Leviticus 26-27
I have to confess...I am a little excited that Leviticus is almost over. I am ready to not talk about slaughtering animals. At the same time, I know it is important to read these things and remember the whole point of Jesus' death on the cross. I also know that Numbers isn't always fun to read either. But either way, I must read.
Having said that, chapter 26 may be one of my favorites yet.
And not just because there are not details about killing animals.
I just love the way it reads. So many cool word pictures. Very clear language on what the people should do. My kind of verses...
First of all, I love how God compares what will happen to the people if they LISTEN to him and follow His (many) rules versus not listening and obeying.
Let's think about this:
Obey= good rains, abundant crops, safety and peace, many children, and kindness from God
Disobey/turn away= disease, defeat by their enemies, wild animals, crops not growing, hunger
Which would you choose?
Some of my favorite word pictures:
One of the punishments that God will dole out for disobedience is that He will make the sky like iron and the land like bronze...meaning no rain will fall nor will anything grow.
Those who turn away from God will lose courage in the land of their enemies. He said that even the people would be "frightened by the sound of a leaf being blown by the wind..."
Aren't those neat? Precise?
My favorite part is the end of 26. God tells Moses that if the people who turned away confessed their sins and took their punishment, He would remember the land, remember the people, and remember the promises He made.
Hope.
I cling to it, don't you?
Chapter 27
More rules, specifically about gifts and values of animals, land, etc.
The part that stuck out most from this chapter is that this is where the whole tithing thing began. 10 percent.
That is about all I can do tonight. I am wiped out.
I am betting tomorrow is the first 2 or 3 chapters of Numbers.
I guess we will see!
Reba
Showing posts with label Leviticus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Leviticus. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Week 9 Day 1 An Eye for an Eye
Leviticus 23-25
Yes, I realize I am behind.
I have no excuses other than I was really tired last night. I am pretty tired tonight too but determined to do this.
So...
Chapter 23
This chapter lists all of the festivals appointed by God. I would love to have a calendar where this is all spelled out for me. I am so visual. I do know there were several.
The Sabbath
The Passover
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The First of the Harvest
The Feast of Weeks
The Feast of Trumpets
The Day of Cleansing
The Feast of Shelters
Chapter 24
The title of this "An Eye for an Eye" is one of the more often quoted verses from the Bible, especially when referring to crime or retaliation.
And it all stemmed from the story of a man who cursed God during an argument with another man.
The people held him until they heard what God's plans were for this man (it wasn't a good outcome for him).
This is when God delivers the "Eye for an Eye" speech.
It is one of those things I don't completely understand. Honestly, reading this chapter made me a bit nauseated. I am not big on violence. Ask my husband. I am VERY limited in what I will watch on tv or in movies. So I cannot fully understand. It is just one of those times I have to believe He is God. And that is all I need to know.
Chapter 25
This chapter sums up a few topics.
The Year of Rest for the Land (every seventh year, letting the land rest
The Year of Jubilee (every 50th year)- a year of freedom
Property Laws and Rules for Slave Owners
I am fading fast (fatigued) so I better end for now. Tomorrow I finish up Leviticus!
Reba
Yes, I realize I am behind.
I have no excuses other than I was really tired last night. I am pretty tired tonight too but determined to do this.
So...
Chapter 23
This chapter lists all of the festivals appointed by God. I would love to have a calendar where this is all spelled out for me. I am so visual. I do know there were several.
The Sabbath
The Passover
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The First of the Harvest
The Feast of Weeks
The Feast of Trumpets
The Day of Cleansing
The Feast of Shelters
Chapter 24
The title of this "An Eye for an Eye" is one of the more often quoted verses from the Bible, especially when referring to crime or retaliation.
And it all stemmed from the story of a man who cursed God during an argument with another man.
The people held him until they heard what God's plans were for this man (it wasn't a good outcome for him).
This is when God delivers the "Eye for an Eye" speech.
It is one of those things I don't completely understand. Honestly, reading this chapter made me a bit nauseated. I am not big on violence. Ask my husband. I am VERY limited in what I will watch on tv or in movies. So I cannot fully understand. It is just one of those times I have to believe He is God. And that is all I need to know.
