wife suggested that Job “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). It appears that she gave up all hope of his recovery and thought he’d be better off dead.]

       While speaking this, God then introduces the “eye for an eye” principle.

       I’m sure you’ve seen on facebook or seen on bumper stickers the saying, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” I couldn’t disagree more.

       First, equality of treatment and showing no favoritism is mandated when meting out the Law. Remember Leviticus 19.

       Second, “an eye for an eye” prevents the taking of vengeance or acting in anger toward another. It limits retaliation. One eye for one eye, not two eyes for one eye.

Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Deuteronomy 32:35 To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.

       Third, this almost clinical approach isn’t necessarily done by the wounded party. Note the passive wording “it shall be done” below:

19:20 Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.

    Now, to be exegetical about this: is this rule only for the Israelites in that time period? Do I go out and whack someone who whacks me in the head? If someone at work throws me under the bus, do I do the same to her?

I’m glad you asked.

Until next time, shalom.

Leviticus 23

       Leviticus 23 describes the major Jewish feasts. Each is highly symbolic and represents God’s moves among his people. It’s not in the commentaries, but I think that God enjoys giving His people a reason to party and be thankful.

       In my research, I found many helpful websites, but also some confusing/weird ones. So this is a little summary.

1.  Passover. The 14^th day of the first month, Nisan/Abib (April). Jesus celebrated this with his disciples in the Last Supper. Exodus 12; Leviticus 23:5; Numbers 9; Deuteronomy 16; II Chronicles 35; Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; I Corinthians 5.

2.  The Feast of Unleavened Bread. Nisan 15. Some say Christ was crucified on this day (this depends which Sabbath day is used to calculate 3 days in the grave). Exodus 12; Leviticus 23:6; Numbers 28; Deuteronomy 16; Acts 12.

3.  The Feast of First Fruits. Nisan 17. In this festival, the people brought offerings of the first fruits. Jesus’ resurrection. Exodus 22; Leviticus 23; Numbers 15, 28; Deuteronomy 16; Proverbs 3.

4.  The Feast of Pentecost. Sivan 6 (May), 50 days later than the First Fruits offering. It is also called the Feast of Weeks. It commemorates the giving of the 10 Commandments. Jews celebrate it by reading the book of Ruth, decorating their houses with greenery, meals and reciting. After Christ’s resurrection, the Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentecost.

5.  The Feast of Trumpets. Tishri 1 (September). This is Rosh Hashana, the start of the Jewish new year. It is a time of self-examination and repentance. Numbers 10, 29.

6.  The Day of Atonement. Tishri 10. This is also known as Yom Kippur, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar. Leviticus 16; Numbers 29.

7.  The Feast of Tabernacles (also called the Feast of Booths, or Succoth). Tishri 15 (September - October). Leviticus 16; Ezra 3:4; Nehemiah 8:14; Zechariah 14; John 7:2.    Leviticus 23:43 That your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

Robins!

   We saw a couple flocks of robins yesterday. I saw more today. Last year and the year before that, I saw them in January. Strange, since the last 2 years were much colder than this year. So far. It's only February.
   I have 3 theories; does anyone know why they come so early?
1. They're crazy.
2. They are from far north and are still migrating south.
3. They are juveniles (males?), coming to stake out territory before their mature counterparts come. (The robins which I have seen clearly have white spots on their tails. Also, their chests are a duller red than those of mature males.)

If anyone knows, PLEASE comment.

Prohibition, Paradox and Provision: Lev. 20-22.

Leviticus chapter 20 further elucidates some of the principles in chapter 18. Of note, in Leviticus 20:1-6, God holds us accountable if we don’t intervene when we know of child sacrifice to Molech.

      [When I get to the Chronicles and the lives of Josiah and Jeremiah, I’ll take more time on those subjects. I’ll need to flex my exegetic and hermeneutic muscles for them first.]

I enjoyed verses 7 and 8.

:7-8 Sanctify vdq qadash yourself and be holy vwdq qadowsh because He is the LORD hwhy Y@hovah our God Myhla 'elohiym. Keep His statutes and do them, for He is the LORD hwhy Y@hovah who sanctifies vdq qadash us.

