Day 37: Leviticus 22-24

(The previous post covered the punishments for previously mentioned sins and instructions specific to priests.)

Leviticus 22

(This chapter continued to cover instructions specific to priests.)

(Verses 1-3: the need for ceremonial purity.)

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
² Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, which they hallow unto me, and that they profane not my holy name: I am Jehovah.
³ Say unto them, Whosoever he be of all your seed throughout your generations, that approacheth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto Jehovah, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from before me: I am Jehovah.

(Verses 4-9: Examples of things that might defile a priest.)

⁴ What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath an issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth anything that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him;
⁵ or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath;
⁶ the soul that toucheth any such shall be unclean until the even, and shall not eat of the holy things, unless he bathe his flesh in water.
⁷ And when the sun is down, he shall be clean; and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his bread.
⁸ That which dieth of itself, or is torn of beasts, he shall not eat, to defile himself therewith: I am Jehovah.
⁹ They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it, and die therein, if they profane it: I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them.

(Notice, priests may become unclean, but that day was forgotten the next day (no condemnation).)

(Verses 10-16: Only the priest and his household could eat of the offerings.)

¹⁰ There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest's, or a hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing.
¹¹ But if a priest buy any soul, the purchase of his money, he shall eat of it; and such as are born in his house, they shall eat of his bread.
¹² And if a priest's daughter be married unto a stranger, she shall not eat of the heave-offering of the holy things.
¹³ But if a priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and be returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's bread: but there shall no stranger eat thereof.

(Widows and divorced were treated the same. "In her youth" meant she was a virgin.)

¹⁴ And if a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give unto the priest the holy thing.
¹⁵ And they shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto Jehovah,
¹⁶ and so cause them to bear the iniquity that bringeth guilt, when they eat their holy things: for I am Jehovah who sanctifieth them.

(Notice, a daughter married to an unbeliever could not eat the food. A divorced daughter could eat the food.)

 (Verses 17-30: Unacceptable sacrifices.)

¹⁷ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
¹⁸ Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whosoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the sojourners in Israel, that offereth his oblation, whether it be any of their vows, or any of their freewill-offerings, which they offer unto Jehovah for a burnt-offering;
¹⁹ that ye may be accepted, ye shall offer a male without blemish, of the bullocks, of the sheep, or of the goats.
²⁰ But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you.
²¹ And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto Jehovah to accomplish a vow, or for a freewill-offering, of the herd or of the flock, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
²² Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto Jehovah, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto Jehovah.
²³ Either a bullock or a lamb that hath anything superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill-offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted.
²⁴ That which hath its stones bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut, ye shall not offer unto Jehovah; neither shall ye do thus in your land.
²⁵ Neither from the hand of a foreigner shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, there is a blemish in them: they shall not be accepted for you.
²⁶ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
²⁷ When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for the oblation of an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
²⁸ And whether it be cow or ewe, ye shall not kill it and its young both in one day.
²⁹ And when ye sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto Jehovah, ye shall sacrifice it that ye may be accepted.
³⁰ On the same day it shall be eaten; ye shall leave none of it until the morning: I am Jehovah.

(Notice, eighth day and older was an acceptable sacrifice. Less than eight days old would have been an unacceptable sacrifice.)

(Verses 31-33: God's summary of this section.)

³¹ Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them: I am Jehovah.
³² And ye shall not profane my holy name; but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel: I am Jehovah who halloweth you,
³³ who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am Jehovah.




Leviticus 23

(This chapter was and is very important. It covered the feasts, which all pointed to future events.)

(Verses 1-3: the Sabbath.)

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
² Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, The set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my set feasts.
³ Six days shall work be done: but on the seventh day is a sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation; ye shall do no manner of work: it is a sabbath unto Jehovah in all your dwellings.

(Details for the Sabbath: For six days people could be a first cause as long as they did not violate the Law. On the seventh day, people were supposed to cease from their occupation of being a first cause and allow God, through the Law, to direct their actions. On the Sabbath, people could only do what the Law told them to do.)

(Verses 4-5: the feast of Passover.)

⁴ These are the set feasts of Jehovah, even holy convocations, which ye shall proclaim in their appointed season.
⁵ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, is Jehovah's passover.

(Feast 1: Passover. Future Event: Last Supper which was eaten before the actual day of Passover so that Jesus could die the next day on Passover.)

(Verses 6-8: the feast of Unleavened Bread.)

⁶ And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Jehovah: seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread.
⁷ In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.
⁸ But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah seven days: in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.

(Feast 2: Unleavened Bread. Future Event: The day(s) Jesus remained Buried.)

(Verses 9-14: the feast of First Fruits.)

⁹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
¹⁰ Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest:
¹¹ and he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
¹² And in the day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish a year old for a burnt-offering unto Jehovah.
¹³ And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah for a sweet savor; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.
¹⁴ And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the oblation of your God: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

(Feast 3: First Fruits. Future Event: The day Jesus was resurrected.)

(Verses 15-21: the feast of Pentecost (also called the feast of Weeks.)

