The Book Of LEVITICUS
Leviticus 27:34 "These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for
the children of Israel in mount Sinai."
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CHAPTER 26:
Chapters 26 and 27 of Leviticus are the conclusion of the whole law of God that was begun in Exodus 20. In the tradition of the treaties between a king and his vassals of this time in the ANE, the format of this chapter is a series of “if/then” statements. God is making it clear to Moses and the children of Israel what the blessings will be for honoring God and obeying His law. (v.3-13) Conversely, the punishment, or chastening, for disobedience and dishonoring God is also clearly stated. (v.14-39) Lastly, there is forgiveness and blessing for those that truly repent, humble themselves, and seek God’s face. (v.40-46) Verses 1-2: Of all the laws of God, the two that are the most important to Him are that the children of Israel forsake all forms of idolatry (v.1) and that they honor the weekly sabbath days (v.2). (Exodus 20:3-4, 8, Leviticus 19:30, Deuteronomy 4:15, 5:8) All other laws are secondary to these. God is to have first place above all else in the daily lives of His chosen people. All other gods are false, and God’s righteous jealousy will not allow His honor and glory to be shared with another. That’s why verse 1 goes into detail regarding the various types of idolatrous objects that are common to the peoples of the pagan nation surrounding Israel at this time. Pillars, graven images, or any likenesses of any created thing (such as animals, vegetation, or celestial bodies) are forbidden by God. Likewise, the sabbath is a holy day, a day of rest. There is to be no labor aside from that which allows for the Israelites to worship God. It’s a day to wholly focus on Him and to rest from their week of toil and work. The importance of this day is emphasized by the death penalty for anyone caught disobeying this law. God is sovereign, and He is holy, and His law is not be taken lightly or easily dismissed. All that He is and all that He has done for the children of Israel shows why He is the Lord their God and why He should be honored with genuine awe, humility, and reverence at all times. God has reminded them of this numerous times throughout the giving of this law, and He repeats it again in both of these verses. Verses 3-13: God’s promises for the Israelites’ fidelity to Him are lavish: bountiful harvests (v.4-5, 10), peace and safety (v.5-6), victory in battles (v.7-8), and long life with many offspring (v.9). Notice that even though God promises peace and security in the promised land there’s still battles to be fought. Resting within God’s will and walking in obedience does not guarantee a life of comfort and ease for His chosen people. Instead, God promises that He will give them victory in their battles against any foe that rises against them after they have settled in the land. These promises to the Israelites are no less true and sure for us believers today. Obedience to the Lord and surrendering to His will and plan for our lives does not ensure a life of luxury and ease. Quite the contrary, in fact. But in addition to peace and calm in the midst of life’s storms, God promises us the strength, grace and courage to endure the trials and hardships that He allows into our lives. We are His children and the sheep of His pasture, and our Heavenly Father will never leave us nor forsake us! What a mighty thing to grasp and meditate upon! Obedience to the Lord will ensure His continued presence among His people. (v.11-13) (Deuteronomy 23:14, 2 Corinthians 6:16) This, too, is something truly incredible to consider! Yahweh, Jehovah, the Almighty God, the Lord and creator of the heavens and the earth, the One that heard the cry of Abraham’s seed and rained plagues upon Egypt and parted the Red Sea, has come down to dwell in His tabernacle in the midst of His chosen people! (Exodus 25:8, 29:45-46, Joshua 22:19, Psalm 76:2, Ezekiel 37:26, Revelation 21:3) God does not demand absolute fidelity, worship, obedience and honor without also guaranteeing much in return! What a glorious and unspeakable wonder to have the one, true God living and dwelling with His people! Verses 14-39: But just as bountiful as his blessings, the chastening and judgment for disobedience is equally severe and swift. Notice, too, that this list is longer than that of the previous passage. Verses 14-15: These list the conditions that will earn the Israelites God’s wrath and judgment: disobeying His commands, despising His statutes, and/or abhorring His judgments. Any or all of these will be considered a breach of His covenant with them, and the next several verses list in graphic detail the punishment. That word “abhor” is translated from the Hebrew word “gâ’al”, which means “to detest; to loathe; to vilely cast away”, according to Strong’s concordance. It’s more than just simple disobedience or a one-time infraction of some point of the law. To abhor something is to utterly and completely reject it, to violently turn away and run from it. Not only is this word used five times here in chapter 26 (v.11, 15, 30, 43, 44), but God also uses this word to describe the heathen nations that He is going to cast out of the promised land. (Leviticus 20:23) Elsewhere in scripture we are commanded to abhor sin and flee from evil. (Romans 12:9) God is warning the children of Israel that if they cast away His entire law and flee from His statutes and judgments, then He will bring upon them the opposite of what He described as blessings in verses 3-13. Verses 16-18: There will be physical diseases such as the Israelites’ have not yet known. (Deuteronomy 28:22, 1 Samuel 2:33) They will live in fear of their enemies who will invade their land and seize their crops. (v.16) (Psalm 106:41) Many of them will be slain in battle and others taken away captive because God will set His face against His people. (v.17) (Psalm 34:16) If this initial chastening does not cause them to turn back to God then His punishments will increase by a factor of seven. (v.18, 21, 24, 28) (1 Samuel 2:5) Verses 19-33: The phrase “…seven times more plagues…” (v.21, 24, 28) echoes God’s words to Moses and Pharaoh in Exodus. God cursed the Egyptians with ten plagues because of the hardness of Pharaoh’s heart. He and his people abhorred God and His judgments and enslaved God’s chosen people. Therefore, God behaved towards them exactly as He is describing to Moses here in chapter 26. In other words, if the Israelites turn away from the Lord and behave as all the other heathen nations around them, God will judge them and chasten them accordingly. Their labor in the fields will be for naught. Their harvests will be lean or none at all. (v.20) (Psalm 127:1, Isaiah 17:10-11, 49:4, Jeremiah 12:13) Wild beasts will attack their children and their livestock. (v.22) (Exodus 23:29, Deuteronomy 32:24, Ezekiel 14:21) This will cause other nations and peoples to avoid their lands, thus making the roads in and out of their country empty and neglected. (Judges 5:6, 2 Chronicles 15:5, Zechariah 7:14) If, after each of these judgments the Israelites still refuse to humble themselves and repent, then even worse disease and greater war will fall upon them. (v.25) (Psalm 18:26, Jeremiah 2:30, Ezekiel 5:17, Amos 4:6) There will be another famine, to the point that bread and water will be severely rationed because of such limited supply. (v.26) (Psalm 105:16, Isaiah 3:1, Ezekiel 4:16-17, 5:16) God will allow them only enough to meet their most basic needs, but no more. The Israelites will long for the days when they had more than plenty, but their desire will go unfulfilled. (Micah 6:14, Haggai 1:6) But if, even after all that, the children of Israel stubbornly persist in their apostasy and rebellion, God will pour out His wrath upon them in even greater proportion. (v.27-28) The famine in the land will become so great that the Israelites will resort to cannibalism to survive. (v.29) (Deuteronomy 28:53, 2 Kings 6:28-29, Lamentations 4:10) God will ensure that those who practice idolatry will meet their expected end. Their corpses will be as lifeless as the idols that they worshiped. (v.30) (1 Kings 13:2, 2 Chronicles 34:3, Isaiah 27:9, Ezekiel 6:3, 13) The phrase “I will not smell the savour of your sweet odors” (v.31) refers to God’s rejection of Israel’s sacrifices and offerings. The daily rituals of honor and worship prescribed by the law of God are meaningless when one’s heart is hardened by unconfessed sin and open rebellion against God. (Isaiah 1:11) The final result of Israel’s disobedience and apostasy will be the destruction of her cities and her people being carried away captive by her enemies. (v.32-33) (Deuteronomy 4:27, 2 Kings 25:4, 10, Psalm 44:11, Jeremiah 9:11, 18:16, Ezekiel 12:15, 20:23, 22:15, Zechariah 7:14) Verses 34-39, 43: The land itself is also holy. When the disobedient Israelites are carried away into exile, the land will finally enjoy the rest that the rebellious people denied it. (v.34-35, 43) (Leviticus 25:2, 2 Chronicles 36:21) Those that are in exile will suffer continuous subjugation and dominion by their enemies and will live in constant fear of them (v.36-37) (Isaiah 30:17, Lamentations 1:3, 6, 4:19, Ezekiel 21:7, 12, 15) Many of them will die in captivity, and those that remain will, sadly, persist in the same sin and rebellion that was committed by their fathers and grandfathers. (v.38-39) (Exodus 34:7, Deuteronomy 4:26) Verses 40-46: But if they humble themselves and confess their sin and repent, then God will remember them and will remember His covenant with their fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (v.40-42) (Numbers 5:7, 1 Kings 8:33-34, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Nehemiah 9:2, Luke 15:18, 1 John 1:9) Genuine repentance requires not only an acknowledgement and ownership of one’s sin, but also an acknowledgment of the punishment as well. (v.41) Judgment and chastening by God is never cruel, unjust or arbitrary. It is always designed with correction in mind and a desire on God’s part for reconciliation with His children. (This chastening, however, is not to be confused with God’s judgment against those who are not His own. That is a different kind of wrath that will be meted out to the unbelievers in the last days, as spelled out in the book of Revelation.) It is because of that covenant with Abraham that God will not utterly destroy His chosen people. (v.44) (Exodus 2:24, 6:5, Psalm 106:45, Ezekiel 16:60) God always keeps His promises. Because of who He is – holy, perfect and just – He cannot go back on His word. (Deuteronomy 4:31, 2 Kings 13:23, Jeremiah 30:11, Romans 11:1) Something else to note from verse 41: God refers to those future generations that have gone stray as “uncircumcised”. (Acts 7:51, Romans 2:29) This is one indication of how badly those future sons and daughters will have fallen away from their obedience to God and His law. As we can see from all those cross references, God’s warning to Moses here on Mount Sinai came to pass after the children of Israel settled in the promised land. This chapter is, sadly, more of a prophecy than a warning, but these last seven verses are a comfort and hope, especially verses 44-45. “…I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor 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…that I might be their God: I am the Lord.” There is a time of redemption and reconciliation that is coming for the children of Israel. These two verses reiterate God’s promise to Abraham, but they also speak of a future that is still to come. Only after the rapture of the church and the seven years of tribulation, when Christ has returned to earth to set up His millennial kingdom, will God’s chosen people reign over all the earth with Jesus as their king as God intended from the very beginning. CHAPTER 27: The concluding chapter to the book of Leviticus is God’s instruction to Moses regarding vows, dedications and tithing. It may seem odd at first that this passage is the final one rather than chapter 26. It would have made more sense for this one to be the penultimate passage and have God’s warning to His people about future apostasy be the one that closes this book. But if we consider that the central theme of Leviticus is the right and proper worship of God then the matters of vows and tithing are the logical conclusion. Tithing is part of worshiping God because it acknowledges His sovereignty and providence over our lives. It is only by God’s hand that we have anything in this life, even life itself. Our every breath is only by God’s mercy. Therefore, if we refuse to give back to God His portion of the material blessings He bestows upon us, we are not only disobeying His command, but we are also demonstrating irreverence and selfish pride. For the children of Israel at this time, God instituted the system of tithes and offerings for two reasons: 1) to reinforce the principle that I explained above, and 2) to provide for the physical needs of the priests as well as the daily maintenance and upkeep of the tabernacle. Tithing for us today in the age of grace is for the same purposes. It not only demonstrates our reverence and worship of God but also pays the salary of our pastor as well as the daily maintenance and upkeep of the church building and property. Verses 1-8: Vows in the time of the OT, under the Levitical law, could be offered up in one of three ways: 1) the giving of the best of one’s livestock as a burnt offering; 2) the giving of one’s own son or daughter in full time service to God, i.e. Hannah offering up her firstborn son, Samuel, to Eli the high priest (1 Samuel 1:26-28); or 3) the giving of oneself in full time service to God. (Leviticus 7:16, Numbers 6:2, 30:2, Deuteronomy 23:21, Judges 11:30-31, 39) Full time service to God in the OT era typically meant serving the high priest in the tabernacle by doing various tasks not already assigned specifically to the high priest or his sons. A vow to God should never be done rashly or impulsively. (As an example, see the story of Jephthah in Judges 11.) But, in these first 13 verses, God is making provision in His law for the redemption of those who have made a vow of service to God. In other words, he/she may be freed from his/her vow according to the instructions in this chapter. “People who were dedicated by vow to the Lord’s service could be redeemed through a sum of money established by God or the priest. Hannah promised Samuel to the Lord, but if she had wanted to keep the child, God would have allowed her to take him back through monetary redemption.” (The Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary) It’s important to note here that God is not placing more value on the men than the women because of their gender. The monetary amounts listed in these verses refer to the value of the type of work or service that is being done in the tabernacle. The note in my study Bible explains it this way, “One of the chief occupations of the sanctuary was the slaughtering and offering of animals, and, in the wilderness, of disassembling and transporting the tabernacle. Thus it is easy to see that the service involving heavy manual work made the value of the service of men in the prime of their life much more costly to replace once they had been vowed to this work.” This is what is meant in verse 8 when it says, “…according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him.” Verses 9-13, 27: Any animal that is brought to the priest for an offering unto the Lord is holy. It now belongs to God and cannot be taken back or exchanged. (v.9) If the owner decides to offer up a better or more fitting animal instead, then both animals will belong to God. (v.10) Unclean animals or livestock that is less than perfect (i.e. blemishes, spots, or physical deformities) may also be dedicated to the Lord for His use by the priest in some other capacity other than a burnt offering or blood sacrifice. (v.11) The priest will estimate the value of the animal and pay the owner accordingly. (v.12) However, if the owner later changes his mind and wishes to buy back the animal, he must give the priest a full refund plus twenty percent. (v.13, 27) (Leviticus 6:5, 22:14) Verses 14-24: The same rule for the unclean or imperfect animal that is sold to the priest for service to God applies to one’s house if one wishes to sanctify his home for use by the priests. (v.14-15) Land can also be dedicated to God, but there are a few exceptions and conditions when estimating the value of the property because of the law of the Year of Jubilee. (Leviticus 25) The additional fee of twenty percent applies here too if the original owner wishes to buy back his field from the priest. (v.19) Verse 25: “…the shekel of the sanctuary…”, which is twenty gerahs, is the standard by which all monetary values shall be estimated. (Exodus 30:13, Numbers 3:47, 18:16, Ezekiel 45:12) Verse 26: The firstborn of livestock cannot be sanctified, meaning “set apart”, for the Lord’s service because he/she already belongs to God. (Exodus 13:2, 12, 22:30) Verses 28-29: These two verses draw a distinction between that which is “devoted to the Lord” and that which is “sanctified for the Lord’s use”. The earlier verses described people and animals that are sanctified, or “set apart”, for service to God. But something or someone that is devoted to the Lord means that that person, animal, or thing permanently belongs to God alone and cannot ever be redeemed. This is one of the exceptions to the sanctification and redeeming of a man’s field regarding the Year of Jubilee. (v.21) That word “devoted” is often used in the OT to refer to people or things that are under God’s judgment and condemnation. (Numbers 18:14, 21:2, Joshua 6:17) Both of these verses clearly stipulate that a man may devote something of his to God, but once that is done the transaction is final. This rule reinforces the solemnity and severity of these types of vows and thus prevents any rash or impulsive actions on the part of the Israelites. This is why the sin of Achan was so great and why God executed not only him but his entire family. He took that which belonged to God, which was “devoted” to the Lord, as decreed by Joshua before the battle of Jericho. (See the cross reference for Joshua 6:17 in the previous paragraph.) Achan’s family knew of his transgression and helped him hide the stolen property. Therefore God punished him and all his house for their sin. (Joshua 7:11, 13) That is how serious God views this law, and why verse 29 states that the devoted person or animal “…shall surely be put to death.” To devote something or someone unto the Lord, in this context, means to turn that person or possession over to God for judgment because of some great sin or transgression. That’s why the transaction is final and that person or thing cannot be redeemed, for God’s judgment and wrath are permanent. Verses 30-33: A man’s tithes of his crops can also be redeemed under this law. (Genesis 28:22, Numbers 18:21, 24, 2 Chronicles 31:5-6, 12, Nehemiah 13:12, Malachi 3:8) The phrase in verse 32 “…whatsoever passeth under the rod…” refers to the practice of numbering sheep or goats by causing them to pass through single file in a narrow lane over which the shepherd will hold out his staff or rod. The narrowing of the herd into the prescribed channel is random, and every tenth animal that passes under the rod belongs to God. If the shepherd tries to switch that particular sheep or goat, or tries to arrange the line so that only the unclean or less than perfect animals fall in the tenth spot, then both the perfect animal and that which the shepherd tried to substitute for it belong to God and cannot be redeemed. (v.33) Verse 34: This chapter is the conclusion of the whole law of God as given to Moses on Mount Sinai in the first year of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. (Leviticus 26:46, Deuteronomy 4:5, Malachi 4:4) The law of the Lord is pure, perfect and a light unto the path of those that study it, meditate upon it, learn from it and obey it. (Psalm 1:1-2, 19:7-11, 37:31, 119:1, 72) Only by doing all of that can our hearts then be in a right state of humility and reverence to properly worship God. That is His desire, and that communion and fellowship is the reason for which He created us in the first place. Leviticus 26:11-12 “And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.”
