Bible: Beginning to End - Leviticus 1-15: The Offering System, The Institution of the Priesthood, & Regulations Pertaining to Purity

Episode Date: December 4, 2020

*For copyright reasons, I had to combine these episodes into one episode. Leviticus 1-7 (Read) Leviticus 8-10 (Read) Leviticus 11-15 (Read) Contact Us Visit our Website          On Instagram @biblebeginningtoend     On Twitter: @biblebeginning1      Via email: [e-mail] Discuss each episode on Reddit Click Here for our YouTube Channel. Supporting the Show Financial contribution is never required, but if you'd like to support the show, here are a couple of ways (Note, I did talk in this episode about merchandise, but I no longer sell merchandise): Be a listener and share the show with your friends! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to become a monthly supporter via Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠* ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to make a one-time contribution via Paypal⁠⁠.* *Note that the Bible Beginning to End podcast is not a registered 501(c)3 or charitable organization. Therefore, any monetary support provided is not tax deductible. 10% of any profits made from this podcast via ad revenues or listener support will be donated to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Asha's Refuge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a Christ-centered nonprofit that "exists to assist the most disadvantaged refugees/asylees in achieving a successful resettlement in the Memphis, TN area.". Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 1 00:05 - New Ways to Support the Show 2:33 - Intro 5:38 - Ad Break 5:39 - Leviticus 1 9:30 - Leviticus 2 13:06 - Leviticus 3 16:46 - Leviticus 4 23:52 - Leviticus 5 28:25 - Leviticus 6 33:41 - Leviticus 7 40:09 - Outro 1 41:55 - Intro 2 44:27 - Leviticus 8 54:04 - Leviticus 9 60:09 - Leviticus 10 66:31 - Outro 2 67:48 - Intro 3 68:59 - Leviticus 11  79:49 - Leviticus 12  82:41 - Leviticus 13  97:03 - Leviticus 14  109:23 - Leviticus 15  117:01 - Outro 3 Bible Verse Copyright Statement Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. To purchase an NLT, please visit https://amzn.to/3wUpUef

Hello and welcome back to Bible beginning to end. Before we get started with today's reading, I want to share a couple of new and exciting things going on with the podcast and ways that you can support the show and in doing so also support a local nonprofit where I'm from in Memphis, Tennessee. I want to say first that this show will always be free, always be available, supporting the show financially or by purchasing merch is never ever required. because you support the show just by listening, and that means a lot to me. But I have created a few ways that you can help support the show, which one helps keep giving me the ability to record and edit and publish these episodes as often as I can. And two, we'll also support a local nonprofit here where I live called Asha's Refuge, which is a Christ-centered organization that exists to assist the most disadvantaged

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together. The other ways to support are financially, if you're so inclined, by donating monthly via anchor or making a one-time or monthly donation via PayPal. And then 10% of any revenue made from ads, merchandise sales, and listener support will be donated to the work being done at Asha's refuge. Again, none of this is required, but if you love the podcast and you want to show some extra support, it is greatly appreciated, and a portion of all of your support will be going to a great cause. And you can find out all the information about the ways to support this show by looking in the description or going to our website, Biblebeginningtoend.com. So thank you for listening, and let's go ahead and jump into today's scripture. We have just finished up Exodus, and we are

starting a brand new book of the Bible called Leviticus. Comes right after Exodus. So before we jump into Leviticus, we need to remember where we've been. We started in Genesis with creation, and then the flood, and then God's new creation. And we saw God make a covenant with Abraham. And everything we have been reading since then has been God fulfilling his covenant with Abraham, and we are still seeing Abraham's descendants and how God has remained faithful

to the covenant he made with Abraham and the Israelites. Leviticus is a bit of a different. type of book because what we're going to be reading through are all the laws God put in place for the Israelites to follow so that they could be in relationship with him. Now, you might be asking, what do all of these ancient laws have to do with us? Didn't Jesus' sacrifice on the cross fulfill these laws so we don't have to follow them anymore? The answer is yes. Jesus, Jesus's sacrifice and the cross fulfilled these laws in Leviticus so that we could be in relationship with God through Jesus Christ. But as we're reading through these laws and these regulations that the Israelites had to fulfill in order to be in relationship with God,

I want you to be thinking about how is it related to us? Why is it important to read this old scripture in relation to what we know about Jesus Christ? I'm not going to give you those answers because the point of this is for you to really critically think about these scriptures, why they're here, how they relate to us, and work that out for yourself in prayer and in meditation. Leviticus is pretty much split up into a few different sections. We see the regulations about the offering system in chapters 1 through 7 and then the institution of the priesthood in 8 through 10, regulations pertaining to purity in 11 through 15. the Day of Atonement in Chapter 16, expressions of holiness in the community in Chapter 17 through 26, and regulations pertaining to vows and tithes in Chapter 27. So we're kind of going to break up Leviticus into these sections.

We might combine a couple of sections for one episode, but today we're going to focus on Leviticus 1 through 7, where we're learning about the offering system. And as we're reading this, I really want you guys to consider what life was like before Jesus Christ came for the Jewish community. What did they have to do to be in communion with God? And really do some comparison and contrasting to what our life as Christians is today versus how it might have been for us if we were living during the time of the Israelites. We're going to be the best conversion of the world. The incredible system of Pago of Shopify facilitates the companies on your site web, in the reds social and in

any other world. That is music for your ears. No, let's more whiltas. Your business will be a super-exiton with Shopify. Empeza to period of proof for a euro at a month in Shopify.es bar records. We're going to start with chapter one called the offering system. procedures for the burnt offering. The Lord called to Moses from the tabernacle and said to him, give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present an animal as an offering to the

Lord, you may take it from your herd of cattle and your flock of sheep and goats. If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the herd, it must be a male with no defects. Bring it to the entrance of the tabernacle so you may be accepted by the Lord. So pause there and really think about why do you think God is requiring an animal with no defects for offering. Verse four, lay your hand on the animal's head, and the Lord will accept its death in your place to purify you, making you right with him. Then slaughter the young bull in the Lord's presence, and Aaron's sons, the priests, will present the animal's body by splattering it against all sides of the altar that stands at the entrance to the tabernacle. Then skin the animal and cut it

into pieces. The sons of Aaron, the priest, will build a wood fire on the altar. They will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. But the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. If the animal you present as a burnt offering is from the flock, it may be either a sheep or a goat, but it must be a male with no defects. Slaughter the animal on the north side of the altar in the Lord's presence, and Aaron's sons, the priests, will splatter its blood against all sides of the altar.

Then cut the animal in pieces, and the priest will arrange the pieces of the offering, including the head and fat, on the wood burning on the altar. but the internal organs and the legs must first be washed with water. Then the priest will burn the entire sacrifice on the altar as a burnt offering. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. If you present a bird as a burnt offering to the Lord, choose either a turtle dove or a young pigeon. The priest will take the bird to the altar, ring off its head,

and burn it on the altar. But first he must drain its blood against the side of the altar. The priest must also remove the crop and the feathers and throw them in the ashes on the east side of the altar. Then grasping the bird by its wings, the priest will tear the bird open. But without tearing it apart, then he will burn it as a burnt offering on the wood burning on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. So pause there at the end of chapter one.

What kind of offering are we talking about? This first offering we're talking about is a burnt offering. offering. When the Israelites offer a burnt offering, an animal sacrifice, offering and sacrifice is kind of used interchangeably, what are they asking for? And what does the death of the animal symbolize? Maybe take a look at Leviticus 1 verse 4 to remind you. It's kind of an uneasy, violent process, this sacrifice. What does that tell us about the seriousness of sin in God's eyes? And also compare it to Jesus' sacrifice that's coming later and how that becomes a one-time sacrifice for everyone.

