I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 22-23.

The passage begins with a continuation of the instructions regarding priests who become ceremonially  unclean.  For the most part this restates the laws regarding ceremonial uncleanness specifically applied to priests.  I take away from this that the same rules that apply to everyone else apply to the priests, the leaders of the people (there are other places where laws which apply to leaders who are not priests are laid out in a similar manner), plus a few more.   This is the exact opposite of how most of our rulers and religious leaders act today.

Then the passage goes on to lay out seven festivals throughout the year.  We should take special note that one of the high festivals laid out here is the weekly Sabbath.  The other festivals only occurred once a year.  I want to highlight the importance of the people gathering to celebrate these festivals.  The festivals establish common practices among the people and help unite them.  Each of the festivals established certain values which the people were to share.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 19-21.

At the beginning of this list of laws which God gave the Children of Israel, He says, “Be holy because I am holy.”  This was not, “Be holy because that will make you better than other people.”  Nor was it, “Be holy because you are better than other people.”  No, this was a call to be like God, because God had made us in His image.  This was a call for everyone, because everyone has been made in God’s image.

Thinking about the call to be more like God because we are made in His image puts the command not to sacrifice children to Molech (or any other god) in a whole new light.  When we kill anyone, but especially a child, we are destroying the image of God.  To me, this understanding just cements my belief that abortion falls under this command.  This verse talks about how when a man sacrifices one of his children he profanes God’s name.   Further, it tells us that if the community looks the other way when someone sacrifices their child, God will intervene and cut that person off from their people.  It really puts the disconnectedness of our society in a new light.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 16-18.

A couple of days ago we read about how two of Aaron’s sons were struck down because they used the wrong sort of fire in their incense burners in the Tabernacle, or, at least that is how it is explained there.  Today we get a little more information about what happened.  We learn that the two had approached the Lord inappropriately.  In today’s passage it lays out what Aaron, his successors as High Priest, must do before they approach the Lord.  What I want to point out here is that only Aaron could approach the Lord, no one else (until his death when someone else took his place), but even Aaron had to go through a complex ritual of sacrifices before he entered God’s presence.  Jesus changed all that.  He became both our High Priest before God, and the sacrifice for entering into His presence.  However, we should remember the effort which Aaron had to go through to cleanse himself to enter into God’s presence and not casually approach God.  We have the right and ability to enter God’s presence, but we must do so reverentially.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 14-15.

The idea that many of the sacrifices were consumed as celebratory feasts makes sense out of the offerings made for being declared clean after having a skin disease.  The offering was a celebration of healing.  Those who could afford it gave a lamb to the priests and celebrated with a second lamb.  Those who were two poor for that celebrated with a lamb which they split with the priest.  But in both cases they celebrated God’s goodness in providing them with healing.

I have seen Chapter 15 be misinterpreted in several ways.  It seems obvious that Chapter 15 reflects the risks of spreading infection that being exposed to someone else’s bodily fluids entails.  In recent times we have seen a few diseases which became serious threats to public health because of promiscuous sharing of bodily fluids between near strangers.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 10-12.

After the death of two of Aaron’s sons, Moses was angry with Aaron’s two remaining sons for not following eating the goat of the sin offering as the rules for the sin offering instructed them to do (Aaron was also guilty of this, but Moses appears to have confronted his sons, not Aaron).  Aaron responded that the loss of two of his sons justified he and his remaining sons not celebrating the sin offering by eating the portions intended for them.  Moses found this answer satisfactory.  This shows us that we need to make allowances for special circumstances.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 8-9.

Over the last few years I have had a growing awareness that the times of offering sacrifices was also a time of feasting.  With a few notable exceptions, each offering was divided into three portions.  One portion was burned on the altar, one portion went to the priests (this portion was where most of the food for the priests came from), and one portion was eaten by those who offered it (and their households).  In this passage today, the offering for their ordination was only to be eaten by the priests.  However, for the seven days of the ordination the priests being ordained were to remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, where the people could come and meet with them.  It seems to me that the intention was for the people to be able to interact with those who were about to become priests so that these newly ordained priests would understand the people to whom they would minister.  At the end of the seven days on the eighth day, the newly ordained priests would offer sacrifices for all of the people…sacrifices which would be the basis for a feast and celebration for the people.  So, the sacrifices formed a bond between the people who offered the sacrifice, the priests who performed the sacrifice, and God.