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CHAPTER 24:
This chapter is a reminder of the holy things of God, specifically the oil for the lampstand and the shewbread, both contained within the tabernacle. The third sacred object addressed here is the holy name of God. Verses 1-9: God gives another reminder to Moses about keeping the golden lampstand within the holy place lit. (v.2) (Exodus 27:20-21) Only the purest olive oil is to be used to keep it burning. Likewise, the shewbread is to be baked fresh and laid out on the prescribed table within the holy place every Sabbath. (v.8) Frankincense is to be used as a spice on the bread as well as being a key ingredient in the meat and drink offerings. (v.7) The shewbread is only for the priests to consume as it is part of their daily provision from the tithes and offerings of the people. (v.9) Twelve loaves represents the twelve tribes of Israel. Verses 10-14, 23: This is the second narrative found in Leviticus (the first being chapter 10), and it, too, gives an example of the consequence of disobedience with regard to the holiness of God. In this instance, the son of an Egyptian man and an Israelite woman ignores the third commandment. (Exodus 20:7) He curses the name of God after getting into a fight with another Israelite man. (v.10-11) (Exodus 22:28) The blasphemy is heard by many witnesses, and the man is immediately taken into custody and brought before Moses and the other elders. (v.12) God tells Moses that the man is to be taken outside the camp, and the witnesses are to lay their hands upon him before stoning him. (v.14) (Deuteronomy 13:9, 17:7) The act of laying on hands before carrying out the death sentence is probably to serve as an outward sign of the confirmation of God’s judgment. Earlier in Exodus, God had stated repeatedly that the law applied not only to the Israelites, but to the strangers dwelling among them as well. He was also clear about His people not profaning His holy name. This incident is also a foreshadowing of what will happen to Israel in the promised land. God has repeatedly warned them about keeping themselves separate from the pagan nations and cultures around them, and this incident likely came about because of the marriage of the Israelite woman to an Egyptian man. Though we are not given much detail in this passage, the text does make it clear that her son was not a godly man, and he did not fear God or His law as he should have. This is evidenced by his use of the Lord’s name as a profanity or a curse. Even though there were many Egyptians that believed in God and joined the Israelites in their exodus from Egypt, it’s clear from this text that not all of them continued in their faith and belief. Verses 15-22: God reminds Moses of the punishments for blasphemy and murder. Verse 20 is a popular and well known quotation from the Bible, especially among non-Christians. “Eye for an eye” has become a derogatory phrase in our modern culture, often used as a pejorative slur and an example of how scripture contradicts itself. (Romans 12:19) If vengeance belongs to God, why is He telling the Israelites to take retribution? In fact, all that God is saying in this passage is that the punishment should fit the crime. As has already been made clear in Exodus, if a man deliberately takes the life of another man or woman, his life is to be taken as payment. (v.17, 21) If a man kills another man’s animal, he is to replace that animal with like kind. (v.18, 21) Verses 19-20 are giving examples of possible injuries that can be inflicted upon one another during a fight. However one man disfigures his opponent, that same injury is to be done to him as punishment. (Exodus 21:23-25, Deuteronomy 19:21) Jesus referenced this law during His sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:38-39), giving an example of how a Christian ought to show love to his brother instead of seeking vengeance, which is what Paul was reaffirming in his letter to the Romans. Both Christ and Paul used this passage, as well as the one from Exodus, to illustrate a completely different point than what God is stating here to Moses. Therefore this is not an example of God’s word contradicting itself, but is, in fact, an illustration of the perfect harmony of scripture. Yes, the punishment should always fit the crime by not being unjustly harsh or cruel, but mercy and forgiveness between two brothers in Christ is also acceptable, and is also evidence of God’s love, mercy and forgiveness towards us. God once again makes clear in verse 22 that the same law which governs His chosen people also applies to any strangers which dwell among them. Why? “…for I am the Lord your God.” CHAPTER 25: The next set of instructions are for the sabbath year of agriculture, the year of jubilee, and then a set of laws pertaining to the Israelites’ dealings with one another in relation to those two special years. God is once again looking ahead to the time when His people will inhabit the promised land. Verses 1-7: Just as the seventh day of every week is a Sabbath – meaning a day of rest for the children of Israel – so is every seventh year to be a year of rest for the land. (Leviticus 26:34-35, Deuteronomy 15:1, Nehemiah 10:31) There is to be no planting of crops and no harvest of any crops that grow naturally during that year. Instead, whatever the fields yield in that seventh year is to be shared by all. The reason for this is twofold: 1) to again demonstrate God’s provision and providence for His people during that year of rest, and 2) to act as a preventive measure against the soil losing all nutrients and ability to grow food. The method of crop rotation in our present day farming illustrates this principle. It wasn’t just us humans that were infected and broken by sin at the time of the Fall; all of creation was damaged, including the earth itself. The land needs a time of rest and recuperation, same as us. Verses 8-12, 20-22: The year of jubilee. According to the Moody Bible commentary, “Proceeding by sevens in terms of years, the fiftieth year (the Year of Jubilee) coincided with the first year of the next cycle of seven years. In other words, there was a two-year Sabbath rest for the land required at that time. Five years of normal agricultural work followed the Year of Jubilee, and then another Sabbatical Year.” The year of jubilee will begin on the day of atonement, which is the tenth day of the seventh month. (v.9) (Leviticus 23:24, 27) This fiftieth year is to be hallowed among the Israelites, and every man is to free his slaves as well as return any possessions that he is holding as collateral for debt to their rightful owners. (v.10) (Isaiah 61:2, 63:4, Jeremiah 34:8, 15, 17, Luke 4:19) As noted above, there is no sowing or reaping of the fields in the year of jubilee. (v.11) Instead, whatever crops the fields happen to produce in that year are to be shared by all, just as in the sabbatical year of rest. (v.12) God assures the Israelites that He will provide enough bounty in the harvest of the 49th year to last three full years until the next harvest. (v.20-22) (Exodus 16:29, Leviticus 26:10, Deuteronomy 28:8, 2 Kings 19:29, Joshua 5:11) Verses 13-19: The primary reason for the year of jubilee is given in verse 17: “Ye shall not therefore oppress one another…”. (Leviticus 19:13) This is the reason for the commands given in verses 10 and 13. The year of jubilee is a year of reset for the entire congregation. The indentured servants are set free and all outstanding debts are either forgiven or paid in full. (In most cases, the outstanding debt will be land that is sold by someone in extreme poverty, and now it is to be returned to him in the fiftieth year.) (Leviticus 27:24, Numbers 36:4) Verses 15 and 16 stipulate that both the price and quantity for buying and selling of goods and land is to be regulated according to the number of years from or to the next year of jubilee. (Leviticus 27:18, 23) Verses 23-24: God makes it clear to Moses and the Israelites that the promised land belongs to Him alone. (Genesis 12:1-2, Exodus 19:5, 2 Chronicles 7:20) They are not to sell the land to one another – and, especially, to any non-Israelite – permanently. That’s the other reason for the year of jubilee. The land and any other possessions of their fellow Israelites which were given up as collateral for debt are to be redeemed by their original owner in the fiftieth year. Verse 23 is also the clearest statement by God in scripture that the promised land has always belonged to Him and His chosen people, the children of Israel. Those today that claim that Hamas and the Palestinians are the rightful owners of that land have not read their Bible, nor have they properly and thoroughly studied the history of the Middle East. Verses 25-55: The remainder of this chapter offers a series of examples or scenarios in which the law of the year of jubilee applies, as well as some general guiding principles regarding commerce among the Israelites. Verse 25 refers to the kinsman redeemer. If the man that sold his land in order to pay off his debt is unable to buy it back, then his brother – or nearest relative – is obligated to buy it on his behalf so that the land remains in the family. (This becomes especially important later on when the twelve tribes divide up the promised land.) This law plays a major role in the story of Ruth. (Ruth 2:20, 4:4, 6) If, however, the kinsman is unable to redeem the land before the year of jubilee, then the land automatically goes back to its original owner in that year. (v.28) In the case of a house within a walled city that is sold to pay for a debt, the original owner has one year to redeem it. (v.29) If he cannot do it within that year then the house remains permanently to the one who buys it. It doesn’t automatically return to the original owner in the fiftieth year. (v.30) If, however, the house is not within in a walled city, then it is counted as part of the land and, thus, it does automatically revert back to its original owner in the year of jubilee if he or his kinsman has not already redeemed it beforehand. (v.31) The Levites, however, are exempt from both of those laws. (v.32-34) Whether within a walled city or not, any house bought from a Levite automatically reverts back to that priest in the year of jubilee. (v.33) Nor are the Levites allowed to sell the land around their cities – even temporarily – for that land is theirs alone. (v.34) (Numbers 35:2) The reason for this exemption become clearer in the book of Joshua, when the children of Israel are dividing up the promised land. The law regarding the cities of refuge also plays an important role in this exemption rule. The Israelites are not to charge one another interest or usury of any kind. (v.35-38) (Exodus 22:25, Deuteronomy 23:19-20) Instead, they are to help one another, even the stranger that is among them, for this honors God. (Deuteronomy 15:7, 24:14-15, Luke 6:35, 1 John 3:17) In the case of an Israelite that sells himself to another to pay a debt, his master is not to treat him as a slave but, rather, a hired servant. (v.39-43) This is because all of Israel serves God who is their only Lord and true master. (v.42, 55) Because God is merciful, kind and just to both rich and poor alike, the Israelites are to reflect that character in their dealings with one another. Both the servant and his family are freed from their service in the year of jubilee, if he hasn’t already paid off his debt before then. (v.41) (This law is also spelled out in more detail in Exodus 21.) Verses 44-46 make it clear that slaves are to be bought from non-Israelites of the heathen nations and peoples that surround Israel in the promised land. They are bought for life and passed down from generation to generation as an inheritance. (Isaiah 14:2) However, that doesn’t mean that they are to be treated with any less dignity, kindness and respect than what is due an Israelite. (Leviticus 19:33-34) Regarding the issue of slavery, it's important to remember that God had already passed judgment on the pagan nations and people of the promised land. As has already been made clear in Genesis and Exodus, the Egyptians and the Canaanites were a wicked and depraved people, indulging in pride, blasphemy, idolatry, and all manner of sexual immorality. This becomes even more clear in the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. The conquering of a nation or people by another foreign power and the forced slavery that results from that conquest has been used by God throughout human history as a form of His righteous judgement. This was the case with Israel herself in the Babylonian captivity. God has already made it clear to Moses and the other leaders that their first task upon entering the promised land is to cleanse it of the heathen peoples that are already dwelling there. Therefore, it is no surprise here in Leviticus that God is giving His permission to the Israelites to make slaves of those foreign people. In fact, it is even more telling of God’s character that He instructs the Israelites to treat their slaves justly and kindly, and to not abuse or mistreat them in the same manner as the Egyptians treated the Israelites. If an Israelite sells himself to a non-Israelite as a hired servant or a slave in order to pay off a debt, then his kinsmen are obligated to redeem him accordingly. (v.47-54) Verses 50-52 stipulate that the price of redemption is according to the number of years from or to the year of jubilee, same as the rule in verses 15-16. God closes this chapter with a reminder that the children of Israel were once slaves in Egypt, and that they should never forget from whence they came. They have been redeemed by God, called unto Him for a special purpose, and they are to treat one another with kindness, justice and love. These laws are laid down so that the Israelites will honor God first above all else and then behave accordingly towards one another. In this chapter God once again turns His attention to the seven feasts that were first described in Exodus:
1. Passover 2. Unleavened bread 3. Firstfruits 4. Harvest (a.k.a. Pentecost in the NT) 5. Trumpets 6. Atonement 7. Tabernacles According to the Moody Bible Commentary, the first three feasts occurred together in a period of eight days in the spring of each year. They were collectively known as the Passover. (v.4-14) The feast of Harvest, which later became known by its Greek name, Pentecost, occurred fifty days after the conclusion of the Passover, at the beginning of summer. (v.15-22) (In Greek, the word “Pentecost” means “the fiftieth day”.) The last three feasts were celebrated together over a period of three weeks in the seventh month of the year, and these became collectively known as the Feast of Tabernacles. (v.23-44) As noted in my earlier commentary in Exodus, these feasts were instituted by God for two reasons: 1) that the Israelites will always remember where they came from, Who it was that delivered them from their bondage in Egypt, and Who it is that is continuing to provide and care for them; and 2) that they might have a strong, central bond of community and fellowship not only with one another, but also with the Lord their God. No other nation in the promised land celebrates these feasts, and this is another way that the children of Israel are set apart as a chosen people who serve and worship the one, true God. Verses 1-3: The Lord begins this passage by once again emphasizing the Sabbath. It is a holy day, a day of rest, a time to focus entirely on God. The other six days of the week are for labor and toil, but the seventh is for rest. (Exodus 20:8-9, 23:12, 31:15, Leviticus 19:3, Deuteronomy 5:13-14, Luke 13:14) It, along with the feasts described in this passage, is a “holy convocation”, a phrase that appears eleven times in this chapter. (v.2-4, 7-8, 21, 24, 27, 35-37) (Exodus 12:16) The Hebrew word used here for “convocation” is “miqrâ” which means “something called out; a public meeting; a sacred assembly”, according to Strong’s concordance. The Sabbath and these seven feasts are to be holy assemblies of the Israelites, a time of gathering together to worship God, to thank Him for all that He has done for His people, and to remember where they came from. Verses 4-8: The Passover, celebrated on the fourteenth day of Abib (Exodus 13:4), is mentioned first because it’s the most important of all the feasts. (v.5) (Exodus 12:11, 13, Numbers 28:16, Deuteronomy 16:1, Joshua 5:10) It reminds the children of Israel of their slavery and toil in Egypt before God delivered them. They escaped His wrath because of the blood of the sacrificial lamb on their doorposts. God, in His great mercy, heard their cry and freed them from their bondage, calling them out to be His chosen people. For us today, the Passover was a foreshadowing of Christ’s death on the cross. We escape God’s wrath by accepting Jesus’ shed blood as the payment for our sins. We are freed from the slavery of sin and its primary consequence: death. The sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is for the New Testament believer what the Passover was for the Israelites. It’s a holy convocation of remembrance of God’s salvation and deliverance. The feast of unleavened bread begins on the fifteenth day of Abib, and it continues for one week. (v.6) (Exodus 12:18) The Israelites are to do no laborious work in those seven days except for what is necessary for the preparation of the feast. (v.7) Per the instructions in Exodus 12, they are to also remove all leaven from their houses before the start of the Passover and this feast. What was not mentioned in Exodus but is stipulated here is a burnt offering that is to be done every day that week. (v.8) “The presentation of an offering that was totally burned symbolized the obliteration of one’s own self-centered nature. Believers today should consider that Christ, as their Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), has been sacrificed for a similar purpose for them (Romans 6:6).” Verses 9-14: The feast of firstfruits. On the second day of the feast of unleavened bread (v.11) the first grain sheaf of the harvest is to be brought to the priest for a wave offering. (Exodus 23:19, 34:26) This is followed by a burnt, meat, and drink offering. (v.12-13) The feast of firstfruits is to celebrate God’s provision and blessings upon His people. Verse 14 makes it clear that no other food is be eaten until all four offerings have been completed. The purpose of this command is twofold: 1) it demonstrates that God is to come first in the lives of His chosen people; and 2) it prepares the hearts of the people for the coming week of communal worship and celebration of all that God has done for them. Verses 15-22: The feast of weeks, or Pentecost. This, too, is a thanksgiving celebration of all that God has provided for the Israelites. It takes place seven weeks (v.15-16) after the first day of the feast of firstfruits, which equals a span of fifty days, hence the name “Pentecost”. Like the feast of firstfruits, this celebration lasts only one day, and it also begins with burnt, meat, and drink offerings. But a key difference with this feast is the initial wave offering of two loaves of bread baked with leaven. (v.17) The bread represents the