Chapter 25
This chapter sums up a few topics.
The Year of Rest for the Land (every seventh year, letting the land rest
The Year of Jubilee (every 50th year)- a year of freedom
Property Laws and Rules for Slave Owners
I am fading fast (fatigued) so I better end for now. Tomorrow I finish up Leviticus!
Reba
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Week 8 Day 7 Holy, Holy, Holy
Leviticus 21-22
Most of this reading selection was about the expectations for a priest. Wow. There are a lot. The guidelines list their appearance expectations, requirements for marrying, strict rules for family, even the mourning process. The priests were a people set apart. Their lives had to look much different than the lives of the common people. Why? Because God is holy. He is a holy God. Since the priests are the ones who are communicating with God, they must be as holy as they can be.
The last part of the selection was about the animal sacrifices.
I have to admit, I am eagerly awaiting a selection without animal sacrifices.
Ugh.
More soon!
Next: Leviticus 23-25
Most of this reading selection was about the expectations for a priest. Wow. There are a lot. The guidelines list their appearance expectations, requirements for marrying, strict rules for family, even the mourning process. The priests were a people set apart. Their lives had to look much different than the lives of the common people. Why? Because God is holy. He is a holy God. Since the priests are the ones who are communicating with God, they must be as holy as they can be.
The last part of the selection was about the animal sacrifices.
I have to admit, I am eagerly awaiting a selection without animal sacrifices.
Ugh.
More soon!
Next: Leviticus 23-25
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Week 8 Day 6 Can You Hear Me Now?
Leviticus 18-20
Guess what these chapters are about?
More rules/laws.
Yes, they keep on coming.
This makes me think the Israelites had to have it all spelled out for them.
You know when you look at your blowdryer and it tells you not to use it in the bathtub. Or the warning on the refrigerator advises to not carry it on your back? You know why those are there? Because somebody did it. Scary huh?
That is what I find myself thinking as I read these chapters.
These laws had to be written because someone had obviously done those things.
Scary but true...
Chapter 18
This whole chapter other than one verse about not sacrificing children all has to do with...well...um...marital relations with people they aren't married to (mainly family). I won't go into much detail. I just noticed that there were a lot of "Not _____(this person) in your family" or "Not ________(that person) in your family" which again tells me that there had probably already been problems and this had to be clarified.
Chapter 19
This chapter has a lot of laws on many different subjects. Several are repeated such as not eating anything with blood in it.
The one part that really stuck out to me in this chapter was in verses 33-34a.
"Do not mistreat foreigners living in your country, but treat them just as you treat your own citizens. Love foreigners as you love yourselves, because you were foreigners one time in Egypt..."
While I know that our need for the law was erased, wiped clean, with the blood of Jesus, I am not so sure these words have to be thrown out completely.
I just think about our country.
We (the "settlers") were and are foreigners in a land that belonged to others. Yet we just came in and took over. Even worse, the whole foreigner thing is one of the most debated topics in our country. Don't believe me? Read the Letters to the Editor sometime. It makes my stomach churn about as much as the sacrifice descriptions do.
I just think we need reminders even today...we need to love others. Does it really matter where they come from?
Chapter 20
More sin talk except this time consequences are laid out.
The one thing repeated in this chapter is to be holy. Be a holy people. Why? Because He is God. He has made them holy.
Even as they entered new lands, the people were to be set apart. They weren't to do as the Romans did, but they were to follow God's laws.
'Nuff said.
Reba
Tomorrow's reading:
Leviticus 21-22
Guess what these chapters are about?
More rules/laws.
Yes, they keep on coming.
This makes me think the Israelites had to have it all spelled out for them.
You know when you look at your blowdryer and it tells you not to use it in the bathtub. Or the warning on the refrigerator advises to not carry it on your back? You know why those are there? Because somebody did it. Scary huh?
That is what I find myself thinking as I read these chapters.
These laws had to be written because someone had obviously done those things.
Scary but true...
