Leviticus 15 ~ Running issues and cleanliness

Two Squatter Pigeons

Much as a father would speak to his children and give him or her proper training to teach them how to safeguard their health, our heavenly father spoke to Moses about running issues and cleanliness. He instructed Moses how to speak to the people about cleanliness of both male and females and how after being cleansed of the issue they were to take two turtles or pigeons to the priestat the door of the synagogue. The priest then would offer a burnt offering for their atonement but when they were still with their issue, they were to take caution not to cause anyone else to be infected and to limit their contact. These instructions were given for the protection of all.

 

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.


Photo borrowed from Wikipedia.

Leviticus 14 ~ Cleansing of Lepers

hyssop

The 14th chapter of Leviticus has 55 verses which cover an extremely detailed instructional for priests regarding the purification of lepers. The priest was assigned the responsibility of examining the leper and determining whether she or he was healed and able to join the others. He also performed the offering for forgiveness of sin and purification of the leper. Two birds were required, hyssop, and cedar wood for only one part of the ceremony. There were days of instructions to follow involving other sacrifices and precise steps which had to be maintained such as:

"And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that it is be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot;"

While reading this chapter it struck me that all the specific instructions required obedience and faith.      Perhaps, and I do not claim to be a Bible scholar, but just perhaps the Lord was testing the Priests and the people, creating step after step to follow creating a closer bond to Himself with the people while maintaining cleanliness and protection from disease because their faith and obedience would help them to regain their health?

Note: Hyssop is a herb which is anti-viral and also used as an expectorant, found in many natural cough remedies. Chemicals and nutrients found in hyssop are diosmine, essential oils, flavonoids, marrubin and tannins. Poultices were created which sped up the healing of wounds. 

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Leviticus 13 ~ Being Clean and Respectful

Lepers shouted unclean!

In this chapter God describes how lepers are to be examined by the priests and how they are to be quarantined from the rest of the population until considered clean again. In those days people who had highly contagious diseases such as leprosy understood the importance of keeping their distance and maintaining it for the safety of others. It was a sign of respect. 

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Leviticus 12 - The Purification of a Woman after Childbirth

 

God gave Moses very specific instructions for the purification of the mother after birth of her child. He compared the issue of blood resulting from childbirth to a woman's menstrual cycle which is used to purify her and designated how long she was not to touch anything holy with a designated amount of days for a son of 41 days and for a daughter of 66 days. During this time she was not allowed to attend temple. At the end of the time she was advised to bring her offering to the entrance of the tent and the ritual would be performed to take away her impurity and allow her to be "ritually" cleaned. A different offering was allowed for the mother who could not afford a lamb; she could substitute two pigeons or doves.

 
Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

image source

LEVITICUS 11 - Clean and Unclean Meat

The Lord explained to Aaron and Moses that there were animals which were clean and those which were unclean. Animals which were cloven footed, parted hoof and chewed cuds were considered clean but not the camel as it's hoof is not parted. God went on through the many animals expressing which ones could and could not be used for sacrifice or for human consumption.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Leviticus 10 - Aaron's Sons are Consumed by Fire

 

Fire consumes Nadab and Abihu

God was very specific in how offering was to be presented.

Two of Aaron's sons disobeyed the Lord's instructions on how the offering was to be performed and presented. As they were burning incense in a way that was unpleasing to God suddenly the Lord sent  fiery flames and consumed them.

Moses told Aaron that this was what God meant when he said:

I demand respect from my priests, and I will be praised by everyone!

Moses then instructed the family not to show their sorrow and to mourn as God would be angry. Moses provided them with clarification again of how to perform and present offering that it might by pleasing in God's sight. They were then obedient.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Leviticus 9 - God Sends a Fire

image source

After the ordination rites were completed for Aaron and his sons a fellowship meeting was held among the Israelites and an offering exactly as God commanded. After all the sacrifices were completed as ordered Aaron raised his hands and blessed the people, then stepped down. Moses and Aaron went into the Tent of the Lord's presence and after they had spent time with God there they came out glowing from a dazzling presence. As they appeared before the people, God sent a fire down to consume the rest of the burnt offering. As the people saw this they shouted and bowed down with their faces to the ground.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Leviticus 8 - Aaron and his sons are ordained

