Leviticus 26 Notes

Leviticus 26 brings God’s vision for a holy people to a close with a covenant agreement. It really begins in 25:55 and takes this form:

1. God’s identity and work on behalf of Israel (25:55)
2. The summation of God’s law: loyalty to God expressed in worship (26:1-2)
3. Blessings promised for obedience: fruitfulness, security and dwelling with God (26:3-13)
4. Curses promised for disobedience: destruction, exile and death (26:14-39)
5. Repentance, grace and restoration for the future (26:40-45)

Note before reading the chapter that the agreement ends (vv.44-45) with God’s promised grace: nothing Israel does will compel God to break the covenant that He made with their ancestors (Abraham).

Note: Read Lev. 26 in conjunction with Deuteronomy 28 and 30:1-10 if possible and consider how the passages are similar and different.

Some Notes:
Note that vv.1-2 summarize loyalty to God in terms of the first four commandments: no other gods, no idols, don’t take the Lord’s name in vain (related to reverencing the “sanctuary”), keeping the sabbath.

The blessings here point to the “dream” of Israel and God’s intention for creation: fruitfulness and security (vv.3-9).

The high point of these promises is for God’s presence to be with Israel (vv.11-12). When we think about God “walking” with humans we should think about the Garden of Eden where God “walked in the cool of the day” (Gen. 3:8).

Verse 13 is noteworthy because it points out that God’s desire for His people is for them to be entirely free and flourishing . . . to “walk erect” in God’s presence.

The curses listed in vv.14-39 are the undoing of the blessings God intended in creation: disease, loss of security, violent conquest, fruitlessness (crops, animals, humans), death and ultimately the withdrawal of God’s presence and exile.

Note that exile is the final and ultimate curse (v.33). This a striking theological statement . . . it seems it’s better to die in your own land than to lose the land and save your life.

Note also that exile will come at the hands of foreign armies (vv.28-33). Some of the ghastly punishments listed here, like cannibalism, were realities of ancient siege warfare.  Along these lines, don’t miss the fact that Israel would be cursed to even be ruled by foreign powers (v.17). This is something to consider when reading the gospels and the thinking about the Jews and Romans.

 God will use the Israelites' exile to heal the land of their defilement (v.34). Note the humor also of a “driven leaf putting you to flight” (v.36).

In spite of this God will allow the Israelites, in exile, to confess their sins and repent and God will restore them to His favor and to the land (vv.40-42). Note that this is not dependent upon any sacrifice (of their own) or ritual, but upon a transformation in their attitudes and God’s grace.

Finally, note that grace is the last word in vv.44-45 . . . whatever Israel winds up doing, God will not (on His part) break His covenant with them. This of course sets the stage for God’s activity in the New Testament.


Some Questions to Consider:

How might you summarize God’s blessings for obedience? What sort of world would Israel live in if they received all these blessings?

What do these blessings tell us about God’s desires for humans?

How would you summarize the curses? Why is exile the ultimate curse?



How do you see the curses connected with the Gen. 3 Garden of Eden story?

How might all these curses with regard to being ruled over by “enemies” frame how we think about the Jewish people in the New Testament? How might these verses have impacted people in Jesus’s time?

How do you see grace at work in this chapter? What would receiving this grace and "forgiveness" look like (in concrete terms) for the Israelites?

Jubilee and Jesus

Some biblical scholars have suggested that we should interpret Jesus's ethics, particularly regarding money and possessions, in light of the Jubilee Code. I think this is a helpful suggestion. While Jesus was not declaring an "official" Jubilee (or at least we have no direct evidence of that), the values of Jubilee fill His teaching about money. Remember, both the Jubilee Code and Jesus take for granted that the people of God are supposed to be a family, and family members should (especially in the ancient world) care for each other with no concern for costs . . .

Consider these passages with Jubilee in the background:

Matthew 5:40-42
. . . and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; ⁴¹ and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. ⁴² Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.

Luke 4:16-19
  When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Luke 14:12-14

He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. ¹⁴ And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

Mark 10:29-30

“Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, ³⁰ who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.

Matthew 6:24-33

“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? ²⁸ And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ ³² For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

  

Leviticus 25: Jubilee

Before launching into specifics on this chapter it may be important to think about the real end-game of this section of Leviticus. We’ve seen the ideal of holiness thus far in Leviticus in a place (Tabernacle), in rituals, in priests, and in the behavior of individual Israelites. I would contend that in Lev. 25 we arrive at a vision of a holy society. This chapter is the “fruit” which Israel was ultimately supposed to bear as a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). The values espoused in this chapter point to God’s desire for human society (or that’s at least my claim). And those values are what we need to focus on to read this chapter well. Don’t read this chapter thinking, “How could anyone ever pull this off in our world?”. Rather, read it thinking, “How can we faithfully pursue these values today?”. Furthermore, as Christian readers we need to ask another fundamental question: are we to pursue the values of this vision primarily for society, or primarily in the church? And what’s the relationship between the two?

Finally, I would suggest reading Acts 2:37-47 and considering how the first church lived “Jubilee” values.

Background:
Remember that in the ancient world the most powerful people were the large landowners (kings especially . . . and consider Pharaoh in the background of this passage as well). Nearly every one else was a small-scale, subsistence farmer who lived year to year. Over time (in all nations and also in Israel) small farmers invariably went into debt and were sold out to the large estate holders. This process effectively created an underclass of sharecroppers and slaves and impoverished the majority of the people. It is this issue which the prophets brought to the forefront against the kings, and which the laws of Lev. 25 are targeting.

Some Key Thoughts:
Every seven years the Israelites are to allow the land to “rest” (v.4). Note that this is not a cessation from all human labor, but a cessation from farming. Consider the implications of this not only for economics, but for the laborers and animals who would typically work the land.

Note that the trumpet announcing the coming year of Jubilee (the 50th year) is sounded on the Day of Atonement in the 49th year (v.9). That is a very significant symbol, bringing together God’s dealing of sin and a restoration of the land and people.

Note that everyone returns to their ancestral property for the Jubilee, and that land can only be sold and held until the Jubilee year when it automatically reverts to its original owners (vv.13-17).
Of course, this means that the “land shall not be sold in perpetuity” (v.23). All purchasing is only temporary.

The land cannot be sold in perpetuity because “the land is mine; with me you are but aliens and tenants” (v.23). I believe that this is one of the most important verses in the Old Testament with regard to the values it expresses about life, society and humanity. Furthermore, this verse alone provides a chunk of the theological background to Jesus’s teaching (and the early church’s) about money and possessions.

Note the requirement that other family members are free to purchase other family members’ land if they fall into debt (vv.25-28).

Note that property in cities may be sold in perpetuity (v.30) unless it is owned by a Levite.
Families are required to take in their own who become dependent (as “resident alients”, i.e. neighbors) and they cannot be loaned money with interest (vv.35-38).

If dependents become utterly impoverished they are to become servants or farmhands (v.39). Note that God claims every Israelite as His servant primarily (v.42), and therefore they must still be treated well (v.43).

If any Israelites become slaves of resident aliens they are to go free at the Jubilee (v.50).

Questions to Consider:

How do you see Jesus’s and the early church’s economic values reflected in this chapter?

What might God’s intentions be in forcing an entire year of Sabbath?


What is God’s attitude towards the land, it’s inhabitants and even their animals?


How would our lives and society look different if we believed that the land belonged to God and we were just His “tenants” or “resident aliens”?


How would our economics be impacted if we couldn’t own land in perpetuity?


What would you say this chapter teaches us about God’s intentions for His people?


How might these “Jubilee” values be implemented today?

Leviticus 24: Blasphemy and Holiness

Leviticus 24 has long been a mystery to students of the book. I have argued that the book is intentionally crafted to convey significance to particular themes, and yet this chapter seems to be entirely random, especially since we’ll see that chapter 25 is dealing with holy time again. So what’s the purpose behind chapter 24? Here are a few theories to chew on:

1. Just as the story of Nadab and Abihu marked a transition from priests and sacrifice to people and holiness, this story creates a break to alert readers that the text is going to change directions. In the final chapters we’ll be talking about God’s intentions and covenant with Israel as a whole, and the story given prepares us for that.