How is it similar to these sacrifices that they're offering in Leviticus? In Leviticus Chapter 2, we're transitioning to procedures for the grain offering. When you present grain as an offering to the Lord, the offering must consist of choice flour. You are to pour olive oil on it, sprinkle it with frankincense, and bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests. The priest will scoop out a handful of the flour moistened with oil together with all the frankincense and burn this representative portion on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The rest of the grain offering will then be given to Aaron and his sons.

The offering will be considered a most holy part of the special gifts presented to the Lord. If your offering is a grain offering baked in an oven, it must be made of choice flour, but without any yeast. It may be presented in the form of thin cakes mixed with olive oil or wafers spread with olive oil. If your grain offering is cooked on a griddle, it must be made. be made of choice flour, mixed with olive oil, but without any yeast. Break it in pieces and pour olive oil on it. It is a grain offering. If your grain offering is prepared in a pan, it must be made of choice flour and olive oil. No matter how a grain offering for the Lord has been prepared, bring it to the priest who will present it at the altar. The priest will take a representative

portion of the grain offering and burn it on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. The rest of the grain offering will then be given to Aaron and his sons as their food. This offering will be considered a most holy part of the special gifts presented to the Lord. Do not use yeast in preparing any of the grain offerings you present to the Lord, because no yeast or honey may be burned as a special gift presented to the Lord. You may add yeast and honey to an offering of the first crops of your harvest, but these must never be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God's eternal covenant.

Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings. So pause there, why do you think that they need to be reminded of God's eternal covenant? Verse 14, if you present a grain offering to the Lord from the first portion of your harvest, bring fresh grain that is coarsely ground and roasted on a fire. Put olive oil on this grain offering and sprinkle it with frankincense. The priest will take a representative portion of the grain moistened with oil together with all the frankincense and burn it as a special gift presented to the Lord. So that's the end of Leviticus 2. The grain offerings, what do you think the grain offerings symbolize?

How do you think they were used? And I'll always encourage you, if you don't know the answer and you've thought about it, do some research on your own and look it up and start thinking on these things for yourself. And I also want to ask you, why do you think God says don't use yeast in any of these offerings? What might yeast symbolize? What does yeast do? Maybe take a look at Galatians 5-9 or Mark 815 or Matthew 166 to help you with this answer and see what yeast might symbolize. Okay, Leviticus 3. the peace offering. Right off the bat we have this word peace. What do you think about when you think

about the word peace? Leviticus 3.1, if you present an animal from the herd as a peace offering to the Lord, it may be a male or a female, but it must have no defects. Lay your hand on the animal's head and slaughter it at the entrance of the tabernacle. Then Aaron's sons, the priest, will splatter its blood against all sides of the altar. The priest must present part of this peace offering as a special gift to the Lord. This includes all the fat around the internal organs, the two kidneys, and the fat around them near the loins,

and the long lobe of the liver. These must be removed with the kidneys, and Aaron's sons will burn them on the top of the burnt offerings on the wood burning on the altar. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Pause there, we hear that. phrase a lot. It is a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. So when you hear that, what do you think? What is it telling us about God? What is it telling us about how important these sacrifices are,

these offerings? Verse 6. If you present an animal from the flock as a peace offering to the Lord, it may be a male or a female, but it must have no defects. If you present a sheep as your offering, bring it to the Lord, lay your hand on its head, and slaughter it in front of the tabernacle. Aaron's sons will then splatter the sheep's blood against all sides of the altar. The priest must present the fat of this peace offering as a special gift to the Lord. This includes the fat of the broad tail cut off near the backbone, all the fat around the internal organs, the two kidneys, and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver.

These must be removed with the kidneys, and the priest will burn them on the altar. It is a special gift of food presented to the Lord. If you present a goat as your offering, bring it to the Lord, lay your hand on its head, and slaughter it in front of the tabernacle. Aaron's sons will then splatter the goat's blood against all sides of the altar. The priest must present part of this offering as a special gift to the Lord. This includes all the fat around the internal organs, the two kidneys. and the fat around them near the loins and the long lobe of the liver. These must be removed with the kidneys, and the priest will burn them on the altar.

It is a special gift of food, a pleasing aroma to the Lord. All the fat belongs to the Lord. You must never eat any fat or blood. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation, wherever you live. So that's the end of chapter three. What do you think this peace offering is for? Is it for peace among the community?

Or is it for peace between the people and God? Think about who these offerings belong to. The last few chapters we're reading today are going to be dealing with sin offerings. So think about what your life would be like if you had to follow these laws. If you had to remember all of these laws. If you had to keep them to the letter. and let's see what the Israelites had to do for sin offerings chapter four procedures for the sin offering then the lord said to moses give the following instructions to the people of israel this is how you are to deal with those who sin unintentionally by doing anything that violates one of the lord's commands

pause there what do you think he means by unintentional sins do we all sin do we sometimes sin without even knowing that we're sinning Verse 3. If the high priest sins bringing guilt upon the entire community, he must give a sin offering for the sin he has committed. He must present to the Lord a young bull with no defects. He must bring the bull to the Lord at the entrance of the tabernacle, lay his hand on the bull's head, and slaughter it before the Lord. The high priest will then take some of the bull's blood into the tabernacle, dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the inner curtain of the sanctuary. The priest will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for fragrant incense that stands in the Lord's presence inside the

tabernacle. He will pour out the rest of the bull's blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance of the tabernacle. Then the priest must remove all the fat of the bull to be offered as a sin offering. This includes all the fat around the internal organs, the two kidneys, and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver. He must remove these along with the kidneys, just as he does with cattle offered as a peace offering, and burn them on the altar of burnt offerings. But he must take whatever is left of the bull, its hide, meat, head, legs, internal organs, and dung, and carry it away to a place outside the camp that is ceremonially clean, the place where the ashes are dumped. There on the ash heap, he will burn it on a wood fire.

Okay, so pause there. That's just for the high priest, if he sins. Now what are they supposed to do if the entire Israelite community sins? Verse 13. If the entire Israelite community sins by violating one of the Lord's commands, but the people don't realize it, they are still guilty. When they become aware of their sin, the people must bring a young bull as an offering for their sin and present it before the tabernacle. The elders of the community must then lay their hands on the bull's head and slaughter it before the Lord. The high priest will then take some of the bull's blood into the tabernacle, dip his finger in the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the inner curtain.