results of the grain of God’s providence. And whereas the feasts of the Passover and unleavened bread specifically called for the elimination of all yeast, the feast of Pentecost allows for it. The burnt offering, too, is different in that seven male lambs and a bullock are sacrificed rather than just one lamb for the feast of firstfruits. There is also a command in verse 19 for a sin offering and a peace offering. Before there can be peace and fellowship with God there must be confession of one’s sin and a request of forgiveness. This is another reminder that the condition of one’s heart must first be right before there can be proper thanksgiving and a receiving of God’s blessing. Verse 22 reminds the people to leave some of their crops, as well as the gleanings, for the poor. (Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 24:19, Ruth 2:2, 15) God is gracious and kind, ensuring that no one is excluded from these feasts. Verses 23-25: The festival of trumpets. This is a day of rest, same as the Sabbath, except that this holiday is the first day of the seventh month. The Israelites are to blow trumpets which will signal to the people to gather together for a holy assembly. (Numbers 10:10, 29:1) In the post-exilic period that followed their return from captivity in Babylon, the children of Israel celebrated this day as the first of the new year, what Jews today refer to as Rosh Hashana. The “…offering made by fire unto the Lord…” (v.25) most likely refers to a burnt offering. At this time in the history of the ANE, trumpets are used to signal celebrations and other important events as well as a call to war. Believers today look forward to the sound of the trumpet that will herald the second coming of Christ. Trumpets will also signal the judgment and wrath of God at certain times throughout the tribulation. (Revelation 8:2, 6[xxiv]) This festival and the gathering of the people was for the purpose of preparing them for the Day of Atonement that is described in the next few verses. Verses 26-32: The Day of Atonement. This is to be observed on the tenth day of the seventh month (Leviticus 25:9, Numbers 29:7), starting at sundown on the ninth day and ending at sundown on the tenth. Like the festival of trumpets, this day is a Sabbath, a day of rest, but it’s not a celebratory atmosphere like the other holidays and feasts described in this chapter. The phrase “…afflict your souls…”, or a variation of thereof, is used three times in these seven verses. (v.27, 29, 32) (Isaiah 22:12, Jeremiah 31:9, Ezekiel 7:16) To afflict one’s soul means to be genuinely humble and sorrowful for one’s sin and to seek forgiveness. Because the specifics of this day are already laid out in chapter 16, there’s not much detail given here. However, God does repeat the command that no work is to be done on this day (v.28, 31), and any Israelite that disobeys this statute is to be permanently exiled. (v.29) He expects His people to regard this day as holy and sacred, and their entire focus should be on Him alone. Verses 33-36, 39-43: The feast of tabernacles (a.k.a. feast of booths). Following the day of atonement, this celebration and memorial is to begin on the fifteenth day and last for one week. (Exodus 23:16, Numbers 29:12, Deuteronomy 16:13, Ezra 3:4, Nehemiah 8:14, Zechariah 14:16, John 7:2) The Israelites are to construct temporary shelters, or booths, in which they will dwell for the whole week. (v.40-43) As with the feast of unleavened bread, there is to be a burnt sacrifice offered to the Lord on each day. (v.36) All the congregation is to assemble on the first day and the eighth day to praise and worship God. (v.35-36) The purpose of this festival is a memorial to future generations of their ancestors’ life in Egypt before God delivered them, as well as their sojourn in the desert leading up to their arrival in the promised land. (v.43) (Exodus 13:14, Deuteronomy 31:13, Psalm 78:5) This is the reason for the temporary booths which are constructed of palm branches, willows, and other native trees. Believers today look forward to the second coming of Christ when we will finally receive our eternal home in heaven. We will exchange the temporary shelter of this life for a permanent mansion on a street paved with gold. Verses 37-38, 44: These “…feasts of the Lord…” are to be observed and celebrated in addition to all the other sabbath days, sacrifices and offerings that are commanded in the law. (v.38) (Numbers 29:39) Each of these feasts is a sacred assembly that requires the presence of the whole congregation. By properly and obediently observing these holidays, the Israelites will gain a true sense of community and family bond with one another as well as maintaining a close and proper walk the Lord their God. This will also show the pagan nations around them that the children of Israel are a people called out and separated by God for His holy purpose. CHAPTER 21:
Thus far in Exodus and Leviticus, God’s exhortations to holiness have been directed primarily to the people. Now, in chapters 21-22, God turns his attention back to Aaron and his sons and continues that call to holiness by prescribing laws that cover three categories: 1) restrictions on mourning and marriage for ordinary priests; 2) restrictions on mourning and marriage for the high priest; 3) physical impediments to the exercise of priestly office. There are two primary purposes to these two chapters. 1) The high priest and his sons are held to a higher standard of holiness than the rest of the nation. 2) The tabernacle, which is God’s dwelling place among His chosen people, is to be kept undefiled precisely because of God’s presence there. Therefore those who serve in His holy place are to also be undefiled. Verses 1-4: The priests cannot defile themselves by touching anyone who has died except for immediate family. (Ezekiel 44:25) Verses 2-3 list those exceptions: father, mother, brother, sister (who is still a virgin and unmarried), son, and daughter. (Curiously, the wife is not mentioned, so it’s unclear if the priest is allowed to prepare her body for burial or not.) Verse 4 gives the reason: the priest is the spiritual leader of the people, and thus he must remain separate and consecrated to the Lord. To handle any other corpse besides those listed above to profane himself and, by extension, profane the holiness of God. Verses 5-6: The command to not shave their heads, or to trim their beards in a specific manner, or to make any marks or cuttings in their flesh is repeated here. (v.5) (Leviticus 19:27-28, Deuteronomy 14:1, Ezekiel 44:20) Aaron and his sons are consecrated to God’s service as mediators on behalf of the Israelites. Doing any of these things to themselves is to profane the name of God. (v.6) (Exodus 22:31, Isaiah 52:11) The phrase “…the bread of their God…” (also in verse 21) is an ancient sacrificial term for “flesh”, according to my study Bible. (Leviticus 3:11, 16) Verses 7-8: The priest is to marry only a virgin. No other exceptions are allowed, not even a widow. (v.14) (Ezekiel 44:22) This applies to the high priest as well. (v.14) The reason for this is that a woman who has either been with a man outside of marriage, i.e. a prostitute, or has been previously married is considered defiled and therefore is ineligible for the role of the priest’s wife. (Deuteronomy 24:1-2) Again, this goes back to the holiness of God which extends to the tabernacle and those who serve within that holy dwelling. They are set apart and consecrated for a specific purpose. (Leviticus 11:44-45) Because of this, only a virgin, pure and innocent, is allowed to marry the priest. Verse 9: The daughter of a priest that defiles herself by being a prostitute is to be executed by fire. (Deuteronomy 22:21) Her actions profane not only herself but her father also. As noted earlier, it’s not just the priest that must be careful to keep himself holy and undefiled. His family, too, must adhere to a strict standard of holiness before all of Israel, for they set the example of what it means to serve and obey God. Verses 10-15: The same commandments of holiness that were given to the ordinary priests in verses 1-8 are repeated here for the high priest. There is one exception, though. Where the other priests are allowed to defile themselves by handling the dead bodies of their immediate family members, the high priest cannot touch the corpse of even his father or mother. (v.11) (Numbers 19:14) Nor is he allowed to mourn according to custom by rending his clothes and pouring ashes upon his head. (v.10) (Leviticus 10:6-7) He is also forbidden from even leaving the tabernacle to comfort his family and grieve. (v.12) This seems especially harsh and unloving of God to demand such devotion and service that one cannot even take a few hours away from the tabernacle to properly grieve and receive comfort from one’s family. But this echoes Jesus’ statement to the man who wanted to first go bury his recently deceased father before following Christ. Jesus responded, saying, “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.” (Matthew 8:22) God is demanding absolute lordship over the high priest, to the point that nothing else – not even one’s own family – interferes with his worship, service and obedience to God. It’s not that God is unloving. It’s that His holiness is such that it cannot be defiled by sin. Since the consequence of sin is death, the high priest cannot go near a dead body for fear of defilement. It’s also because anyone who touches a corpse is declared unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:14), which means that they cannot come near the tabernacle. We today are held to the same standard when we surrender ourselves and our lives to Christ. He is Lord, and He must have first place above all else, including our family. Verses 16-24: These last set of instructions prohibit any man with any physical deformities from serving as priest or high priest. Again, this relates to the holiness of God. The priests must reflect the original perfection of God’s creation before Adam’s fall. This is why He demands that any animal being brought to the tabernacle for sacrifice be without blemish or spot. (Leviticus 1:3) But even if they couldn’t serve as priests, those who are deformed or handicapped in any way may still eat of the provisions given to the priests by the people as tithes and offerings. (v.22) The word “crookbackt” in verse 20 refers to any man that is hunchbacked. The phrase “stones broken” is an ANE euphemism for an issue or deformity of a man’s testicles, according to my study Bible. CHAPTER 22: God continues His commands to Moses regarding the priests and their service in the tabernacle. In this chapter, He turns His attention to the holy things: the brazen altar, the utensils, the altar of incense, the lampstand, and the table of the shewbread. The commandments here also extend to the bread itself, as well as all the other food that was part of the priests’ allotment from the tithes and offerings brought by the people. Verses 1-9: If the priest is ceremonially unclean in any way, i.e. an issue of bodily fluid, or leprosy, or has come into contact with anyone in his house that is currently unclean, he must follow the prescribed laws regarding his defilement. (Leviticus 15) That means refraining from coming near the holy things of the tabernacle. (Exodus 28:38, Leviticus 7:20-21, 16:19, Numbers 18:32, 19:13, Deuteronomy 15:19) That includes the shewbread. (v.4) Depending on the defilement, he is to isolate himself for the prescribed amount of time and then bathe himself before he is allowed to resume his normal duties in the service of the Lord. (Leviticus 15:5) Anyone who touches or eats of the holy things while he is unclean will be cut off from God’s presence. (v.3) Verse 8 makes it clear that the reference in verse 3 is referring to death, not merely permanent exile from the congregation. The example of Nadab and Abihu also reinforces the principle behind this commandment. (Leviticus 10:1-2) In the case where the priest has accidentally touched a dead body or the corpse of an animal that has died from natural causes, he is ceremonially unclean only until sundown. (v.5-7) After he thoroughly bathes himself he may eat of the bread that is provided for his sustenance. (v.7) While the demands of God’s law are strict, His love and mercy are also evident in that He always provides a way for atonement, and the punishment is never more than what fits the crime. The priest does not have to go more than day without eating what God provides for him, even when he accidentally violates the law. As long as the priest displays genuine repentance and follows the prescribed remedy for atonement and cleansing, his fellowship with God is restored. All of this reinforces what was introduced in chapter 21. Those who lead God’s people must be spiritually clean and upright, or else they are not worthy of their leadership role. How can the people be expected to obey God’s law when their appointed leaders are unclean and defiled? That is the theme of these two chapters. God expects Aaron and his descendants to set the example for all of Israel, just as our pastors and deacons are expected to do in the church today. Verses 10-16: Strangers, visitors and/or hired servants who are staying with the priest and his family are not allowed to eat the holy food. (v.10) (Exodus 29:33, Numbers 3:10) But a slave that has been bought by the priest, thus making him a member of the household, is allowed to partake of that food. (Exodus 12:44) If the priest’s daughter is married to a stranger, meaning a gentile (a.k.a. non-Israelite), then she is also forbidden from eating the holy food. (v.12) But if she’s divorced or widowed and childless, and living in her father’s house again, then she is permitted to do so. (v.13) If anyone who is not part of the priest’s household accidentally eats of the sacred food, then he is to repay the priest what was eaten plus a tithe of twenty percent. (v.14) Once again, the point of these restrictions is so that God’s holiness and His name are not profaned among His chosen people. For it is He that has called and sanctified them unto Himself. (v.15-16) Verses 17-25: Just as with the physical condition of the priests themselves, any animals that are brought to the tabernacle for the sacrifices and offerings must be perfect. (Malachi 1:8) Verses 22-24 give a detailed list of what God considers to be defective. They may not be blind, or crippled, or have any sickness whatsoever – including any open sores or issues of bodily fluid or blood – or be lame, or have cuts or bruises anywhere on them. (v.22) Even minor blemishes such as scabs on the skin or bad teeth are forbidden. Nor are they allowed to be castrated or have any damage at all to their reproductive organs. (v.24) Verse 23 does give a minor exception for the freewill offering. A bull or a lamb that has an overgrown limb or stunted limb is acceptable, but not for a votive offering. Even the stranger that is among the Israelites that desires to worship God must adhere to these restrictions when bringing his animal to the priest. (v.25) In short, the sacrificial animal is to be the absolute best of the herd, for that is what God requires. His holiness demands nothing less. The Moody Bible Commentary sums up these verses as such: “What folly to act in pious hypocrisy and to give God something worthless! An astute person might figure that he could take a business loss on a deformed animal and give it to the Lord in an act of spiritual beneficence. The apparent reason for the reiteration of the rules pertaining to these sacrifices here was to reinforce that the imperfect cannot be presented when God requires what is perfect. The sacrifices must reflect the condition of the offerers’ hearts, and the priest was charged with ensuring and reinforcing this condition.” Verses 26-28: No animal younger than eight days is acceptable for a sacrifice, nor are the mother and child to be killed on the same day. (Exodus 22:30) This could be related to the command God gave them earlier about boiling a young goat in his mother’s milk (Exodus 34:26), or it could simply be a preventive measure to guard against losing too many of the livestock before more can be reproduced. Verses 29-30: God gives a closing reminder about the heart condition of His people when it comes to giving the offering of thanksgiving, a.k.a. the peace offering. (Leviticus 7:12, Psalm 107:22, 116:17, Amos 4:5) Again, the emphasis is that this offering is of one’s own free will, and that it should be offered in a sincere desire to please God through proper worship. Anything less is a sin. Verses 31-33: As He has done throughout the giving of this law, God reminds Moses and the Israelites why they are to obey His statutes and honor His holy name. (Leviticus 10:3, 19:37, 20:8, Numbers 15:40, Deuteronomy 4:40) He is their God, the Lord God that has called them out of Egypt, brough them to this mountain, sanctified them, and will give them a home in the land that He promised to their father Abraham. They are His chosen people, and because of who He is and what He has done for them they are expected to worship and obey Him. God is our creator, the Lord of heaven and earth, the one, true God. For that reason alone all of creation is expected to bow down before Him and worship Him as such. Those who surrender and obey, who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior, will receive not only eternal life but also blessings, providence, and dominion over our enemies. All things will work together for our good (Romans 8:28), even the trials and the tribulations that He calls us to pass through. Our endurance will purify our faith, strengthen our walk with Him, and earn us many crowns of glory that we may cast at His feet when the shadows of this life are eventually exchanged for the glories of Heaven. God is giving the law to His people here as a way of sanctifying them and setting them apart from the heathen nations around them. The law is for their own good, same as for us today. In this fallen and broken world, infected by sin, we need to strive for holiness in all areas of our lives, just as the Israelites were called to do. Obeying God’s law brings blessings and peace, as well as keeping us from the deadly consequences of sin. This is a hard lesson that the children of Israel never fully grasped, and it brought them much sorrow and suffering as a result. God now returns to the subject of moral purity among the children of Israel which He first addressed in chapter 18. Where that chapter listed all of the immoral acts that are forbidden for God’s chosen people, this chapter prescribes the punishments for such acts. At first glance, this passage seems to go back and forth between the various types of sexual sin instead of simply grouping together all the verses that deal with a particular sin and its consequences. Upon closer examination, however, the organizational method being used in this chapter is according to the punishment for each category of offenses. Verses 9-16 list sins that merit the death penalty. Verses 17-19 are sins that that are punishable by being excommunicated from the community. Verses 20-21 list offenses that result in barrenness or childlessness.