   These verses illustrate one of the wonderful paradoxes of God’s ways. God tells his people to [sanctify, hallow, dedicate, be holy, prepare, consecrate, be appointed, be bidden, purify] themselves. He says to be holy and to keep and do His statutes. In turn, He sanctifies them. But indeed, isn’t it He who sanctifies us in the first place?

20:26 says we are to be holy vwdq qadowsh unto God, for He is vwdq qadowsh and has separated us ldb badal (in the sense of being set apart) from other people, that we should be His.

Leviticus 21 has special rules for the sons of Aaron, as they are the ones who will be God’s priests. There are a lot of verses about which of the sons of Aaron can't make offerings.

      When I applied for the Coast Guard academy, I read in the application that you would be ineligible if you had disfiguring acne. I thought it strange. Then my wise little sister said, “Maybe because it would scare the people you are trying to rescue.” Um, ok. Maybe that goes for the priests, too? Or not.

      Since the priests were devoted to God, they were, in a sense, sacrificed/offered to Him. Just as sacrifices must be without disfigurement (see Lev. 22), so should the ministering priests be in optimal spiritual and physical condition.

      The blemished weren’t kicked out of the priesthood, but they weren’t to make the offerings. They still retained the benefits of eating the bread of God, both the most holy and the holy (20:22).

      I encourage you to think about that. How? Think about God’s holiness tempered with His mercy strengthened by His promise, fueled by trust in Him. The Levites weren’t meant to eat road kill (22:7); God’s intent was to provide both the holy and most holy bread for them. Is there a similar provision for us as believers?

The verse that came to mind was:
 John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Thank God that the most holy of bread is available to us. To me. To you.

          Here's something nifty from:

Lev. 22:26-28 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD. And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day.

I think this section has both animal husbandry and spiritual implications. Any thoughts out there?

Blessings,

exodus15

Leviticus 18 and 19

Soooo, I started out thinking I'd post on each chapter as I read it. The first chapter I read since deciding to log my thoughts? Leviticus 18, which is devoted almost entirely to defining types of sexual relationships that are wrong. The Bible has a lot to say about sex. I guess it should, since God invented it in the first place. But since I want to keep this family friendly, I'll pass on the commentary. You can look it up.

Chapter 19 has wonderful guidelines for basic civic conduct, infection control, agriculture, generosity, kindness and avoiding occult practices. I feel it is a snapshot of how intimate our Father is, how caring and how protective He is. He's not just caring and protective of me, He also cares for those in need.

Synopsis:
vs. 1-4. God's holiness.
5-8. Peace offerings and what to do with leftovers.
9-10. Generosity and faith in God's provision. Think of the story of Ruth gleaning from Boaz' field (Ruth chapter 2).
11-18. forbidding of stealing, lying, teasing the handicapped, bias in judgment, gossip, hatred, taking revenge. Of note, here and elsewhere, judges are to show no favoritism to either the poor or the rich.
19. Dad and I used to discuss this verse and others similar to it. I believe it has economic ramifications. For example, it might have been cheaper to make a garment out of wool and linen cloth, but it wouldn't give the warmth a buyer might be expecting, i.e., false advertising. I surmise that purity of herds, crops and garments is also symbolic in nature. I don't believe it is a sin to wear 60/40 cotton and polyester. I even have a wool blend coat! Is my heart, however, 60/40?
20-22. I haven't figured out.
23-24 talks about fruit planted in a new land. It reminds me of some of the "transitional" orchards, or the California standards of "organic" fruit. Why shouldn't we consider the Bible has good, scientific, "green" teachings?
26-31 seem to illustrate occult practices to avoid. (When I was a kid, I thought this included not piercing or tattooing oneself. I still think tattoos are a bad idea, but piercing ears and even noses is scriptural.)
29. Don't sell your child into prostitution.
30. Keep the Sabbaths holy.
31. Respect the elderly.
32-34. Kindness to strangers (aliens) in your land. Many times Scripture instructs us to be good to the fatherless, the alien and the stranger. I've looked at this one from many angles. Maybe I'll write about it later.
35-36. Just balances and measurements
37. Obey God's law, God is the LORD (hwhy yehovah).

I'd love to read any comments about chapter 19. I hope it opens your eyes to God's character and His high (but good!) standards.