Expecting Pain

Leviticus 26: 14-46

Lots of brimstone here.

So after telling his people the goodness in store for them if they obey God's commands, He let's them know what's in store if they don't follow His commands. No time-out chair is involved.

These punishments come in stages:

Stage One: Sudden terror, wasting diseases, and blinding fever. Farming will be unproductive because enemies will eat their food. Enemies will prevail- in fact they'll be paranoid enough to run even when no one is after them.

Stage Two: Throughout God speaks of punishment for sins seven times over- I'm not sure if each stage is another x7, but the point is- you thought things were bad... but just wait. God will break down their pride. The sky will be like iron (I'm not sure what that means- maybe just a barrier between God and man?), and the ground like bronze- not such a good environment for growing crops. Crops won't grow- trees won't grow fruit.

Stage Three: Wild animals will steal their children, and destroy their cattle. Animals will devour enough of them to make the roads deserted.

Stage Four: God will bring the sword upon them (maybe just a metaphor to express death?). Even when they withdraw into the cities, a plague will follow them. Enemies triumph and capture. And then this puzzling curse-

"When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied."

I guess it means that there will be so little bread that they can all cook it at once in one oven. They'll have to ration it- skinniest person gets the most since he's the closest to wasting away. Even so- you'll still be hungry.

But wait, there's more:

Stage Five: They will resort to cannibalism and eat their sons and daughters. mmm, undernourished offspring. High places will be destroyed, incense altars cut down, dead bodies piled on idols- He will abhor them.

Cities will be in ruins, sanctuaries laid waste. Offerings will not smell good to Him. Israelites will be scattered among the nations and God will pursue them.

While it's hard for me to come to peace with the harshness of the message, it becomes even more complicated when you consider all God has to lose in the deal. These are His people, His children, if He's willing to essentially destroy them, then what purpose does His creation serve? Would He have started over? Would he have grabbed Moses and Aaron and their families and let them repopulate the earth? Would he have washed His hands of us? Would it have caused Jesus to come sooner than He did?

Interestingly, if this comes about- the land will then get its sabbath. It'll be desolate and resting. So even if they neglect the commanded land sabbath, the land will get some rest one way or another. Seems like God is showing concern for the other parts of His creation here too. If you won't care for My land... I'll still see that it's cared for.

People who are left at this point in their enemy's lands will be scared enough by the sound of a blowing leaf to start running. Even if no one is chasing them, they'll be running. While they're running away, they'll trip over each other like the Keystone Cops, but less funny. The enemies lands will devour them- for their sin and their father's sins.

Dying for the sins of their fathers is a pretty hard idea to fathom- but their own sins are part of the equation here, too, so it's hard to argue injustice.

It's easy though to argue harshness. It's scary to think of Abba Father (or Dad) as being a Being willing to threaten severe torture, pain, death, and worst of all hatred. One thing is certain, our God is an emotional being. Our actions matter to Him. He wants our love and obedience and feels rejection in a very personal way. But He's also a God of mercy, love and compassion-

He ends by saying if they'll confess their sins and their father's sins- once they're humbled (or rather once their "uncircumcised hearts" are) and they've paid for their sin (how?), God will remember the covenant with Isaac and Abraham. Even while they're in their enemy's lands paying for their sins, He will remember the covenant.

This must have been a fun message for Moses to report back to the Israelites. It seems like it would have caused them to walk on eggshells and constantly feel paranoid that God's wrath could strike at any time.

Even under our covenant, it's hard for me to come to peace with this God- and the God that Jesus calls Father. I know it's the same Entity- and that Jesus Himself makes a big difference in it all. But even as I type this on Easter day- understanding that Jesus makes the difference, I fear the God who threatens to devour the ones he loves. In the face of such a daunting punishment, it's hard to not respond with legalistic attempts to do everything right and ultimately end the process having failed- discovering it's impossible to get it all right.

It's a good thing the tomb was empty.

Expecting Rain

Leviticus 26:1-13

God forbids idols, images, sacred stones, or carved stones for bowing down to. He commands Sabbath observances and reverence for the sanctuaries.

So in a world overrun with television, photo albums, facebook, and trinkets (and that's just in my house) what qualifies as an idol? Is the literal worshiping of it the key- or were sculptors of the day not admired for their talent? And what does it all mean for us?

He goes on to tell them what's in it for them if they comply.

1. Rain. Lots of it. Enough to keep the crops coming. They'll have all the food they want. He says they'll still be eating last year's harvest when they have to move it out to make room for this year's. Grapes are specifically mentioned, so perhaps they'll not be thirsty either.

2. Safety. Lots of it. God will give them peace in the land. They won't need to be afraid when they sleep. If they have enemies, the enemies will not be victorious. Five Israelites are enough to match up with 100 of the enemy. 100 could chase off 10,000.