2. The story of Nadab and Abihu functions as the “first curtain” in the Tabernacle, and moves us into a higher degree of holiness (again, from priests to people). These rituals and story then function as the “second curtain”, as they draw our attention to the Holy Place, and then the Holy Name. That sets up the final chapters as the “Holy of Holies”, as they point to God’s ultimate intentions for Israel.

3. The story rounds out the discussion of a holy people, who function above all to bring glory to God’s name . . . the story underlines the theme of holiness that Israel is to pursue.

Here are notes for the Chapter 24:

Note that the core issue to be adjudicated in vv.10-12 is whether a half-Israelite and a non-Israelite should be punished for blasphemy. It goes without saying that the Israelites themselves would, but the people were unsure with foreigners.

Note the laying on of one hand (v.14) from the people who heard the blasphemy onto the persons to be killed. This gives clarity to the symbol of “one hand”, as taking ownership of the life to be destroyed (and not a transference of sin).

Note that the word “maim” here is the same as the word used for “blemish” with regard to sacrifices. The point may be that the person is now unable to experience the fullness of what God intended for his or her life.

Note the chiasm here with the sentencing and justification:

Aliens as well as citizens (v.16)
  One who curses God shall bear the sin (v.15)
     One who blasphemes God shall be put do death (v.16)
      Anyone who kills a human (image of God) to be put to death (v.17)
         Anyone who kills an animal shall make restitution (v.18)
               Eye for an Eye, tooth for tooth, fracture for fracture (vv.18-20)
          Anyone who kills an animal shall make restitution (v.21a)
       Anyone who kills a human to be put to death (v.21b)
One law for aliens as well as citizens

Two Observations:
1. Blasphemy is equated here with murder, maiming and destroying animal life. It is fundamentally anti-life.
2.  Blasphemy applies the “eye for eye” principle . . . as God is “defaced” by the blasphemer “hurling” insults at His name and image, so the blasphemer is “defaced” by the congregation “hurling” stones at his person and image.

Two Questions:
Consider the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1-11. How might these stories be connected? (Consider that blasphemy is ultimately about giving God a bad name . . . who in the story of the woman might Jesus ultimately accuse of giving God a bad name?)

If this section was all about holiness, what might this final lesson be regarding holiness and the protection of life?

Leviticus 23: Sabbath and Festivals

Well, we are crunched for time this week folks! So instead of giving you a theological discourse now, I'm going to again give you my notes to work with and save our discourse for class! Please do though consider the questions at the bottom of this blog as you read this week.

Leviticus 23:

Note that we’ve seen how the Tabernacle is made holy, how priests are made holy, how sacrifices are made holy, holy the Israelites are made holy, and now how time is made holy. Do you see a pattern here? (We'll talk about this Sabbath in class as a "Tabernacle in Time" . . . think about how the Tabernacle as holy sets the stage for all the land being holy, as the Sabbath being holy sets the stage for all time being made holy . . .)

Passover is celebrated in the first month (v.5) . . . this is a big-time symbol! Israel’s calendar- Israel’s counting of time- begins with God’s work to free them from slavery (We might then say all their time is derived from God's work and belongs to Him!). Every year they would be reminded that their time belongs to God because of His actions to free them. Note also that Passover begins (and is celebrated) at twilight . . . the Israelites counted days beginning at sundown. So Jesus is eating the Last Supper with His disciples at the transition between the Day of Passover and the first day of Unleavened Bread.

Festival of Unleavened bread (v.7): A reminder of God’s provision for Israel as they left Egypt.
The Festival of First Fruits begins the day after the day after the final day of Unleavened bread (v.11). So you have nine festival days consecutively which marks the beginning of Israel’s calendar, and also marks the preparation for the harvest season agriculturally. (Note that this is not coincidental . . . the two “beginnings” are aligned to communicate something to Israel!)

Note the drink offering of wine here in v.13 . . . the symbol here of God drinking wine with the people!

The Festival of Weeks (v.15-21) is celebrated 50 days (7 weeks, an important symbol!) after First Fruits and that is why it’s called “Pentecost” in Greek and now English. This festival marks the beginning of the harvest season for grain.

Note the connection between the celebration of the Lord’s generosity with the Israelites and the injunction for them to be generous to the poor who live among them (v.22).

Don't miss that it’s the SEVENTH month which is the holiest month! This is not a coincidence!
Festival of Trumpets (v.23-25): Note that trumpets were primarily used for military purposes in the ancient world (the Israelites called themselves and God into battle with trumpets). The Israelites also used trumpets to call for the camp to move in the wilderness.

Note the Day of Atonement (vv.26-32) here is the tenth day of the seventh month. We’ve covered already but again you see the warnings against failure to participate in it in verses 29-30.

The Festival of Booths (vv.33-36, 39-43) is the final festival in the ancient Hebrew calendar and in terms of agriculture would come after crops were planted and before the fall rains. Booths lasts eight days (again, in the seventh month). The Israelites are commanded to build “booths” (literally “Tabernacles”) out of “majestic” trees to live in for a week. This is to remind the Israelites of the days when they lived in the wilderness and God provided for them.

Some Questions to Ponder:

How might Sabbath keeping change the way we keep time? What would we have to do to ensure we had one full day apart from “work”? (think first-fruits!)

How might the Sabbath form us as God’s people?

How would the festivals have formed Israel? Why were the festivals so important?

Do our Christian holidays function as formative to our faith? Or are they a distraction? In general, do we use the calendar to form us well?

How do we see the relationship between God and our time?

Leviticus 21 and 22 Notes

Hey friends, we're back in business! Here are some of my notes from Leviticus 21 and 22. And I have one question at the bottom I'd like you to think about as you read . . .

Leviticus 21
The mourning of priests is limited because they must limit their interaction with death (21:1-4). Some of the culturally appropriate mourning rituals are off limits because it would make the priests unable to serve God during that time (or even suggest that there is something more important), and they have been set aside for that purpose alone. Some of the mourning rites here (shaving, cutting the flesh) were common amongst Israel’s neighbors and are off-limits for all Israelites (as they were involved in worshipping the dead). Note that the wife is missing from the list of people who they can mourn; this is offensive to modern people but it must be recalled that marriage was not an institution built on romantic love in ancient Israel. Even into the Roman world siblings were generally closer and was a more important relationship than the husband-wife relationship.

Note that in 21:6 sacrifice is referred to as “the food of their God”, linking it with the worldview of the ancient world and giving credence to our notion of sacrificial feasts as sharing God’s table.

The priestly line is to be closely guarded and symbolic for holiness and purity, hence the stipulations about who priests can marry (21:8).

The High Priest who is consecrated is not allowed to mourn anyone outwardly (21:10-12). Note that the High Priest cannot leave the Tabernacle while he has his vestments on, which points to the threat of being in a land contaminated by sin.

Note that in vv.16-23 that while a “blemished” priest cannot serve in the Tabernacle, he is still entitled to eat from what is sacrificed. These people with biological handicaps or injuries are not rejected by God or not cared for, but they are not “whole” symbolically . . . there is disorder which cannot interact safely with order.

Note also that the list of “blemishes” for priests is exactly the same as the “blemishes” for animals. There is a connection here . . . the lists mirror each other because the priests themselves are in some sense the “first-fruits” of the people who are offered to God for His service.

Leviticus 22
Leviticus 22 functions as the counterpart to Leviticus 21. We first dealt with what is the acceptable behavior of priests, and now we deal with the acceptable sacrifice that priests are to offer.
The first “offering” we deal with is that of the priests themselves (really this begins in 21:16, but continues here in 22:3-9). Leviticus conceives of the priests and Levites themselves as the “first-fruits” of Israel which are given to the Lord. This concept is confirmed by Deut. 10:8-9, which explains that God Himself is their “inheritance” as a reward for their service. Because they are a sacrifice, all the rules of purity and order follow.

22:10-16 essentially functions to protect the priests’ and Levites’ share of the sacrifices. Note also the injunction for daughters who lose their husband and have no children- they are allowed to essentially become daughters again and to be cared for (an example of God’s mercy trumping ritual concern). If they have children then the deceased father’s household has the responsibility to care for them.