As with chapter 18, God again tells Moses the reason for such harsh punishments for these acts of gross immorality and idolatry: “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” (v.26) (Leviticus 19:2, 1 Peter 1:15-16) A secondary reason, also already given in chapter 18, is repeated in verse 23: “And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.” (Leviticus 18:3, 24, Deuteronomy 9:5) God had already judged the nations of the promised land for their sin and rebellion against Him, and He is making it clear to Moses and the Israelites that they are not to repeat those sins among themselves after conquering that land. Therefore, God lays down strict and harsh punishment for any Israelite that violates these moral laws. Verses 1-5: If it wasn’t clear in chapter 18 just how much God abhorred child sacrifice, He makes it very plain here in chapter 20. Any man or woman that offers up their child to Molech is to be put to death. (v.2) (Leviticus 18:21, 2 Kings 23:10, 2 Chronicles 33:6, Jeremiah 7:31) This verse opens with the word “again”. There are many instances throughout scripture where certain phrases – or even whole verses – are repeated in different books and chapters. (Proverbs is the best example of this.) God has a habit of emphasizing specific commands or principles which He deems important for His children to remember. Throughout the last half of Exodus and all of Leviticus, we see the Lord repeating Himself as He gives His law to Moses. This isn’t because God thinks Moses didn’t hear or understand Him the first time. Rather, God is repeating Himself for emphasis. He wants to make it clear to Moses and the Israelites just how important certain things are to Him. Sexual purity and idolatry are at the top of that list. As we’ve already seen in Exodus, the Israelites – as well as us believers today – are very prone to stray and wander from God because of our sinful flesh. We can very easily and very quickly forget just how important it is to God that we abstain from all manner of sin and evil. There’s a good reason that Jesus compared us to sheep numerous times throughout the gospels. Sheep are dumb animals that, if left on their own, will get themselves into all manner of trouble and snares. We who are the fallen progeny of Adam are no different. Therefore, God must repeat Himself in His word so that we eventually grasp the importance of certain principles that will help us in our walk with Him. Verse 2 concludes with instruction for the method of execution for the guilty parents: stoning. This was the most common method used in the ANE for capital punishment. The entire Israelite community is to be the executioners. (“…the people of the land shall stone him with stones.”) As if that isn’t clear enough, God continues in verse 3: “And I will set My face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people;”. (Leviticus 17:10) This verse concludes with the statement “…profane My holy name.” God is equating the willful, deliberate murder of a human being with profaning His holy name. In other words, it’s a sin against God Himself. (Genesis 9:6) Furthermore, the Lord will not tolerate any Israelites that turn a blind eye to those that commit this heinous act. (v.4) Them also will He cut off from His chosen people. (v.5) This particular addendum is not found in chapter 18. It’s a very sobering thought when one considers our present age. How many of us will stand before God one day and answer for why we did nothing to speak out or demonstrate against the medical community that willfully performs abortions? How many of our leaders will be condemned by God because they purposely allowed for this vile and wicked practice? Verses 6 & 27: Anyone who seeks out mediums or soothsayers or anyone that practices divination or witchcraft of any kind will be permanently exiled from the congregation of Israel. (Leviticus 19:31, 1 Samuel 28:7) Anyone among the Israelites that practices such abomination will be put to death. Verses 7-8: God commands the children of Israel to abstain from those sins described in verses 1-6 and to strive for holiness because He is the Lord their God. (v.7) The command to keep His statutes is repeated once more. (v.8) (Leviticus 19:19, 37) By doing so, the Israelites would be sanctified unto the Lord. (Exodus 31:13, Deuteronomy 14:2, Ezekiel 37:28) The same holds true for us today. We who are saved are sanctified through daily obedience to God by striving for holiness in all areas of our life. The same commandments that he laid down here in the OT for the Israelites apply to us as well. Verses 9-16: This is a list of offenses that merit capital punishment. At the top of the list is cursing one’s parents, a violation of the fifth commandment. (v.9) (Exodus 20:12) “Such cursing meant more than uttering a word in anger. ‘To curse’ was the opposite of ‘to honor.’ To honor meant investing one’s parents with the weight of authority and attention that was due to them. To curse meant making light of their authority or treating them as despicable. In the process, one might invoke the ‘gods’ to afflict one’s parents.” (The Moody Bible Commentary) God does not take lightly the disrespect and dishonor of one’s parents. This sin springs directly from the root of pride and rebellion, both of which God hates. (Proverbs 6:16-17) Adultery (v.10), specific categories of incest (v.11-12, 14), homosexuality (v.13), and bestiality (v.15-16) all merited the death penalty. (Exodus 20:14, Leviticus 18:7-8, 15, 17, 20, 22-23, Deuteronomy 5:18, 22:22, 23:17, 27:20-21, Judges 19:22, John 8:4-5) Again, the word “confusion” is used in verse 12, and it means “perversion” in this context, same as in Leviticus 18:23. All of these types of sexual sin are perversions of God’s holy paradigm that was that was instituted in Genesis 2:23-24. I can’t help but wonder what our society would be like today if we arrested, tried and convicted anyone who was guilty of these sins? Would immorality and wickedness be so prevalent today if two men or two women could be executed by the state for engaging in sexual relations with one another? Or a man and woman sentenced to death for having an extramarital affair? Or a woman and the doctor who murdered her unborn baby both executed on live TV? Those punishments seem absurdly extreme and radical to us today, but that just shows how far modern society has strayed from God. Sin that was once shunned and abhorred by God’s people has become so commonplace today that we barely give it a second thought. Would we – both saved and lost alike – be so quick to run to sin if the consequences were as great and final today as they were at the time Moses was writing down this law? These laws laid down in chapters 18 and 20 clearly show how seriously God treats these perversions and profanities against Him and His holiness. His chosen people are to look at these sins with the same amount of hatred and intolerance as the Lord their God sees them. It's important to note here that the death penalty – and other punishments listed in this chapter – are only carried out upon the unrepentant. We must keep in mind the whole of the law as we read through these books of Moses. God stated clearly in the previous chapters of Leviticus that there is forgiveness for all these types of sins through specific offerings and blood sacrifices. So the fact that such harsh and final judgment is prescribed here implies that there will be some who will refuse to repent of their sin. In those instances, God’s wrath and judgment are justified and carried out accordingly by Moses and the other leaders. And, again, the same holds true for our world today. Those who refuse to turn from their sin and wickedness will face God’s justified and eternal wrath. Accordingly, those who repent and accept the shed blood of Jesus Christ as payment for their sins will be saved from that terrible wrath. Verses 17-19: There is a distinction drawn in the text here between the incest committed by a man and his daughter-in-law (v.12) or a man and his stepmother (v.11), and all other categories of incest. (Leviticus 18:9, 13, Deuteronomy 27:22) Only those first two seem to merit the death penalty, while all the others are punished by excommunication (“…cut off in the sight of their people…”) from the Israelite community. (v.17, 19) The reason for that distinction is not explained. Suffice it to say, because God said so. A man who sleeps with a woman who is in the midst of her monthly period will also result in permanent exile for both of them. (v.18) (Leviticus 15:24, 18:19) Verses 20-21: Incest between a woman and her nephew, as well as a man and his brother’s wife (while the brother is still alive), is punished by infertility. (Leviticus 18:14, 16, Matthew 14:3-4) This type of incest is different from the others described in verses 11, 12 and 14 in that the man and woman in this instance are not related by blood but through marriage instead. This also demonstrates the extent of God’s sovereignty over all of His creation. It is only by His hand that life is allowed to be conceived within the womb, a very sobering and awesome thing to consider and meditate upon. It’s good to pause here and address a subject that I have heard often on social media from atheists, skeptics, and other critics of Christianity and the Bible. It’s actually a criticism I used to have myself before I was saved, and it’s typically phrased as follows: “Where did Cain get his wife?” Immediately following expulsion from the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were the only two people on the entire earth. We also know they had many children – both male and female – besides Cain, Abel and Seth. But scripture does not record their names or any other details about them. After telling us of the birth of Seth at the end of the chapter 4, Genesis 5 gives us a lengthy genealogy of Adam’s descendants, but it lists only the male heirs and the total years of each man’s life. That chapter gives no other explanation of where these men – especially Seth and Cain – got their wives. The answer, of course, is both simple and obvious: Seth and Cain married their sisters. It’s very plausible that Adam and Eve had a dozen or more children, and with the brothers and sisters marrying one another, and then their children marrying one another, it not only answers that question of where Cain got his wife, but also explains how the entire human race descended from only Adam and Eve. But with that answer comes the next obvious question, especially in light of the laws against incest that God laying down for the Israelites here in Leviticus. Why was marriage and sexual relations with one’s siblings or cousins acceptable for Adam and Eve’s children and grandchildren, but not three or four millennia later? Even after the Flood, when only Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives were the only humans left on the entire planet, it was okay for the children of Shem, Ham, and Japheth to marry one another in order to repopulate the world. The answer here is also simple and obvious. It’s clear that the only way for Noah’s family to repopulate the earth was through incest, and therefore God allowed it. But now, two or three thousand years later, when the world’s population has reached a size that makes intermarrying among one’s family members no longer necessary, God declares that incest is against His law and punishable by either death or excommunication from the Israelite nation. It’s also closely tied with the condition of the human genome and the physical state of the world both before and after the Flood compared to the time of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and even compared to our world today. Remember that the consequence of sin for Adam and Eve – and all their progeny – is spiritual and physical death. Yet the physical world before the Flood, when it never rained, and the canopy of water was still locked in place above the earth, was a very different climate than the world after the Flood. Before the days of Noah, man lived for hundreds of years. After the Flood, that life span radically shortened. Abraham lived to be a hundred and seventy-five and his great-grandson, Joseph, died at a hundred and ten years old. Moses’ total years will be only a hundred and twenty. (Deuteronomy 34:7) The consequence of sin, right up to our modern age, means that our genetic structure and the general health of our DNA as a human race is nowhere near as robust and hardy as it was for Adam and Eve or Noah. Even a brief study of the kings and queens of England in the last five hundred years will prove just how weak the human genome has become. The offspring of incestual marriage now produces all kinds of genetic defects, besides being against God’s moral law, and thus it is forbidden today, just as it was for Moses and the Israelites. Not only that, but God also makes it clear here in Leviticus – and earlier in Exodus – that the heathen nations of the promised land are practicing all manner of sexual perversion, such as homosexuality and bestiality, besides incest. It can be easily inferred from the text that human morality has decayed to such an extreme state of depravity that it is now necessary for God’s chosen people to separate from that kind of immoral behavior. Therefore God is declaring a new age of dispensation in how he deals with His creation, and the new law states clearly and explicitly that marriage to one’s immediate family members – whether related by blood or through marriage – is forbidden. Verses 22-26: God reiterates to Moses His reason for these laws. The Israelites are a chosen people, called by Him to be separated from the pagan peoples of the promised land. (v.22-24.) (Exodus 3:17, 6:8, 13:5, 33:1) The Lord’s promise to Abraham of that land is part of His judgment against those heathen nations because of the abominations that they practice. God abhors them and their wickedness. (v.23) He charges Moses once more to make a distinction between the clean and unclean, the holy and the unholy, “…for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” (v.26) (Exodus 19:5, 33:16, Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2, 1 Kings 8:53) The holiness of God is not something to be taken lightly or casually dismissed. Those to whom He is Lord – whether the children of Israel at Mount Sinai or us today – are expected to live lives that reflect that holiness. To ignore that command or to do less than our best is to sin against Almighty God. Where chapters 18 and 20 deal with holiness in one’s life as it pertains to moral purity, chapter 19 addresses the holiness of God’s people in dealing with one another. The Moody Bible Commentary states it this way: “The people of Israel were to lead righteous lives, not merely observe rituals and sacrifices. One might wrongly assume from the extent of the rituals that sacrifice alone sufficed to relate to a holy God. Leviticus 19 highlights many seemingly isolated laws related to this truth.” All of the ten commandments (Exodus 20) are found in this chapter, albeit restated in a different manner and in a different order, and the whole point of this passage is that Israel as a community and a congregation is to reflect the love, integrity, and holiness of the Lord their God because they are His chosen people.