3. Virility. They'll be fruitful-and God will keep His covenant with them.

4. His love. God's dwelling place will be among them. He will walk among them. And in a huge case of understatement- or perhaps an issue in translation... He won't abhor them.

This last bit is kinda scary. Obey me and I won't hate you. This is a bit different than the "God is love" description we get later on. However, pre-Jesus, this God of fear and trembling paints a quite imposing picture.

And on the eve of Easter, perhaps it really illustrates what our fate would be before our maker were it not for our Savior putting our shortcomings on his shoulders.

Own to Rent

Leviticus 25: 8-55

So this Sabbath year bit continues for seven sets of seven years (49 years for those of you arithmetically challenged). Year 50 is the Jubilee. Seems like it's an extra Sabbath year- so they get two years back to back. No work for two years in a row. So on July 10th (on our calendar) a trumpet blows- this is the Day of Atonement. No sowing no reaping.

In addition, on this 50th year, anyone who has sold property goes back to where they used to live. They reclaim their house keys and put the couch back in the living room. No matter when you sold it, it reverts back to you. God tells them- you don't really own it- so you can't permanently sell it. You can let someone use it for awhile- but when Jubilee comes, it goes back to the original "owners".

He also warns about price gouging. Your price should reflect how close it is to jubilee when you sell the property. Year one sales should be much higher than year 47. Actually this price gouging is only mentioned in reference to buying from and selling to fellow Israelites. If you're selling to a foreigner... than buyer beware.

In regards to food for that 50th year, God says there will be major abundance in year 48. In fact so much that three years worth of food will be produced. There will be enough to eat until the harvest of year 51 comes in.

If someone is hurting financially and sells their property in order to make ends meet- his nearest relative should come buy it back. If he doesn't have any relatives, but wins at the track, invests well, or somehow comes into money- he can go and get the land back. He is to evaluate the worth of the land and pay the difference to the person he sold it to. If he can't do that- he gets it back at Jubilee anyhow.

Rules are different in a walled city. If you sell property, you get a year to come back and reclaim it. After that, the buyer keeps it. It does not go back to the original buyer at Jubilee.

Levites can always get their property back (this process in all of these contexts is referred to as redeeming). The town's pasture land, though, cannot be sold.

If a fellow citizen hits hard times- you are supposed to help him. No interest charged- no profiting on food you sell to him. If he sells himself to you, treat him like an employee, not as a slave. The motivation here seems to be that you do everything you can to help him be able to keep living among the Israelites.

If he's sold himself to you- he is released on the year of Jubilee- and he goes home. All is returned to as it was.

If you get slaves, they should come from surrounding areas. They can also come from temporary residents. They can be willed as property and are slaves for life. I wish I could just pretend this little section didn't exist here, but it does. Troubling, indeed. I get that God's people here are chosen by race and that this set-up changes with the coming of Jesus. But even under that context, the idea of it being okay to have slaves that are outside of "God's fold" doesn't seem to fit with ideas of love and humility.

If you sell yourself as a slave to a foreigner- you can be "redeemed" by your relative at anytime- once again figuring out the price based on when Jubilee is. If that doesn't happen, you are free at Jubilee time.

This year of Jubilee thing is amazing. No matter what mess you've made of things over the last few decades- if you can just hang on till Jubilee- you get to start over. You're free! You get your land back! You go home!

And maybe just the promise of it all- the knowledge that you just have to hang on until year 50 would be enough to help them hang on- help them deal with whatever tight spot they found themselves in.

I think you see where I'm going with this.

Hmm- feels a little like Jubilee around here. This redemption stuff really works.

Random Harvest
Leviticus 25: 1-7

So in addition to the other sabbaths set up to observe- there is also a sabbath for the land. Odd. For six years, they were to sow, prune, and gather. On year seven, not so much. On this seventh year there is to be no sowing, no reaping, no pruning, no harvesting. Whatever the land happens to produce is fair game to be eaten- but it's not business as usual for that year.

This certainly makes the job of farmer a lot more appealing. Every six years you get a year off. Sweet. No early mornings, no back breaking weeding, oops- no spinach grew, guess I'll have to have some more twinkees instead.

It certainly makes reliance on God much more necessary. If I give up complete control of food production, and perhaps my livelihood (the year off wasn't a paid year off I would assume) and I totally depend on God to provide for me, how does that change my perspective of my relationship with Him- and how does it change my appreciation for His gifts?

In our day and age, what does that look like? How does we give the land a sabbath? I'm the opposite of a farmer (although I'm a pretty good consumer)- is it good for the land to get a year off? Is the world of agriculture improved by not overproducing food that doesn't get eaten? Is God telling us that as great as His creation is, we need to treat it with moderation?

Or is this more about our need to depend on Him? But how does that work in our context? Quit your jobs for a year? No grocery shopping for a year? No vegetables for a year? I'm leaning toward that one. Maybe our culture has become so complex and busy that stopping anything for a year would make our whole way of life crumble. And maybe that's the point.