Chapter 18
This whole chapter other than one verse about not sacrificing children all has to do with...well...um...marital relations with people they aren't married to (mainly family). I won't go into much detail. I just noticed that there were a lot of "Not _____(this person) in your family" or "Not ________(that person) in your family" which again tells me that there had probably already been problems and this had to be clarified.
Chapter 19
This chapter has a lot of laws on many different subjects. Several are repeated such as not eating anything with blood in it.
The one part that really stuck out to me in this chapter was in verses 33-34a.
"Do not mistreat foreigners living in your country, but treat them just as you treat your own citizens. Love foreigners as you love yourselves, because you were foreigners one time in Egypt..."
While I know that our need for the law was erased, wiped clean, with the blood of Jesus, I am not so sure these words have to be thrown out completely.
I just think about our country.
We (the "settlers") were and are foreigners in a land that belonged to others. Yet we just came in and took over. Even worse, the whole foreigner thing is one of the most debated topics in our country. Don't believe me? Read the Letters to the Editor sometime. It makes my stomach churn about as much as the sacrifice descriptions do.
I just think we need reminders even today...we need to love others. Does it really matter where they come from?
Chapter 20
More sin talk except this time consequences are laid out.
The one thing repeated in this chapter is to be holy. Be a holy people. Why? Because He is God. He has made them holy.
Even as they entered new lands, the people were to be set apart. They weren't to do as the Romans did, but they were to follow God's laws.
'Nuff said.
Reba
Tomorrow's reading:
Leviticus 21-22
Friday, April 22, 2011
Week 8 Day 5 Cleanliness is Next to Godliness
Leviticus 16-17
Leviticus 16
Oh, wow. I am not sure I would have made it as a priest. If you know me at all, you know how stressed I get. I worry a lot about whether I am doing the right thing, what if I am forgetting a step in a process, what if I say something wrong, etc. I am just thinking, if I had been Aaron, I would have been in a state of stress all of the time.
Those priests had SO many rules, so many procedures. And they had to be done just the right way.
Doing them the wrong way could result in death.
It really does make me tired thinking about it.
The one thing I was most intrigued about in this chapter was the statement made in verse 29. The people were supposed to have a day of rest (NO work) on the tenth day of the seventh month. This was the day the priest would make them clean so they could belong to the LORD. What confuses me a bit is that it says in verse 31 that this law will continue forever.
That forever is throwing me off a bit.
I have always thought (based on what I have read in the Bible) that the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ took away the need for the law.
And for that I am thankful.
But that isn't what this chapter says about THIS law.
Forever.
So are we still supposed to be doing this?
We don't need priests anymore to make us clean.
Hmmm, things that make you go "hmmmm".
(I really need to befriend a Bible scholar to explain this stuff to me...)
Chapter 17
More dead animals. There are a lot of those in this book.
Have I mentioned how much dead animals make my stomach churn? I can kill a fly but that is about as much as I am capable of. I don't kill spiders (they help us) or even mice as much as they make me scream. I would have been in trouble had I lived in the wilderness with the Israelites.
The people in the camps had a lot of rules regarding just the killing (and later disposal) of the animals.
Doing anything different would make a person clean or unclean.
Ugh.
My stomach is turning.
The one part I found interesting (and yet stomach turning all at the same time) was the whole section on the blood.
I have found myself wondering a time or two why the shedding of blood was used to cleanse the people. I mean, I think about blood, I think about a mess. Ever have a child get a cut on their forehead? Red everywhere. How is that cleansing? I think of cleansing as pure and white.
Well, my answer to "Why blood?" is found in this chapter.
Blood=Life.
Blood removes sins because it is life.
There you have it!
More soon,
Reba
Leviticus 16
Oh, wow. I am not sure I would have made it as a priest. If you know me at all, you know how stressed I get. I worry a lot about whether I am doing the right thing, what if I am forgetting a step in a process, what if I say something wrong, etc. I am just thinking, if I had been Aaron, I would have been in a state of stress all of the time.
Those priests had SO many rules, so many procedures. And they had to be done just the right way.
Doing them the wrong way could result in death.
It really does make me tired thinking about it.