He will then put some of the blood on the horns of the altar for fragrant incense that stands in the Lord's presence inside the tabernacle. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar for burnt offerings at the entrance of the tabernacle. Then the priest must remove all the animals fat and burn it on the altar. The tabernacle. Then the priest must remove all the animals fat and burn it on the altar, just as he does with the bull offered as a sin offering for the high priest.

through this process the priest will purify the people making them right with the Lord and they will be forgiven then the priest must take what is left of the bull and carry it outside the camp and burn it there just as is done with the sin offering for the high priest this offering is for the sin of the entire congregation of Israel so pause there and think about that have we seen the entire community of Israel sin before Have we seen them collectively worshipping idols? Might that be reason for them to present one of these sacrifices? Verse 22, If one of Israel's leaders sins by violating one of the commands of the Lord his God

but doesn't realize it, he is still guilty. When he becomes aware of his sin, he must bring, as is offering, a male goat with no defects. He must lay his hand on the goat's head and slaughter it at the place where burnt offerings are slaughtered before the Lord. This is an offering for his sin. Then the priest will dip his finger in the blood of the sin offering and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Then he must burn all the goats fat on the

altar just as he does with the peace offering. Through this process, the priest will purify the leader from his sin, making him right with the Lord, and he will be forgiven. If any of the common people's sin by violating one of the Lord's commands, but they don't realize that they are still guilty. When they become aware of their sin, they must bring as an offering for their sin a female goat with no defects. They must lay a hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offerings are slaughtered. Then the priest will dip his finger in the blood and put it on the horns of the altar for the burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Then he must remove all the goats fat, just as he does with the fat of

the peace offering. He will burn the fat on the altar, and it will be a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Through this process, the priest will purify the people making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven. If the people bring a sheep as their sin offering, it must be a female with no defects. They must lay a hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place where the burnt offerings are slaughtered. Then the priest will dip his finger in the blood of the sin offering, and put it on the horns of the altar for burnt offerings. He will pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Then he must remove all the sheep's fat just as he does with the fat of the sheep

presented as a peace offering. He will burn the fat on the altar on top of the special gifts presented to the Lord. Through this process, the priest will purify the people from their sin, making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven. So pause there at the end of chapter 4 and ask yourself, who had to present sin offerings? And what did they have to present sin offerings for? What was the process?

Why do you think God is so specific about this process? And then compare it to how we handle sin now. What are the differences? And then think about the different types of offerings for the different types of people who committed the sins. Are some of the offerings more significant sacrifices than others based on if the high priest sinned or if the community sinned or if a common person sinned, what does that tell us about our responsibility with the power and influence we've been given?

Leviticus 5 sins requiring a sin offering. If you are called to testify about something you have seen or that you know about, it is sinful to refuse to testify and you will be punished for your sin. or suppose you unknowingly touch something that is ceremonially unclean, such as the carcass of an unclean animal. When you realize what you have done, you must admit your defilement and your guilt. This is true whether it is a wild animal, a domestic animal, or an animal that scurries along the ground. Or suppose you unknowingly touch something that makes a person unclean. When you realize what you have done, you must admit your guilt.

or suppose you make a foolish vow of any kind, whether its purpose is for good or for bad, when you realize its foolishness you must admit your guilt. When you become aware of your guilt in any of these ways you must confess your sin, then you must bring to the Lord as a penalty for your sin, a female from the flock, either a sheep or a goat. This is a sin offering with which the priest will purify you from your sin, making you right with the Lord. But if you cannot afford to bring a sheep, you may bring to the Lord two turtle doves or two young pigeons as a penalty for your sin. One of the birds will be for a

sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. You must bring them to the priest who will present the first bird as the sin offering. He will wring its neck but without severing its head from the body. Then he will sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering against the sides of the altar and the rest of the blood will be drained out at the base of the altar. This is an offering for sin. The priest will then prepare the second bird as a burnt offering, following all the procedures that have been prescribed. Through this process, the priest will purify you from your sin,

making you right with the Lord, and you will be forgiven. If you cannot afford to bring two turtle doves or two pigeons, you may bring one quarts of choice flour for your sin offering. Since it is an offering for sin, you must not moisten it with olive oil or put any frankincense on it. Take the flour to the priest who will scoop out a handful as a representative portion. He will burn it on the altar on top of the special gifts presented to the Lord. It is an offering for sin.

Through this process, the priest will purify those who are guilty of any of these sins, making them right with the Lord, and they will be forgiven. The rest of the flower will belong to the priest, just as with the grain offering. So pause there. I mean, can you imagine doing this? every time you sin, every single time you commit one of these sins. It's something to think about. The next section is procedures for the guilt offering.

Then the Lord said to Moses, if one of you commits a sin by unintentionally defiling the Lord's sacred property, you must bring a guilt offering to the Lord. The offering must be your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value with silver as measured by the weight of the sanctuary shekel. You must make restitution for the sacred property you have harmed by paying for the loss, plus an additional 20%.

When you give the payment to the priest, he will purify you with the ram sacrificed as a guilt offering, making you right with the Lord, and you will be forgiven. Suppose you sin by violating one of the Lord's commands. Even if you are unaware of what you have done, you are guilty and will be punished for your sin. For a guilt offering, you must be. You must bring to the priest your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value. Through this process, the priest will purify you from your unintentional sin, making you right with the Lord, and you will be forgiven.

This is a guilt offering, for you have been guilty of an offense against the Lord. So pause there at the end of chapter 5. What did we learn about the guilt offering? We're talking about unintentional sins again, and God has a system in place for covering everyone, even if they sin and didn't know it, but you have to go through all these processes. How do you think you would feel living under this time and in this system of animal sacrifices and burnt offerings and grain offerings?

Again, just continue to compare it to where we are now and kind of seeing where we came from. Okay, so let's hop in to Leviticus 6. sins requiring a guilt offering. Then the Lord said to Moses, suppose one of you sins against your associate and is unfaithful to the Lord. Suppose you cheat in a deal involving a security deposit, or you steal or commit fraud, or you find lost property and lie about it, or you lie while swearing to tell the truth, or you commit any other such sin. If you have sinned in any of these ways you are guilty, you must give them.

back whatever you stole, or the money you took by extortion, or the security deposit, or the lost property you found, or anything obtained by swearing falsely. You must make restitution by paying the full price, plus an additional 20% to the person you have harmed. On the same day, you must present a guilt offering. As a guilt offering to the Lord, you must bring to the priest your own ram with no defects, or you may buy one of equal value. Through this process the priest will purify you before the Lord, making you right with him, and you will be forgiven for any of these sins you have committed. The next section is further instructions for the burnt offering.

Then the Lord said to Moses, give Aaron and his sons the following instructions regarding the burnt offering. The burnt offering must be left on top of the altar until the next morning, and the fire on the altar must be kept burning all night. In the morning after the priest on duty has put on his official linen clothing and linen undergarments, he must clean out the ashes of the burnt offering and put them beside the altar. Then he must take off these garments, change back into his regular clothes, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean.

Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning. It must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the fire. the burnt offering on it. He will then burn the fat of the peace offerings on it. Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out. Further instructions for the grain offering. These are the instructions regarding the grain offering. Aaron's sons must present this offering to the Lord in front of the altar. The priest on duty will take from the grain offering a handful of the choice flour moistened with olive oil. Together with all the frankincense, he will

burn this representative portion on the altar as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. Aaron and his sons may eat the rest of the flour, but it must be baked without yeast, and eaten in a sacred place within the courtyard of the tabernacle. Remember, it must never be prepared with yeast. I have given it to the priests as their share of the special gifts presented to me. Like the sin offering and the guilt offering, it is most holy. any of Aaron's male descendants may eat from the special gifts presented to the Lord. This is their permanent right from generation to generation.

Anyone or anything that touches these offerings will become holy. Procedures for the ordination offering. Then the Lord said to Moses, on the day Aaron and his sons are anointed, they must present to the Lord the standard grain offering of two quarts, of choice flour. half to be offered in the morning and half to be offered in the evening. It must be carefully mixed with olive oil and cooked on a griddle, then slice this grain offering and present it as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. In each generation, the high priest who succeeds Aaron must prepare the same offering.