Note the concern for creational order in 22:26-28. If an animal is killed prior to the first week of life ending it is as if the parents “fruitfulness” is jeopardized, and any death or disorder in reproduction is a curse. I think the same considerations hold true for sacrificing an animal with its young on the same day- that would extinguish a family line and threaten “fruitfulness” as well.

Again, thanksgiving sacrifices are meant to be shared (22:29-30).

BIG QUESTION:
If the priests and Levites are the "first-fruits" of Israel who are "offered" to God in the OT, who are the "priests and Levites" who are offered to God in the New Testament?

Leviticus 18-20: Maintaining the Land, Holiness by Analogy and Chiasm

By now you've probably realized there is A LOT to cover in these chapters! So in this post I am going to give you three things to notice that will hopefully help sort all the rest.

1. Don't defile the land!
In the first 16 chapters of Leviticus our primary concern was to keep the Tabernacle pure. In the second half of Leviticus our primary concern is to keep the land pure. There is a connection here: the Tabernacle is to the land of Israel (the holy place) what the land of Israel is to be to the world (that's an analogy . . . which we'll see more of shortly!). Notice in 18:1-5 God tells Moses that Israel should be distinct from Egypt and Canaan. If Israel is not distinct, and follows in the ways of the nations then the land itself will be defiled (18:24-28) and Israel will be "vomited" out of the land. THIS IS A MAJOR POINT in the the theology of Leviticus- do not forget this! Sin defiles the land, and this is God's special land, therefore the future of the Israelites depends upon keeping the land holy and pure. (By the way, this should remind you of Genesis 3 and Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden . . . but more on that later!)

2.  Holiness by Analogy
Leviticus 19 is a tremendously important chapter in the Old Testament, if for nothing else than it provides the second greatest commandment of Christ ("love your neighbor as yourself", Mark 12:31). Unfortunately, Bible translators frequently label chapter 19 as “miscellaneous” laws or something similar, which implies that it is not an important chapter. This is a big error! This whole chapter is an analogy about holiness. You can think about the analogy in this manner:

To be holy is to be like God (19:2 . . . “be holy for I am holy”)
To be like God is to __________  (fill in the laws from the rest of the chapter)

The big point of this chapter is that holiness touches on all aspects of life. Holiness has to do with family relationships, proper rituals and worship, caring for the poor, sexuality, administering justice . . . and whatever else from life we can name. This is an absolutely critical lesson for us to learn! There is no aspect of life which God is not concerned about, and no area where we can just live as we please without considering how our faith in God should impact it. Holiness is for the "whole" life!

3. Another Big "Chiasm"
When you read chapter 20 you might think, "Didn't we just read this in chapter 18?!" Yes you did, but there's a reason you are reading it again! In our last class we talked about "chiasm", which is an ancient literary device in which we see a parallel structure which points to the center. Leviticus 18-20 more or less forms a giant chiasm that looks like this:

A: I am the Lord your God (18:1-5)
B: Sexual purity laws (18:6-20)
C: Molech sacrifice (18:21)
D: Holiness (19:1-35)
C: Molech Sacrifice (20:1-5)
B: Sexual Purity (20:10-21)
A: I am the Lord your God (20:22-26)

The point of this is to highlight chapter 19; it sits at the center of the chiasm because it is the critical piece. If you take care of what chapter 19 says, 18 and 20 fall into place. Chiasm was used (and is used) primarily by oral cultures. You can imagine a village story-teller or priest using vocal tones and volume to bring out the chiasm, and the repetition makes it easy to remember what is different. You might think about some nursery rhymes like "Hickory Dickory Dock" or "Old McDonald" that teach children by changing one detail in each stanza . . . they are essentially chiasms. 

Day of Atonement and Christ's Death

As I mentioned yesterday, the Day of Atonement is one of the key Old Testament rituals (along with Passover) that the New Testament writers used to explain Christ's saving death. In this post I will highlight a few of the prominent verses that do this, and explain (in brief!) how they connect the Day of Atonement with Jesus's sacrifice.

John 1:29
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Here we see John the Baptist combining symbols from Passover and the Day of Atonement. The Passover ritual involved the sacrificing of the lamb to protect God's people from "the Destroyer" and ultimately free them . . . but the Passover lamb was NOT a sacrifice for atonement or purification. So John brings in the Day of Atonement concept by saying "who takes away the sins of the world". We know from Leviticus 16:21 that this is a reference to the "scapegoat" who bears away Israel's sins into the wilderness. Jesus, according to Christian theology, bears our sins and burdens (1 Peter 2:24) in order that we might participate in the "new Passover". So Jesus is our "scapegoat" . . .

Romans 3:23-25
... since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; ²⁴ they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed;

This passage is notoriously difficult to translate, because Paul does not say "sacrifice of atonement", but rather says "hilasterion", which is the Greek word used for the cover of the Ark (traditionally translated as "mercy seat"). But what does it mean to say that Jesus is a "mercy seat"? Well, we know from Leviticus 16 that the sins of all the people all cleansed (expiated) on the Day of Atonement by the priest sprinkling blood on the "mercy seat", and through this ritual the people were set right with God. So, Paul is saying that Jesus's body, through His death, became "the place" where people were (or could be) set right . . . His death had the same effect as when the blood was sprinkled on the "mercy seat" in the Tabernacle. So Jesus here is both the sacrificial goat and the "mercy seat" itself...

Hebrews 9:11-12, 23-26
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), ¹² he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.... Thus it was necessary for the sketches of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these. ²⁴ For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. ²⁵ Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; ²⁶ for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself.  

Hebrews offers the largest commentary on the Day of Atonement in the NT, and we'll only just touch on it here. Jesus is here portrayed, first of all, as the true High Priest. Jesus enters into the "Heavenly Temple" and removes the sin generated by humans. Obviously, this is metaphorical. The point is that Jesus has expiated and cleansed all the sin from the earth so that God can issue a pardon to those who repent and ask for it. Jesus though is also said to be the sacrifice (v.26), echoing the previous verses.

1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; ⁷ but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

In our final passage drawing on the Day of Atonement ritual we see Jesus portrayed as the sacrificial goat. BUT, the big twist here is that now WE have taken the place of the Tabernacle. This is critical, and is the point of (almost) all the "washed" or "sprinkled" language in the NT. The import then is not merely that we have been forgiven (which is obviously important too) but that now we (the community of God's people) are the place where God's holiness and Spirit is to reside! We are to be the Tabernacle for the world! (And this, by the way, is also in the background of the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 . . . remember, the Holy Spirit was supposed to be over the "mercy seat" in the Holy of Holies. The point then again is that the disciples are now the "Holy of Holies", however we make sense of that.) 

    

Day of Atonement (Purification)

Leviticus 16 is one of the most important chapters in the Old Testament for Christian theology, as it provides one of the two (along with Passover) primary symbols that the New Testament writers drew upon for describing and explaining Christ's death. Today, we'll focus on the ritual itself, and tomorrow we'll discuss its implications for understanding a couple of key passages in the NT.

Here are my notes on the chapter:

Aaron, or any future High Priest, can only enter the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement/Purification (I will say atonement, but remember that all these sacrificial rituals are ultimately about purifying the Tabernacle, 16:2). 

 Before Aaron can enter the Holy of Holies to perform the purification of the "mercy seat" (the cover of the Ark) he must be properly purified, in his priestly vestments, and must perform a purification (sin) offering for himself (blood to be sprinkled before the curtain). Also note that he must bring in a censer of incense (v.12), which we presume prevents him from having direct contact with God's glory (i.e. the "cloud" in v.2).

Note that there are two goats offered (16:7-10), one will be sacrificed and the other will be sent into the wilderness. The priest is to cast lots to determine which is which.

“Azazel”, the goat which is to be sent into the wilderness, is traditionally rendered “scapegoat”, but the origins of this term are unknown. It is most likely that “Azazel” originally denoted a demon or demigod that the Israelites or their neighbors "appeased" (there is evidence of these 'scapegoat' rites amongst the Canaanites). However, in Leviticus "Azazel" refers to a geographic designation for a desolate place in the wilderness . . . think of this a term for “the middle of nowhere” . . . it would be a place of death far away from people, water and the things that make life possible. This is a very important theological transformation of the ritual. Instead of appeasing demigods, the Israelites are now symbolically sending their sins into the wilderness to deal with them. (In the Old Testament, sin is typically described as something that has to be borne or carried, like a weight or burden. This is where the language of Jesus "bearing our burdens" comes from, and this is exactly what this donkey demonstrates for the Israelites in this ritual.)