 

image source 

Moses  was instructed in the rituals that had to be performed to sanctify Aaron and his sons to make them purified and sanctified to serve as priests. There was a special ceremony performed which took 7 days and nights. It consisted of burned offering and consecrated meals.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Leviticus 2 - 7 on Offerings and their Rituals

image source

Reading through chapters 2 through 7 you will find listed different types of offerings and the rituals required for each. One of the types was "holocaust". This word originated in Greek and is defined as meaning a sacrifice where the entire animal excepting it's hide was consumed by fire on the altar. The main purpose of this particular offering was to present a gift to God rendering glory and praises to Him. Other types defined in these chapters are:

• Peace
• Cereal
• Sin offerings for priests
• for the community
• for individuals
• for a prince
• special causes
• Guilt  

All the preparation,  rituals and so forth was completely spelled out in these chapters, including what to sacrifice, how to sacrifice, how long to burn, what to eat, how to discard and so forth.


Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Leviticus 1 - Burned Sacrifices

God called Moses from the tent of the Lord's presence and gave him instructions on how the Israelites were to prepare and burn the offerings. Offerings were to be of animals without blemish. There were precise and specific instructions including how to cut the animal up, skinning it, how it was laid out and even where and how it was killed. The blood was drained out against the side of the altar. The animals were burnt whole. The odor was pleasing to the Lord.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Exodus 39 - The Priests are Bedecked with Jewels

image source

Robes were created for the priests of the finest red, blue and purple wool for when they were in the Holy place. God designed every inch of these garments including gold strips which were hammered and cut into thin strips and then worked into the linen and wool. Fine embroidery was done and precious gems were mounted in four rows across the breast plates.

A basin was placed between the Tent and the altar where Aaron and his sons washed their hands and feet before entering into the Holy place.

A cloud covered the Tent and the Lord's presence within it caused a dazzling light. The Israelites could witness the glowing presence of God within the cloud during the day and a burning fire above it during the evenings.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Exodus 35 - 38 Resting on the Sabbath & the Holy Temple

photo source

Moses called the Israelites together and gave them God's instructions. First they were ordered to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. It was (and still is) to be dedicated to God. Man is to rest that day. Offerings were/are to be made to God. Fine fabrics, oils, jewels and so forth were to be used to create the finest house of worship. The best craftsmen and women were to labor to create everything within the temple to be skillfully designed and created. The talents that were bestowed upon the people were to be used in honoring God.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Exodus 34 - The Tablets are reissued

 

image source

The Lord told Moses to cut two stones like the ones God had carved the ten commandments on before and Moses had broken them. He was to bring them up to Mount Sinai the next morning when he went up to visit God and to not bring any others with him. The Israelites were not to be seen in the area nor their flocks. 

God came down in a great cloud to visit Moses. He proclaimed His name as Lord and then said to Moses:

The Lord, the Lord a merciful and a gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity, continuing his kindness for a thousand generations, and forgiving wickedness and crime and sins; yet not declaring the guilty guiltless...verses 6, 7

Moses asked God again  to please remain with them on their trip to the promised land and the Lord made a convenant to him, Moses that the people would see more awe-inspiring deeds performed by God.

God carved out the ten commandments again and as Moses brought it down to the people there was a radiant glow about his face from being in God's presence. Moses covered his face with a veil when talking to the Israelites. Read the ten commandments here.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Exodus 33 - Moses' Relationship with God

 

image source

God spoke to Moses advising him to take the people to the land which he promised to Abraham, Jacob and Isaac. He told him he would send an angel to lead them to the promised land and also drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. All of these inhabitants would be chased from the land so that they could enjoy a rich and fertile land, be fruitful and multiply. God told them to tell the people that an angel would guide them but God preferred not to as the people were stubborn and hard headed. He did not want to be tempted to destroy them.

Moses told the people, just as God told him to. They removed their jewelery and began to mourn. 

Each time as they traveled, that they camped, Moses would put up the sacred tent to commune with God. It was called the tent of the Lord's presence. When the Israelites saw this they would stand in the doorway of their own tents and watch Moses enter. After Moses entered the sacred tent the pillar of cloud would stay at the door of the tent and the Lord would speak to Moses from the cloud. When the people saw this, they would bow down and worship God. 