Verses 1-2: While the holiness of God is the central theme of the Mosaic Law, it is especially emphasized here in the book of Leviticus. The Lord repeats Himself once more in verse 2: “Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.” (Exodus 19:6, Leviticus 11:44, 20:7, 26, Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 1:15-16) Those whom God has called and redeemed as His chosen people are to strive for holiness in all that they say and do. Every aspect of their daily lives, both the intrapersonal and the interpersonal, are to reflect the character and holiness of the Lord their God. The same holds true for us today. We who are in the body of Christ, who have been saved and redeemed by His shed blood, should also strive for holiness in our walk with God and with our fellow man. Our prayer every morning should be, “Lord, may your light shine through me to everyone that I meet today. When others look at me, they should see only You.” Verse 3: Whereas the Decalogue places the command to honor one’s parents as #5 on the list, it’s put here as #1. (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Matthew 15:4, Ephesians 6:1-2) God designed the family unit (husband, wife and children) to be the bedrock of a healthy, stable society. If God is honored and obeyed within each home, that will naturally affect the larger community of which those families are a part. Children who learn early on the proper fear and respect of their parents will also learn a healthy fear and respect of God. This will also teach them right and proper submission to authority outside the home (i.e. local laws, government, teachers, elders, bosses in the workplace, etc.) The unspoken command in this verse, and which is the logical implication, is that parents are to teach their children how to submit to God first, and then submit to those whom He has placed in authority over them, starting with their parents. If the basic family unit is functioning as designed by God, the rest of the commandments in this chapter will be much easier to follow and obey, hence the reason that God gives this instruction first and foremost. One interesting note about the first half of this verse is that the mother is listed first before the father. In all the other cross references in scripture, including the original commandment in Exodus, the father is mentioned first and then the mother. Solomon, too, in the book of Proverbs, places more emphasis on the virtues of the godly woman and mother than those of the father. This, to me, reflects God’s design that, while the father and husband is the authority of his home, it is the wife and mother who, in a proper partnership with her husband, is the primary teacher and godly nurturer of the children. It is the man’s proper role to go outside the home every day to work in order to provide for his family while his wife remains at home with the children to care for them and teach them. This is the natural, godly order of the home and family. The second part of this verse is a natural extension of the first command. Honoring, respecting and obeying one’s parents flows naturally from first honoring, respecting and obeying God. For the Israelites, strict observance of the sabbath each week is mandatory. (Exodus 16:23, 20:8, 31:13) The reason for these two commandments is restated once more by Yahweh: “I am the Lord your God.” Verse 4: This is a repeat of the first and second commandments. (Exodus 20:3-4, Psalm 96:5, 115:4, 1 Corinthians 10:14, Colossians 3:5-6) God is the only true, living God, and there is none like Him. He is the creator and sustainer of all things, and He alone deserves our worship, praise and obedience. God is a jealous God, and He will not share His glory with another. Verses 5-8: God wants the Israelites to worship Him because they want to, not because of duty or ritual habit. These verses are a reminder of the right and proper heart condition that God seeks in all His children. The peace offering, remember, is so named because of one’s peace and fellowship with God. True, genuine fellowship springs from a heart that desperately, longingly seeks God’s presence. This offering should always be brought to the tabernacle voluntarily (v.5), and it must be consumed on the same day it is offered or the next day (v.6). Anything remaining after that is to be burnt in the fire. If not, whatever is eaten on the third day will be an abomination to God (v.7), and the one that does so will bear his guilt accordingly. (v.8) Such an act will be a profanity of the holy things of the Lord, and that man will be cut off from his people. Verses 9-10: The Lord’s provision for the poor and destitute is displayed in these commands. Those who are harvesting the fields, the orchards, and the vineyards are never to be so thorough that every single stalk, fruit and grape is collected. Some is to be deliberately left for those in poverty and/or an outsider. (Leviticus 23:22, Deuteronomy 24:19, Ruth 2:2-3) Obedience to this law demonstrates kindness, generosity and mercy to those in need which, in turn, reflects the lovingkindness and mercy of God. Verses 11-13: Lying, cheating and stealing are forbidden by God. (Exodus 20:15-16, Jeremiah 9:3, Ephesians 4:25) The Israelites are to deal fairly, justly and honestly with one another. God is a God of truth. He abhors deceit and falsehood. Nor does He look favorably on those who profane His name. (Exodus 20:7, Deuteronomy 5:11, Matthew 5:33, James 5:12) Employers are to pay their workers their just wages at the end of each day, not waiting until the next morning. (v.13) (Deuteronomy 24:15, Malachi 3:5, James 5:4) The word used in this verse is “defraud”, meaning “to press upon, oppress, violate, do violence, or obtain deceitfully”, according to the Brown Driver Briggs Bible dictionary. Bearing false witness against a neighbor or cheating an employee out of his/her rightful wages are no different in the eyes of God than a physical assault. Each Israelite is to love his neighbor as himself. (Matthew 22:39-40) Verse 14: Those with physical handicaps or deformities are to be cared for and aided when necessary, not taken advantage of or abused in any way. (Deuteronomy 27:18) This relates back to the same principle behind the law in verses 9-10. Assisting and providing for those less fortunate reflects God’s lovingkindness and mercy toward us. To do otherwise, especially to someone who is even more disadvantaged because of blindness or hearing loss, is to sin against God Himself. Verses 15-18: Everyone is to be treated equally, regardless of rich or poor. (v.15) (Deuteronomy 16:19) God is no respecter of persons, so neither should we treat someone more or less favorably just because of their social status or what they can do for us in return. That also extends to how we speak about someone when they’re not present, i.e. gossip or slander. (v.16) (Proverbs 11:13, 18:8, 20:19) The phrase “….stand against the blood of thy neighbor…” means to unjustly bring about judgment upon an innocent man or woman for one’s own selfish gain, i.e. falsely accusing someone of a crime they didn’t commit. (Exodus 23:7, Deuteronomy 27:25, 1 Kings 21:7) Even just hating one’s neighbor is against God’s law. (v.17) (1 John 2:9, 11, 3:15) If someone is wronged by an action of his/her neighbor, that person is to address the matter immediately with the one that committed the offense. (Matthew 18:15, Luke 17:3, Ephesians 5:11) We shouldn’t let bad feelings fester or hold grudges with one another. (v.18) Nor are we allowed to seek vengeance. God reserves that right for Himself only. (Deuteronomy 32:35, 1 Samuel 24:12, Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30) We are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, meaning that we should treat others with the same respect, courtesy and forbearance with which we would like others to behave towards us. (Matthew 5:43, 19:19, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, James 2:8) Verse 19: The precise meaning behind this verse is not clear. God is commanding the Israelites not to interbreed livestock, or sow different crops in the same field, or weave together two different types of cloth such as wool or linen. All my Bible commentaries agree that the most probable reason for these commands is to ensure that the children of Israel understand their status as God’s chosen people. They are called by Him to live separately from all the pagan cultures and peoples of the land around them. God is illustrating this principle using examples from their daily lives that they can relate to. This is the same concept addressed by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:14-17. Verses 20-22: This law addresses the situation where a man and woman have consensual sex, but the woman is a slave and betrothed to someone else. (Exodus 21:7-8)Because she has not been released from her bondage by her master, the death penalty is waived for both of them. She is punished by her master, and the man is to bring a trespass offering of a ram to the priest in order to atone for his sin. Verses 23-25: When the Israelites eventually conquer the promised land, and after they have planted fruit trees, they are not to eat the harvests of those trees at any time in the first three years. The fourth year’s harvest is to be set aside and dedicated to the Lord. Only in the fifth year and onward may the children of Israel eat of the fruit tree’s harvest. This is another command that seems odd at first, if only because God does not explain His reasoning behind it. The most obvious lesson, however, is that God deserves the firstfruits of all our labors. He created this world and all that is in it. He alone causes the rain to fall, the crops to grow, and the womb to be opened or closed. All of life and the seasons that go with it are under His eye and operate according to His sovereign command. Therefore God has every right to the firstfruits of our labor because He comes first in our lives. Everything we do should be for His honor and glory alone. “I am the Lord your God.” (v.25) Verses 26-31: Each of these laws has to do with pagan funeral rites and other practices involving divination or spirit worship. The law from chapter 17 regarding the drinking of blood is repeated here in verse 26. Soothsaying, witchcraft, and the consulting of mediums are also expressly forbidden. (v. 26, 31) (Leviticus 20:6, 27, Deuteronomy 18:11, 1 Samuel 28:3, Isaiah 8:19) Verse 27 most likely refers to a specific manner of cutting one’s hair or trimming one’s beard as part of a ceremonial rite for the dead. Same goes for verse 28. (1 Kings 18:28, Jeremiah 16:6) Some Canaanite funeral customs demanded that priests slash at themselves with knives or carve images into their flesh. Many Christians today will use verse 28, along with 1 Kings 18:28, to claim that God is making a clear command against tattoos, no matter the reason. They claim that it’s a sin for Christians to get tattoos. However, that is not what these verses say. The context of verse 28, as well as the two verses preceding it and the three that come after it, makes it clear that God is forbidding this practice as it relates to the pagan funeral rites. Cutting one’s flesh or tattooing one’s skin “…for the dead…” is what is forbidden. In other words, God is objecting to the purpose behind those actions, not the actions themselves. Tattoos, like so many other things in everyday life, are not inherently good or evil. It’s what we do with them that either magnifies God and points others to Christ, or causes us to shame His name and damages our testimony before the lost. Four months after I was saved, I went to a local tattoo shop and requested a cross on my left bicep with the date of my salvation, 9/20/20, below it. Below the date was the reference of my life’s verse: Psalm 139:16. I wanted to commemorate the date of my spiritual birth in a permanently visible way that others could clearly see. That was three years ago, and I have since gone back to that same shop twice more. Each of my tattoos has a verse reference, and all three have sparked conversations with customers at work or strangers that pass by me while I’m out running at the park or standing in line at the grocery store. (The one on the inside of my left wrist is the fire flower from Super Mario Bros with “Ephesians 6:11” inked below it.) Each time has been a chance to share the gospel and, therefore, I have no issue with permanently marking up my skin with colored ink. If, however, I was to get a tattoo of a curse word, or a pornographic image of the female body, there would most definitely be a problem. The former examples draw attention to God and glorify Him while the latter ones would most definitely damage my testimony and hurt the cause of Christ. Verses 29 and 30 make it clear that the worship of God is to be kept completely separate from all forms of sexuality. (Leviticus 21:9, Deuteronomy 22:21, 23:17-18, Ecclesiastes 5:1) God is holy, and his sanctuary is holy. He will not tolerate it being profaned with sexual immorality, nor will He allow such behavior among His chosen people. As noted in earlier chapters, this is in stark contrast to the wickedness of the heathen nations surrounding Israel in the promised land. The warning in verse 29 is clear: if Israel does not obey this law, they are in danger of defiling the land and incurring God’s wrath. Verse 32: This command carries the same principle as the earlier command to honor one’s parents. We are to respect our elders by listening to their instruction and caring for them in their old age. (Proverbs 23:22, Lamentations 5:12, 1 Timothy 5:1) Only in this verse and verse 14 is the fear of the Lord equated with caring for those who are aged or handicapped in some way. The best way that we demonstrate God’s love toward us is to show that love to others, especially our parents, elders, and all those who are less fortunate than us. Verses 33-34: This command echoes the same principle given in verse 18: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” The Israelites are to treat the foreigners and strangers among them as brothers and sisters by not taking advantage of them or oppressing them in any way. (Exodus 22:21, Deuteronomy 24:17-18) The reason for this is clear: “…for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt…”. (v.34) It’s interesting how God warns His people in the same chapter to be kind and welcoming to strangers, yet also beware of those who might corrupt the Israelite community with pagan idolatry and heathen customs. Yet this is exactly how believers today are to behave towards the lost. We are to be kind, patient, and loving to those who are not saved in order that we might show forth Christ and win them with the gospel. At the same time, though, we must be careful not to allow the ways of the world to corrupt us or damage our testimony. Verses 35-36: In all business dealings amongst themselves as well as with strangers, the Israelites are to be fair, just and honest. (Deuteronomy 25:13, Proverbs 20:10) The Lord again reminds His people of their slavery in Egypt where they were not treated honestly, fairly or justly. That, and the fact that He is the Lord their God, are the primary reasons for them to obey this command. Verse 37: As with previous chapters where He gives the law, God concludes this passage with a summary statement: “Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 18:4-5, Deuteronomy 4:5-6, 5:1, 6:25) Each of these closing statements echoes the pattern of the treaties of the Ancient Near East: the king makes it clear to his subjects what he expects of them and they, in turn, agree to obey his laws and live under his rule. God is reminding the Israelites once more that it was He who freed them from slavery, brought them out of Egypt, and has called them to be His people. As such, these are the laws by which He expects them to live. In doing so, the children Israel demonstrate their love for God. Conversely, disobedience will cause chastening and judgment from God. The same is true for believers today. Jesus told His disciples, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15). We show our love for God by striving for holiness in all areas of our daily lives. We obey His law, not in order that we might attain salvation, but because He saved us from the bondage of sin and death. He has called us to Him to be His children, and we serve Him as Lord, Savior and Master. The Moody Bible Commentary sums up Leviticus 19 as thus: “…God’s people were to demonstrate conformity to His holiness by keeping His commandments (the letter of the law), by relating to others in love (the spirit of the law), by living according to His standards of separation from the world (the requirement of the law), and by demonstrating His kindness and justice to others (the heart-application of the law).” CHAPTER 17:
