Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 1-4.

In the last chapter of Exodus which I covered yesterday, God instructed Moses to set up the tabernacle and then consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests.  Then it tells us that when Moses finished setting up the tabernacle that the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle and that Moses could not enter it because the cloud had settled on it.  Here, the Book of Leviticus begins by telling us that the Lord called to Moses from the tent of meeting and gave him instructions for the Israelites.  One of the things which this passage brought home to me was the way in which the composer of these books (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) intersperses describing the activities of the Israelites moving through the wilderness into the various Laws which God gave them through Moses.  I do not know if this was a literary device which the writer(s) used to break up the monotony of the laws, or if the laws were given spread out like this as events occurred to the Israelites.  Certainly today’s passage seems like the latter, as it contains instructions concerning the sacrifices which they were to offer following the setting up of the tabernacle, but preceding the ordination of Aaron and his sons.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 1-4.

Some time back I realized that the sacrifices described in the Old Testament were usually eaten by those who offered them (with portions which were not eaten) in ritual feasts.  Today, I noticed that the various types of sacrifices listed in today’s passage have differing requirements for what is done with the animals which are sacrificed.  In some of these sacrifices, the entire animal is burned upon the altar. In others, only part of the animal is burned upon the altar.  When only part of the animal is burned upon the altar, for some sacrifices the rest is taken outside of the camp and burned, and for others the disposition of the rest of the animal is not specified.  It is only the last type of sacrifice where any of the animal is eaten.  The other thing I noticed is that, in every case of animal sacrifice, all of the fat portions of the animal is burnt upon the altar.  I usually seek to write about some application of the passage for us today, but today I do not have anything.  However, I think being aware that these differences in how different sacrifices were processed will, at some point, give me (and hopefully you) a better understanding of other passages.

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

Today, I am reading and commenting on  Leviticus 1-4.

There are three types of animal offerings described in this passage: burnt offering, fellowship offering, and sin offering.  In addition, Moses describes the process for making grain offerings.  The animal offerings were to be a representative of their type (cattle, sheep, or goat) which was without defect.  I want to note the significance of which offerings were explicitly to be male and which were to be female.  Since the animals eligible for offering were all herd animals, those who owned the animals could more readily spare a male animal to a female animal (with herd animals a single male breads with multiple females).  Which leads me to a thought that does not come directly out of this passage: a polygamous society values most men as less than fully human.  A polygamous society considers most men to be superfluous.  In such a society, men who have failed to obtain wives are considered disposable, and of less value than those who have wives.  This breaks down the order which the Bible teaches us is God’s intent, that all people were created by God to have value.  Not really when this passage is about, but the thought which the passage inspired in me.

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

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 1-4.

I find it interesting that if the grain offering was baked before being offered it was to not include any yeast.  I thought I fully understood why the Passover bread was to be made without yeast: because the Israelites did not have time to allow it to rise on the first Passover.  However, the fact that these offerings were required to be made without yeast suggests that there was more to it than that.  Unfortunately, I do not know what that something more was.  I did an Internet search on the question, but I did not consider any of the results which I found satisfactory.  I have never before given this much thought, and now it has become something to which I would really like to know the answer.

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 1-4.

Today moves on to a description of the various sacrifices which the Israelites were required to make.  I found two things in this worth taking note of.  First, the passage makes a connection between the use of blood and fat in the various animal offerings and God prohibiting the Israelites from eating either.  I am not sure of the significance of this for us today, but there it is.  Second, the Israelites were only to offer animals without defect.  Here the significance is clear.  We should only bring our best to God, whether that is the material goods we offer, or the effort we put into doing His will.  It should not be an after though, or done carelessly.