Everybody Must Get Stoned
Leviticus 24: 10-23

Wow- an interesting yet quite troubling story. So you've got this Egyptian and Israelite who get into a fight. And apparently in the midst of it all, the Israelite emits a curse against God (blasphemed the Name with a curse). The needle drags across the record, the jukebox is quiet, all conversation stops- everyone knows something bad has just happened. So they get this guy in custody until God's will becomes clear to them. At this point, the story sounds pretty good- people of God waiting for a sign of what to do to this person who cursed.

Then the answer comes- Take him out of camp and stone him. Everyone who heard it puts their hand on his head (to hold him down?) and the whole assembly is to stone him to death. God tells Moses anyone who curses God is responsible and all who blaspheme the name of the LORD will be put to death. I think we've found a solution to our overpopualtion problems. As if the death itself weren't gruesome enough, the entire assembly does the stoning. So I hear the curse and now I'm legally obligated to be involved in physically killing someone. That'll ruin your day.

Interesting that after commanding taking part in putting someone to death for blasphemy, the next section talks about the death penalty for whoever takes the life of a human being. Doesn't that create an endless cycle? Kill John, he blasphemed. Kill Peter, he killed John... etc. Is this why the whole assembly is doing the stoning? We don't know which rock actually killed him so we don't know who actually did it... It seems like this could create a society of snitches looking for an excuse to throw a rock or two.

Killing an animal results in restitution. If you injure your neighbor- same thing happens is done to you. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. I know Gandhi's famous line, but I like a tooth for a tooth and we're all gumming applesauce. Notice that there's no mention of intent here. Sorry I ran over your mailbox... go ahead and back your car into mine. It's like a sort of mandated karma- except even that involves intent.

In both instances, the alien receives the same punishment as the native born.

So they take the blasphemer out and stone him.

This is troubling to me on two fronts. First... stoning? Killing someone for cursing? What does that entail exactly? Just saying "God" or "Yahweh"? Does the curse translate? I rarely say "Yahweh" at all, so am I safe on the name in vain front? Especially since "god" and "lord" are English words in different contexts, does that suggest that these English words don't qualify here? Regardless- seems a bit steep. And if we lived by this, how many of us would still be alive? The concept of God's people being violently engaged in frontier justice is hard for me to swallow. Maybe God was a little more blatantly involved in the prosecution process- but it seems like it would be a pretty easy thing to manipulate ala "The Crucible".

Second, maybe it's bad that hearing God's name as a curse doesn't put the sort of anger or rage in me that it seemed to in their context. Honestly, hearing God's name in vain does get under my skin (OMG, GD, etc.- you get the idea)- but certainly not to the point where I feel compelled to become a vigilante. I think it's important to point out that this "cursing" here is related to God's name exclusively and not cuss-words which seem to me to be highly cultural in both their existence and usage.

I'm not suggesting I should be wishing people dead whenever I hear God's name cursed, but maybe it should bother me more. Maybe it suggests a lack of sanctity for things holy- maybe it suggests a numbing of conscience, maybe it suggests yet another example of conflict avoidance in my life- but I don't have any desire to stone people to death for such usage any more than I wish to lay down on an altar for my slips.

This passage certainly paints a contrast between God's wrath and God's grace. Not quite the go your way and sin no more mentality I cling to in the NT. But in the midst of it all, maybe there's a lesson about the need for discipline in our attitude to God- if misusing His name resulted in death, maybe I should treat it holy too.

Eternal Flame

Leviticus 24: 1-9

Nine verses, but not a lot of content. The Israelites are commanded to bring another couple of things.

First, olive oil- to be used as fuel for the lamps on the pure gold lamp stand in the tent of meeting outside of the curtain of testimony. These lamps are to be always lit from evening to morning. Aaron is in charge of making sure they stay that way. I'm not sure why they need to be constantly lit. The most obvious metaphor that comes to mind deals with letting your light shine before men- but maybe this is more like an open sign- an indication to the Israelites that there isn't a time that they can't come before Aaron (or God) with their testimony- or prayer- or whatever. Maybe God is saying, Look- Aaron's going to be up keeping the lamp lit anyhow- don't worry about bugging him- you are always welcome here.

Second, bread. Lots of bread. Twelve loaves each Sabbath (total, not per person) to be put on the golden table. This is part of Aaron's family's share- though they are to eat it in a holy place. There is also supposed to be incense placed on the table to represent the bread. The bread apparently gets eaten, the incense offered to God.

Open all night- dispersion of bread- seems like an Isreali Krystal. That's some pretty serious clashing of cultures.

Table or Booth?

Leviticus 23: 33-44

Five days later the festivities continue. Apparently coinciding with the end of harvesting, this marks the beginning of the Feast of Tabernacles, one week in length. Day one... you guessed it, a day of rest- no regular work. They were supposed to pick fruit and rejoice. The day following the celebration (day eight for those of you doing the math) is also a day of rest. Day eight consists of a sacred assembly and fire offerings, no mention of fruit consumption. It is referred to as the closing assembly.

