Monday, January 12, 2015

Leviticus

In January 2014 I started reading Leviticus and took notes on some paper I keep on my nightstand in place of the electronic keeping I did in Genesis and Exodus.  I still wanted to keep track of my notes as I read though, so I tried to recreate them here to my memory.  It only took me a year to finish this book of the Bible. 

Leviticus is the book of rules and instructions on how to live a life pleasing to God.
  •  There are instructions for many offerings.  The smell of the offerings is pleasing to the Lord.  The offerings must be of a product or animal, as specified, without flaw.  There must be nothing wrong with it. 
    • Burnt offerings
    • Grains offerings
    • Fellowship offerings - This is for a special promise or a gift to God.
    • Sin offerings
      • There is also mention of sins that you accidental; once you are aware of the sin you committed, then the offering must be made. Sometimes we are guilty and don't even realize it.
    • Penalty offerings are to retun the given plus 1/5th. 
  • There are instructions for priests for each of the offerings too.
  • Some of the offerings are for the priests to eat as allowed int he Lord's rules and laws.  
  • Moses anointed Aaron and his sons per the Lord's guidelines.
  • Aaron and sons offer sacrifices and the people saw the Lord's fire.
  • Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, are destroyed by the Lord because they didn't follow the guidance from Moses and God. 
  • Holy and unholy must be kept separate.
  • There are lots of rules that make you unclean.   Each of these sets of rules also have directions on how to become clean again.
    • There are rules for animals and food that make a person unclean.
    • There are rules for a new mothers.
    • Skin diseases are evaluated by priests.
    • There are rules about mildew, priest evaluate this too.  
    • There are rules about the body.  Those releasing fluids are unclean and those who contact them, semen included, make you unclean.
    • There are rules about a woman's body and her period.
  • Directions were given to Aaron to make the tent holy and have Israel belong to the Lord again in cleanliness.
  • Sacrifices must be made at the meeting tent of the person is to be cut off from their people.
  • You cannot eat meat with the blood of the animal still in it or you're cut off from your people.
  • There are no sexual relations allowed with your family.
  • Not follow any rules from God is a sin.
  • When you harvest, you are to leave some grain/grapes in the fields for the poor and travelers.
  • There is a reminding list of the 10 commandments.
  • Two different things must not be mixed.  For example breeds of cattle or seed in a field.
  • Do not mistreat foreigners, teat them as your own citizens.  (I think we in America forget this passage in our world today.)
  • There are directions for punishments of sin; to be killed or God will remove you from your people.
  • God forced sinners out of the land so his people could live there, so they must keep his laws to remain.  
  • There are directions for priests behavior.
    • Stay clean
    • Do not be shamed
    • Follow rules
      • family rules
      • marriage rules
    • His children must have nothing wrong with them and go before the Lord.
    • Offering food may only be ate by specific family members and slaves.
  • There are special holidays listed:
    • Sabbath (every 7th day)
    • Passover and Unleavened Bread (January 14 and 15th)
    • First of the Harvest
    • Feast of Weeks (50 days later)
    • Feast of Trumpets (July 1)
    • Day of Cleansing (July 10)
    • Feast of Shelters (July 15) - This is 7 days long.
  • Aaron's instructions for lampstands and holy bread
  • A person who spoke against God was stoned to death.  
  • "Eye for an eye" passage
  • Every 7th year the land will rest.
  • Every 50th year is Jubilee.
    • At Jubilee, land is given back to the original family.
  • Do not cheat one another in land sales based on the time until Jubilee.
  • Directions on how to treat the poor.
  • Poor who become salves are to be treated as hired workers.  At Jubilee they may return to their family.
  • Other nations people around your nation may be used as your salves.
  • Your obedience = God's protection
  • Disobedience = discipline and God turning from you
  • There is ALWAYS HOPE in God if people are sorry for their sin.
  • There are costs for gifts to the Lord.
Something else I noticed throughout the book was that several times it was mentioned that "this law will continue for you from now on, where ever you live."

I also had a question as I read.  There are many things that will make you unclean and touching certain things will do that.  Do you always know if someone or something is unclean?  How do you know?

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