It belongs to the Lord and must be burned up completely. This is a permanent law. All such grain offerings of a priest must be burned up entirely. None of it may be eaten. Further instructions for the sin offering. Then the Lord said to Moses, give Aaron and his sons the following instructions regarding the sin offering. The animal given as an offering for sin is a most holy offering,

and it must be slaughtered in the Lord's presence at the place where the burnt offerings are slaughtered. The priest who offers the sacrifice as a sin offering must eat his portion in a sacred place within the courtyard of the tabernacle. Anyone or anything that touches the sacriacal, If any of the sacrificial meat will become holy. If any of the sacrificial blood spatters on a person's clothing, the soil garment must be washed in a sacred place. If a clay pot is used to boil the sacrificial meat, it must be broken. If a bronze pot is used, it must be scoured and thoroughly rinsed with water. Any male from a priest's family may eat from this offering. It is most holy. But the offering for sin may not be eaten if its blood was brought into the tabernacle.

as an offering for purification in the holy place. It must be completely burned with fire. So pause there at the end of chapter six. Why do you think the sin offering has to be burned completely? It can't be eaten. And then the last chapter we're reading today, Chapter 7 starts with further instructions for the guilt offering. These are the instructions for the guilt offering.

It is most holy. The animal sacrificed as a gift. guilt offering must be slaughtered at the place where the burnt offerings are slaughtered, and its blood must be splattered against all sides of the altar. The priest will then offer all its fat on the altar, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs, the two kidneys, and the fat around them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver. These are to be removed with the kidneys, and the priests will burn them on the altar as a special gift presented to the Lord. This is the guilt offering. Any mail from the priest's family may eat the meat. It must be eaten

in a sacred place, for it is most holy. The same instructions apply to both the guilt offering and the sin offering. Both belong to the priest who uses them to purify someone, making that person right with the Lord. In the case of the burnt offering, the priest may keep the hide of the sacrificed animal. Any grain offering that has been baked in an oven, prepared in a pan, or cooked on a griddle, belongs to the priest who presents it. All other green offerings, whether made of dry flour or flour moistened with olive oil, are to be shared equally among all the priests, the descendants of Aaron. Further instructions for the peace offering. These are the instructions regarding the different kinds of peace offerings that may be presented to the Lord. If you present your piece offering as an expression of Thanksgiving,

the usual animal sacrifice must be accompanied by various kinds of bread made without yeast, then cakes mixed with olive oil, wafers spread with oil, and cakes made of choice flour mixed with olive oil. This peace offering of Thanksgiving must also be accompanied by loaves of bread made with yeast. One of each kind of bread must be presented as a gift to the Lord. It will then belong to the priest. who splatters the blood of the peace offering against the altar. The meat of the peace offering of Thanksgiving must be eaten on the same day it is offered. None of it may be saved for the next morning.

If you bring an offering to fulfill a vow or as a voluntary offering, the meat must be eaten on the same day the sacrifice is offered. But whatever is left over may be eaten on the second day. Any meat left over until the third day must be completely burned up. If any of the meat from the peace offering is eaten on the third day, the person who presented it will not be accepted by the Lord. You will receive no credit for offering it. By then, the meat will be contaminated. If you eat it, you will be punished for your sin. Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean may not be eaten. It must be completely burned up. The rest of the meat may be eaten, but only by people who are ceremonially clean. If you are ceremonially unclean and you eat meat from a peace offering that was

presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community. If you touch anything that is unclean, whether it is human defilement or an unclean animal or any other unclean detestable thing, and then eat meat from a peace offering presented to the Lord, you will be cut off from the community. So pause there and think about the consequences of eating unclean meat. What does that show us about how important these sacrifices are to God? How seriously is God taking these offerings? The next section is the forbidden blood and fat.

Then the Lord said to Moses, give the following instructions to the people of Israel. You must never eat fat, whether from cattle, sheep, or goats. The fat of an animal found dead or torn to pieces by wild animals must never be eaten, though it may be used for any other purpose. Anyone who eats fat from an animal presented as a special gift to the Lord will be cut off from the community. No matter where you live, you must never consume the blood of any bird or animal. Anyone who consumes blood will be cut off from the community.

So pause there and ask yourself, why do you think God did not want them to eat the fat or drink the blood from the animals? What does blood symbolize? What does blood symbolize that only God can give? What might fat? symbolize. The final section is a portion for the priests. Then the Lord said to Moses, give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present a peace offering to the Lord, bring part of it as a gift to the Lord. Present it to the Lord with your own hands as a special gift to the Lord. Bring the fat of the animal together with the breast and lift up the breast as a special offering to the Lord. So pause there.

What does that symbolize with your own hands? If it's your own hands, what does that mean? What does that show? Verse 31, then the priest will burn the fat on the altar, but the breast will belong to Aaron and his descendants. Give the right thigh of your peace offering to the priest as a gift. The right thigh must always be given to the priest who offers the blood and the fat of the peace offering.

For I have reserved the breast of the special offering. offering and the right thigh of the sacred offering for the priest. It is the permanent right of Aaron and his descendants to share in the peace offerings brought by the people of Israel. This is their rightful share. The special gifts presented to the Lord have been reserved for Aaron and his descendants from the time they were set apart to serve the Lord as priests. On the day they were anointed, the Lord commanded the Israelites to give these portions to the priests as their permanent share from generation to generation. These are the instructions for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering, as well as the ordination offering,

and the peace offering. The Lord gave these instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai when he commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai. So that concludes our section four today. As I said, Leviticus has a lot of rules and regulations. So as we're reading, just think about this as laying the foundation and the history of our faith. Remember where we've come from and remember how everything changed when Jesus came in the New Testament. Put yourself in the shoes of the Israelites and think about what it might have been like to live in a society like this. They finally built the tavernacle. They spent so much time working on that. And now they can use it for its designated purpose so that they can be connected with God. These rituals are sacred and they are

taken very seriously. At least at the beginning, we'll see if the Israelites' mindsets change as time goes on. But to God, these rituals and these sacrifices are highly important and taken very seriously. So as we continue reading, bear with all the rituals and regulations and instructions, and just think about what it might be like to have lived back then. We'll pick up next time with Leviticus 8 as we go through the section that talks about the institution of the priesthood. I hope you enjoyed the section today. I hope that you got something out of it, not from me, but from God's word, from meditating on it, from listening to it, from thinking on it. If you want to reach out to the show, feel free to email us or reach out on Twitter. All that information is in the description of this episode.

It was so much fun walking through the scriptures with you guys today. And I will talk to you in the next one. Hello and welcome back to Bible beginning to end. I'm sorry that I haven't released an episode in a little while. I got very busy with the holidays and with work. So it took me a little while to get back into Levitin. But we are back and we're going to keep going and hopefully you're still with me on this journey. So let's recall what we did last time.

We went through Leviticus 1 to 7, which was all about the offering system. We talked about sin. We talked about how people atoned for sin in the Old Testament. We compared that to how we handle sin now knowing that Jesus has come and become the ultimate sacrifice for sin. Now we're transitioning into the institution of the priesthood. And priests were very instrumental in the whole process of the offering system. And they had very specific regulations for priests and very specific things that they had to do and where. And that is what we're going to be talking about today with the institution of the priesthood. And as always, I'll be offering

some commentary, some questions to think about along the way. You can pause whenever you want to really think about answers to these questions. And hopefully, God will be speaking to you through his words. And before we get started, I just want to remind you that you can always reach out at Bible beginning to end at gmail.com. If you want to share your experiences with the podcast, I've heard from a couple of people, and it's really been wonderful to receive. your letters and words about how this podcast is helping you interact with the scriptures and become

closer to God. We also have a website and a Twitter. And if you're someone who goes on Reddit, we have a subreddit where you can discuss each episode in the scriptures we talked about. If you're interested in any of those things or ways to support the show, all of that information will be in the description. And I just appreciate anyone, even if you don't reach out or say anything or interact anywhere else, but just listening. It really does mean a lot to me that there are people out there listening and growing in the Word and that God is doing work through his scripture as it should be. Leviticus 8, ordination of priests. Then the Lord said to Moses, bring Aaron and his sons along with their sacred garments, the anointing oil, the bull for the