The priest uses incense to cover the “mercy seat” (the cover of the Ark) and then proceeds to make an atonement for his sin by sprinkling blood seven times onto the front of the Ark (16:1—14). He then repeats the process with the blood from the sacrificed goat to make atonement for all of Israel (vv.15-16).

Aaron then places both his hands on the live goat (note the distinction here from the sin/purification offering which only use one hand) and confesses the sins of Israel. The sins of Israel are transferred onto the goat, which is then lead away into a barren part of the wilderness (“Azazel”) and set free (vv.20-22).

Note that this last action deals with all the “iniquities, sins and transgressions”. These three Hebrew words deal with impurities, minor sins, and significant breaches of the covenant. This ritual is how the intentional of the people could be dealt with and the Tabernacle cleansed of them (v.21). After the Tabernacle is purified then God can restore/forgive the people (if they are contrite and repent, etc.). Note that this is a "corporate" forgiveness . . . it is not a transaction for individual Israelites, but a sacrifice that is given for all at the same time (important when we think about Christ's death).

Note that this is the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month. No one is to work, and everyone is to fast/deny oneself (vv.29-31). This is the most solemn day in the Israelites year, when their full attention is given to their sin and to God’s graciousness in removing it.

Purification of Leprosy Tidbits

One of the strangest rituals we'll meet in Leviticus is the purification for "lepers" in 14:1-20. So, I'd like to give you just a few things to keep in mind as you read the passage. And remember, all of these ritual ingredients were culturally appropriate for the Israelites!

• Cedarwood and Red Yarn: Both are symbols of blood (i.e. life)
• "Fresh" water means running water . . . moving water or spring water is life giving, like the River in Eden, or like what Jesus offers to the Samaritan woman in John 4:14.
• "Seven" sprinkles: Returning to pristine state (seven days of creation)
• Freeing the "dipped" bird: The bird is symbolically carrying away the disease, or symbolically conquering 
• The "leper" then waits seven days . . . again, a creational "reset"
• Note that the cleansed "leper" offers a "guilt" or reparation offering (v.12). This is interesting because these are the more serious offerings for wrongdoing. However, this sacrifice is probably used in recognition that communion was broken and needs to be repaired.
• Blood placed on "leper's" ear lobe, thumb and toe restores the "leper" legally and existentially to the community (the "leper" is clean and free of death)
• Oil was used as a sanctifying agent for the priest, but in this case it is most likely a symbol of blessing (Ps. 104:15, for example)
•  Note then that the "sin" or purification offering (v.19) cleanses the Tabernacle, and finally the burnt offering (v.20) is a thanksgiving to God.  

Random Aside: You might have noticed in 14:34 that God says "and I put a leprous disease in a house" . . . very interesting! Why are we told this? Is God behind all leprosy? No, at least there's nothing else in Leviticus to suggest that this would be the case. Israel's neighbors believed that mold and fungus were the result of demonic activity . . . this verse would counter those claims and place mold and fungus under God's sovereignty.

Leprosy and Purification

One of the things we keep reinforcing in class is that the Israelites were very different than us! In our reading this week we are discovering that they did not have modern medical ideas like we do, where death and life are two discrete states of being. For them, life and death existed on a spectrum. To be sick was to move, in a literal sense, closer to death or into the realm of death ("Sheol"). We see this concept frequently in the Psalms when the Psalmist laments going into "Sheol" or the "Pit":

Psalm 88:3-5
For my soul is full of troubles,
    and my life draws near to Sheol.
⁴ I am counted among those who go down to the Pit;
    I am like those who have no help,
⁵ like those forsaken among the dead,
    like the slain that lie in the grave

Psalm 30:2-3
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
³ O Lord, you brought up my soul (literally "my life") from Sheol,
    restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit. 

To be sick, or as we saw in our reading this week, to be afflicted with skin disease, mold, fungus and the like was (in their eyes) to be touched existentially (or ontologically) by death. To be sick or a "leper" was to be in the power of death and therefore to move into the realm of death. This explains why "lepers" were to behave like people grieving, with disheveled hair and torn clothing (Lev. 13:45); they are grieving because they are touched by death. And because all human death was unclean those who were sick (bleeding, skin disease, etc.) were unclean. Thus, they required priestly restoration, and not just medical help. Their restoration by the priests brought them back into the community, and back into communion with God.

(Furthermore, there is evidence that in ancient Israel sick (contagious) people, along with those who had skin diseases, would be quarantined outside the city or village. Outside the city or village would also be the ancestral burial grounds (i.e. "the Pit"). So this was not just a symbolic way of thinking; "lepers" and some of the sick would literally be moving closer to the place of death.)

Note: While the different skin diseases dealt with in this section were traditionally translated as “leprosy”, they cover a wide variety of conditions which are not leprosy. This is important, because the Israelites certainly had some understanding of contagious diseases like leprosy spreading through touch, but the driven force behind these laws is not health consciousness. The driving force here is the appearance of death and disorder.


Bonus Note: I have not blogged about childbirth, but the mother becomes "unclean" during childbirth for the same reason that a "leper" does, in that she moves closer to death. The amount of blood and fluid lost in the birthing process, and of course the ancient mortality rates would make childbearing potentially fatal and result in ritual impurity.

Dietary Laws

Okay, by now you might be trying to wrap your head around the dietary laws! We'll spend a fair amount of time talking about theories regarding the dietary laws in class, but I'll go ahead and give you three to chew on (pun intended!):

1. Covenant Theory: The Israelites are told to "be holy, for I am holy" (Lev. 19:2). They are to imitate God. Therefore, their diet (at least regarding meat) is connected to the Covenant they have with God. There are several places in Exodus where God gives directions to the Israelites regarding "their" animals: the animals are to receive a Sabbath (Ex. 20:10), firstborn animals are "given" to the Lord (Ex. 22:30), oxen are not to be muzzled while working (Deut. 25:4), etc. The point is, these animals really belong to God and not to the Israelites. God is the owner of the land, the people and all their resources. He is the King and the Israelites are His vassals. Therefore, God gives the Israelites "His food" (what is sacrificed to Him) for their own food. They eat what the King eats (symbolically), and they can only eat the animals which are included in the Covenant. 

2. Ethical Theory: Here's an excerpt from Jewish scholar Jacob Milgrom:
“Humans will have meat for their food and will kill to get it. The Bible has therefore worked out a system of restrictions whereby humans may satiate their lust for animal flesh and yet not be dehumanized in the process. The basic rules are these: 1. The choice of animal food is severely limited. Considering the variety of fauna that roam the earth, it is startling to realize how few, comparatively, are for the table, and that these are of the domesticated-herbivorous species only. There is no restriction whatsoever on the vegetable and fruit kingdom. 2. Even the few permitted animals may not be killed by just anyone but only by those who can qualify by their skill and piety: skill in employing a hallowed technique of slaughtering that renders death painless, and piety in being aware of the divine sanction that has permitted such slaughter. These qualifications ensure that these few slaughterers themselves do not become brutalized though incessant killing. 3. Even the few permitted animals, though ritually slaughtered, are still not fit for consumption until their blood is drained. "You shall not partake of the blood of any flesh, for the life of all flesh is its blood. Anyone who partakes of it shall be cut off" (Lev 17:14). Humans have a right to nourishment, not to the life of others. Hence the blood, which is the symbol of life, must be drained and returned to the universe, verse, to God. By now it should be apparent that the Bible's method of taming the killer instinct in humans is none other than its system of dietary laws.”
Jacob Milgrom. Leviticus (Kindle Locations 1569-1577).


3. Order and Disorder Theory: Note that any animal who has characteristics of multiple zones of creation (land, water, sky) is unclean. Land animals with scales (reptiles, etc.), aquatic animals with legs (amphibians), land animals with four legs and wings (insects). This is a significant pattern!

