It all begins with detailed instructions on the types of offerings - burnt offerings, grain offerings, fellowship offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings. And then, they are all reviewed again but this time with an emphasis on Aaron and his son's part in the rituals. There is a lot emphasis on how, when and where to kill and then burn the animals and on the types of breads (what is the deal with no yeast?) that can be offered as a sacrifice. I just didn't understand why the details were so important.
At first, I thought Aaron and his son's had a pretty sweet deal.
The were named priests for no reason other than God chose them. They had not done anything special. They did not seem extra holy. But, because of this honor, they seemed to get to eat a lot of food. And no one objected or questioned the choice. It reminded me of British royalty, they are who they are because of a birth line, nothing to do with the kind of person they are. As it turns out, being a son of Aaron was no picnic. Two died right away because they messed up and lit an extra fire and incense to the Lord during their consecration - boom, you're dead. Aaron and the remaining sons were not even allowed to morn them. That is tough.
After reading about offerings in detail, we move on to all the regulations.
First, clean and unclean foods - I would be afraid to eat any meat (food animals must have divided hooves and be cud chewing...why?). Fish is allowed (but, sorry you shrimp and lobster lovers - that is a big no) and only some birds are okay. Stay away from those four legged (yes, that is what it says) flying insects - they are bad news. Don't eat them - like I would even want to. It is not just about eating; you can't even touch something considered unclean. Fortunately, if you touch the unclean, once you wash and evening finally comes you are back to being clean, most of the time.
Next come the regulations about childbirth, skin diseases and molds. How to recognize a bad disease or mold over an acceptable case. (What is the deal with white hair in a sore - why is that so bad?) I feel for the priests; they have to remember all the exceptions and be the one to examine and decide what should be done. Is the person clean or unclean as a result of the problem? They better get it right, because if the person is unclean, there are serious consequences that must be paid.
Then back to more rules and punishments (including special rules just for the priests).
There is a section on festivals, some of which I recognize as Jewish celebrations including Sabbath and Passover. Then, in the middle of the celebrations and offerings, is a story of a man who blasphemed God's name during a fight, and was put to death by stoning. His mother was an Israelite and his father an Egyptian. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is mentioned, not for the first time. Then, with no further explanation, back to more information on the Sabbath Year (not just a day of rest, a whole year!) and the Year of Jubilee, which has a whole new set of rules.
The chapter concludes by telling the rewards for obedience and the punishment for disobedience.
I understood why Genesis (the beginning) and Exodus (the journey) were named what they were, but I didn't understand Leviticus. So, I looked it up. Basically, what I found was this book was a set of rules for the Levites. Guess I could have figured that out on my own. There are a lot of rules...very specific rules for a very specific people at a very specific time in history.
Specific, because the rules changed with the teachings of Jesus.
For example, an eye for an eye became turn the other cheek in Jesus' teachings. Fear the stranger (don't marry them!) in Leviticus became love your neighbor with Jesus. And of course, women were second class citizens, the unclean should be pushed away, and slaves were simply property. But, Jesus had many women followers that he held in high regard, he healed the lepers, and...well, I don't know if he ever said anything about slavery other than to treat your slaves fairly. I wish I could say he was an abolitionist, but I can't (unless you go back to love your neighbor and assume Jesus was including all men and women, slave or free).
Despite all the rules (who could ever remember them all?) there is one other thing about Leviticus that caught my attention. It was a very real God doing all the talking to Moses and the Israelites. God was there, among the people. God was not just a concept. He was real. He talked to people. He killed people. He rewarded people...and punished them.
God was actually there...and maybe that is what I should take away from Leviticus.
No comments:
Post a Comment