The one thing I was most intrigued about in this chapter was the statement made in verse 29. The people were supposed to have a day of rest (NO work) on the tenth day of the seventh month. This was the day the priest would make them clean so they could belong to the LORD. What confuses me a bit is that it says in verse 31 that this law will continue forever.
That forever is throwing me off a bit.
I have always thought (based on what I have read in the Bible) that the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ took away the need for the law.
And for that I am thankful.
But that isn't what this chapter says about THIS law.
Forever.
So are we still supposed to be doing this?
We don't need priests anymore to make us clean.
Hmmm, things that make you go "hmmmm".
(I really need to befriend a Bible scholar to explain this stuff to me...)
Chapter 17
More dead animals. There are a lot of those in this book.
Have I mentioned how much dead animals make my stomach churn? I can kill a fly but that is about as much as I am capable of. I don't kill spiders (they help us) or even mice as much as they make me scream. I would have been in trouble had I lived in the wilderness with the Israelites.
The people in the camps had a lot of rules regarding just the killing (and later disposal) of the animals.
Doing anything different would make a person clean or unclean.
Ugh.
My stomach is turning.
The one part I found interesting (and yet stomach turning all at the same time) was the whole section on the blood.
I have found myself wondering a time or two why the shedding of blood was used to cleanse the people. I mean, I think about blood, I think about a mess. Ever have a child get a cut on their forehead? Red everywhere. How is that cleansing? I think of cleansing as pure and white.
Well, my answer to "Why blood?" is found in this chapter.
Blood=Life.
Blood removes sins because it is life.
There you have it!
More soon,
Reba
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Week 8 Day 4 To Eat or Not to Eat...
Leviticus 11-15
I want to be excited to read the Bible. I do. And I have been. But I have to admit, Leviticus gives me a bit of a headache. SOOOO many rules. So many "If...then..." statements. I am only a few chapters into it and I find myself ready for the Savior so we can get rid of all of these rules. I know that they were necessary for the whole bunch of people wandering the wilderness. I mean, we have a few rules (few hundred) at our own house. I can't imagine multiplying that by...bunches. But I will admit that reading it gets a bit tedious. Yet I will persist because I know there is more coming. And eventually I will get to the BEST story of all. Eventually.
Chapter 11
This chapter was about clean and unclean food. I will admit, reading it, I began to think it might have been easier if they had just listed what the people COULD eat. I was a bit relieved to see a few things on the "no" list: camels, the black vulture, about any kind of owl, the weasel, the rat, the skink, and a lot of insects.
One part that confused me was that the people could not eat insects that walked on all "four" legs. I know a thing or two about insects, and they have SIX legs. Don't quite get that one. I am sure there is an explanation. Feel free to share it with me. :)
Chapter 12
This chapter deals with rules for new mothers. I won't go into a lot of it other than to say that apparently having a boy made you less unclean than having a girl. Again, there is probably a reason for that but I don't truly get that. I need a Biblical scholar who can explain this all to me in language I can understand (also read: simple). The only other thing I can say is that I am SO thankful we are not under these rules and regulations any more, that now we live for the Savior and are saved by Him.
Chapter 13
I had NO idea there could be so many rules about skin diseases. There are. A lot. You name it, it is there. Open sores. Baldness. Burns. Boils.
I also didn't fully realize the role of the priest. The people didn't go see a doctor for these things. They went to the priest. The priest would determine if it was something temporary or a skin disease that required being separated from the rest of the people.
There were also rules about mildew and fabric. Again, the priest was the determining factor on this one...
Chapter 14
Now that we have read about the skin diseases and the possibilities associated with them, this chapter explains the rules for cleansing people from their skin diseases.
The next part of the chapter deals with cleansing from molds. As in molds in houses. I find this interesting because today, we still deal with these issues. I have friends who have had mold in their houses...harmful molds. Enough they had to move out. And to get someone to come clean them out, it can cost an enormous amount of money. But back then, there were no mold removal people to call. Guess who you called instead? The priest, of course. That priest guy is a Jack of all trades!
Chapter 15
I really don't care to elaborate much on chapter 15. It all has to do with bodily fluids and being unclean. Again, all I will say is I am SO thankful that THIS was not God's final plan for us. That He had a Savior planned that wiped all of the rules and laws away once we knew that we could not in any way fulfill the law. The law only served to show us how unworthy we really are of His love. But He gives it anyway...
