The Dignity of Community

Today's reading is Leviticus 19, 20, 21

The scripture reading is on what it means to be a community of people committed to living a standard that leads to dignity of people together in community.
It's easy to live selfishly. You have a life centered on "me"...what I want, what I feel, what I desire, what is me! To live in a manner that is not ME but US requires the heart of unselfishness. Jesus said it is "dying in order to live". He remind us that we'll never discover life in our selfishness...it only leads to disorientation and dysfunction. Look at the passage again. It is the ultimate call to the dignity of community.

Peace


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Atonement

Today's readings come from Leviticus 16, 17, 18.

"For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."

Leviticus 16 is one of the most important passages in detailing "The Day of Atonement". Occurring in the Fall of the year, this is considered Israel's highest and holiest day. Besides Passover it serves as the great reminder of God's provisions for redemption, forgiveness and fellowship with his people.

Aaron's (or the High Priest at the time) enters into the Holy of Holies to take the blood of the bull for his sin, and then later the blood of one of two goats to sprinkle upon the mercy seat. There "atonement" is made for the sins of the himself first, and then the nation. Once every year this ritual takes place. The blood is the source of the atonement...the life of all flesh is wrapped up in the blood. The second part of the atonement is the second goat - the scapegoat - which the high priest symbolically places the sins of the nation upon and then has someone take it out in the wilderness to release it...let it go. Atonement brings about redemption and forgiveness. God forgives by "letting go", "releasing from us" the sins that he will not remember.

The atonement is freedom for the Israelites. They are not called to religion, to random acts of performance to try to curry God's favor. They are not to shed blood, but make atonement with the blood of the goat once a year. All of this anticipates the coming of Christ Jesus, who through the blood of the lamb, once and for all makes atonement for the sins of the people.

It's fitting after all of this that the last chapter defines laws concerning sexuality. People do not use people to gratify their own pleasures. They give honor and dignity to all people. Sexuality is a gift from God in marriage and it's to be treasured and enjoyed, but that is where the gift gives life...outside of that it leads to much pain and suffering.

Let's live as forgiven, free people...amen?

Peace


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Health Among the Tribe

Today's reading continues in Leviticus - 14 & 15

The issue of clean and unclean was discussed in my blog yesterday, so refer to that if interested.

Most of what is written here concerns health and safety concerns for the tribe. It seems that the Israelites had an unusual sense of what was going to become communicable and therefore could develop into a plague.

The last part of chapter is clear:
"'You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place, which is among them.'"

While reading these sections can be slow, they bring a reward of knowing how God protected the nation from infectious disease.

Peace

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Clean and Unclean

Today's readings are from Lev. 11, 12, 13

I hope you're hanging in there as we go through some of the toughest to read sections having to do with regulations on specific topics that relate to health. Reading these can see to be a task in "what is this all about". Well, let's keep it simple.
Simply put these things - for the most part - relate to issues of health, healthiness in relation to the nation traveling together in the desert.

The issues of clean and unclean are fascinating. Greg Boyd, a pastor and writer who I greatly respect, writing in his own blog recently, happen to write on this topic:

"I’ve always been a bit mystified over the distinction between “clean” and “unclean” animals in the OT. I have read several attempts to justify this distinction on the grounds that the former were healthier — or at least less dangerous — to eat, but these defenses never struck me as all that convincing. In his recent book Is God a Moral Monster? (Baker, 2011), Paul Copan offers a much more compelling defense of this distinction (pages 79-84). One aspect of his argument I found particularly interesting was his contention that animals were considered “clean” because they reflect the original order of creation more perfectly than the “unclean” animals and “unclean” because they reflect the effects of the fall more than the “clean” animals.

The connection between the “clean” and “unclean” distinction, on the one hand, and the creation and fall, on the other, is reflected in the book of Leviticus by the repeated phrases “you may eat” and “you shall not eat” (Lev. 11:3, 9, 11, 21, 22) which, Copan argues, echo the provision and prohibition to Adam and Eve in the garden (Gen. 2:16; 3:2). This connection arguably explains why predators and animals that had been preyed on were prohibited (Ex 22:31; Lev. 17:14) for, according to the Genesis narrative, the original creation was non-carnivorous (Gen. 1:31). Even when humans were permitted to eat meat after the flood they had to first drain the blood out, for the blood was (and is?) considered sacred (Gen. 9:4). Hence, animals that prey on others and consume their blood are, to this degree, out of sync with God’s creational design.

What I find most significant is that this explanation of the “clean” and “unclean” distinction presupposes that nature has been significantly affected by the fall, as the Genesis narrative itself suggests (Gen. 3: 14-19) and other passages of Scripture confirm (e.g. Rom. 8: 19-22)..."
- Greg Boyd

I find the argument and analysis of clean and unclean interesting. It's important in the end to note that God gave these regulations to protect the health of the nation, and keep disease in check...a fight against the effects of the Fall.

Peace
Elliott


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The Priesthood

Today's readings come from Lev. 8, 9, 10

Leviticus continues to develop the rituals around the Tabernacle worship. The first two chapters today describe the ordination of Aaron and his sons into the priesthood...a process that is elaborate in ritual and detail.

Chapter 10 recounts the death of Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's two eldest sons. They died after a decision to offer something of the incense in an inappropriate manner.
It seems very harsh for this to occur, yet it immediately makes clear that having the responsibilities of the priesthood also means they are dealing with God's holy character. To a modern it all seems difficult to understand; but then again we don't tend to think too seriously about the holiness of God, do we?


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Sacrificial Offerings

Today's readings come from Leviticus 5, 6, 7

The reading centers around the various offerings that are to be made. The last verses of chpt. 7 summarize them:

"These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering, which the lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai in the Desert of Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord."

It's not the easiest of passages to read as the regulations seem to merge into a series of difficult nuances. What's important is to realize that sin breaks fellowship with God and others, and that there was a means for restoration possible. While some sins are "unintentional", nevertheless, they were still real and had to be treated with a desire for restoration as much as the ones that were intentional.

God did not abandon his people to "do the best you can", knowing that the best they (and we) could do would only lead to destruction.

Ultimately all of this is set aside in favor of the sacrificial offering of Christ himself for the restoration of each of us.


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Levitical Law, pt1

The scripture reading today is Leviticus 1, 2, 3, 4

For many Christians the Old Testament law is one of the hardest sections to get through. Filled with seemingly endless rules and regulations - most of which don't have any applicability to our faith today - make this section of scripture seem long and useless.

We know that "all scripture is given by God...for reproof, instruction..." says Paul to Timothy in the second letter, 3.16. So, there are jewels of truth in these laws, but it's like panning for gold in the river - it needs a careful eye and much perseverance.

In today's reading, just take note of the various kinds of offerings and note that God had concern for many different aspects of their fellowship, and sought to give them ways of assurance in seeking him and staying in fellowship with him. Hang in there, Leviticus is worth the time.

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