Moses requested God to continue to lead them as it was God's presence that set them apart from all other people and he was afraid that others would think that God was no longer pleased with them. Because God knew and was pleased with Moses he did as Moses asked and continued with the people. Moses then made another request of God. He asked God if he could see His dazzling appearance. God told him that if he were to witness God's dazzling light He would not live so God would let him see his back only and would shield Moses from seeing His face.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Exodus 32 - The Golden Calf

image source 

While Moses was still up in the mountain communing with the Lord the people became restless. They hounded Aaron into helping them create a "god" to lead them. Aaron told them to give him all the golden earrings. He heated them and poured them into a mold creating a bull-calf. The people then said this is our god who led us out of Israel. Perhaps to them it represented God, and they realized it was an inanimate object or perhaps they really were worshiping a false god, but then the situation went from bad to worse. They burned sacrifices and had a feast with eating and drinking which soon became a sexual orgy.

The Lord turned to Moses and told him to hurry down the mountain as the people he had led out of Egypt were engaged in sinful behavior. God told Moses they have rejected me and created a false god which they are worshiping. "Now don't try to stop me. I am angry with them, and I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants into a great nation." verse 10

Moses pleaded for the people. He asked God to reconsider reminding Him that He (God) had brought these people out of Egypt. "Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember the solemn promise you made to them to give them as many descendants as there are stars in the sky..." verse 13 Good News Bible 

When Moses hurried down the mountain with the stone tablets which God had carved the ten commandments on Joshua was with him. Joshua told Moses that he thought there was a battle going on, but Moses said no, that is not the sound of a victory cry but singing. When Moses saw the drunken melee and the bull-calf he dashed the tablets to the ground in anger. He then took the calf and melted it, grinding the gold into a fine dust. Then he added the gold dust to drinking water and made the Israelites drink it. 

He questioned Aaron as to how this could have come about and Aaron told Moses you know how stubborn and bent to do wrong the Israelites are and told him exactly what happened. Moses was very upset at how they had embarrassed themselves in front of their enemies. Standing at the gate he  shouted to them "Who is on the Lord's side come over here." Once there he told them to take up their swords and to kill those who did not follow. They killed neighbor, brother, friend...

Moses went up into the mountain again to beg forgiveness for those left. They had lost 3000 that day and those lost were removed from the "book of life". The rest were led by Moses to a place that God told him about. Sickness fell upon them in punishment for what they did.

 
Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Exodus 31 ~ Keep the Sabbath Day Holy

 

image source

The Lord advised Moses that he chose Bezlalel, Uri's son and a member of tribe of Judah. He informed Moses that He had filled Bezalel with His power providing him understanding, skill and artistic abilities for planning skillful designs. He was now able to cut jewels, work with metals and woods creating many kinds of beautiful designs. God also selected Oholiab, son of Ahisamach from the tribe of Dan. The two would create a Covenant Box fitted with a lid, and many furnishings for the sacred tent.

"Keep the sabbath, my day of rest, because it is is a sign between you and me for all the time to come, to show that I, the Lord have made you my own people." verse 13 Good News Bible The Lord

created the heaven and earth in six days and then He rested. He also wanted His people to rest upon the seventh day, to commune with Him and to keep the day sacred. 

At the end of the Lord's conversation on Mount Sinai, with Moses He presented with the two stone tablet He had written containing the commandments.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Exodus 30 - The Altar of Incense

 image source

Traditions were established for the burning of incense, hand and foot washing, census  taxes, and anointing oil. God gave instructions for the building of the altar used to burn the incense. It's measurements were precise and acacia wood was to be used. 

Instructions were given for taking a census tax and also for sanitation upon entering the temple.

The Lord prescribed the fragrances to be used and these were only to be used in the temple and not to be worn by anyone outside the temple or they would be cut off by the rest of the Israelites. The aromatic substances were listed in verse 34 along with the recipe to be used. Only the finest and purest substances were to be used.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.

Exodus 29 - Consecration of the Priests

image source

God prescribed a special rite to be performed to consecrate the priests, Aaron and his sons. A young bull and two unblemished rams were to be procured. Unleavened cakes and wafers were prepared and spread with oil then placed in a basket and taken along with the animals. God instructed down to the letter how to prepare the priests and sacrifices. Several verses tell us how God laid out His instructions then advised that He would be there in His glory residing in the presence of the Israelites. They were to celebrate and remember that God had brought them out of Egypt the land of oppression.

Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.