There are three prohibitions in this chapter: 1) blood sacrifices that are performed anywhere other than upon the brazen altar in the courtyard of the tabernacle, 2) the drinking of blood, either human or animal, for any reason, and 3) eating the flesh of animals that had already died either by natural causes or because of another animal predator. Verses 1-9: “This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded…” (v.2) Once again, it is God who is clearly stating His law, and He expects it to be obeyed. There are no exceptions and no excuses. The command in verse 3 is not referring to the type of killing that is done in the course of hunting wild game for the purposes of food and clothing. (Deuteronomy 12:15) The verb “killeth” is translated from the Hebrew word “shâchat” (pronounced ‘shaw-kot’) which means “to slaughter”. This form of the word “slaughter” is used only in referring to the blood sacrifices that are commanded in the Mosaic Law. Verses 3, 4, 8 and 9 are referencing any blood sacrifices that are deliberately done outside of camp or anywhere within the camp other than the tabernacle. Whosoever does this “…shall be cut off from among his people.” (v.4, 9) As I’ve noted in previous commentaries, that phrase is a euphemism for either permanent exile or death. That’s also how we know that the form of killing in these verses is not referencing the hunting of animals for sustenance. The reason for such a harsh punishment is given in verse 7. The word “devils” is translated from a Hebrew word that refers to “goat demons” in the original text. Part of Egyptian mythology involved blood sacrifices to gods of the wilderness that took the form of goats. The note in my study Bible says that some of these cultic rituals also required bestiality, the union of women and male goats. It stands to reason, then, that the Israelites had carried with them in the exodus some false beliefs and superstitions that they needed to be rid of. That, along with the incident with the golden calf, explains why God is once again making clear to His chosen people what is allowed and not allowed regarding their worship of Him. Until now, from the time of Abraham to the arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai, there had been no official place of sacrifice and worship. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had built altars and worshiped God in various places in their homelands, or at whatever site God had specifically designated for them to do so. (Genesis 21:33, 22:2, 28:18, 31:54) But now God has designated a tabernacle within the camp of His chosen nation, and that is the only house of worship where the blood sacrifices and other offerings may be performed. To do so anywhere else is a capital crime punishable by death. This is why the apostasy of Judah and Israel many generations later in the promised land is so grievous. The wicked and rebellious kings will set up groves and altars in the wilderness for child sacrifice and other abominations for the worship of false gods. This will be direct and flagrant disobedience to the command of God given here in Leviticus 17. Verses 8 and 10 specifically mention “…the strangers which sojourn among you…”. As He did earlier in Exodus, God is including any Gentiles that are living among the Israelites in His commands. They are subject to the same laws and the same punishments if they disobey. This is also a foreshadowing of the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s ultimate plan of salvation that will be fulfilled in the New Testament era after the death of Christ. This was God’s plan from the very beginning. Verses 10-14: The children of Israel – as well as any strangers living among them – are expressly forbidden from drinking blood. Verse 10 states “…any manner of blood…” meaning both human and animal blood is prohibited. Again, part of the reason for this is the idolatry of the heathen nations surrounding Israel – both at present and, later, in the promised land. Egypt, also, had many rituals and ceremonies dedicated to the worship of their false gods that involved the drinking of blood. The punishment for disobeying this law is as harsh as that of offering sacrifices anywhere other than the tabernacle: “…I will even set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.” (v.10) (Leviticus 20:3, 5-6) That phrase “set My face against” means that God will literally turn against the one who disobeys this law and destroy him, which is what the last phrase of that verse refers to. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood…” (v.11) refers back to Genesis 9:4. This means that the blood is literally the life of the man and animal. (Deuteronomy 12:23) Without it we cannot live. Because God has designated blood as the key element of atonement in the sacrificial system of the Mosaic Law (Hebrews 9:22), blood is to be considered sacred and holy by the Israelites. (v.11) Therefore, they are prohibited from drinking it or consuming it in any manner. (v.12, 14) This includes the blood of animals that are slain for the purpose of food and clothing. (v.13) The carcass is to be completely drained of blood before it is skinned and cut up. Now, of course, this doesn’t mean that it’s a sin to eat a medium rare steak at your local Texas Roadhouse on Saturday night. That’s not what these verses are referencing. If, however, you were to ask your waitress for a tall glass of fresh cow’s blood to go with your steak, then you are most definitely disobeying God’s command as laid out in this passage. As long as the animal carcass has been completely drained of blood before the meat is cut up and cooked, whatever juices are brought out in the cooking process are okay for the Israelites – and us today – to consume. Verses 15-16: This chapter concludes with a prohibition against the eating of the flesh of animals that have died of natural causes or been slain by another animal. (Exodus 22:31, Leviticus 7:24, 22:8, Deuteronomy 14:21, Ezekiel 4:14, 44:31) The reasoning behind this law probably has more to do with protecting the physical health of the Israelites than with maintaining holiness before the Lord, although both reasons are equally valid and possible. These verses presume that the dead animal has been laying out in the sun and the elements for some time and is thus rife with bacteria and other side effects of natural decay that would make the flesh unclean and unhealthy to consume. Not only that, if the animal died as the result of a specific disease or infection, that too would make the meat unsafe for human consumption. The penalty for violating this command, however, is not as harsh as the punishment of the other two. The one who eats of this flesh is ceremonially unclean until sundown. If he refuses to properly bathe and cleanse himself and make the proper sacrifices at the tabernacle then he will bear his guilt accordingly. It goes without saying that this will result in further judgment and punishment from God. Chapter 18: Chapters 18 and 20 of Leviticus address moral purity. Six times in chapter 18 the phrase “I am the Lord your God” or “I am the Lord” is written. God makes it clear to Moses and the Israelites that they are to obey these laws of morality because of who God is and because He is their God. They are His chosen people and, therefore, they must separate themselves from the heathen nations around them that practice all manner of sexual depravity and wicked idolatry. Verses 1-5: “I am the Lord your God.” (v.2) (Exodus 6:7, Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:3, Ezekiel 20:5, 7, 19-20) God is not only restating who He is but also reminding Moses of His holiness. Over and over throughout Exodus and Leviticus, as He is giving Moses the law and the instructions for the priesthood, the tabernacle, and the various sacrifices and offerings, God has been reminding the Israelites of who He is as well as the importance of His holiness. If there is one theme that ties the whole of the Mosaic Law together, it’s this: the children of God must strive for holiness in all areas of daily life and living. One of the most important categories is sexual purity. God reminds Moses of where the Israelites had come from as well as where they are going. Egypt was an extremely wicked land, and its people practiced all manner of idolatry and sexual perversion. According to the Holman Bible Commentary, “Egypt was known for its licentiousness and for condoning intrafamily practices such as father-daughter, brother-sister, aunt-nephew, and uncle-niece marriages.” (Joshua 24:14, Ezekiel 20:7-8) The Canaanites also practiced such abominations as well as homosexuality and bestiality. God says to Moses, “…shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their ordinances.” (Exodus 23:24, Leviticus 20:23, Deuteronomy 12:30-31) Instead, the Israelites are to “…do My judgments, and keep Mine ordinances…” (v.4) and “…keep My statutes, and My judgments…” (v.6). The consequence of this is that they will escape God’s wrath. “…if a man do, he shall live in them…” (v.6) God had already made it clear to Moses that He would be using the Israelites as judgment against the heathen people of the promised land. God had already condemned them because of their sin and their wickedness which was demonstrated by the immorality in which they not only daily practiced but also delighted in and celebrated in blatant rebellion against God. God’s judgment against immorality and sexual perversion had already been dramatically demonstrated to Abraham in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. He is now making it clear to Moses that any of the Israelites who do not obey His law of morality and purity will be punished accordingly. (v.28-29) Verses 6-18: What follows in these verses is a series of examples of the types of sexual relationships that are forbidden. Verse 6 sums it up: a man is not to marry or have sexual relations with “…any that is near of kin to him…”. The euphemism “uncover their nakedness” is used most often in the OT for the physical act of sex. (This is the primary reason that most Biblical scholars and commentators believe that something sexual occurred between Canaan and his grandfather Noah in Genesis 9:21-22[xi]. It’s very possible that that incident became the source of that phrase in the rest of the OT writings.) Here's a list of all the sexual relationships that are forbidden: 1. Parent/child (v.7-8) (Genesis 35:22) 2. Aunt and uncle/niece and nephew (v.8, 12-14) (Leviticus 20:19-20) 3. Stepparent/stepchild (v.10) 4. Brother/sister (v.9) (Leviticus 20:17, Deuteronomy 27:22) 5. Stepbrother/stepsister (v.9, 11) 6. Parent and any in-law relative (such as son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother or sister-in-law) (v.15-16) Verse 16 is the law invoked by John the Baptist against Herod for marrying his brother’s wife. (Matthew 14:3-4, Mark 6:18) Marriage to one’s sister-in-law is allowed only in the event of the brother’s death. 7. Grandparent/grandchild or grandparent/step grandchild (v.17). The scenario in verse 18 forbids taking one’s wife’s sister as a second wife, i.e. polygamy. Only after one’s wife has passed away does God allow the marriage of the widower to his former wife’s sister as long as she is currently unmarried. Verse 19: As already stated in chapter 15, sexual relations with a woman who is menstruating is forbidden. (Leviticus 15:24, 20:18) This has more to do with the sacredness of blood in the eyes of God than sexual immorality. That is why a woman who is experiencing her monthly period is to isolate herself until the cycle is over. She is ceremonially unclean and must abstain from sexual relations, even with her husband. God is making it clear that anything involving the flow of blood should never be associated with carnality or immorality. Verse 20: This is connected to the seventh commandment. (Exodus 20:14, Leviticus 20:10, Matthew 5:27-28, 1 Corinthians 6:9, Hebrews 13:4) Adultery is the most common form of sexual immorality, and thus it is included here for emphasis. Marriage is between one man and one woman, and they are to remain faithful to one another until death parts them. That has been God’s command from the very beginning when He first introduced Eve to Adam. Verse 21: Child sacrifice. It may seem odd at first that God mentions this in the middle of a passage that addresses sexual sins, but this directly references one of the main reasons for the sexual rituals and practices of the heathen nations around Israel and those within the promised land. The act of sex produces offspring, just as God designed it, and very often those newborn babies were sacrificed to the false god Molech. Molech was a god of the Ammonites, whose image was constructed in the valley of Hinnom. This description is from the Believer’s Bible Commentary: “According to one tradition there was an opening at the back of the brazen idol, and after a fire was made within it, each parent had to come and with his own hands place his firstborn child in the white-hot, outstretched arms of Molech. According to this tradition, the parent was not allowed to show emotion, and drums were beaten so that the baby’s cries could not be heard as the baby died in the arms of Molech.” This is what is meant by the phrase “...thy seed pass through the fire...”. (Leviticus 20:2, Deuteronomy 12:31, 2 Kings 16:3) Child sacrifice is an abomination to God, and He abhors it. One of the greatest tragedies in Israel’s history is that they failed to heed this command after entering the promised land. Nor is this heinous act relegated to ancient history. This abomination is alive and well today in the back rooms of numerous abortion clinics throughout the world. Verse 22: Homosexuality. (Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:27) It’s unnatural, and God specifically labels this act as abomination in this verse. The penalty for anyone found guilty of breaking this law is death. The modern cultural movement today, especially those of the “gay Christian” crowd, will make the claim that God was condemning only the homosexual acts related to idol worship, i.e. the cultic practice of male prostitutes among the Canaanites and other heathen nations surrounding Israel in the OT. They base this claim on the fact that this verse immediately follows the verse condemning child sacrifice. That argument, however, is false. God said what He said, and this verse has no other clause attached to it. That argument is strictly man’s interpretation, and we must read scripture as it is written, not what we want it to say. God hates the act of two men having sex with one another, period. It's forbidden in His law under any circumstances, no exceptions. This command is emphasized and reinforced throughout the Bible, especially in Paul’s epistles to the NT church. There is absolutely no defense in the Bible whatsoever for the so-called “gay Christian”. One is either saved and a child of God and thus rejects all form and practice of homosexuality, or one is of the world and unsaved, and celebrates this wicked and perverse lifestyle choice. It’s impossible to be both at the same time. Scripture is very clear on this. For a more detailed analysis and defense of this commandment, click here. Verse 23: Like homosexuality, sexual relations between humans and animals is a “confusion” of the natural order. That word, literally translated from the Hebrew, means "perversion". Bestiality, too, is an abomination and forbidden by God for His chosen people. (Exodus 22:19, Leviticus 20:15-16, Deuteronomy 27:21) As with sodomy, any man or woman found guilty of breaking this law is to be put to death. The beast, too, is to be slain. Verses 24-30: “Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things…” (v.24) (Matthew 15:18, 1 Corinthians 3:17) God closes this chapter by repeating his command from the opening verses. The Israelites are to abstain from the pagan practices of the nations of the promised land or else they will suffer the same judgment that God will bring upon the Canaanites for their wickedness and perversions. They have defiled the land, and God is preparing to cast them out. (v.27-28) (Jeremiah 9:19) But more than just the fear of punishment for disobedience, there is only one reason necessary for why the children of Israel should obey these statutes and judgments: “…I am the Lord your God.” (v.30) CHAPTER 15:
Chapter 15 continues the subject of personal uncleanness that was begun in chapter 12. Whereas chapters 13 and 14 dealt with uncleanness that resulted from a specific disease, leprosy, this chapter continues with the subject of uncleanness that results from bodily discharges, whether natural or as the result of other types of disease and/or sickness. The specific examples given in this passage are related to human sexuality, specifically the discharge of semen from the men and the cycle of menstruation in women. It’s important to remember two things: 1) God created the act of procreation between a husband and wife, and thus the act itself is not sinful. God is not condemning marital sex here. 2) All of these laws pertaining to the tabernacle, the blood sacrifices, the proper and improper methods of worshiping God, the differences between clean and unclean – it’s all centered around the subject of God’s holiness. Even though God created and blessed the act of sexual union between husband and wife, there are still side effects that result from that act that can make a person unclean only as it relates to God’s holiness and the Israelites’ worship of Him in the tabernacle. (This is also the reason behind the command from Moses to the people in Exodus 19:15 when they were preparing to meet with God for the first time at Mount Sinai.) Just as childbirth is not sinful for the woman, she is still unclean for 33 days following the birth, and must present the proper sacrifices and offerings before God to restore her relationship with Him. The same principle applies here in chapter 15 where the results of natural bodily discharges can make a person unclean in the presence of a holy and righteous God. It's also important to keep in mind the many pagan rituals involving human sexuality in the idolatry of the nations surrounding Israel at this time, as well as those of the heathen peoples of the promised land. God is establishing a clear line of separation between anything related to human sexuality and the proper, holy worship of Him. Thus, any bodily discharge, or “issue” as it is described here in the KJV, automatically makes a person unclean, and he/she must make the proper restitution to God to be fully restored to right fellowship with Him. Verses 1-18: The first half of this chapter pertains to the men. The word “issue” in verse 2 has been translated from the Hebrew word “zûb” (pronounced zoob) which means “to flow freely, gush, or discharge”. (Leviticus 22:4, Numbers 5:2, 2 Samuel 3:29) Here in the context of chapter 15, it is most likely referring to not only the natural ejaculation of semen, but also any unnatural discharges due to sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhea. Note from my study Bible: “This is based upon the Greek version of the Old Testament (Septuagint) and most commentators accept this diagnosis. The striking thing about the uncleanness associated with these discharges is that not only the affected person became unclean, but also people and objects that came in contact with him, and these in their turn could become secondary sources of uncleanness.” Even saliva (v.8) is considered unclean in these instances. (Numbers 12:14) Anything that the man sits upon, or touches, or the bed in which he sleeps is considered unclean. (v.4-5, 9-10, 12) (Leviticus 6:28, 11:32-33) Anyone that comes into contact with him during this time is also deemed unclean until sundown. (v.6-8, 11) Unlike leprosy and the other skin diseases, however, the man is not cast out of the camp to live in isolation while he is suffering from