¹⁵ And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall there be complete:
¹⁶ even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto Jehovah.
¹⁷ Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah: they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baken with leaven, for first-fruits unto Jehovah.
¹⁸ And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish a year old, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be a burnt-offering unto Jehovah, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
¹⁹ And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace-offerings.
²⁰ And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before Jehovah, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest.
²¹ And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no servile work: it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

(Feast 4: Weeks (Grain Harvest). Future Event: Pentecost in Acts 2. The beginning of our (the 6th) dispensation.)

²² And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the sojourner: I am Jehovah your God.

(God gave instructions not to fully reap. One of the applications to our dispensation was from Matthew 6:20 when Jesus said to store your treasure in heaven rather than fully reap it now on earth.)

(Verses 23-25: the feast of Trumpets.)

²³ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
²⁴ Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
²⁵ Ye shall do no servile work; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.

(Feast 5: Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). Future Event: Rapture? The end of our dispensation and the beginning of the Tribulation when the Dispensation of the Law comes back for seven years, the Seventieth Week from Daniel 9:24-27.)

(Verses 26-32: the Day of Atonement.)

²⁶ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
²⁷ Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
²⁸ And ye shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Jehovah your God.
²⁹ For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day; he shall be cut off from his people.
³⁰ And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people.
³¹ Ye shall do no manner of work: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
³² It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye keep your sabbath.

(Feast 6: Day of Atonement/Yom Kippur. Leviticus 16 was focused on this feast. Future Event: Consecration of the temple? Peace treaty with the Antichrist?)

(Verses 33-44: the feast of Tabernacles.)

³³ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
³⁴ Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of tabernacles for seven days unto Jehovah.
³⁵ On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.
³⁶ Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: it is a solemn assembly; ye shall do no servile work.
³⁷ These are the set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day;
³⁸ besides the sabbaths of Jehovah, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto Jehovah.
³⁹ Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of Jehovah seven days: on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.
⁴⁰ And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days.
⁴¹ And ye shall keep it a feast unto Jehovah seven days in the year: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month.
⁴² Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths;
⁴³ that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.

(Feast 7: Tabernacles (Succoth). Future Event: Peace Treaty with the Antichrist? Millennial rest where everyone is gathered together?)

⁴⁴ And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the set feasts of Jehovah.




Leviticus 24

(This chapter presented a practical example of the Law.)

(Verses 1-4: Maintenance of the tabernacle lamps.)

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
² Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause a lamp to burn continually.
³ Without the veil of the testimony, in the tent of meeting, shall Aaron keep it in order from evening to morning before Jehovah continually: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations.
⁴ He shall keep in order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before Jehovah continually.

(Verses 5-9: Care of the tabernacle bread.)

⁵ And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth parts of an ephah shall be in one cake.
⁶ And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before Jehovah.
⁷ And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be to the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
⁸ Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before Jehovah continually; it is on the behalf of the children of Israel, an everlasting covenant.
⁹ And it shall be for Aaron and his sons; and they shall eat it in a holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of Jehovah made by fire by a perpetual statute.

(The rest of this chapter covers the case of the Egyptian blasphemer.)

(Verses 10-12: the crime of the Egyptian blasphemer.)

¹⁰ And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel; and the son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp:
¹¹ and the son of the Israelitish woman blasphemed the Name, and cursed; and they brought him unto Moses. And his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.
¹² And they put him in ward, that it might be declared unto them at the mouth of Jehovah.

(Verses 13-16: the penalty for the Egyptian blasphemer.)

¹³ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
¹⁴ Bring forth him that hath cursed without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head, and let all the congregation stone him.
¹⁵ And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.
¹⁶ And he that blasphemeth the name of Jehovah, he shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the sojourner, as the home-born, when he blasphemeth the name of Jehovah, shall be put to death.

(Notice, the mother was from the tribe of Dan, which some believe could be the lineage of the Antichrist.)

(Verses 17-22: Provisions for law and order.)

¹⁷ And he that smiteth any man mortally shall surely be put to death.
¹⁸ And he that smiteth a beast mortally shall make it good, life for life.
¹⁹ And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him:
²⁰ breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be rendered unto him.

(This classic passage on how to equal out Justice ("eye for eye") was spoken as the reason for how they were dealing with the blasphemer. The statements like, "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" really support the fact that the Dispensation of the Law was meant to equal out Justice immediately (here on Earth). The principle is Justice, the same principle being used when Jesus expanded doctrine in His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus stated this in Matthew 5:39, "but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."

People often think this is a contradiction between the Old and New Testaments. The misinterpretation here comes from not understanding the underlying principle. Both the Old Testament "eye for eye" statement and Jesus' "turn the other cheek" were founded in Justice. The Law was meant to equal it out now, Jesus intended to help people gain more for their Long Term benefit. Jesus did not say it was wrong to follow "eye for eye" but that it would be better Long Term, in relation to Justice, to "turn the other cheek.")

²¹ And he that killeth a beast shall make it good: and he that killeth a man shall be put to death.
²² Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the sojourner, as for the home-born: for I am Jehovah your God.
²³ And Moses spake to the children of Israel; and they brought forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stoned him with stones. And the children of Israel did as Jehovah commanded Moses.

(The blasphemer was put to death.)

(This post concluded God's instructions specific to priests. Also, the Seven Feasts of God were presented and God gave a practical example of how to apply the Law to a blasphemer.)

Day 38