All the days in between consist of fire offerings to the LORD as well. Being an Israelite would be a pyromaniac's dream. This festival is to be a lasting ordinance- for generations to come.

Finally they are admonished to live in booths for these seven days. I have no idea what this means. Are they hanging out at Wendy's? What would these booths be? Whatever they are, God wanted future generations to know that He had the Israelites live in booths after coming out of Israel.

I'm sure these booths are significant in some way. But I haven't a clue how.

Atone Deaf

Leviticus 23: 26-32

Nine days later there is to be another day of resting- this time a day of atonement. Atonement is really a difficult concept for me to get my mind around. Making amends- or fixing your wrongs. Even in this legalistic context, the Israelites were unable to undo the terrible things they had done- and with all of the specific regulations, there was surely a great need for atonement in every home.

God's arrangement here is a fire offering, fasting, and rest- This is the same prescription as the feast of trumpets- but hanging over this day is the need to be reconnected to God.

Atonement is a word, if not a concept that isn't too common in our culture. Atonement doesn't seem to be the same thing as forgiveness. It implies a making up for wrongs- unless I'm misunderstanding. So, if I get the implication here- and much later with Jesus' gift - the sacrifice is more than forgiving us for messing up countless times- it's rectifying it for us- it's making up for it-

Maybe this is minutia- maybe it's all in my head- maybe I'm saying the same thing in multiple ways- but it all speaks to the enormity of Christ's gift to us. No fire offering, no fasting, no day off, necessarily- but a system where he covers our lacking- he not only forgives, but in a cosmic, spiritual sense- he undoes. The wrong is gone- made up for- erased- over.

Satchmo the Israelite

Leviticus 23: 23-25

Incredibly short section. God tells the Israelites that on the first day of the seventh month there is to be a sacred assembly - a day of rest, trumpet blasts will mark the occasion. And since July 1st is my anniversary, it's especially cool.

A fire offering is also to be made.

I love the idea that a day of rest is commemorated with a trumpet blast. Give me a Saturday and some Louis Armstrong on my ipod. The fire offering, I'm not so sure about.

Offerama

Leviticus 23: 15-22

So, seven weeks and one day later (or 50 days for those of you arithemetically challenged) they were to bring a new grain offering. This offering was two loaves made with about four quarts of fine flour- actually baked with yeast. This was to come with seven one-year-old, defect-free, male lambs, one young bull and two rams. Somehow this combination of items would comprise a burnt offering, a grain offering, and a drink offering- not sure what they'd be drinking.

They were then to sacrifice one male goat and two one-year-old lambs as a fellowship, or peace offering. The priest (who is obviously in good shape) will wave the lambs as a wave offering. There is to be a sacred assembly proclaimed on this day- and no work is to be done.

Finally- they are instructed to not reap to the edges of their fields or go back and pick up what they missed- they're supposed to leave that for the alien and the poor. So I'm guessing it was ordinary to see strangers in your field getting food to tide them over. Far from the land of gated communities and welfare reform.

Maybe it's because I'm in the middle of Francis Chan's Crazy Love right now, but I'm really hit by the focus on giving back to God. In the last section I was struck by God getting the best and the first and us getting what was left over. But it seems like even more than that. How much would be left over? After all of these sacrifices, days off from work, and profits squandered to help the poor, what would be left?

Maybe some of the message isn't just give Me the best- but focus on giving to Me- you don't need to keep much for yourself. This life isn't about getting stuff- it's about Me, and focusing on what I've done and will do for you.

That's really hard to make tangible. What does it mean to let go and trust God? Empty my bank account? Sell my car? Open up my guest room to a stranger? Live on the street? Can I have a tv? An ipod? At what point am I being materialistic and selfish and not giving God and others what I could or should?

I can find tons of excuses (some of them valid) to not do specific things. If I sell my car, I can't get to work and then I become one of the poverty stricken in need of help..., etc. But I can't find excuses for the principle- you don't need stuff. Sacrifice and help the poor.

What's harder to determine is how.

Temporary Atkins Diet
Leviticus 23: 9-14

Seems like a lot of ground we've covered before. When the first harvest happens, they are to bring a sheaf of the first grain harvested and give it to the priest. The priest will wave it as an offering the day after the Sabbath. On that same day, a one-year old lamb (without defect) gets sacrificed as well. At the same time a mixture of flour and oil gets offered- and supposedly it smells pretty good... "a pleasing aroma." And the offering extravagnza is topped off with a drink offering (a quart of wine).

Until this offering was made, they weren't to eat any bread or new or roasted grain. This was a permanent law- for generations to come, wherever they happened to live, promised land or not.