Tomorrow's Reading: Leviticus 16-17
More later,
Reba
I want to be excited to read the Bible. I do. And I have been. But I have to admit, Leviticus gives me a bit of a headache. SOOOO many rules. So many "If...then..." statements. I am only a few chapters into it and I find myself ready for the Savior so we can get rid of all of these rules. I know that they were necessary for the whole bunch of people wandering the wilderness. I mean, we have a few rules (few hundred) at our own house. I can't imagine multiplying that by...bunches. But I will admit that reading it gets a bit tedious. Yet I will persist because I know there is more coming. And eventually I will get to the BEST story of all. Eventually.
Chapter 11
This chapter was about clean and unclean food. I will admit, reading it, I began to think it might have been easier if they had just listed what the people COULD eat. I was a bit relieved to see a few things on the "no" list: camels, the black vulture, about any kind of owl, the weasel, the rat, the skink, and a lot of insects.
One part that confused me was that the people could not eat insects that walked on all "four" legs. I know a thing or two about insects, and they have SIX legs. Don't quite get that one. I am sure there is an explanation. Feel free to share it with me. :)
Chapter 12
This chapter deals with rules for new mothers. I won't go into a lot of it other than to say that apparently having a boy made you less unclean than having a girl. Again, there is probably a reason for that but I don't truly get that. I need a Biblical scholar who can explain this all to me in language I can understand (also read: simple). The only other thing I can say is that I am SO thankful we are not under these rules and regulations any more, that now we live for the Savior and are saved by Him.
Chapter 13
I had NO idea there could be so many rules about skin diseases. There are. A lot. You name it, it is there. Open sores. Baldness. Burns. Boils.
I also didn't fully realize the role of the priest. The people didn't go see a doctor for these things. They went to the priest. The priest would determine if it was something temporary or a skin disease that required being separated from the rest of the people.
There were also rules about mildew and fabric. Again, the priest was the determining factor on this one...
Chapter 14
Now that we have read about the skin diseases and the possibilities associated with them, this chapter explains the rules for cleansing people from their skin diseases.
The next part of the chapter deals with cleansing from molds. As in molds in houses. I find this interesting because today, we still deal with these issues. I have friends who have had mold in their houses...harmful molds. Enough they had to move out. And to get someone to come clean them out, it can cost an enormous amount of money. But back then, there were no mold removal people to call. Guess who you called instead? The priest, of course. That priest guy is a Jack of all trades!
Chapter 15
I really don't care to elaborate much on chapter 15. It all has to do with bodily fluids and being unclean. Again, all I will say is I am SO thankful that THIS was not God's final plan for us. That He had a Savior planned that wiped all of the rules and laws away once we knew that we could not in any way fulfill the law. The law only served to show us how unworthy we really are of His love. But He gives it anyway...
Tomorrow's Reading: Leviticus 16-17
More later,
Reba
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Week 8 Day 3 R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Leviticus 7-10
Most of these chapters were a review of the offerings as well as the actual ordination of the priests (Aaron and his sons).
And lots more verses about blood and dead animals.
Then we come to chapter 10.
Aaron's sons, two of them, did not follow the rules laid out before them. I don't completely understand it all but it had something to do with the fire they were using.
Whatever they did or didn't do must have been a big no no, because fire came down from heaven and struck them down. Dead.
God reminded His priests that He is Holy and is to be respected.
A tough lesson to learn.
Of course, my first thoughts go to Aaron. Here he is in this big role as a head priest. And now his very own sons have been struck dead.
Like many other things in life, I don't completely understand. Why couldn't God have given a warning first? Why does he show mercy sometimes and not sometimes? I don't understand.
But He IS God. And He is worthy to be respected.
End of story.
More tomorrow...
Reba
Most of these chapters were a review of the offerings as well as the actual ordination of the priests (Aaron and his sons).
And lots more verses about blood and dead animals.
Then we come to chapter 10.
