Leviticus: The Holiness of God and of Man

When I read Leviticus, I quickly realized it is full of too much detail to summarize in a blog post. Here is a brief recap of the book after my study.

 The central theme of the book of Leviticus is the holiness of God and of man. On Mount Sinai, the Lord spoke instructions to Moses, who then explained these rules to the Israelites. A key verse is when the Lord commanded in Leviticus 11:45, "Be holy because I am holy." In the first paragraph, it says, "The Lord spoke to Moses," and this same reference is used more than 50 times in Leviticus. The date of the book is about 1446-1406 B.C.

The Israelites were given laws and regulations for worship at the tabernacle, instructions on ceremonial cleanliness, moral laws, holy days, the Sabbath year, and the Year of Jubilee.

The Lord required offerings to be given as a way to receive atonement, or forgiveness, for sins. The individual could bring the offering, but only an anointed priest could approach the altar. It was Aaron and his sons who were authorized by the Lord to be priests.

My textbook explains that many ancient near east religions sought to appease the numerous gods they worshiped by offering sacrifices. But the Israelites were told to be specific in offering their sacrifices and to always approach the Lord with reverence, humility, and obedience. The offerings had different purposes:

Old Testament Offerings (Lev. 1 - 16)

The Grain Offering (Lev. 2) expressed a gift of tribute to the Lord as a sign of submission and dedication. This was an exercise of worship, and it also provided food for the priests.


The Fellowship (Peace) Offering (Lev. 3, 7, 19, 22) was a celebration of God's blessings in praise, thanks and devotion. God received the fatty parts of the animal sacrifice, and the worshiper and family and priest ate the meat.


The Whole Burnt Offering (Lev. 1) was symbolic of a judicial substitution for sin and it was offered as a general repentance for sin, worship and total dedication to the Lord. The sacrifice had to to burned entirely to the Lord.


The Sin Offering (Lev. 4-5:13) expressed purification from unintentional sins against God. If this was offered on behalf of the priest or community, the sacrifice was totally burned and the blood was sprinkled in the Holy Place. For lay persons, the priest received the meat, and the blood was poured out at the altar.


The Guilt Offering (Lev. 5:14-6:13) was used for paying a debt, penalty, and compensation for damages against a person or the holiness of God. The priest received the meat.

The Lamb of God

The study of offerings and sacrifice in the Old Testament deserves a greater explanation than mine here. Furthermore, the significance of the role of the priest, the worshiper, and the act of atonement and reconciliation with God is seen throughout the Old Testament and again in the New Testament.

In the New Testament, John said about Jesus, "Look, the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). And when Jesus was instructing his disciples on being servants, he said "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45).

Jesus washed his disciples' feet. (John 13)

Ordination of Aaron and His Sons

In Leviticus 8-10, Aaron and his sons were given instructions on priesthood. They were authorized to wear priestly garments and follow holy rituals when approaching the Lord to minister on behalf of the people. Eventually, Aaron's sons (Nadab and Abihu) became careless in their priestly duties and offered "unauthorized fire before the Lord." The fire consumed them. Moses then said, in Lev. 10:3,

"This is what the Lord spoke of when he said, 

'Among those who approach me

I will show myself holy;

in the sight of all the people

I will be honored.'"

The theme of obedience and holiness is central to the Bible's explanation of how to please God. It was not that man was able to be perfect, but that his heart should be humble before God. His actions reflected his obedience or disobedience to God's laws and commandments.

From these readings, this is my understanding of holiness (so far): to be set apart for God, willing to acknowledge his presence, his provision, and his power and to live at peace with him. This requires faith.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).

Readings for Lent: Matthew 7

Jesus Taught

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-3).

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened “ (7:7).

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (7:12 ~ The Golden Rule).

“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many” (7:13).

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered by thornbushes, or figs from thistle? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit…” (7:15-17).

Do the Will of God

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day, many will say, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then, [Jesus says] I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (7:21).

Build Your House on the Rock

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (7:24-27).

When He Finished Teaching

“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (7:28-29).

Application

As we read Jesus' teachings in Matthew 7, we are reminded again that God created us with a mind and a will so that it is up to us to choose to seek God, to follow Him, and to learn His principles and commandments. Doing these things demonstrates our faith in God.

Abraham in Genesis 21-25:18

My journey through Genesis continues! These are the characters and situations I encountered in Genesis 21-25:18. And so I can continue with my trek through the Old Testament, and the REST of the Bible, a brief summary of the stories.

This online summary primarily serves as an academic exercise for me, but it may serve a purpose to others who are interested in Old Testament Literature, or at least, in seeing the lessons learned from these biblical accounts. Originally, I was going to post a more thorough discussion of these chapters, but my recap will have to do for now.

GENESIS 21-25:18

Genesis 21 – Abraham and Sarah have their promised son (Isaac). Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar, and Abraham’s other son (by Hagar), Ishmael, are sent away to wander in the desert of Beersheba.

It was recorded in Genesis 21:18 that God told Hagar to not worry; He heard the cries of the boy in the desert, and He would be with him and make him into a great nation.

Genesis 22 – God requires Abraham to offer a sacrifice; but requires the sacrifice to be his only son, Isaac. At the point of taking Isaac’s life, God provides a scapegoat as the sacrifice and Isaac is spared.

The lesson in this story is that God wants to see if Abraham fully trusts him. God does not really intend to harm the boy; this is an early foreshadowing of how God would send His one and only Son, Jesus, to be sacrificed on the Cross as the penalty for the sins of the world.

Genesis 23 – Abraham’s wife (Sarah) dies and Abraham purchases land in Canaan to bury her, which would also later be the burial place for himself, Isaac and Rebekah, Leah (not Rachel—she died on a journey), and Jacob.

Genesis 24 – Abraham requests his chief servant (in charge of his household) to go and find a wife for Isaac, not "from the daughters of the Canaanites...but...go to my country and my own relatives..."(v. 4). The servant prays and is led by God to find Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham's brother. The servant and Rebekah's family discuss if Rebekah should go, but then ask her what she thinks, and in the end, she decides to go with the servant to marry Isaac. In verse 67, we read that Isaac loved Rebekah, and he brought her into the (former) tent of his mother, Sarah (who had recently died), and he was comforted by having Rebekah as a companion and wife.

Genesis 25 – Abraham dies at the age of 175. Ishmael dies at the age of 137. It is recorded that he had 12 sons, which became 12 tribes; his descendants settled “from Havilah to Shur”, near the Egypt border. His sons are: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. In 25:18, “And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.” Or, the NIV reads, “And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.”

Ishmael’s Sons (Genesis 25:12-18)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen.25.12-Gen.25.18

Despite the previous resentment and jealousy between Sarah and Hagar, and consequently, Isaac and Ishmael, we find in Genesis 25:9, “His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him [together]…”. He was buried on the land which he purchased for Sarah’s burial, which would serve as a family burial ground again later.

Even after Abraham's death, a lesson is learned in the peaceful assembly of Isaac and Ishmael out of respect and custom to bury their father (25:9).

Asbury Bible Commentary on Genesis Patriarchal History:

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/asbury-bible-commentary/Patriarchal-History