the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of bread made without yeast, and call the entire community of Israel together at the entrance of the tabernacle. So Moses followed the Lord's instructions, and the whole community assembled at the tabernacle entrance. Moses announced to them, this is what the Lord has commanded us to do. Then he presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. He put the official tunic on Aaron and tied the sad. around his waist. He dressed him in the robe, placed the effid on him, and attached the effid securely with its decorative sash. Then Moses placed the chess piece on Aaron and put the Urim and the thumbum inside it. He placed the turban on Aaron's head and attached the gold

medallion, the badge of holiness, to the front of the turban, just as the Lord had commanded him. So pause there as we're starting to see the process of ordaining priests. I want to highlight a couple of key things from this section. It starts off by saying, in verse four, Moses followed the Lord's instructions. What does that tell us about Moses? What does that tell us about following God's instructions and how important that is? And then also think back, what was the the first thing that Moses did to the priests? It's in verse six and it says that he washed them with water. What does water symbolize? Why do you think they have to go through this act of washing first before they can be ordained and even before they can begin to wear the priestly garments?

And then the last thing I want you to remember is back in Exodus, do you remember when they were making all of the clothes for the priests and all these pieces that they had to wear and the effort and the time and the people who went into making these clothes? Okay, moving on to verse 10. Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it, making them holy. He sprinkled the oil on the altar seven times, anointing it and, all its utensils as well as the wash basin in its stand, making them holy. Then he poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron's head, anointing him, and making him holy for his work. Next, Moses presented Aaron's sons. He clothed them in their tunics, tied their sashes around them, and put their

special head coverings on them just as the Lord had commanded him. So pause there and think about the significance of the oil and of making things holy. Why did they have to go through this process? What does that mean to make something holy? And then again we hear those words, just as the Lord had commanded him. How are we seeing Moses's commitment to God? Verse 14. Then Moses presented the bull for the sin offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the bull's head, and Moses slaughtered it. Moses took some of the blood, and with his finger, he put it on the four horns of the altar to purify it. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Through this process, he made the altar wholly by purifying it. Then Moses took all the fat around the internal organs,

the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat around them, and he burned it all on the altar. He took the rest of the bull, including its hide, meat, and dung, and burned it on the fire outside the camp, just as the Lord had commanded him. Then Moses presented the ram for burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram's head, and Moses slaughtered it. Then Moses took the ram's blood and splattered it against all sides of the altar. Then he cut the ram into pieces, and he burned the head, some of its pieces, and the fat on the altar. After washing the internal organs and the legs, with water, Moses burned the entire. entire ram on the altar as a burnt offering. It was a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the

Lord, just as the Lord had commanded him. Then Moses presented the other ram, which was the ram of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the ram's head, and Moses slaughtered it. Then Moses took some of its blood and applied it to the lobe of Aaron's right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the big toe of his right foot. Next, Moses presented Aaron's sons and applied some of the blood to the lobes of their right ears, the thumbs of their right hands,

and the big toes of their right feet. He then splattered the rest of the blood against all the sides of the altar. Next, Moses took the fat, including the fat of the broad tail, the fat around the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat around them.

along with the right thigh. On top of these, he placed a thin cake of bread made without yeast, a cake of bread mixed with olive oil, and a wafer spread with olive oil. All these were taken from the basket of bread made without yeast that was placed in the Lord's presence. So pause there and remember, what did we say about yeast before?

What is yeast symbolize? Why is it important that bread be made without yeast for these purposes? Verse 27. He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and he lifted these gifts as a special offering to the Lord. Moses then took all the offerings back from them and burned them on the altar on top of the burnt offering. This was the ordination offering. It was a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the Lord. Then Moses took the breast and lifted it up as a special offering to the Lord.

This was Moses's portion of the ram of ordination, just as the Lord had. commanded him. So pause there. What kind of process did Moses just walk through? We saw sacrifices and offerings. We've talked about these sacrifices and offerings before, so what are the types of offerings Moses is presenting to the Lord in these passages? Verse 30. Next, Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar, and he sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments. In this way, he made Aaron and his sons and their garments holy. So pause there, why do you think this process is starting and ending with a form of anointing? How is the first anointing different from the final anointing? Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons,

boil the remaining meat of the offerings at the tabernacle entrance and eat it there along with the bread that is in the basket of offerings for the ordination just as I commanded when I said Aaron and his sons will eat it. Any meat or bread that is left over must be burned up. You must not leave the tabernacle entrance for seven days, for that is when the ordination ceremony will be complete. Everything we have done today was commanded by the Lord in order to be. purify you, making you right with him. Now stay at the entrance of the tabernacle day and night for seven days and do everything the Lord requires. If you fail to do this, you will die, for this is what the Lord has commanded. So Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord had commanded

through Moses. So pause there at the end of chapter 8. We have that phrase again, did everything the Lord had commanded, but this time who is following God's instructions? I also want you to think about, if you belong to a church, what type of processes do the pastors or priests or fathers or preachers go through to become ordained? If you know about those processes, compare and contrast them with the way the priests had to be ordained in Leviticus. And if you don't know much about the process or if you don't belong to a church, do some research and ask someone in your community and kind of find out it might be interesting to see how these processes have changed. Okay, so we're going into Leviticus 9.

The priests have been ordained. They've gone through all this long process of creating the clothes, creating the tabernacle, creating all this preparation so that the priest could be or not. ordained, and now the priests begin their work. Remember, they had to stay in the tabernacle for seven days, so this is going to be on the eighth day. Leviticus 9. After the ordination ceremony on the eighth day, Moses called together Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. He said to Aaron, take a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defects, and present them to the Lord.

Then tell the Israelites, take a male goat for a sin offering, and take a calf and a lamb both a year old and without defects for a burnt offering. Also take a bull and a ram for a piece offering and flour moistened with olive oil for a grain offering. Present all these offerings to the Lord because the Lord will appear to you today. So pause there. We talked about all these different offerings and what they mean and why they're necessary. So you can take a look back and see the history of those. But then I also want you to think about right at the end, it says, present all these offerings to the Lord because the Lord will appear to you today.

Think about how you would feel and what you would do and how your behavior might change if someone came to you and said, do these things because God himself is appearing to you today. Now, of course, when Jesus came and ascended into heaven, he left a piece of God with us in the Holy Spirit. So we really do have a very different relationship with God than they did back in the time of Leviticus. So how might they feel when they say the Lord will appear to you today? Do some self-reflection. Is that something that we kind of take for granted today because the Lord is always with us? But just be reminded of how holy that presence is.

Verse 5. So the people presented all these things at the entrance of the tabernacle just as Moses had commanded. Then the whole community came forward and stood before the Lord, and Moses said, This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you. Then Moses said to Aaron, come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to purify yourself and the people. Then present the offerings of the people to purify them, making them right with the Lord, just as he is commanded. So Aaron went to the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. His sons brought him the blood and he dipped his finger in it and put it on the horns of the altar.

He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. Then he burned on the altar the fat, the kidneys, and the long lobe of the liver from the sin offering, just as the Lord had commanded Moses. The meat and the hide, however, he burned outside the camp. Next, Aaron slaughtered the animal for the burnt offering. His sons brought him the blood and he splattered it against all sides of the altar. Then they handed him each a piece of burnt offering, including the head, and he burned them on the altar. Then he washed the internal organs and the legs and burned them on the altar along with the rest of the burnt offering.

