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?