What strikes me here is the focus of sacrifice. They didn't just give a percentage- or even save out the best at the end- the offering came first and they got was left over. Not just the best, but also the first.

The application seems fairly obvious and hard to live up to. It's even hard to figure out what the best and first is. I think it's a far cry from dropping a check in a plate passed around where all of your church folks can witness and approve. It may have a lot more to do with how we treat each other, how we look out for each other, how we love each other. Maybe I'm missing the point a little, but in short, sacrifice seems to be all about love. You're more important than me- so let me make your life better by sharing- my money, my goods, my time- or perhaps most importantly (not that the others aren't crucial, too) my heart.

Crack-er Houses
Leviticus 23: 4-8

Another short section detailing specifics of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. On day fourteen of the new year Passover begins at twilight. The next day marks the start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread- one week of matzo-city. On the first day they are to hold a "sacred assembly" and to refrain from working. For that week they are to present offerings by fire daily building up to day seven- another sacred assembly- another day off from working.

And so began the tradition of national holidays. Mandatory days off. I wouldn't want to do the work they had to do in between, but I like the idea of days with NO work. Sign me up.

And I Thought Sleeping Through Sermons was a Bad Thing

Leviticus 23:3

Here's one of those odd one verse sections. Basically, God says work for six days- rest on the seventh, no matter where you live. He refers to the day as a day of sacred assembly- and that's the phrase I find particularly interesting. I guess not the phrase itself, but that it's found in this sabbath section. Not that we rest. Not that our assembling is sacred. But that these two ideas are interwoven.

Our worship should be a period of rejuvenation. We should feel rested as a result of the time we spend together praising. That's an interesting concept- and difficult- especially if you've been wrestling with three kids, taught a bible class, belted out some harmony, and fought off hunger pains.

It's not about punching a clock with your eye on your watch waiting to check your service off of a list- but instead looking forward to shared time as a respite from the rest of the week.

Challenging mindset... amazing payoff.

Animal Testicles, Warts, Running Sores, and Other Dinner Conversation

Leviticus 22:17- 23:2

God tells Moses that any sacrifice- either to fulfill a vow or simply as a freewill offering must be an unblemished male from your cattle, sheep, or goats. Nothing blind, injured, or maimed, nothing with warts, or festering or running sores will be accepted. If it's a freewill offering you can bring an ox or sheep that is deformed- but only as a freewill offering- not if it's a vow fulfillment. I'm guessing this is since the freewill offering is above and beyond what was required.

God goes on to specify:

Don't offer an animal with bruised, crushed, torn, or cut testicles. They will not be accepted.

Don't offer an animal until it's eight days old. Keep it with it's mother for a week first. Don't slaughter a cow or sheep and it's young on the same day. This is an odd rule- is it to reduce trauma for the bovine clan? Maybe to reduce a rash decision regarding slaughtering for freewill offerings? I thought giving everything was a good choice- but maybe if i do it gradually I'll determine exactly what I want to offer. Perhaps, but seems a little fuzzy. I'm not sure about the why.

What's sacrificed must be eaten that day. Nothing is to be left until morning.

And to sum it all up, He says: Follow My commands, don't profane My name, The Israelites MUST acknowledge Me as holy. I make you holy- I brought you out of Egypt to be your God.

And this seems to be the key. I'm God- show me honor by giving Me the best and treating Me as holy. Remember what I've done for you? Give me what I deserve.

Finally He sets up the next section- description of feast days. Get ready for some rollicking discussion of unleavened bread.

So Who Delivers the Eulogy?

Leviticus 21- 22:16

So God gives Moses a list of rules for Aaron and his spawn to follow as they take care of priestly duties. First off, they can't make themselves unclean out of mourning practices- unless they are mourning a relative. For mom, dad, son, daughter, brother, or unmarried sister, he's welcome to become ceremonially unclean- but NOT for an in-law. Interesting that wife doesn't make this list. It's kind of implied that this kind of mourning for a wife would be natural- since the reason he can mourn for his unmarried sister is because she has no husband- but the wife,for whatever reason, is omitted from the Master's master list.

No shaving of the head, no cutting of the edges of the beard, they'd fit right in at a ZZ Top concert. Every girl's crazy 'bout a sharp dressed priest.

They also cannot cut their bodies. Sounds like a good rule of thumb, priest or not.

They can't marry former prostitutes or divorced women. This is to maintain their sanctity because they prepare God's food.

If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she gets burned in the fire. I'm guessing it would be an amazing day for an Israelite community if they were able to abstain from killing a community or family member. Hooray- we all survived!

The high priest has even more restriction. He must keep his head covered. And he can't be in the presence of a dead body. He can't make himself unclean- even for a parent. He can't leave the sanctuary- or defile it. He has to marry a virgin- so no ex-prostitutes, no divorcees, no widows. This virgin must also be from his own people. This is so he doesn't defile his offspring among his people.