Next, Aaron presented the offerings for the people. He slaughtered the people's goat and presented it as an offering for their sin. as he had first done with the offering for his own sin. So pause there, why does Aaron have to present an offering for his own sin first before he can present the offering for the people's sins? Verse 16, then he presented the burnt offering and sacrificed it in the prescribed way. He also presented the grain offering, burning a handful of the flour mixture on the altar

in addition to the regular burnt offering for the morning. then Aaron slaughtered the bull and the ram for the people's peace offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he splattered it against all sides of the altar. Then he took the fat of the bull and the ram, the fat of the broad tail and from around the internal organs, along with the kidneys, and the long lobes of the livers. He placed these fat portions on top of the breasts of these animals and burned them on the altar. Aaron lifted up the breasts and right thighs as a special offering to the liver.

Lord just as Moses had commanded. After that, Aaron raised his hands toward the people and blessed them. Then after presenting the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down from the altar. Then Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle, and when they came back out, they blessed the people again, and the glory of the Lord appeared to the whole community. Pause there and predict, what do you think God's presence is going to look like? verse 24 fire blazed forth from the Lord's presence and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar when the people saw this they shouted with joy and fell face down on the ground so pause there where we get a picture of what it was like to be in the presence of God at that time

how were the Israelites moved? What was their reaction? What do you think it would have been like to be there and witness that? And think about all the steps they had to take before they could be in the presence of God. So now we will begin our final chapter for today. Leviticus 10, the sin of Nadab and Abihu. Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, put coals of fire in their incense burners. and sprinkled incense over them.

In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. So fire blazed forth from the Lord's presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord. So pause right there. What is the difference between what we've heard about how Moses and Aaron respond to the Lord

versus how Nadab and Abihu have responded to the Lord? Lord. Did they do what the Lord commanded or did they do what they wanted to do? Verse three. Then Moses said to Aaron, this is what the Lord meant when he said, I will display my holiness through those who come near me. I will display my glory before all people. And Aaron was silent. Pause there. Why do you think Aaron was silent after Moses? Moses spoke. And how do you interpret Moses's response? Does God keep his promises? Is God just? And if we know that God is just and keeps his promises, does that mean that sometimes there are

consequences for our actions? These are questions to think about. Verse 4 Then Moses called for Michel An Elzafan Aaron's cousins The sons of Aaron's uncle Oziot He said to them

Come forward and carry away The bodies of your relatives From in front of the sanctuary To a place outside the camp So they came forward And picked them up by their garments And carried them out of the camp Just as Moses had commanded

Then Moses said to Aaron And his sons Elyzer and Ithamar do not show grief by leaving your hair uncombed, or by tearing your clothes. If you do, you will die. And the Lord's anger will strike the whole community of Israel. However, the rest of the Israelites, your relatives, may mourn because of the Lord's fiery destruction of Nadab and Abihu, but you must not leave the entrance of the tabernacle,

or you will die, for you have been anointed with the Lord's anointing oil. So they did as Moses commanded. So pause there and ask yourself, why do Aaron and the other priests have to respond differently to Nadab and Abihu's death? Are priests held to a higher standard? In God's eyes, in the eyes of the people. And if they are, why do you think that is? We're going to talk a little bit about how the priests are supposed to act in this next section, instructions for priestly conduct. Then the Lord said to Aaron,

you and your descendants must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink before going into the tabernacle. If you do, you will die. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation. You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean, and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given. them through Moses. Then Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Elie Azar and Ithamar, Take what is left of the grain offering after a portion has been presented as a special gift to the

Lord and eat it beside the altar. Make sure it contains no yeast, for it is most holy. You must eat it in a sacred place, for it has been given to you and your descendants as a portion of the special gifts presented to the Lord. These are the commands I have been given. But the breasts and thigh that were lifted up as a special offering may be eaten in any place that is ceremonially clean. These parts have been given to you and your descendants as your portion of the peace offerings presented by the people of Israel. You must lift up the thigh and breast as a special offering to the Lord, along with the fat of the special gifts. These parts will belong to you and your descendants as your permanent right, just as the Lord has commanded. Moses then asked them what had

happened to the goat of the sin offering. When he discovered it had been burned up, he became very angry with Elie Azar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons. Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the sacred area, he demanded? It is a holy offering. The Lord has given it to you to remove the guilt of the community and to purify the people making them right with the Lord. Since the animal's blood was not brought into the holy place, you should have eaten the meat in the sacred area as I ordered you. So pause there, why do you think Moses was so upset that they didn't follow his orders? Verse 19, then Aaron answered Moses,

Today my sons presented both their sin offering and their burnt offering to the Lord, and yet this tragedy has happened to me. If I had eaten the people's sin offering on such a tragic day as this, would the Lord have been pleased? And when Moses heard this, he was satisfied. So pause and think about Aaron's response right there. Why do you think Moses was satisfied with Aaron's response? Why was it okay for Elie Azar and Ithmar to do what they did? And that's where we're going to stop today.

as we read the section on the institution of the priesthood. So reflect on all the things you learned about the priests, what they had to do, how seriously God took these commandments, and take that information into the next section we're going to read next time called regulations pertaining to purity. These are a lot of regulations and we're seeing it all at work. This is a very different time than we live in now.

So always be asking you, yourself, why is it important for us to know this? Why is it important for us to go back and know the history of our people? And to see how God carefully and meticulously designed the structure of his society. I'm so glad you joined me today to listen, and I'm hoping that the Spirit is speaking through God's word and that you're able to get something out of today's reading. As I said at the beginning there are many ways to connect with the show through Twitter and email and Reddit, and you can find all that information below. And I just thank you all for being listeners and for desiring to learn more about God's Word. And I will talk to you in the next one.

Hello and welcome back to Bible beginning to end. I'm so glad you're here with me for another reading as we're walking through Leviticus. Last time, if you were with us, we discussed all the regulations for the priests and what life was like during this time with regard to atoning for sin and how the priests were ordained and how the priests had to live out God's law. We're continuing along with all of these regulations and rules for the Israelites, and it can get a little exhausting, but always remember that we're looking at this with the understanding that we have the New Testament, Jesus is coming, and Jesus is coming to fulfill these laws. So remember that as we're reading through all of this history. Today we're going

to be reading through chapters 11 through 15 regulations pertaining to purity. So we're sort of transitioning out of the section about priests and into a more general section that applies to the entire Israelites community. Of course, the section on the priests also applies to them, but these are more direct regulations. So let's get started with Leviticus 11, ceremonially clean and unclean animals. And as we're reading through this, if you're having trouble following all these rules and regulations by hearing them, just think about how difficult it might have been for the Israelites. Chapter 11, verse 1. Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, give the following instructions to the people of Israel.

Of all the animals, these are the ones you may use for food. You may eat any animal that has completely split hooves and chews the cud. You may not, however, eat the following animals that have split hooves or that chew the cud, but not both. The camel choose the cud, but does not have split hooves, so it is ceremonially unclean for you. The hyrax chews the cud, but does not have split hoves, so it is unclean. The hair chews the cut, but does not have split hoves, so it is unclean. The pig has evenly split hoves, but does not chew the cud, so it is unclean.

You may not eat the meat of these animals or even touch their carcasses. They are ceremonially unclean for you. Of all the marine animals, these are ones you may use for food. You may eat anything from the water if it has both fins and scales, whether taken from saltwater or from streams. But you must never eat animals from the sea or from rivers that do not have both fins and scales. They are detestable to you. This applies both to little creatures that live in shallow water, and to all creatures that live in deep water.