One last point on Nadab and Abihu, Dietary Restrictions and Creation

There was one point I meant to make last night concerning Nadab and Abihu that I want to get in before moving on today. We, the church, the disciples of Jesus, are the now the Tabernacle according to the New Testament (1 Cor. 3:16). One of the New Testament's key symbols (and facts) that point to this reality is the presence of the Holy Spirit within the church (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit functions inside the church as God's presence functioned within the Tabernacle: as a means of purifying God's people of sin and corruption. The Spirit is working within our community (and within us individually) to "consume" our impurities that we might be sanctified for service to God. We might therefore look at the story of Nadab and Abihu and symbolic of God's work to rid us of impurity that we might ultimately live in communion with Him. 1 Peter 1:6-7 speaks of this dynamic:

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Finally, I last night we discussed the priests eating the sin offerings as a symbol of sin being consumed by holiness. Ultimately, we said this was a symbol of life consuming death and the powers of evil. This corresponds to our ultimate hope, of which the Apostle Paul speaks in 1 Cor. 15:51-54 (note how Paul uses this same language of eating or consuming sin/death):

Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

Now . . . moving on! This week we will be looking at some of the "Purity System"; at least the parts concerning dietary restrictions, childbirth, skin disease and genital discharges (sounds fun, right?). Before we tackle any of the specifics, it's important to note from the outset that we should not view these codes as fundamentally different than the sacrificial system. That is, they too carry symbolic meanings greater than what they say at face value. Embedded within this system are Israelite values, norms, and worldview. And those are the things we want to discover.

I would like you to consider two questions as you read over the dietary restrictions in Lev. 11:

1. What is the status of predators? Why might this be the case?

2. Consider the divisions of creation (land animals, water animals, air animals) and the characteristics of each division (land animals don't have wings, water animals don't have legs, etc.). How do these divisions affect what is clean and unclean? Notice the status of animals that seem to have characteristics from multiple divisions of creation.

One final note: the words "detestable" and "abomination" with regard to animals or impurity  do not imply that God doesn't care for those animals or beings. These are technical terms about purity . . . to "detest" or treat as an "abomination" means to reject and not make use of. Remember, in Genesis 1 God refers to all of creation as "good" . . . even the "swarmers"!

The Priests: Then and Now

As you’ve read Leviticus 8-9 this week you might be thinking, “This has no relevance to my faith today.” On the surface, this is a fair assessment. Ancient ordination rites are not our usual “go to” for learning to follow Jesus. However, it is my goal to prove that there is relevant, even critical, theological material in these chapters. So today we’re going to consider what the ordination of Aaron and his sons might tell us about our vocation as disciples of Christ.

I will start from the assumption of 1 Peter 2:9:
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Peter refers to us, the church corporate, as a “royal priesthood”. This is what informs the Protestant belief of the “priesthood of all believers”. We all now have a priestly vocation; What is true for Aaron is true for all of us who are in Christ.

So from that starting point, what can we say about God’s intentions for Aaron in Exodus 28 and Leviticus 8-9 that point to His intentions for us?

1. Priests are transformed into “heavenly” people.
If you read carefully, you’ll notice that Aaron’s priestly attire parallels the coloring of the Holy Place and Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. Aaron wears gold, blue, purple and crimson clothing (Exodus 28:4-5); these are the colors of “heaven” (both in the sky and in the Israelites conception of God’s invisible heaven). Aaron also has jewels on his ephod and the breastplate (Exodus 28:6-25) and a crown (Leviticus 8:9). Jewels were, and still are, associated with heaven (think streets of gold). The point is, Aaron is being clothed for service in the heavenly realm. In his vestments Aaron would look like one of God’s servants in the eyes of the Israelites.

Likewise, the New Testament assumes that we have to be transformed into “heavenly” people. Only for us it’s not about clothing, but about being “clothed with Christ” (Romans 13:14). This means that we are to have the same character that Jesus did. Jesus is the image of God’s perfect heavenly servant, and God wants to transform our character to reflect His (fruit of the Spirit! Gal. 5:22-23).

2.  Priests are made holy.
As simply as this it, this is something we cannot miss. Aaron is given new clothing, is purified (Lev. 8:22-24, note the blood goes on Aaron!) and anointed. Aaron is holy! And so are we. All who are in Christ share in His holiness and have been cleansed by His blood. All of us, as hard as it is to believe sometimes, are in fact “saints”. The Apostle Paul regularly refers to Christians as “saints” or “holy ones” in the New Testament (Phil. 4:21).

3.   Priests are set apart for exclusive service to God.
We discussed this at length in the last blog, but note again that once Aaron is consecrated he cannot simply choose when to serve and when not to. He is expected to be serving in the Tabernacle and cannot do anything to jeopardize his holiness (Lev. 10:6-7). All who are in Christ are set apart for God’s Kingdom work in this way. While we have many tasks and duties all of it must be submitted to Him and if He calls us to something else we are obligated to go.


4.   Priests have the power to consecrate and to bless.
Aaron and his sons are given the power to carry out the sacrifices that purify and consecrate the Tabernacle and future priests. And, they have the power to pronounce God’s blessing over His people (Lev. 9:22). Likewise, all who are in Christ have the power to make holy and to bless. We have this power through the indwelling Holy Spirit, and it is through our prayers, words and deeds that God’s blessing and holiness can be extended into the world.

5.  Priests live in God’s presence and can intercede for others.
Aaron and the priests minister in God’s presence (Lev. 9:23-24). To enter the Holy Place and Holy of Holies is to come before God. As they do this they represent the rest of Israel before God, which is seen in the symbols in Aaron’s breastplate (Exodus 28:12-29). Likewise, all who are in Christ have been brought into Christ’s presence. To receive the Holy Spirit is to receive the same Spirit that filled the Tabernacle (hence the connection between the fire that comes from the altar and the “tongues of fire” in Acts 2). We now live and move and minister in God’s presence. And as such, we too can intercede by prayer for others and God hears us just as he received the priests’ sacrifices on behalf of Israel.

6. Priests mediate between God and the world.
This is the sum total of all the previous points. To be a priest is to mediate between people and their God. Aaron and his sons do this through sacrifice, by representing the people before God, and by blessing the people in God’s name and making the Tabernacle a place where they can encounter God (by maintaining its holiness). Our call is the same! We are to mediate between God and the world by representing God to the world (through our lifestyle, i.e “heavenly clothing”), by connecting people with the sacrifice that can bring them into communion with God (Christ), and by  sharing God’s blessing with them (the Holy Spirit they encounter in our fellowship) and interceding on their behalf through prayer.

A final note: all that we are saying about priests is true about Jesus (and more!). But we’ll save that for a later post!

Contagious Holiness and Vocation

Last week we spent a lot of time talking about the contagious nature of sin. We said that sin was like a pollutant, that when released defiled everything around it. One of the interesting details though in last week's and this week's reading is that holiness can be "contagious" as well. There are objects that are so holy that they make holy everything they come in contact with. Here are two examples:

Exodus 29:36-37
Also every day you shall offer a bull as a sin offering for atonement. Also you shall offer a sin offering for the altar, when you make atonement for it, and shall anoint it, to consecrate it. ³⁷ Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar, and consecrate it, and the altar shall be most holy; whatever touches the altar shall become holy.

Leviticus 6:26-28
The priest who offers it as a sin offering shall eat of it; it shall be eaten in a holy place, in the court of the tent of meeting. ²⁷ Whatever touches its flesh shall become holy; and when any of its blood is spattered on a garment, you shall wash the bespattered part in a holy place. ²⁸ An earthen vessel in which it was boiled shall be broken; but if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water.

So anything that touches or is touched by the altar of burnt offerings or the "sin" offering becomes holy. A similar dynamic of course is at work with the oil of anointing for the priests (8:30); whoever is anointed is now "holy". This "contagious holiness" has some important implications for our theology and how we think about our mission as God's people:

1. God gives His servants the ability to make things holy. Our job therefore is not to simply hide from sin and impurity (a route some have gone), but rather to use the tools God has given us to purify and make holy the world around us. We are to consecrate our lives and the world around us by aligning them with God's order and by inviting His Spirit to move through us into the world through our words and deeds. Because we have been purified by Christ's blood (like the altar) and filled with the Holy Spirit (anointed) we do not need to fear being "polluted" by the world but are rather sent to extend God's holiness into the world. We do this of course by sacrificially loving our neighbors and calling them into God's family.