These Israelites were a tad ethnocentric. Let's keep those bloodlines pure. The major contextual difference between these folks and contemporary racists is the motivation. At this point the gospel is not for all. God's inclusive kingdom hasn't been established yet- and this physical kingdom was made of God's chosen people. If the Jewish folks hadn't kept this priestly family pure- I'm guessing it would complicate things when it came time to open the doors- it would be harder to establish a Jewish rejection of all things Jesus.

I get it. I see (at least in part) why things were this way. It's still awfully hard for me to swallow. How'd you like to be the young girl from the next village over with a pure heart, in love with a priest- but sorry- not Jewish.

Next up an equally troubling section. If a priest has any kid with a physical defect- blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, crippled hand or foot, hunchbacked, dwarfed, eye defect, festering sores, damaged testicles (nope, didn't make up any of those) then keep him away from God's food. He can still eat the priest's food- but don't let him near the altar or curtain.

So like this kid isn't going to have enough to deal with? Not only can you not play on the lacrosse team- not only are the kids gonna make up cruel names for you (anyone know a Hebrew word that rhymes with fester?), but even at home, you'll be treated as less than the rest of us. Keep that club foot out of the sanctuary.

Same thing for descendants who catch a skin diseases (like leprosy), has a bodily discharge, has touched something defiled by a corpse or someone who has had an emission of semen. They are to stay away from the sacred offerings until they are made clean again. They can't even eat the priest's food until they are made clean again. He'll be clean at susnet- and then he can eat. He can't eat anything a wild animal has torn apart.

It's funny to think that Jesus treats these people totally differently. The marginalized folks in all of these categories are the people who would have flocked to Him- the former prostitutes, the divorced, the widowed, the scorned gentile, the physically disabled- these are Jesus' people! He even touched the lepers.

And maybe this criteria is setting up a religious context that makes the work of Jesus even that much more remarkable.

Finally, God specifies that the priest food is for the priest's family- no one else. Not a guest, not a hired worker. The exception would be a slave- either bought by the priest or one born into his house. If a priest's daughter marries a non-priest... no more priest food, unless she is widowed or divorced before she has children and comes back to live with her family. Then she can eat it.

If you accidentally eat the priest's food (hmmm, I wonder who this charred piece of meat belongs to? Oh well, finders keepers) you have to repay it to the priest adding an extra one fifth of the value to it. And the priests are forbidden from scamming people into eating their food. Here taste this lamb... mmmm, oh wait- that was mine...where's my extra 20%?

I guess even these holy men of God needed to be kept in line. And maybe this last rule helps to expose the potential any of us have to fall in unthinkable ways. Nice to know that we have Jesus and don't need to stand in that long line at the tabernacle.

Everybody Must Get Stoned

Leviticus 20

And now the ramifications of not following the laws spelled out in the last few chapters.

Anyone who gives his child to Molech will be put to death. The community is supposed to stone him. I would not have liked to be in this take the law into your own hands kind of society. It seems like it would be very easy for someone who didn't like you to find a reason that would warrant stoning... he entered his house 38 minutes before the mold expired... STONE THE HERETIC! This system leaves little room for grace and mercy... which I think is kind of the point.

If the community closes it's eyes against the Molechian and doesn't break out the stones, God will cut him off from his people.

People who turn to mediums and spirits are cut off from their people.

If you curse your mother and father- you are to be put to death.

If a man commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, they are both to be put to death.

If a man sleeps with his father's wife- they are both to be put to death (the son and father's wife- the father is just embarrassed and likely depressed).

If a man sleeps with his daughter in law... yep you guessed it- both put to death.

Male homosexual sex is punishable by death.

If a man marries both a woman and her mother- the three of them are to be burned.

Sex with an animal? Both the man and the animal are to be killed.

If a woman "approaches" an animal for sexual purposes- they are both to be killed. First- what is this "approaches"? Come-on lines to a hedgehog? And secondly, and equally odd is the follow up- their blood will be on their own hands. I get the woman's blood being on her hands- but the animal's? That spotted owl should have known better?

If a man marries his sister and it is consummated, they are to be cut off from their people.

If a man has sex with a woman while she is on her period, they are to be cut off from their people. They have exposed the source of her flow. That's some fine detective work, Israelites.

If a man sleeps with his aunt or marries his brother's wife, they will be childless.

Finally , God sums it all up. Look- you can't follow the customs of the people who used to have this promised land. If you do, you'll get vomited out of it like they did. So keep the clean and unclean straight.

And finally, He adds, a medium or spiritualist among you must be put to death. Get to stoning.

I can't understand why people view the Old Testament as harsh and violent.

Hang on Israelites, a new day is coming.

Etc., Etc., Etc.

Leviticus 19

So we've reached the...oh, and another thing section. Here God gives Moses a list of commands- it's basically a laundry list of how to do good.