They will always be detestable to you. You must never eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies. Any marine animal that does not have both fins and scales is detestable to you. These are the birds that are detestable to you. You must never eat them, the griffin vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, The kite, falcons of all kinds, ravens of all kinds, the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the seagull, hawks of all kinds, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the barn owl, the desert owl, the Egyptian vulture, the stork herons of all kinds, the hoopoe, and the bat. You must not eat winged insects that walk along the ground. They are detestable to you.

You may, however, eat winged insects that walk along the ground and have jointed legs so they can jump. The insects you are permitted to eat include all kinds of locusts, bald locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. All other winged insects that walk along the ground are detestable to you. Okay, so I'm going to pause here first. a second because we're about halfway through this chapter, which is just a list of all the animals and creatures the Israelites could and could not eat. What I want you to think about is why these animals? What reason could you come up with that God would say, these animals are okay to eat, but these are not? Even ask yourself, does it matter why God chose these specific animals as

unclean and these others as clean. And then think about why do we as Christians today not follow these laws? Why do we eat pork and, well, you may not eat winged insects, but shellfish and other things that were ceremonially unclean in the Old Testament? How does Jesus play into that shift? Verse 24. The following creatures will make you ceremonially unclean. If any of you touch their carcasses, you will be defiled until evening. If you pick up their carcasses, you must wash your clothes and you will remain defiled until evening. Any animal that has split hooves that are not evenly divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you. If you touch the carcass of such an animal, you will be defiled. Of the animals that walk on all fours, those that have paws are unclean.

If you touch the carcass of such an animal, you will be defiled until evening. If you pick up its carcass, you must wash your clothes and you will remain defiled until evening. These animals are unclean for you. Of the small animals that scurry along the ground, these are unclean for you. The mole rat, the rat, large lizards, of all kinds, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the common lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. All these small animals are unclean for you. If any of you touch the dead body of such an animal, you will be defiled until evening. If such an animal dies and falls on something,

that object will be unclean. This is true whether the object is made of wood, cloth, leather, or burlap. Whatever its use, you must dip it in water, and it will remain defiled until evening. After that, it will be ceremonially clean and may be used again. If such an animal falls into a clay pot, everything in the pot will be defiled, and the pot must be smashed. If the water from such a container spills on any food, the food will be defiled, and any beverage in such a container will be defiled. any object on which the carcass of such an animal falls will be defiled. If it is an oven or hearth, it must be destroyed, for it is defiled and you must treat it accordingly.

However, if the carcass of such an animal falls into a spring or a cistern, the water will still be clean. But anyone who touches the carcass will be defiled. If the carcass falls on sea grain to be planted in the field, the seed will be considered clean. But if the seed is wet when the carcass falls on it, the seed will be defiled. So pause there, because we're getting a lot of regulations. I mean, I can almost picture the Israelites and someone running up and being like,

a gecko just fell on a seed. Get out the list of regulations because I need to know if the seed was wet or dry or what do I do when it's this kind of animal or that kind of animal. I mean, they had to write this stuff down. It almost seems impossible to keep it all straight. But how seriously do you think the Israelites took these regulations? Do you think my scenario was accurate, or do you think that they actually knew these laws inside and out

so that if the carcass falls on a seed grain to be planted in the field, the seed will be considered clean, but if the seed is wet when the carcass falls on it, the seed will be defiled. And if that happened, they knew instantly. Oh, this one's clean. This one's defiled. My scenario is probably how I might have felt during that time, because I'm just not used to that type of society. But this is all they knew. Remember, they had their life in Egypt as slaves. And God delivered them from that. And now they're building the society. and who's at the center of it. So how seriously do you think they're going to take any word that comes from God?

Verse 39, If an animal you are permitted to eat dies and you touch its carcass, you will be defiled until evening. If you eat any of its meat or carry away its carcass, you must wash your clothes, and you will remain defiled until evening. All small animals that scurry along the ground are detestable. and you must never eat them.

This includes all animals that slither along their bellies, as well as those with four legs, and those with many feet. All such animals that scurry along the ground are detestable, and you must never eat them. Do not defile yourselves by touching them. You must not make yourselves ceremonially unclean because of them. For I am the Lord your God. You must consecrate yourselves and be holy because I am.

holy. So do not defile yourselves with any of these small animals that scurry along the ground. For I the Lord am the one who brought you up from the land of Egypt that I might be your God. Therefore you must be holy because I am holy. These are the instructions regarding land animals, birds, marine creatures, and animals that scurry along the ground. By these instructions, you will know what is unclean and clean, and which animals may be eaten, and which may not be eaten. So pause there at the end of chapter 11, and just reflect on that final section, what reasons did God give for why the Israelites must consecrate themselves in this way? Why did he say, you must follow these laws? Now let's go into

chapter 12, which is purification after childbirth. The Lord said to Moses, give the following instructions to the people of Israel. If a woman becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she is unclean during her menstrual period. On the eighth day, the boy's foreskin must be circumcised. After waiting 33 days, she will be purified from the bleeding of childbirth. During this time of purification, she must not touch anything that is set apart as holy, and she must not enter the sanctuary until her time of purification is over. If a woman gives birth to a daughter, she will be ceremonially unclean for two weeks, just as she is unclean during her menstrual period. After waiting 66 days, she will be purified from the

bleeding of childbirth. When the time of purification is complete for either a son or a daughter, the woman must bring a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or turtle dove for a purification offering. She must bring her offering to the priest at the entrance of the tabernacle. The priest will then present them to the Lord to purify her. Then she will be ceremonially clean again after her bleeding at childbirth. These are the instructions for a woman after the birth of a son or a daughter.

If a woman cannot afford to bring a lamb, she must bring two turtle doves or two young pigeons. One will be for the burnt offering and the other for the purification offering. The priest will sacrifice them to purify her, and she will be ceremonially clean. So pause there. That is very different than how. we approach childbirth and pregnancy today. Why do you think women were considered unclean after childbirth in Leviticus? Does unclean mean sinful? Is it insinuating that they did something wrong? Or was God giving the women time to recover from childbirth? These are things to think about

and really stop and consider why God created these regulations for women after childbirth. So now we're going to be jumping in to Leviticus 13, serious skin diseases. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, if anyone has a swelling or a rash or discolored skin that might develop into a serious skin disease, that person must be brought to Aaron the priest or to, one of his sons. The priest will examine the affected area of the skin. If the hair in the affected area has turned white and the problem appears to be more than skin deep, it is a serious skin disease, and the priest who examines it must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean.

But if the affected area of the skin is only a white discoloration and does not appear to be more than skin deep, and if the hair on the spot has not turned white, the priest will quarantine the person for seven days. On the seventh day, the priest will make another examination. If he finds the affected area has not changed and the problem has not spread on the skin, the priest will quarantine the person for seven more days. On the seventh day, the priest will make another examination. If he finds the area has faded and has no spots,

the priest will pronounce the person ceremonially clean. It was only a rash. The person's clothing must be washed, and the person will be ceremonially clean. But if the rash continues to spread after the person has been examined by the priest and has been pronounced clean, the infected person must return to be examined again.

If the priest finds that the rash has spread, he must pronounce the person ceremonially unconstitutional, clean, for it is indeed a skin disease. So let's pause there. Think about the priest's role in diagnosing skin diseases. Is that something that priests do today? And then what might be the purpose of this whole quarantining and checking to make sure that nothing is spread? Do you think that God is saying these things because there's something wrong with having a skin disease or is it to help protect the rest of the community. Verse 9. Anyone who develops a serious skin disease must go to the priest for an examination.

