Well, unless you’re an anthropologist (or a theologian), you may find much of this week’s reading a bit dull. Lots of instructions about priests, punishments, offerings, hygiene, and festivals.
THE GOOD NEWS: I think I’ve identified the key thoughts! 😇
These passages from Leviticus are all about being holy, pure, and distinct. God is telling HIS people to be different from other people, especially from the people currently occupying the Promised Land. He establishes the boundaries of this by setting standards for treatment of each other, sexual relations, which foods can be eaten, and festivals to celebrate various aspects of their relationship with God.
The "clincher" comes in Lev 18:24 "Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for the people I am driving out before you have defiled themselves in all these ways." God wanted His people to be the exact opposite of the people currently occupying the land. To get a sense of the wickedness of these people, read the lists in the Feb 22 reading. Now imagine a people who did ALL of those things.
Blessings,
Steve
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We are reading The One Year Chronological Bible (New Living Translation). The best way is with your own copy of this Bible translation. Or, copy and paste this link to the daily reading schedule:
http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan/oneyearchronologicalbiblereadingplan.pdf
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This week:
1. The famous line is in Lev 19:18 (Feb 22): "...love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus was quoting Leviticus when he identified it as the second most important commandment.
2. Gleaning is again brought up; the practice of leaving some of the harvest for the poor and needy. In a sense, we still practice this with acts of charity; by setting aside some of our money for those in need ("the poor and the foreigners living among you.")
3. Another big deal, this week, is the Sabbath Year and Jubilee. Every 7th year, the land must be allowed to lie fallow (not be planted with crops; allowed to have a sabbath). Every 50th year, the land must be allowed to lie fallow, again. All "sales" of land are only temporary. Pricing must be calculated on how long the buyer will have use of the land before having to return it to the original owner during the year of Jubilee. This way, the land stayed in the tribes to whom God had allocated it. On top of this, the seller may buy the land back at any time.
4. Redemption of the needy and enslaved: Israelites must treat a fellow Israelite who falls into poverty with respect, must not charge them interest on loans, and must treat them like a member of their family. Any Israelite who sells himself (and his family) into slavery must be freed in the Jubilee Year, even if a relative has to pay the price of their release!! This is the model of the ransom Christ paid for us. He paid the price for our release.
Questions Answered!
Yeast of Eden
Great question came in: Why does God exclude yeast from so many areas of worship and the Passover celebration (xref Exodus 12:18-20)? Also, why in Leviticus 7:13 is it (suddenly) OK to use bread with yeast? This latter question is easier to answer: the offering mentioned here includes leavened bread because it is not being offered ON THE ALTER; its just going straight to the priest for his consumption. We'll see more of this later in Leviticus.
Regarding the exclusion of yeast: I found a useful website that you may wish to reference for the longer, more detailed explanation: https://www.therefinersfire.org/yeast_or_leaven.htm
My short answer: the word "yeast" is an inadequate, modern translation of the Hebrew word "chametz." If your translation has the word, "leaven," it's closer to the original meaning. A modern equivalent of chametz would be sourdough starter. Chametz is a word that means, roughly, the stuff we use to make bread rise. Yeast is everywhere; its in the very air we breath. It's not practical that any person could remove all the yeast from a home. You take in yeast every time you breath. God's commands are about removing leavening agents from the home and for making breads, cakes, etc., without those agents. The key to all of this is the "rising" of the bread dough, not the yeast, per se.
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