Respect your parents and obey the sabbaths. No idols- don't turn to them, don't make them. When you sacrifice a fellowship offering, do it right- you can only eat it for two days- after that it's impure (and potentially pretty nasty anyhow). If you eat it on day three or later- you are to be cut off from your people.

When you collect your crop- don't go to the edge of your land. Don't go over the land a second time- don't pick up grapes that you dropped. Save some for the poor and alien.

Don't steal, don't lie, don't deceive each other.

Don't swear falsely by God's name.

Don't cheat or rob your neighbor. Don't hold back someone's wages over night.

Don't curse the deaf (they might not know, but don't do it anyhow), don't put things in the path of the blind that they might stumble over.

Show justice- don't favor the poor or the rich- be fair.

Don't spread slander- don't endanger your neighbor's life.

Don't hate your brother- rebuke your neighbor so you won't be guilty too. Is God commanding them to police each other? This is a tough concept- am I responsible for the wrong someone else has done? Are you responsible for me? If so... sorry.

Don't seek revenge- don't bear a grudge- love your neighbor as yourself.

Don't mate different kinds of animals- so much for koala-parrot experimentation. Don't plant multiple kinds of seed on your land. Don't wear clothing of two types of fabric.

If a man sleeps with a slave girl who is promised to someone else but is still a slave- he's to be punished for it. No putting to death though- she was a still a slave. The man has to bring a ram as a sin offering to atone for it. Two ways to read this- she was only a slave- not a very serious sin... or she was a slave and couldn't say no- she shouldn't punished as severely. My head says the former, my heart says the latter. Since the man is the one bringing the ram- and since this society is way patriarchal, I think it's another case of women as property- or certainly of less stature. Bothersome.

When you plant a fruit tree in the new land- you're growing "forbidden fruit". For three years eat none of it. Year four is a holy year- all fruit is for sacrifice. Year five, eat away. This seems part sacrifice, part horticulture lesson. As a result, your harvest will increase.

Don't eat blood in the meat. No divination or sorcery.

Don't cut the hair on the sides of your head (did the Israelites resemble Krusty the Clown?), don't trim your beard.

No self-mutilation in mourning for the dead. No tattoos.

Don't make your daughter a prostitute. The land will be overrun with prostitutes if you do.

Observe the sabbaths- have reverence for the sanctuary.

No mediums or spiritualists.

Stand up when old people are around. Show them respect.

Treat immigrants like you do natives. Love them as yourself. Don't force them to learn your language or perform menial tasks that no natives would want to perform. Never say to them love it or leave it. Oh wait, I added that last part. First two sentences came from God, though.

Use honest scales and weights. Don't cheat each other.

Basically- be kind and loving to each other- and obey my commands. There's some weird stuff in there like mixing seeds and counting years for fruit and slave sex penalties- but mostly this is basic how to be good stuff. Treat each other the way you would want to be treated. Pay heed to My laws. Throughout the chapter He repeats I am the Lord your God.

Love God and love your neighbors as yourself. Sounds familiar.

Let's Talk About Sex... Listen up, Oedi

Leviticus 18

If Jake Gittes had read Leviticus 18, Chinatown might have been a much shorter film. So, I guess, I'm kinda glad he didn't.

In this chapter, God lays out all laws concerning sexual activity. If followed correctly, these laws will make for a much less bawdy family reunion. If you're planning an amorous evening, don't read this post until tomorrow. You'll thank me later.

Do not have sex with your mom (it will dishonor your father and... she's your mom. God seems to almost be saying, come on people... she's your mom!). No sex with dad's wife- so step mom's are right out too. Forget about your sister- half or full sister. Even if she didn't grow up in your home. Sex with your grand daughter would dishonor you. No sex with aunts, daughters-in-law, or sisters-in-law.

Don't have sex with both a woman and her daughter- or a woman and her grand-daughter. Don't take your wife's sister as a rival wife- don't have sex with your wife's sister while your wife is living. Don't approach a woman for sex while she is on her period. No sex with the neighbor's wife.

And then in the middle of it all: Don't give your children to be sacrificed to Molech. I'm assuming that there was something sexual that was part of the sacrificial process. Not that God would be okay with it otherwise- it just seems out of place in this passage if sex wasn't involved in some way.

Don't lie with a man as one lies with a woman. No sex with animals. The sex with animals is the first of these laws to specifically address women. Women can't present themselves for sex with animals either.

I would assume that the female equivalent of these other laws would, however, also be true- I think that the lack of specificity says more about a stifling patriarchy in that culture than allowable female promiscuity.

God frames these laws around the idea of being different from surrounding nations. Don't be like Egypt, don't be like Canaan. If you defile this land it will vomit you out like it did the former inhabitants.

It's easy to write this chapter off as disgusting and obvious. Only the most depraved would... fill in the blank. But post-flood, sexual partners would have been at a minimum, especially in a culture that allowed polygamy. And even as the population grew, in a time before cars, telephones, or even singles.com- how much more difficult would it have been to meet someone who wasn't related to you in some way?