Aaron's sons, two of them, did not follow the rules laid out before them. I don't completely understand it all but it had something to do with the fire they were using.
Whatever they did or didn't do must have been a big no no, because fire came down from heaven and struck them down. Dead.
God reminded His priests that He is Holy and is to be respected.
A tough lesson to learn.
Of course, my first thoughts go to Aaron. Here he is in this big role as a head priest. And now his very own sons have been struck dead.
Like many other things in life, I don't completely understand. Why couldn't God have given a warning first? Why does he show mercy sometimes and not sometimes? I don't understand.
But He IS God. And He is worthy to be respected.
End of story.
More tomorrow...
Reba
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Week 8 Day 1 and 2
Leviticus 1-6
Here is my chance to get almost caught up. :) Since we are in a new chapter, the first day is just reading the introduction in my Bible. That took 2 minutes. Now I am working on the next "day" which is 6 chapters. Gulp!
Have to admit, I have been dreading Leviticus. A LOT of rules and regulations. A LOT. I know that. I also know why this was important. There were a lot of people wandering in the wilderness. They needed rules and regulations. I know in my classroom of 20 little people that we need rules and regulations. Now imagine all of the Israelites camping out together. You know that they needed some. (This was also God's chance to show the people that no matter what they did, they could NOT live up to the rules...they needed a Savior!) But even knowing all of this doesn't mean I am ready to just jump in and read every chapter. I will just start with 6...
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 involves rules regarding the burnt offering (must be whole, male, unblemished). The rules go into details about what the people can bring for the offering, where to take it, and what the priests will do with them. I have to admit. I got queasy reading this chapter. I can handle a lot of things (I am a mom after all) but the descriptions on here...ugh. This is why I am not a hunter. I can barely kill a fly much less a sheep. So I will move on to chapter 2...
Chapter 2
The grain offering. I have to admit, I didn't remember this (other than talking about it at church). I always think of the offerings involving the killing of an animal. In this case, the actual offering is some sort of grain. There are several ways the people can do this (bringing something bake, bringing the grains, etc.). A few guidelines include using only fine flour, NO yeast, and salt must always be sprinkled on top to stand for their agreement with God that will last forever.
The other thing that sticks out in this chapter is that these chapters keep referring to the burnt offerings as a smell pleasing to the Lord. For some reason, that strikes me funny, just because I don' t think of God as smelling something burning on an altar as being "pleasing". That is just my human way of thinking though...
Chapter 3
The Fellowship Offering. Okay, I did okay with the Grain Offering. There was no killing or blood involved. But now we are back to the whole animal thing and a step by step instruction on what to do with the parts. And again, I feel queasy. A couple things different from the offering mentioned in chapter 1: the animals brought before the priests could be male or female. And apparently burning the fat from these animals provided a pleasing smell to the lord.
Chapter 4
The Sin Offering:
We actually just talked about this in church the other day. We weren't reading Leviticus though, we were reading Hebrews.
The sin offering is for when a person sins by accident and does some things that the LORD has commanded not be done. Over and over it says the person is guilty.
So even when done by accident, they were guilty of the sin.
Thus, the sin offering.
This chapter breaks down the animals to use, who the offering is for (an individual, the whole nation, a ruler, etc), and how the sacrifice is to be carried out. And once again, my tummy feels queasy...
Chapter 5:
In this chapter, I learned some types of accidental sins, such as not telling in court what he/she knows, accidentally touching something unclean, or forgetting a promise made to the Lord (with my memory, I would be in big trouble on that one!). The chapter then goes on to give detail yet again about the type of animal that may be used as an offering as well as specific details about how the priest should kill it. And again, my stomach turns...
The second part of the chapter is the penalty offering which is when a person does something against the holy things of the Lord (even accidentally).
Chapter 6:
This chapter continues telling about the penalty offering. It also discusses "restitution" of sorts especially if something is stolen.
One year our house was robbed. Thankfully Mark came home and interrupted the burglary (not in the house but rather the driveway) so the thieves didn't get away with a whole lot. But they did get away with some. And out of that some, we only ever got one item back. I really hoped for restitution much like this chapter discusses. But apparently the time in jail cancelled our restitution? Unfortunately, that didn't bring our stuff back either...Maybe I am living in the wrong time...