2. Our model in doing this is of course Jesus. Jesus was the ultimate sin offering; He is the one who purified each of us who believes in Him and atoned for the sins of the world. Furthermore, Jesus was literally "the" anointed one (that's what "Christ" means!). So, He is our pattern for how holiness is taken to the world. This also provides insight as to why Jesus did not worry about being made impure in the manner His opponents did. It's not that He had no regard for God's word about purity and sacrifice, but because He was holy in such a manner that it overwhelmed sin and impurity. His holiness trumped any impurity He encountered.

3. Contagious holiness also helps us understand what holiness is and how that factors into our vocation as God's people. You might have noticed the detail about pottery that is made holy in Leviticus 6:28:

An earthen vessel in which it (the sin offering) was boiled shall be broken; but if it is boiled in a bronze vessel, that shall be scoured and rinsed in water.

Why would you break the earthen vessel that's been made holy? Because it's no longer acceptable to use if for everyday affairs. In fact, it would be a sacrilege to now use it for "normal" activities. Whatever is made holy is now strictly to be used for God's purposes; this is what we mean when we say that to be holy is to be "set aside". To be holy then is to be God's property, and to be used solely for His purposes. This is a big deal because as Christians we are a "holy nation" (1 Peter 2:9). Therefore we are to serve God's purposes alone. None of us who are in Christ are intended for "ordinary" purposes; we all have a vocation to serve God's purposes in the world. Now this might very well happen in the "ordinary" circumstances of everyday life, but it is our job to never forget that there is nothing ordinary about our "Boss" and His plans for us. It is His work and purpose to use us, the ordinary earthen pots, into vessels that show His glory to the world (2 Cor. 4:1-10).

***Interpretive Aside:
When you read the Nadab and Abihu story, this concept of holiness (as being set-apart exclusively for God's use) is why God forbids Aaron from grieving. Someone who is in mourning is ceremonially impure according to Leviticus (because death is impure . . . more on this later). Because Aaron has been made holy and set apart to serve in the Tabernacle at the moment he cannot do anything to jeopardize His holiness. His calling supersedes everything else. While this seems harsh to us, this points us to Jesus' hard words about calling (being set aside for God) and other duties in life:

Luke 9:59- 60
 He said to another man, "Follow me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
  Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

Sin in Leviticus and Christians Today

In this point I want to follow up a discussion we had in our group last night. We were talking about how Leviticus conceptualizes Sin as a corrosive power or agent (and not just a legal issue with God) and Lucy asked how that theology should influence how we live as followers of Jesus today. Since I believe that this issue is critical to both Leviticus and our calling as disciples I want to try and lay out why it matters with some more clarity (and brevity!).

What we learn from Leviticus 4-5 about sin and discipleship for today . . .

1. All our sin is deforming and corrosive to our being. Sin is like poison; any amount of it has serious consequences for our spiritual health. There are no "victimless" sins. Anytime we move away from God's will we are changed into a more toxic person, and this will affect every aspect of our lives and relationships (And if fact it will break our relationship with God). C.S Lewis sums this up well:

“[E]very time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself."

Therefore we can't wink at any of our sin; anything that is not aligned with God is a significant problem.

2. Sin is a community problem. We see in Leviticus that sin from the countryside winds up poisoning the Tabernacle. This means that sin affects all the area and relationships where it is active. This means that we cannot turn a blind eye to sin and presume we will not be touched by it. If our community is filled with neglected children, injustice, fraud, selfishness, adultery and all the rest we will all suffer for it. God is not just concerned for individuals, but for societies and creation as well. Sin is a threat to all of these and God is working to redeem all of these.

3. God has given His people a way to deal with the power of sin, be restored and make life holy again. In Leviticus this is the sacrificial system at the Tabernacle, and for us this is repentance and faith in Christ. God doesn't just want to pardon our sins (though He does do that!), but He wants to transform us and make us holy. Our calling as disciples is not simply to be on good legal terms with God but to live in a manner that is entirely aligned to His purposes. Discipleship then is about this process of being re-formed (God comes to us when we are deformed) into the people God intends us to be . . . people who look like Jesus!

4. Finally, this points us to our larger mission in the world: we (the church and individuals) are to be like the Tabernacle. We are sent into the world as a sign of God's intentions for the world. We are to be the place where people can get a glimpse of restored relationships with God and others, holiness and flourishing as God intended it. Furthermore, we are to use God's power to help others receive restoration as well. (This is where Leviticus is headed . . . more details when we get there!) 

There is more we could say here about repentance preceding restoration, about the need to make things right with others and not just God . . . but I think this is plenty for now!

Leviticus: Sin as a Power

One last brief post for the week!

One of the very interesting and very important theological issues in Leviticus 4-5 is how sin and impurity are implicitly described. Almost none of the sins or impurities listed along with these sacrifices actually happen in the Tabernacle, yet the Tabernacle itself (and not the "sinner") is what is purified with the blood from the purification ("sin") and reparation ("guilt") offerings. So what does it tell us about sin?

Sin and impurity are described by Leviticus as though they have real being. Sin is not simply breaking one of God's laws, but Sin is a power and force at work in the world. We can almost think about sin like air pollution or radiation; it's released by sinners and then goes into the Tabernacle and defiles it. Sin is not just a legal issue between an individual and God, but something that has spiritual existence and power to corrupt. This is right in line with what the Apostle Paul describes in Romans, where he talks about Sin as a power or being:

Romans 3:9
What then? Are we any better off? No, not at all; for we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin.

Romans 5:12-13
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned— ¹³ sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 

Romans 6:12
Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.

Romans 7:11
For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 

All of this has big implications for how we think about Christ's atoning death, God's judgment and God's work to make us holy! 

Leviticus 4-7 Notes

Hey Class,

Here are the notes I'll be giving out next week in class. Feel free to use them to supplement your reading this week . . .

Leviticus 4:1-5:13
-Most translations call these “sin” offerings. This is misleading translation, and this issue takes us into an area of lots of complexity. First, you saw that these offerings do not deal with intentional sins, but with mistakes or errors that people make against God. Second, you see that these offerings also deal with issues of purity or order, and not just with “illegal” behaviors. These offerings then are expiatory- they remove impurities generated by the listed actions. Therefore the offerings can’t force God to forgive sins, but they remove the consequences of sin, impurity or disorder, which then “allows” God to forgive. For this reason I will refer to these offerings as “Purification Offerings”.

The world for “sin” here (“chatah”) means, “to do wrong, to miss the mark, to make an error, to miss the way” . . . the key is you don’t intend to  “miss the mark”.

Note what is done with the blood from the sacrifice- this is the critical point of the ritual. The blood is NOT sprinkled on the offending party but on the Tabernacle “furniture”: before the curtain, or onto the horns of the altar of incense, or on the altar of burnt offering.

The offerer is not allowed to eat from the purification offering. You don’t get any “benefit” from a purification offering in that manner.

Note how the place of purification varies: the priest’s sin requires everything sprinkled, the whole people’s sin requires the curtain and burnt offering altar sprinkled, the ruler’s sin requires the altar of burnt offering sprinkled, and an individual’s sin requires the altar of burnt offering sprinkled.

Note how the priest’s sin and all the congregation’s sin requires blood being sprinkled seven times . . . that an important symbol! Why seven times? (4:6, 17).

In 5:1-6 we see that Leviticus sees moral, legal and ritual disorder as one “whole” complex of “disorders”. To neglect to do one’s duty legally is the same as neglecting to maintain personal purity is the same as neglecting to fulfill an oath: they all bring, invite or prolong disorder in(to) the community. This is an example of Leviticus teaching by analogy- disorder is not to be treated casually.

All of the issues in 5:1-6 are issues of neglect- they are sins of omission, not commission.
Confession is to precede the sacrifice in 5:5 . . . God forgives, then expiates or purifies the consequences of the action.



Leviticus 5:14-6:7


The word for sin here is “ma’al”, which is a serious offense. It is a breach of covenant, or an act of treachery and not simply an error that needs to be corrected.

