The Book Of LEVITICUS
Leviticus 27:34 "These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for
the children of Israel in mount Sinai."
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.
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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).” 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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