Maybe God is saying- this kind of thing was never ideal. Enough generations have gone by...stop it.

There Will NOT Be Blood

Leviticus 17

So apparently the Israelites have a thing for offering sacrifices to goat idols. I don't know what a goat idol is... but I do know that it sounds pretty silly. To combat this tendency, God decrees through Moses that anyone who sacrifices an ox, lamb, or goat instead of bringing it to the priests as a sacrifice is guilty of bloodshed. He will be cut off from his people. No one to hang out with but the goat idols. And they don't talk much.

God refers to this practice as prostitution. Perhaps prostitution was part of their idolic ritual- but at the very least God metaphorically equates the two concepts. Worshiping a false god is the same as whoring yourself.

The other major issue in this chapter is blood eating. Anyone who does it is to also be cutoff from his people. Maybe he can go hang out with the goat worshipers too. If you kill something that is lawful to eat, you must drain the blood out of it before eating it. The blood must then be covered with earth.

God explains why. The life of the creature is in the blood. And it's what is used for atonement. This law goes for the Israelite or the alien.

This sounds like not so big a deal. Of course I wouldn't eat blood. That's pretty nasty. We're not barbarians. But I'm guessing in a culture this legalistic, it was painstaking to ensure that all the blood was removed. I would think a medium-rare sirloin really wasn't much of an option. Although that sounds really good right now.

So what's changed for us? The life is still in the blood. It's not animal blood, it's Jesus' blood- and He encourages us to drink it. And I'm guessing that slaughter houses don't spend much time draining blood and burying it in the earth. Does this change in covenant release us from this burden? If not, perhaps the only option would be vegetarianism- or to kill your own food and prepare it carefully.

Or perhaps this is another contrast section- and between Peter's vision making everything clean and Christ's directive to drink His blood- the stigma is gone. I certainly hope so.

Finally, anyone who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash his clothes and bathe with water- and he will be unclean until evening. If he doesn't, he will be held responsible. Ah, the Israelite road-kill clause. Happy eating.

Escape Goat

Leviticus 16

The day of atonement is coming. And God tells Moses what Aaron needs to do. First off, he shouldn't be heading into the Most Holy Place all willy-nilly. God will be there in a cloud over the atonement cover of the ark and being in His presence will kill him.

He's to put on his linen underwear, sacred linen tunic, tie a linen sash around him and put on a linen turban. Basically, when in doubt, linen is the right answer for him. Before he puts them on, he's to take a bath. He is to get a bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. And then from the Israelites, he's to get two male goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

The bull is for his own atonement and his family's. The goats seem to be for atonement for the community. Aaron is to cast lots and one goat becomes a sin offering- the other is to be released into the desert as a scapegoat (or as a former debater of mine calls it, an "escape goat"... I was so proud), or a goat of removal.

This is an interesting concept. He lays hands on the goat and confesses all the Israelite sin and then the goat is sent out into the desert with the help of an appointed Israelite. So atonement is made here without the need for bloodshed. There's still a sacrifice with the other goat- but this goat carries the sins into the desert. I'm not sure what to make of this. Is God trying out another system to see how it works? Is it that killing the one goat wasn't enough and God's showing that even upping the ante isn't enough to take care of it all? Jesus will still be necessary.

So Aaron can go behind the curtain to the Most Holy Place to make atonement. He's to take a censer of burning coals from the altar and two handfulls of finely ground fragrant incense when he goes. The incense goes on the fire making a fragrant shield of sorts between him and God's presence. This will keep him from dying... so he should probably be sure to remember it.

He's to sprinkle blood on the atonement cover- and then blood before it seven times.

He's to do the same with the goat for the Israelites' sins. He is to also sprinkle the tent of meeting with goat blood. Not the decor I would have chosen. The tent of meeting must be vacant except for Aaron while he's in the Most Holy Place and the tent of meeting. Blood from the bull and goat go on the horns of the altar and get sprinkled on the altar too.

Then Aaron goes into the tent of meeting and takes off the linen garments and leaves them there. He is to bathe with water in a holy place and put his regular clothes back on. Then he comes out in front of the people and makes the sacrfiice for himself and also for them. So sacrfice and sprinkling privately, cooking in front of the group.

The man who is in charge of the scapegoat has to wash his clothes and take a bath before returning back into camp. The remains of the bull and goat used are to be taken outside of camp and burned up. The person who does this must wash his clothes and take a bath before returning to camp.

This is a long term practice. It happens once a year on the tenth day of the seventh month. It's a sabbath- no work is to be done.

So lots of boring detail- the invention of the scapegoat- and perhaps most important of all- a clear sign that God takes this sin stuff seriously. It's hard to get rid of it- killing the animals, sending them into the desert- even burning them outside of camp ultimately won't be enough. It'll take Jesus.