The “holy things of the Lord” (5:15) refers to whatever might be set aside for use in the Tabernacle, or potentially funds (converted from sacrifice) that would be used in connection to the Tabernacle.

Restitution for the offense takes place either simultaneously or before the sacrifice offered to remove the sin against the Tabernacle (5:16).

In 5:17-19 the situation appears exactly the same as in 4:27-31, but notice that the passage does not mention the offender knowing or realizing what the sin is.

6:1-7 covers the only intentional sins of commission which can be dealt with by individual sacrifice. Note that the offender is to make things right with the injured party prior to offering sacrifice in the Tabernacle (v.5). The question remains though, why are these intentional sins pardonable?

Leviticus 6:8-7:38


All the portions of the sacrifice which the priests eat must be eaten in the Tabernacle (courtyard). If the blood from the sacrifice is to go into the Holy Place or Holy of Holies it cannot be eaten.

The fire of the Tabernacle is not allowed to go out- maintaining it is a priestly duty. This is a ritual of perpetuity. (6:9-12)

Another ritual of perpetuity is the anointed priest offering a grain offering in the morning and evening of each day (6:20).

Holiness (and not just impurity) can be contagious! In 6:27 we see that whatever touches the sin (“purification”) offering becomes holy.

Note that priests can eat of grain offerings (6:16), sin/purification offerings (6:26), guilt offerings (7:7), a cake with well-being offerings (7:14) and meat with any well-being offering (7:32-34).

Offerings of well-being must be eaten the day of the sacrifice; votive offerings (vow) can be eaten the following day. After that period what is let must be burned entirely (7:15-18).

No one is allowed to eat from offerings while in a state of impurity (7:20-21).

Note the emphasis on the the offerer bringing and preparing the sacrifice of well-being (7:28-30).

Where is God speaking to Moses? Sinai, or the Tabernacle (7:38, contrast to 1:1)? This is a small piece of evidence for viewing Leviticus as a compilation, and not a dictation.

Leviticus: Purification Offerings

Hey Leviticus class!

I am going to post here an excerpt from the world's greatest Leviticus scholar, Jacob Milgrom. His writing is a little technical, but hang with it, because I think this is very helpful for understanding Leviticus 4 . . . tomorrow I'll post my notes about Leviticus 4 and expand on some of the theology he brings up.

This is from Milgrom's Leviticus: A Continental Commentary:

In the introduction I stated that biblical rituals are symbolic acts that, in the main, contain within them ethical values. This axiom is nowhere better illustrated than in the purification offering (often wrongly translated as "sin offering"). To make this point I will focus on one rite, with one ingredient, of one sacrifice: the daubing of blood on the horns of the altar (vv. 7, 25). According to Leviticus, the purification offering is prescribed as a response to moral impurity-defined as an unintended breach of prohibitions (4:2)-and to severe cases of physical impurity. Physical impurity in this context applies to either gender and has to do only with ritual, not with one's character or morality. Two examples  of such physical impurity are the genital flow from a new mother and from a gonnorhean (chaps. 12 and 15). The first question to ask is naturally: Who or what is being purified? Surprisingly, it is not the person with the moral or physical impurity. According to Leviticus, if his or her impurity is physical, only bathing is required to purify the body; if the impurity is moral (the unintended breach of a prohibition), a remorseful conscience clears the impurity. In neither case does the offering purify the person bringing the offering. If the bringer of the sacrifice is not affected, who then is being purified? The telling clue is the destination of the blood of the sacrifice. It is not smeared on the offerer; it is smeared, rather, on the altar. The act is described by the word kippur, "purge" (as in Yom Kippur: the Day of Purgation). In commanding that the blood be daubed on the horns of the altar, the text is indicating that the altar is contaminated and must be purified. Since the offerer must bring the sacrifice, the offerer must in some way be implicated in the contamination of the altar.

Thus the first principle: Blood is the ritual cleanser that purges the altar of impurities inflicted on it by the offerer. If an individual has accidentally violated a prohibition, the priest purges the outer (sacrificial) altar with the blood of the offerer's purification offering (4:27-35). If the entire community has accidentally violated a prohibition, the priest purges the inner (incense) altar and the shrine, the outer room of the tent, with the blood of the purification offering brought by the community's representatives (4:13-21). If, however, ever, individuals have brazenly violated prohibitions, then, once a year, on Yom Kippur, pur, the high priest purges the entire sanctuary, beginning with the inner and holiest area containing the ark. In this case, the purification offering is not brought by the culprits-deliberate sinners are barred from the sanctuary-but by the high priest himself (see fig. 2). This graded impurity of the sanctuary and its purgation leads to the second principle: A sin committed anywhere will generate impurity that, becoming airborne, penetrates the sanctuary in proportion to its magnitude.

Israel's neighbors also believed that impurity polluted the sanctuary. For them, however, the source of impurity  was demonic. Therefore, their priests devised rituals and incantations to immunize their temples against demonic penetration. Israel, however, in the wake of its monotheistic revolution, abolished the world of demonic divinities. Only a single being capable of demonic acts remained-the human being. The humans were even more powerful than their pagan counterparts: they could drive God out of God's sanctuary.

Thus the third principle: God will not abide in a polluted sanctuary. To be sure, the Merciful One would tolerate a modicum of pollution. But there is a point of no return. If the pollution levels continue to rise, the end is inexorable. God abandons the sanctuary and leaves the people to their doom.  The priestly writers would claim that sin may not blotch the face of the sinner, but it is certain to blotch the face of the sanctuary, and, unless quickly expunged, God's presence will depart. Thus the fourth and final principle: the priestly doctrine of collective responsibility. Sinners may go about apparently unmarred by their evil, but the sanctuary bears the wounds, and with its destruction, all the sinners will meet their doom.

Jacob Milgrom. Leviticus (Continental Commentary) (Continental Commentaries) (Kindle Locations 568-579). Kindle Edition.

Leviticus: Blood

Blood is a critical issue in Leviticus. We are repeated told about how blood is never to be eaten but to be given to God, and blood is the “key ingredient” in all the sacrifices of atonement that Leviticus details. This focus on blood is not unique to Leviticus, but is a prominent feature in the Torah. This blog will consider the “big picture” behind blood in Leviticus and why it matters to us.

The issue of blood and bloodshed is front and center in the first covenant in scripture: the covenant with Noah. God tells Noah in Genesis 9:1-6 that humans are subsequently allowed to eat meat (they weren’t previously!) but that they must not eat the blood. Check it out:

Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 For your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for human life.

6 Whoever sheds the blood of a human,
    by a human shall that person’s blood be shed;
for in his own image
    God made humankind.

All life belongs to God, and to the ancient Israelites the blood represented life. Therefore, in any act of killing the blood had to be dealt with. If it was a murder, the blood of the perpetrator was to be shed to expiate the sin. If it was a sacrifice, the blood was to be given to God at the altar (poured out or “dashed” against the sides of the altar). If an Israelite killed an animal in the field, the blood was to be poured out prior to consumption (Lev. 17:13). If blood was shed and not expiated then the land would become defiled, as in Numbers 35:33:

You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and no expiation can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.

The only legitimate human use for blood was for purifying or expiating sins and defilement. The priests were to apply blood to the various altars or sprinkle blood before the Ark (“mercy seat”) at different times to expiate sins and defilement. God allows the Israelites to purify the Tabernacle through sacrificial blood in order to maintain a relationship with Him (Lev. 17:11). This is a CRITICAL piece to understanding the sacrificial system . . . you’ll see in Leviticus 4-7 and beyond that blood is NEVER put on “sinners” to purify them of sins. Rather, blood is put on parts of the Tabernacle to purify it and remove the defilement brought about by sin.

So from all of this discussion of blood we are left with some significant theological points:

All life belongs to God . . . no human or animal lives are to be used as a commodity or treated lightly.
Violence (bloodshed) defiles creation and everyone who lives in an area of unreconciled bloodshed is defiled in God’s eyes
The cost of removing the defilement of sin is life itself (as blood represents life in sacrifice). Life overcomes death (the ultimate disorder or defilement) but at the cost of sacrifice. Beyond the obvious New Testament implications, this points to the reality in life that it is only by great sacrifice that we deal with sins. Whether they are personal sins, family sins, national sins or anything else there are no cheap or easy solutions. Healing and restoration require sacrifice, if not of our blood then our time, our resources, our love and ourselves (our desires, comforts, etc.).
God refuses to dwell in the midst or sin, disorder and impurity. If sin and disorder is not dealt with them fellowship and covenant with God will be broken. (See Ezekiel 8-10 for an example.)