The Whole Burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offerings:
More details about the offerings.
The thing that really sticks out to me is how extensive the job of the priest is. I am tired just reading all of this!
Tomorrow's reading: Leviticus 7-10
Goodnight!
Reba
Here is my chance to get almost caught up. :) Since we are in a new chapter, the first day is just reading the introduction in my Bible. That took 2 minutes. Now I am working on the next "day" which is 6 chapters. Gulp!
Have to admit, I have been dreading Leviticus. A LOT of rules and regulations. A LOT. I know that. I also know why this was important. There were a lot of people wandering in the wilderness. They needed rules and regulations. I know in my classroom of 20 little people that we need rules and regulations. Now imagine all of the Israelites camping out together. You know that they needed some. (This was also God's chance to show the people that no matter what they did, they could NOT live up to the rules...they needed a Savior!) But even knowing all of this doesn't mean I am ready to just jump in and read every chapter. I will just start with 6...
Chapter 1
Chapter 1 involves rules regarding the burnt offering (must be whole, male, unblemished). The rules go into details about what the people can bring for the offering, where to take it, and what the priests will do with them. I have to admit. I got queasy reading this chapter. I can handle a lot of things (I am a mom after all) but the descriptions on here...ugh. This is why I am not a hunter. I can barely kill a fly much less a sheep. So I will move on to chapter 2...
Chapter 2
The grain offering. I have to admit, I didn't remember this (other than talking about it at church). I always think of the offerings involving the killing of an animal. In this case, the actual offering is some sort of grain. There are several ways the people can do this (bringing something bake, bringing the grains, etc.). A few guidelines include using only fine flour, NO yeast, and salt must always be sprinkled on top to stand for their agreement with God that will last forever.
The other thing that sticks out in this chapter is that these chapters keep referring to the burnt offerings as a smell pleasing to the Lord. For some reason, that strikes me funny, just because I don' t think of God as smelling something burning on an altar as being "pleasing". That is just my human way of thinking though...
Chapter 3
The Fellowship Offering. Okay, I did okay with the Grain Offering. There was no killing or blood involved. But now we are back to the whole animal thing and a step by step instruction on what to do with the parts. And again, I feel queasy. A couple things different from the offering mentioned in chapter 1: the animals brought before the priests could be male or female. And apparently burning the fat from these animals provided a pleasing smell to the lord.
Chapter 4
The Sin Offering:
We actually just talked about this in church the other day. We weren't reading Leviticus though, we were reading Hebrews.
The sin offering is for when a person sins by accident and does some things that the LORD has commanded not be done. Over and over it says the person is guilty.
So even when done by accident, they were guilty of the sin.
Thus, the sin offering.
This chapter breaks down the animals to use, who the offering is for (an individual, the whole nation, a ruler, etc), and how the sacrifice is to be carried out. And once again, my tummy feels queasy...
Chapter 5:
In this chapter, I learned some types of accidental sins, such as not telling in court what he/she knows, accidentally touching something unclean, or forgetting a promise made to the Lord (with my memory, I would be in big trouble on that one!). The chapter then goes on to give detail yet again about the type of animal that may be used as an offering as well as specific details about how the priest should kill it. And again, my stomach turns...
The second part of the chapter is the penalty offering which is when a person does something against the holy things of the Lord (even accidentally).
Chapter 6:
This chapter continues telling about the penalty offering. It also discusses "restitution" of sorts especially if something is stolen.
One year our house was robbed. Thankfully Mark came home and interrupted the burglary (not in the house but rather the driveway) so the thieves didn't get away with a whole lot. But they did get away with some. And out of that some, we only ever got one item back. I really hoped for restitution much like this chapter discusses. But apparently the time in jail cancelled our restitution? Unfortunately, that didn't bring our stuff back either...Maybe I am living in the wrong time...
The Whole Burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offerings:
More details about the offerings.
The thing that really sticks out to me is how extensive the job of the priest is. I am tired just reading all of this!
Tomorrow's reading: Leviticus 7-10
Goodnight!
Reba
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