these issues. Though the text does not state it specifically, the man presumably remains in his house, avoiding any contact with others – except his wife and children, of course – until he is cleansed of his sickness. Once the issue has cleared up and ceased, the man is to wait another seven days in isolation. (v.13) (Leviticus 14:8, Numbers 19:11-12) During this time he is to wash his clothes and bathe himself in running water in order to be considered completely clean. On the eighth day he is bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest at the tabernacle for the sin offering and burnt offering. (v.14-15) (Leviticus 14:22-23, 30-31) The sin offering removes the stain of uncleanness while the burnt offering restores the man to the Israelite community. Verses 15-18 pertain to the ejaculation of semen, either during the sexual act with his wife (v.18) or a nocturnal emission while he is asleep (what we today often refer to as a “wet dream”). The couple shall be unclean until evening and are to bathe themselves as well as wash any garments that were stained during the sexual activity. (Deuteronomy 23:10-11) Verses 19-30: The same instructions for a man’s uncleanness and methods of cleansing are the same for the woman who is going through her monthly period. (v.19) (Leviticus 12:2) She is to isolate herself in her home for seven days. Anything that she has worn or touched or slept upon shall be unclean until evening, and her husband, too, shall be unclean if he touches anything that she has come into contact with. (v.20-23) If her period – or any other cause of the discharge of blood or other bodily fluid – lasts longer than seven days, she is to remain in isolation until the issue ceases. (v.25) If her husband – or any man if she is unmarried – has sex with her while she is menstruating, he is also deemed unclean. (v.24) This is, in fact, expressly forbidden by God (Leviticus 18:19, 20:18) and punishable by death for the couple caught doing it. After the issue has cleared up she must wait an additional seven days before she is considered clean (v.28) and then she is to bring two turtledoves and two pigeons to the priest at the tabernacle for the sin offering and burnt offering on the eighth day. (v.29-30) Verses 31-33: God repeats His reason for these specific laws: “…that they die not in their uncleanness, when they defile My tabernacle that is among them.” (v.31) (Leviticus 11:47, 14:57, 22:2, Deuteronomy 24:8, Ezekiel 44:23, Hebrews 12:15) As stated before, the whole purpose of these laws in the book of Leviticus is so that the Israelites have a proper understanding of God’s holiness. There must be a clear line drawn between what is clean and what is unclean so that that holiness is not violated. CHAPTER 16: Chapter 16 gives instructions for the Day of Atonement. (Exodus 30:10, Leviticus 23:27, Hebrews 6:19, 9:7-8, 12, 10:19) Verse 1 indicates that God gave this law to Moses shortly after the deaths of Aaron’s two sons, Nadab and Abihu, in chapter 10. Verse 2 refers to “…the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark…”. This is the holy of holies, the place where God dwells in the form of a cloud that covers the mercy seat. Verses 29-34 explain that the Day of Atonement is to be observed on the tenth day of the seventh month (v.29), that it is a sabbath day for all the people of Israel (v.31), and the high priest may enter the holy of holies to make an atonement for the whole nation (v.30). (Exodus 30:10, Leviticus 23:27, Numbers 29:7) Even today, when there is no temple and no official sacrificial system, every orthodox Jew still observes Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement remains the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Verses 3-28 describe the sacrifices and the ritual that is necessary for the high priest to not only properly make the atonement for the children of Israel, but also properly cleanse and prepare himself to enter the holy of holies. While the wording of verse 2 makes it sound like Aaron is permanently forbidden from entering the holy of holies (“…that he come not at all times into the holy place…”), it’s clear form the context of the rest of this chapter that the high priest is allowed inside on a specific day once a year and only after he has performed the proper rituals and sacrifices. The Day of Atonement “…was a reminder that the nation’s ritual uncleanness imperiled the whole nation before God. Uncleanness defiled the Lord’s tabernacle, God’s dwelling place in their midst (Leviticus 16:16, Numbers 19:13, 20), as well as the land itself (Leviticus 18:27).” (The Moody Bible Commentary) While the sacrifices and ceremonies described in this chapter are the same as all the other daily sacrifices and offerings that have already been dictated in the earlier chapters of this book, there is one unique exception: the presence of a scapegoat. And, as always, precise and proper obedience is key. That’s the reason for the reference to Nadab and Abihu in verse 1. God slew them because they had not precisely followed all of His instructions for offering up incense to Him. Verses 3-22: To begin, Aaron is to bring a young bullock for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. (v.3) He is to be properly attired in the prescribed priestly garments after fully bathing himself. (v.4) (Exodus 28:39, 42-43, 30:20, Leviticus 6:10, 8:6-7, Ezekiel 44:17-18) He is to slay the bullock and offer it up for atonement for himself and his house first before proceeding with the sacrifices for the congregation of Israel. (v.6, 11-14) (Leviticus 9:7, Hebrews 5:3, 7:27-28, 9:7) Using the censer, he is to transfer from the brazen altar to the altar of incense inside the tabernacle burning coals and sweet incense. (v.12) (Exodus 30:34-36) This will create a cloud that will cover the mercy seat. (v.13) The blood of the bullock is to be sprinkled upon the mercy seat and before it seven times. (v.14) (Leviticus 4:6, 17) Of the two goats that are designated for the nation, one is to be the scapegoat and one is to be the sin offering. (v.5, 7-9) (Leviticus 4:14, Numbers 29:11, 2 Chronicles 29:21, Ezra 6:17, Ezekiel 45:22-23) This determined by casting lots. (v.8) The goat that is designated for the sin offering is slain, and its blood is sprinkled within the holy of holies, seven times upon the mercy seat and before it, same as with the blood of the bullock. (v.15) No other man except the high priest is to enter the tabernacle during this ritual (v.17). He then returns to the brazen altar and places blood upon the horns of the altar (v.18) before sprinkling it seven times to “…cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.” (v.19) After all this the scapegoat is brought forth and presented to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle where Aaron is to lay his hands upon the animal’s head. (v.10, 21-22) He confesses all the sins of the nation of Israel (Leviticus 5:5, 26:40), transferring them to the scapegoat, and then chooses a man from the congregation to take the goat into the wilderness to be released. (Isaiah 53:5-6, Romans 3:25, Hebrews 7:27, 9:23-24, 1 John 2:2) The Hebrew word here for “scapegoat” (v.8, 10, 26) is “azâzêl” (pronounced ‘az-aw-zale’). The only time this word appears in the whole Bible (KJV 1611) is the three verses here in Leviticus 16. The purpose of these two goats is not only a blood sacrifice for the atonement of the nation’s sins, but also the symbolic removal of the guilt of those sins by the releasing of the scapegoat into the wilderness. The scapegoat “…shall bear upon him all their iniquities…”. (v.22) (Isaiah 53:11-12, John 1:29, Hebrews 9:28, 1 Peter 2:24) The death of Jesus on the cross at Calvary is again foreshadowed here in these two goats. He was not only the atonement for our sins by giving up his life and shedding his blood for us, but he was also the expiation of our guilt from those sins. The moment that we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior and we accept His sacrifice as payment for our sins, God imputes to us Jesus’ righteousness. The burden of guilt of our sins is forever removed, and God remembers it no more. All He sees now when He looks upon is the perfect and pure righteousness of His only begotten son. This is yet another reason that Christ was the final and ultimate sacrifice for all time. After His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave, there was no more need for “… the blood of bulls and of goats…”. (Hebrews 10:4) That’s the whole reason for these oft repeated sacrifices and offerings here in the OT: the blood of the animals was not sufficient to permanently remove our sin. Only the pure, perfect blood of Christ could do that. One of the many reasons I do not use any other English translation of the Bible except for the KJV is because of the way that other modern versions incorrectly translate Leviticus 16:10. Here’s some examples: American Standard Version (ASV): “But the goat, on which the lot fell for Azazel, shall be set alive before Jehovah, to make atonement for him, to send away for Azazel into the wilderness.” Common English Bible (CEB): “But the goat selected by Azazel’s lot will be left standing alive before the LORD in order to make reconciliation upon it by sending it away into the wilderness to Azazel.” English Standard Version (ESV): “But the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel.” Revised Standard Version (RSV): “But the goat on which the lot fell for Aza′zel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Aza′zel.” New Living Translation (NLT): “The other goat, the scapegoat chosen by lot to be sent away, will be kept alive, standing before the LORD. When it is sent away to Azazel in the wilderness, the people will be purified and made right with the LORD.” Now, compare these to the KJV: “But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.” Notice, first of all, how the other versions capitalize a common Hebrew noun, thus turning that word into a proper name. This changes the entire meaning of the verse and makes it appear that the high priest is sacrificing the second goat to a specific person or deity. This has misled many Biblical scholars and historians of the last 200 years to speculate about who, exactly, Azazel is. Some of the commentaries of those other modern translations even suggest that Aaron was sacrificing the scapegoat in order to appease a demon of the wilderness! This is heresy, plain and simple. The KJV translators knew what they were doing when they translated this chapter of Leviticus from the original manuscripts preserved through Antioch, Syria, and not the manuscripts that were preserved in Alexandria, Egypt. It’s those latter corrupt manuscripts that are used to translate all modern English translations of the Bible except for the KJV. The word “azâzêl” is nothing more than a common noun that means “scapegoat” in English. That’s it. There’s no other significance or meaning to that word other than what is made plain in the KJV text. Secondly, look again at the ASV translation of this verse. Notice the phrasing “…atonement for him…”. Since the most recently mentioned proper name is Jehovah, which obviously is referring to God, this translation states that the scapegoat is making an atonement for God! A single prepositional word choice changes the entire meaning of a verse which, in turn, alters fundamental doctrine! God is perfect and sinless and does NOT need atonement! WE are the ones who need the atonement! This is one of many perversions of God’s word that you will find in all other English translations of the Bible. Only the King James A.V. 1611 is the divinely inspired, pure, perfect word of God! Amen! Verses 23-28: After releasing the scapegoat, both Aaron and the man selected to take the goat into the wilderness must ritually bathe themselves once more. (v.23-24, 26) (Leviticus 6:11, Ezekiel 42:14, 44:19) After this, Aaron is to finish the sin offerings for himself and the people. (v.25) The carcasses are taken outside the camp to a predesignated place to be wholly burnt. (v.27) (Leviticus 4:12, 21, 6:30, Hebrews 13:11) The man selected to do this will also bathe himself before coming back into camp. (v.28) Verses 33-34 sum up the entire chapter. This annual ritual and sacrifice is to make atonement for the holy of holies, the tabernacle, the brazen altar, the priests, and all the people of Israel. (v.33) This is to be an everlasting statute, a way of “…atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year.” (v.34) The purpose of this chapter is to emphasize two things: 1) The holiness of God, and 2) the wretched sinfulness of man. Our fallen, broken condition is such that even physically touching and interacting with sacred objects such as the brazen altar or entering the holy place causes a stain upon God’s holiness. That’s why the annual Day of Atonement was needed for the children of Israel. Like clean, white raiment that becomes stained and dirty with everyday use over a long period of time, the tabernacle and all its furnishings needed to be cleansed and purified once a year of the stain of sin brought into it by the Israelites and the priests. God’s pure, perfect holiness demanded nothing less. CHAPTER 12:
The uncleanness addressed by God in this short chapter is that which comes in the aftermath of childbirth. The Moody Bible commentary has this to say of the law given here in chapter 12: “Just as an issue as simple as food made a difference in one’s ability to approach God, matters other than food (fungi, disease, bodily discharges, etc.) could render a person unfit to approach the tabernacle. The flow of blood present after the birth of a child meant the woman was ceremonially unclean and was not to enter the sanctuary (v. 4).” Childbirth itself is not a sin. God not only created and instituted human sexuality, but he also commanded Adam and Eve to “…be fruitful and multiply…”. (Genesis 1:28) The key, then, to this chapter is the verse that the Moody commentators highlighted in the quote above. In verse 4, God says that the woman “…shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.” The blood that continued to flow for a time after childbirth is not sacrificial blood. That’s the only kind of blood that is allowed in the tabernacle, and even then only in a specific manner delivered by only the priests. That’s the reason for this particular law of uncleanness and purification. There are also other bodily secretions that are a result of childbirth, and this is one of the reasons that the mother is commanded to isolate herself until the time of her purification is over. For the birth of a son, the prescribed time of uncleanness is seven days, which is then followed by a time of isolation and separation for thirty-three days. (v.4) For a female child, the mother’s time of purification is doubled to fourteen days and sixty-six days. (v.5) The text doesn’t give a reason for the difference, and the commentaries that I have read don’t have a definite explanation for this either. The scholars’ best guess is that the female child will herself be subject to childbirth and menstruation and that somehow that is the reason for the extra days of uncleanness. The circumcision of the son in verse 3 is, of course, due to the Abrahamic covenant. (Genesis 17:12, Luke 1:59, 2:21, John 7:22-23, Galatians 5:3) God’s promise to Abraham regarding his seed is incorporated into the Mosaic law. Circumcision is the outward sign that the Israelites are set apart as God’s chosen people, called by Him to be separate and holy. Following the days of her purification, the mother is to bring to the priest at the tabernacle “…a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering…” (v.6) (John 1:29, 1 Peter 1:18-19) and a pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering. Although the text calls this a sin offering, it is better understood as a purification offering. The mother is in a state of ritual uncleanness because of the discharge of blood during childbirth. As I noted earlier, childbirth is not a sin. If she and her husband cannot afford a lamb, then another turtledove or a pigeon is acceptable. (Leviticus 5:7) (This is the case with Mary and Joseph in Luke 2:24.) Only after these two sacrifices for atonement will the mother be considered clean and pure before God. (v.8) CHAPTER 13: Chapters 13 and 14 describe the uncleanness that is caused by various diseases of the skin. The modern English word “leprosy” comes from a Greek translation which, in turn, was translated from the Hebrew word “tsâra’ath” which meant “to become diseased in the skin”. This Hebrew word also referred to mold or mildew that was found in clothing or in the walls of a home. The word “leprosy” in the Bible refers to a variety of skin diseases, not just Hansen’s disease, which is the modern medical diagnosis of leprosy. According to the Moody Bible Commentary, “The translation ‘leprosy’ derives from the third-century B.C. Greek Septuagint mistranslation of the Hebrew text. For the word ‘tsara’at’, the translators erroneously used the word ‘leprosum’, the adjectival form of the Greek word lepra, leading to the English mistranslation ‘leprosy’ instead of the correct ‘skin disease.’” One of the clearest and obvious signs of sin in our fallen world is disease and sickness. It’s one of the symptoms of our broken bodies’ progression towards physical death. Even though ailments such as leprosy are not always a direct judgment from God, His holiness still cannot abide by uncleanness, and that’s the reason for the laws given in chapters 13 and 14. But they are also for the protection and the health of the whole congregation of Israel. Chapter 13 deals with various skin diseases (v.1-46) as well as the resulting contamination of external things such as clothing worn by the victim (v.47-59). Verse 1: This time God speaks to both Aaron and Moses. While the priest is not a physician, God places the responsibility of examining and isolating the victim of leprosy on Aaron and his sons. Jesus references this law when he tells the ten lepers to go and show themselves to the priest in order to be healed. (Luke 17:14) Verse 2: Some of the symptoms listed here are a swelling under the skin, or a scab, or a discoloration (usually white). (Deuteronomy 28:27, Isaiah 3:17) The victim is ordered to present himself to the priest for examination. (Deuteronomy 17:9, 24:8, Malachi 2:7) Verses 