Leviticus: Tabernacle, Final Thoughts

We've said a lot about the Tabernacle but here are three final thoughts to consider as you read Exodus and consider the role of the Tabernacle in Leviticus . . .

1. Gradations of Holiness

Notice in Exodus that the Tabernacle's center, the Holy of Holies, is the most holy. It is the area with precious metals and the finest wood, craftsmanship and fabric. The level of holiness in the Holy of Holies is lethal to anyone who is not the High Priest, and a curtain separates it from everyone else. The Holy Place is the next level down. It has some precious metals and fine craftsmanship, but is a step down in quality from the Holy of Holies. Priests may enter the Holy Place and it too has a curtain, but it is accessible. The Courtyard is the least holy part of the Tabernacle; anyone who is in a state of ceremonial purity may enter to perform a sacrifice. It's construction is quality, but it does not have any precious materials.

2.  Grace

As we read the varieties of rituals and laws in Leviticus it is critical to remember that God's presence is an act of grace. Remember, He rescues Israel from Egypt and gives them the Tabernacle and the laws not as a harsh taskmaster, but as a God who wishes to dwell with His people (and in culturally appropriate ways). What we are reading is a covenant which allows Israel, in the midst of her sin and impurity, to meaningfully interact with God.

3. Tabernacle, Christ and the Church

In the New Testament, Christ refers to Himself as the Temple (Tabernacle, John 2:19). Therefore, what we see taking place in the Tabernacle (expiating sin, forgiveness, purification, communion with God, etc.) we see taking place in Christ's ministry. The New Testament goes further though; after Christ's resurrection, the Church becomes the Tabernacle (1 Cor. 3:16). Therefore, what happens in the Tabernacle in Leviticus and in Christ (the theological principles anyway) should take place in the church. This is a critical element to tracing God's intentions through the story. He is after the same things (dealing with sin, restoring relationship with humans, making us holy) but using different methods at different points in the story. Our task as interpreters then is to see these big theological principles and goals and ask: how is that true for me or my church?

Leviticus: Tabernacle as Symbol, Part Two

As we discussed in the previous blog, the Tabernacle was not only a place to perform sacrifice and meet with God but was also a symbol of what the Israelites believed about God and His interaction with creation. We previously discussed the Tabernacle as a type of “Eden”, a representation of creation without the taint of sin. Today we’re going to explore how the Tabernacle functioned as a symbol of the world itself, and the world as it should be.

The Tabernacle as Microcosm of Creation

The Tabernacle divides into three distinct parts: Courtyard, Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. The courtyard is a representation of the earth or land. We find in the courtyard water (in the laver, which is called the “sea” in the Temple), an altar of uncut rocks (land), and fire. Here any person who is ceremonially clean can come, both priests and lay people.

The Holy Place represents visible heaven. It has blue and purple curtains like the sky, lamps with seven lights representing the largest visible lights (sun, moon and five planets), and incense rising like clouds or mist. This area is restricted to a select few, the priests.

The Holy of Holies represents invisible heaven. Here we find angels embroidered into the cloth, Cherubim guarding God’s presence, and the Ark serving as the footstool of God’s throne. It cannot be seen or entered by anyone except the High Priest who God appoints.

The central meaning of this system of symbols is that God is at the center of creation and rules over it all as a king.

2.   The Tabernacle as the Goal of Creation

While the Tabernacle functions as a symbol of what is, it also functions as a symbol of what is to come. The Tabernacle is a place where creation is properly ordered, where humans and God are in proper relationship, where death is controlled and where everything (time, space, people) is made holy by God’s presence. The reason this is so is because the Tabernacle was created according to what God showed Moses of the heavenly Temple (Hebrews 9:23). This is ultimately what God desires and will do for all of creation (Revelation 21:9-27). Furthermore, the Tabernacle then is an example of God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. It is a reflection of Heaven (the age to come) given in the present and is a forerunner to Jesus’ teaching on this in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10).

Leviticus: Tabernacle as Symbol, Part One

The Tabernacle had a variety of functions for the Israelites. It was a place for leaders to meet with God, a place for sacrifices to be performed, and a place for the tribes to gather around to renew covenants and obligations to each other. But it also functioned as the central symbol of Israel's beliefs about God and the world, and it did this on a variety of levels. I'll spend the next few blogs briefly exploring the different symbolic and unspoken (at least to modern, Western ears) meanings behind the Tabernacle.

Tabernacle as Symbol of Pristine Creation
One of the very interesting things that stands out when you read God's instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle is how they parallel the creation of the world in Genesis 1. The Hebrew words used, the cadence and the repetition are strikingly similar. This is not a coincidence! Here is an example:

From Genesis 1:
A1 And God saw all that he had made and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. (Gen 1: 31)
B1 1The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. 2On the seventh day God finished the work which he had been doing, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had done. (Gen 2: 1– 2)
C1 And God blessed the seventh day and made it sacred, for on it God had ceased from all the work of creation which he had done. (Gen 2: 3)


From Exodus 39:
A2 All the work of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Encounter, was finished. The Israelites had done everything exactly as YHWH had commanded Moses: Thus had they done it. (Exod 39: 32)
B2 And Moses saw all the work and found that they had made it as YHWH had commanded: Thus had they made it. And Moses blessed them. (Exod 39: 43)
C2 You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and all that is in it, and you shall make it sacred, along with all its furnishings. It shall be sacred. (Exod 40: 9)

The work is done according to God's plan and order, the work is approved, and then made holy. The point of this parallelism is that the Tabernacle is like a piece of new creation, without the curse of sin and death, plopped right down into the world. That also means that the Tabernacle is something akin to the Garden of Eden in the eyes of the Israelites: a place where God and humans are living together in harmony. This is also seen in some of the symbols in the Tabernacle: lamps shaped like fruit trees, and Cherubim guarding God's presence (compare with Genesis 3:24). When the Israelites build a Temple years later they expand upon this symbol, as the whole interior of the Temple is designed like a paradise (i.e. Eden).

So, the takeaway for an Israelite worshiper is that while he or she may not have direct access to Eden and God due to sin and corruption God still intends to keep them close by and bless them through the Tabernacle (Eden partially restored). It is now the place where heaven and earth meet (again, just like Eden) and therefore where God is revealed, where His blessings are poured out, and the place where people can know Him and be restored by Him. And of course as Christians, all of this points towards to Christ (John 1:14): who will live with us, reveal God to us, and restore us to God in a permanent and transforming manner. 

Leviticus: Tabernacle, the Big Picture

Welcome "Vision of the Kingdom: Leviticus Bible Study" friends! I am thankful you've found our class blog and hope this will be a valuable resource to you throughout our study. Last night I did not get to cover all that I wanted to about the Tabernacle, so I'll be posting several times this week to get us up to speed . . .

Exodus End Game:
We often think that God's goal in the Exodus was simply to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. And while this is certainly true, it is not the whole story. God didn't just work to free Israel, but to make Israel His holy people, establish them in the promise land, and to teach them how to live in communion with Him and properly worship Him. From the very beginning when God speaks to Moses through the burning bush, His goal is for Israel to worship Him:

Exodus 3:12
He (God) said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”

God of course fulfills this promise and sign by bringing Israel to Sinai (by means of plagues, Red Sea, etc.) and bringing them into His worship. God then empowers Israel to live with Him by giving Moses the Law, and perhaps most importantly by giving Moses a vision of the Tabernacle and the instructions to build it.

Exodus 25:8
 ". . .and have them (the Israelites) make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them."

The point then of the Tabernacle, laws, sacrifices and even the Exodus itself is for Israel to live with God. This is the starting point of Leviticus: the assumption that God desires to live with His people, commune with them and care for them. This is an act of grace on God's part, that then calls for a response from His people. Their response is to follow the law and learn from God how to be a holy people who will reflect His glory to the nations (Ex. 19:5-6).