Today's Reading:

Leviticus 15
Leviticus 16
Leviticus 17
Leviticus 18

 
In Leviticus 18:28, God warned that if the Israelites continued with the immoral sexual practices of the Canaanites (incest, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality , and child sacrifice), the land would “vomit out” the people, just as it had vomited out the nations before them. This image of the land coming alive and opening up to reject the people that persisted in sin led to exile as a divine judgment. God gave grace in his patience; He did not immediately drive out the Canaanites but gave them years upon years to repent. He provided time and warnings in His grace through instructions and leaders to allow the people the chance to choose holiness over judgment. The vomiting out was not sudden, but after prolonged years of rebellion, it is worth noting that while God is patient and does have mercy, He has a limit to when sin must be dealt with. God gave the Canaanites hundreds of years before the land “vomited them out” for their sin, and gave the Israelites a clear warning not to go down the same path. Where have you experienced God’s patience and grace, giving you time to turn things around and get back on the path of righteousness? Do instant consequences change our hearts or the way we treat others who are struggling?  

 

 

The Leviticus laws for the people were still being described, with God reminding the Israelites to be Holy because He was holy. Chapter 15 covered unusual bodily discharge- (diarrhea or diseases like gonorrhea) , which made the bed unclean, as well as anything the person sat on , to distinguish them from surrounding nations by hygiene. God was teaching the Israelites to live clean in a messy world. Everything a person touched would be contaminated, if you touch him- cooties, and if he spits on you- you have cooties until evening.  

It is not the person or the discharge that was the sin. But the discharge itself was unclean as well as anything it came into contact with , like a chair, saddle, or another person. Even pottery had to be destroyed as it was porous, and the tiny holes could absorb liquids with discharge.  This particular skin disease did not require the person to live away from camp; they could still stay at home in their tent within the community. Even normal discharge, like semen after marital sex, was unclean- just wash and wait until night, and the next day you would be good to go. For women, their monthly period and other bleeding meant a week of being set apart. These rules promoted basic hygiene in a time when pharmacies and antibiotics were not on every corner. They were also there as a spiritual reminder that humans were not perfect and needed cleansing, pointing forward to Jesus as the Ultimate Cleanser of our messes. Imagine today telling your boss- sorry, had a discharge issue, needed to clean my saddle and give God a pigeon!  

Chapter 16 discussed the ceremonial cleansing at Day of Atonement, the once a year (Yom Kippur) major deep clean where the high priest (Aaron) went into the Most Holy of Holy places behind the curtain in the Tabernacle to atone for everyone’s sins, including his own. The priest would sacrifice a bull for his family’s sins, then two goats for the people’s sins- one would be killed and the blood sprinkles around to cover their sins, and the other (the scapegoat) would have the people’s sins confessed over it and then they would let it go free into the wilderness in a symbolic carrying away of the bad vibes. This was counted like a Sabbath day, where everyone would fast, reset, and reflect, and no work was to be done.  Sin separated the people from God and therefore needed a substitute to fix it. The scapegoat from the Old Testament was the way to give the sacrifice and make the people whole again with God, but it did not erase the sins fully- they were only covered, which is why it needed to be repeated each year. Jesus , the Ultimate Sacrifice, is why the ritual cleansing is no longer needed to be done; it was a one-and-done reset for everyone who believes.  

God continued with the rules on the animal sacrifices and that they must take place at the Tabernacle door with a priest as a way to keep them from sacrificing to any other idols. God also set up the rule on no eating of the blood because “life is in the blood” and therefore it is set apart to be used only for atonement. Blood is life and belongs to God alone. This also kept the Israelites from the pagan practice of drinking blood for “power”. God wanted everything and everyone to remain pure.   

Chapter 18 went over the list of rules and sexual habits for the Israelites, as they were not to follow the Egyptians or the Canaanites. Up to this point, the Israelites had procreated with their family members in order to populate the world- it is possible that genetic mutations were not common to this point. God knew it was time for the Israelites to keep the bloodline pure , and therefore, there was to be no more sexual relations between family members. There was to be no sex during a woman’s monthly cycle, no adultery, no child sacrifices, and definitely no bestiality. If they broke these rules, then they were to be kicked out, and the land itself may “vomit” them out. The rules were to protect families, prevent abuse, and promote healthy societies. Incest wrecks genetics and trust, adultery ruins marriages, and the rest twist the perfect ideas God has for humanity. Again, it all came back to keeping the Messianic line holy and trusting God to set the boundaries to allow people to thrive.    

Today's Discussion question: 

Do these chapters reveal a God who is prudish and controlling (why does He care so much about what we do with our bodies in private) or profoundly protective and wise?

 
Click here to link to our Facebook group for discussion, questions, and additional content.