3-39: A few different “if, then” scenarios are described in these verses. Various symptoms are listed, and an isolation period of seven days is prescribed at the onset of initial symptoms. Depending upon the second examination at the end of that week, the priest either declares the man clean or a second week of isolation is prescribed. After the third examination, depending on the type and severity of the symptoms, the priest will declare the victim clean or unclean. Verses 40-46: Another series of symptoms and scenarios are described, this time involving the appearance of leprosy on the face or head. Baldness, in particular, is mentioned, though the loss of hair itself is not necessarily a symptom of skin disease. If the presence of leprosy is confirmed, then the priest “…shall pronounce him utterly unclean…” (v.44). When that happens the man or woman is to tear their clothes and cry out for all to hear, “Unclean, unclean!” (v.45) (Isaiah 6:5, 64:6, Lamentations 4:15, Luke 5:8) The victim is sentenced to exile outside the camp, either alone or with other lepers. (v.46) (Numbers 12:14, 2 Kings 7:3, 15:5, 2 Chronicles 26:21, Psalm 38:11, Luke 17:12) Verses 47-59: Any clothing that belongs to the leper is to be examined and observed for seven days. If the mold, mildew or fungus (v.49) spreads beyond the initial area of uncleanness then the whole garment is to be burned. But if not, then it may be thoroughly washed and closely observed for another seven days. If the mold or fungus is still present, the garment is to be burned. (v.55) But if the spot changes color, indicating that the mildew or fungus is gone but only a stain remains, the priest is to cut out that piece of the clothing. The rest of the garment is considered clean. (v.56) CHAPTER 14: The first half of this chapter contains instructions for the sacrifices and offerings that the victim of leprosy is to bring to the priest once he is declared clean. (v.1-32) The second half gives instructions for the cleansing of one’s house when mold, mildew or fungus have been found in the walls. (v.33-57) “God, in His grace, provided for the restoration of the person rendered unclean by a skin disease. The priests did not cure the person affected. They only diagnosed the disease and helped with the religious rituals subsequent to a person’s healing. Chapter 14 points to the grace of God, who made provision for the people affected by disease to return to the community of the faithful.” (The Holman Bible Commentary) Leprosy here in Leviticus is symbolic of the effect that sin has in one’s life. It separates us from God. The first half of chapter 14 describes the restoration to God of one who has been cleansed of leprosy. It’s an occasion of great joy and celebration. Verse 1: Even though it is Aaron and his sons that will be performing these sacrifices, God speaks only to Moses in this first half of the chapter. Verses 2-32: The one who is cleansed of leprosy needs to restore his fellowship with God. The great tragedy of diseases such as this is not necessarily the sickness itself. It’s the fact that the victim is forced to live in isolation outside the camp, cut off from his family, friends, and God. Because the tabernacle, which houses the presence of God, is within the camp, and for the physical safety of the rest of the Israelites, the leper must dwell outside the camp. Throughout the book of Leviticus people and things that are considered unclean or unrighteous are taken outside the camp. It’s a place where ashes are dumped (4:12, 21, 6:11, 8:17, 9:11, 16:27), corpses are buried (10:4-5), illegitimate sacrifices are offered (17:3-4), blasphemers are executed (24:14, 23), and where those with skin diseases such as leprosy are banished. The priest needs to go outside the camp to examine the leper. (v.3) (Luke 5:12, 14, 17:14) If he is indeed fully healed then he needs to bring two birds, alive and clean, along with cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop to the priest. (v.4) (Exodus 12:22, Numbers 19:6, 1 Kings 4:33, Psalm 51:7, John 19:28-29, Hebrews 9:19) Hyssop is plant that is often used throughout the OT in rituals – such as the blood sacrifice described here in chapter 14 – whose purpose is ceremonial cleansing and atonement. The Believer’s Bible commentary has this to say about the cedar wood and the hyssop: the fact that they come “…from a lofty tree and a lowly plant, picture the judgment of God on all men and on all that the world contains, from the highest to the lowest things.” The piece of scarlet cloth calls to mind Isaiah 1:18. The Moody Bible commentators state that the cedar wood and the scarlet are possibly symbols of the blood of the life that is being restored to fellowship with God. The former leper is to kill one of the birds in an earthen pot while water is poured over it. (v.5) Then the cedar wood, the piece of scarlet, the hyssop and the living bird are all dipped in the blood (v.6) before the priest sprinkles that blood upon the healed man seven times. (v.7) (2 Kings 5:10, 14, Psalm 51:2) The priest pronounces him clean and then releases the living bird to fly away. According to the notes in my study Bible, the living bird represents the new life for the cleansed leper. The next step in the restoration ritual is for the former leper to wash all of his clothes, shave his head, bathe himself and then come back into the camp where he is to spend seven days outside of his tent. (v.8) (Leviticus 11:25, 13:6, Numbers 8:7) On the seventh day, he is to shave his head once more as well as his entire body – including his eyebrows and his beard – before bathing himself and washing all of his clothes again. (v.9) (Numbers 19:19) One the eighth day the cleansed leper is to bring to the priest at the tabernacle two male lambs and one ewe lamb, all without spot or blemish, as well as flour and oil for a trespass offering, a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a meat offering. (v.10) (Leviticus 2:1, Numbers 15:4, Matthew 8:4) Along with the trespass offering is also a wave offering. (v.12) (Leviticus 5:6, 18, 6:6) This particular offering in this instance is unique because it’s the only blood sacrifice wherein the entire animal is waved before the Lord before being slain. The priest then dips his finger in the blood of the lamb and dabs it on the right earlobe, the right thumb and the big toe of the right foot of the cleansed leper. (v.14) This is the same ritual that was done for Aaron and his sons at their consecration in Leviticus 8:24, and the symbolism here is the same as it was for them. The healed man should always be listening for God’s voice, doing His work, and always walking in His ways. Next, the priest sprinkles the oil seven times “…before the Lord…” (v.16) before dabbing it on the right earlobe, the right thumb, and the big toe of the right foot of the former leper, mixing it with the blood that has already been placed there. (v.17) The rest of the oil is poured upon the head of the man being cleansed. This is a propitiation, “…an atonement for him before the Lord.” (v.18) The priest then performs the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the meat offering as prescribed in the earlier chapters of this book. After all this, the former leper “…shall be clean.” (v.19-20) As noted in earlier chapters, if the man is too poor to afford three lambs he may bring only one for the trespass offering and two turtledoves or young pigeons for the sin offerings and burnt offerings. (v.21-32) Verses 33-57: God now reminds Moses and Aaron of His promise to deliver into the hands of the Israelites the heathen nations that are currently occupying the promised land of Canaan. (v.34) (Genesis 12:7, 13:17, 17:8, Numbers 32:22, Deuteronomy 7:1, 32:49) In this verse, God makes it clear that one method of His judgment against those nations will be the plague of leprosy. If the Israelite who is now occupying the house that once belonged to a Canaanite sees evidence in the walls of mold or mildew (v.37), he will summon the priest. The house is to be emptied of the owner’s possessions (v.36) and then the priest will go in to perform an inspection. If the priest confirms the presence of the plague of leprosy, the house will be shut up for seven days. (v.38) After that time, and after a second inspection by the priest, and if the mold, mildew or fungus has indeed spread, then the portions of the affected wall are to be carved out and carried away to a safe place outside the city to be destroyed. (v.40) All the walls inside the house are to be scraped and cleaned and the resulting dust is to be taken outside the city to an unclean place. (v.41) New stones are then brought in to replace that which was carved out of the walls. (v.42) A final inspection is performed by the priest (v.48), and if there’s no more signs of the plague then he will declare the house to be clean. But if, even after all of that, there is a second outbreak of the mold, mildew or fungus in the walls of the house, the priest is to be summoned for another inspection. (v.43-44) If he confirms the presence of leprosy, then the entire house is to be demolished. (v.45) All the stones, wood and mortar are to be carried outside the city to a predesignated unclean place to be properly disposed of. Anyone that goes into a house after it has been declared unclean and shut up by the priest will be considered unclean and defiled until sundown. (v.46) (Leviticus 11:24, 15:5) He is to wash all his clothes and (presumably) bathe himself. (v.47) Verses 49-53 describe the same blood sacrifice and offering as that in verses 4-7. But there is no need for any of the other offerings that are required when a person is declared clean. A building does not need to restore its relationship with God. Verse 57 sums up chapters 13 and 14: “To teach when it is unclean, and when it is clean: this is the law of leprosy.” (Leviticus 11:47, 20:25, Deuteronomy 24:8, Ezekiel 44:23) Chapters 11-15 of Leviticus deal with sources of uncleanness and ritual purity for God’s chosen people. Chapter 11 addresses which kinds of animals the Israelites may consume for food and which ones they are commanded to avoid. The whole of this chapter is summed up in verse 47, which echoes verse 10 of the previous chapter: “And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;”. (Ezekiel 44:23, Malachi 3:18) The Hebrew word for “unclean” is “tâmê’” (pronounced taw-may), and the definition from Strong’s Concordance says, “Foul in a religious sense; defiled, polluted.” By contrast, the Hebrew word for “clean” is “tâhôr (pronounced taw-hore), and its definition is “That which is pure in a ceremonial or moral sense.” These words are first used in Genesis 7:2-3, 8-9 where God is describing to Noah which kinds of animals to bring aboard the ark. In that instance, the terms “clean” and “unclean” pertained to the blood sacrifices that Noah offered up at the end of the flood. Here in Leviticus 11, the distinction now applies to the dietary restrictions for the Israelites.
Verses 44-45 give a more detailed explanation for these laws. God had brought the Israelites out of Egypt, called them to be His chosen people, and they had agreed to serve, obey and worship Him alone, forsaking all else. “For I am the Lord your God…ye shall be holy; for I am holy…” (v.44) Being holy before God means more than just bringing sacrifices to the tabernacle once a day or observing the annual rituals and feasts. Holiness is a way of living every waking moment of one’s life. God demands us to always be striving for holiness in all that we say and do. For the Israelites, that included their daily meals. There is no specific reason given in the text for why some of the animals listed in this chapter are considered clean or unclean by God. Scholars have speculated that some of these animals of this time period were more susceptible than others to various diseases that would have been deadly to the Israelites at that time due to a lack of proper refrigeration and other similar preservation methods. (This certainly makes sense for the birds listed as prohibited in verses 13-15.) Another possibility is that the animals which God deemed unclean were used regularly in the pagan rituals and idol worship of the heathen nations of the ANE. It’s also possible that these distinctions are arbitrary and based solely on God’s desire for the Israelites to separate themselves from the gentiles. The reason for this explanation is found in Acts 10:14-15. God tells Peter that the categories of “clean” and “unclean” that He laid down in this chapter for the Israelites no longer apply to the New Testament church. The Holman Bible commentators put it this way: “Although there may have been some hygienic benefit derived from keeping the food laws, the prohibited creatures were not consistently unhealthy for human consumption. More likely, these laws reflected the distinctive kinds at creation (Genesis 1:26) and thereby taught the Israelites that there was an ordained pattern of conformity. The instructions showed the Israelites that they must conform to their creation as a holy people, avoiding assimilation with their pagan neighbors by adopting their domestic habits.” Based on the passage from Acts 10 as well as Colossians 2:16, this explanation seems the best reason for the categories of clean and unclean given here in Leviticus. Verses 1-8: Those beasts whose hooves are split in two and that also chew the cud are acceptable for the Israelites to eat. (v.3) The most common of this example are the bovine, sheep and goat families. What then follows is a list of examples of animals that are not acceptable: the camel (v.5), the rock badger or hyrax (v.5), the rabbit (v.6), and the pig (v.7). The first three don’t have cloven hooves, and the swine doesn’t chew cud. The Moody Bible Commentary suggests that because God limits what is acceptable for the blood sacrifices and offerings, the dietary prohibitions in this chapter are following a similar pattern. Therefore, only the cow, sheep or goat families are also acceptable for eating from the category of land animals. NOTE: Rabbits, according to Answers In Genesis, actually do chew cud. “Rabbits normally produce two kinds of feces, the more common hard feces as well as softer fecal pellets called cecotropes. Cecotropes are small pellets of partially digested food that are passed through the animal but are then reingested. As part of the normal digestive process, some partially digested food is concentrated in the cecum where it undergoes a degree of fermentation to form these cecotropes. They are then covered in mucin and passed through the anus. The rabbit ingests the cecotropes, which serve as a very important source of nutrition for the animal. Is this the same as cud? In the final analysis, it is. Cud-chewing completes the digestion of partially digested food.” Verses 9-12: Only those sea creatures that use fins and scales as forward movement are acceptable to eat. (v.9) All others – such as mackerels, eels and shellfish – are considered unclean. (v.12) (Deuteronomy 14:9) This is one reason that many orthodox Jews today will not eat shrimp, crab or oysters. Verses 13-19: Most of the birds considered unclean are of the predator (eagle, hawk, owl) or carrion (vulture, buzzard, raven) families. This list make sense according to health and sanitary precautions. Birds that eat the flesh of other animals, especially carcasses that have been laying in the desert sun for some time, are more prone to carry a greater number of diseases than those birds that don’t. That might also explain why swans, pelicans, storks and herons are also forbidden, as they eat many types of fish and sea creatures, some of which are forbidden for the Israelites to consume. (Refer back to verses 9-12.) The reason the bat also falls into the category of birds is because the Hebrew word for “bird” contains a broader meaning than the English translation. “Ôph” is translated as “flying thing”. Certain species of bat (such as the vampire bat) are also notorious for feeding on the blood of other creatures, something that God had already made clear was forbidden to His people. (Leviticus 7:26) Verses 20-23: Only those insects with jointed legs above their feet (v.21) are acceptable to eat, mainly the locust, cricket and grasshopper. Verses 24-28: Anyone that touches or handles the carcass of an unclean animal in any way is himself considered unclean until sunset. (v.24) He must bathe and wash his clothes while presumably also isolating himself from others. The remains of animals such as cats, dogs, lions, tigers, bears (oh my!), etc. are also considered unclean. (v.27) Anyone whose task is to remove these carcasses away from the camp is considered unclean until sundown. (v.28) Verses 29-31: Another short list of unclean animals, this time of the rodent family: weasel, mouse, ferret and mole; the reptile family: lizard and chameleon; the snail; and the tortoise. Verses 32-38: Anything that comes into contact with the carcasses of these unclean animals is deemed contaminated. This includes utensils, vessels and clothing. All of it must be washed, and any earthen vessel is to be destroyed. Any food in the contaminated vessels is to be thrown out. This is another indication that these laws are probably more for sanitary and general health reasons rather than a particular prejudice by God against these specific animals. There are, however, two exceptions to this rule: a freshwater spring or a cistern is not considered unclean if it comes into contact with an animal carcass(v.36); and a seed that has been set aside for planting is not contaminated unless it has come into contact with water first. (v.37-38) Verses 39-40: Even clean animals that die of natural causes are considered unclean. The rules are the same for the handling of their carcasses as those of the unclean animals. (v.24-28) Verses 41-47: These are the closing statements for this set of laws. As I noted at the beginning of this chapter, God is setting a standard of holiness for His chosen people, dividing the clean animals from the unclean. Those that are clean are considered safe for consumption, while the unclean are to be avoided and shunned. (v.47) Why? “For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” (v.45) (Exodus 6:7, 20:2, Leviticus 22:33, 25:38, 26:45, Psalm 105:43, Hosea 11:1) |
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