If the priest finds a white swelling on the skin and some hair on the spot has turned white and there is an open sore in the affected area, it is a chronic skin disease. And the priest must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean. In such case, the person need not be quarantined. for it is obvious that the skin is defiled by the disease. Now suppose the disease has spread all over the person's skin, covering the body from head to foot. When the priest examines the infected person and finds that the disease covers the entire body, he will pronounce the person ceremonially clean.

Since the skin has turned completely white, the person is clean. But if any open sores appear, the infected person will be. pronounced ceremonially unclean. The priest must make this pronouncement as soon as he sees an open soar, since open sores indicate the presence of a skin disease. However, if the open sores heal and turn white like the rest of the skin, the person must return to the priest for another examination. If the affected areas have indeed turned white, the priest will then pronounce the person ceremonially clean by declaring you are clean. If anyone has a boil on the skin that has started to heal, but a white swelling or reddish white spot develops in its place, that person must go to the

priest to be examined. If the priest examines it and finds it to be more than skin deep, and if the hair in the affected area has turned white, the priest must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean. The boil has become a serious skin disease. But if the priest finds no white hair on the affected area and the problem appears to be no more than skin deep and has faded, the priest must quarantine the person for seven days. If during that time the affected area spreads on the skin, the priest must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean because it is a serious disease. but if the area grows no larger and does not spread, it is merely the scar from the boil

and the priest will pronounce the person ceremonially clean. If anyone has suffered a burn on the skin and the burned area changes color becoming either reddish-white or shiny white, the priest must examine it. If he finds that the hair in the affected area has turned white and the problem appears to be more than skin deep, a skin disease has broken out in the burn. The priest must then pronounce the person ceremonially unclean,

for it is clearly a serious skin disease. But if the priest finds no white hair on the affected area, and the problem appears to be no more than skin deep and has faded, the priest must quarantine the infected person for seven days. On the seventh day, the priest must examine the person again. If the affected area has spread on the skin, the priest must pronounce that person ceremonially unclean, for it is clearly a serious skin disease. But if the affected area has not changed or spread on the skin and has faded, it is simply

a swelling from the burn. The priest will then pronounce the person ceremonially clean, for it is only a momentary the scar from the burn. So I'm going to pause there, if only for us to take a breath, because this chapter is kind of long and a lot of, I mean, I don't know how many times I'm saying it, but in a lot of, of course, what Leviticus is all about, rules and regulations. So just imagine being there in this time period, trying to survive, getting sick, and having to go through this whole process. It is a vastly different society than we live in now.

Yet we are still connected to them in some ways. One thing I also want you to think about is these rules and regulations about illnesses and sickness and being put in quarantine and being cleansed. How does going through this process show love for your neighbor? You can think of it in the context now. I mean, depending on when you're listening to this, you could be listening to this many years in the future, but this is being recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. And so we're experiencing a lot of quarantine and sickness. And so we kind of know what it means to stay home and to stay away. But when we help protect others from illness, how does that show love for your neighbor?

As we keep reading these rules and regulations, you know, you can listen to them as they are. You can think about them. You can try to see how they might connect to our life today. But just listen and let God into your life through His Word. So let's keep going. It's a lot to get through. But we are getting there slow and steady. Verse 29.

If anyone, either a man or woman, has a sore on. the head or chin, the priest must examine it. If he finds it is more than skin deep and has fine yellow hair on it, the priest must pronounce the person ceremonially unclean. It is a scabby sore of the head or chin. If the priest examines the scabby sore and finds that it is only skin deep, but there is no black hair on it, he must quarantine the person for seven days. On the seventh day, the priest must examine the sore again.

If he finds the scabby's sore has not spread and there is no yellow hair on it, and it appears to be only skin deep, the person must shave off all hair except the hair on the affected area. Then the priest must quarantine the person for another seven days. On the seventh day, he will examine the sore again. If it has not spread and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest will pronounce the person ceremonially clean. The person's clothing must be washed, and the person will be ceremonially clean. But, if the scabby sore begins to spread after the person is pronounced clean, the priest must do another examination.

If he finds that the sore has spread, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair. The infected person is ceremonially unclean. but if the color of the scabby sword does not change and black hair has grown on it, it is healed. The priest will then pronounce the person ceremonially clean. If anyone, either a man or woman, has shiny white patches on the skin, the priest must examine the affected area. If he finds that the shiny patches are only pale white, this is a harmless skin rash, and the person is ceremonial.

If a man loses his hair and his head becomes bald, he is still ceremonially clean. And if he loses hair on his forehead, he simply has a bald forehead. He is still clean. However, if a reddish-white sore appears on the bald area on top of his head or on his forehead, this is a skin disease, the priest must examine him. and if he finds swelling around the reddish-white sore anywhere on the man's head, and it looks like a skin disease, the man is indeed infected with a skin disease and is unclean. The priest must pronounce him ceremonially unclean because of the sore on his head.

Those who suffer from a serious skin disease must tear their clothing and leave their hair uncombed. They must cover their mouth and call out uncombed. Unclean, unclean. As long as the serious disease lasts, they will be ceremonially unclean. They must live in isolation in their place outside the camp. The next section is treatment of contaminated clothing. Now suppose mildew contaminates some woolen or linen clothing, woolen or linen fabric, the hide of an animal, or anything made of leather.

If the contaminated area in the clothing, the animal hide, the fabric, or the leather article has turned greenish or reddish, it is contaminated with mildew and must be shown to the priest. After examining the affected spot, the priest will put the article in quarantine for seven days. On the seventh day, the priest must inspect it again. If the contaminated area has spread, the clothing or fabric or leather is clearly contaminated by a serious mildew and is ceremonially unclean. The priest must burn the item, the clothing, the woolen, or linen fabric, or piece of leather, for it has been contaminated by a serious mildew. It must be completely destroyed by fire. But if the priest examines it and

finds that the contaminated area has not spread in the clothing, the fabric, or the leather, the priest will order the object to be washed and then quarantined for seven more days. Then the priest must examine the object again. If he finds that the contaminated area has not changed color after being washed, even if it did not spread, the object is defiled. It must be completely burned up, whether the contaminated spot is on the inside or outside. But if the priest examines it and finds that the contaminated area has,

has faded after being washed. He must cut the spot from the clothing, the fabric, or the leather. If the spot later reappears on the clothing, the fabric, or the leather article, the mildew is clearly spreading, and the contaminated object must be burned up. But if the spot disappears from the clothing, the fabric, or the leather article after it has been washed, it must be washed again. Then it will be ceremonially clean. These are the instructions for dealing with mildew that contaminates woolen or linen clothing or fabric or anything made of leather.

This is how the priest will determine whether these items are ceremonially clean or unclean. Okay, so that was the end of Leviticus 13, and now we're going to jump into Leviticus 14. In Leviticus 13, we kind of had that overview of what happens when someone has a skin disease or, or if your fabrics are mildewed, how do the priests handle that? Well, now in 14, which is called cleansing from skin diseases, we're going to go into the process of actually being cleansed. And while we're reading this, I want you to think about our cleansing process.

Now that Jesus has died on the cross, you know, what was necessary with Jesus' sacrifice, what had to be shed to purify us. And then let's compare that to these cleansing rituals in Leviticus. So Leviticus 14 verse 1, and the Lord said to Moses, the following instructions are for those seeking ceremonial purification from a skin disease. Those who have been healed must be brought to the priest, who will examine them at a place outside the camp.

If the priest finds that someone has been healed of a seaman, serious skin disease, he will perform a purification ceremony using two live birds that are ceremonially clean, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn, and a hyssop branch. The priest will order that one bird be slaughtered over a clay pot filled with fresh water. He will take the live bird, the cedar stick, the scarlet yarn, and the hyssop branch, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. The priest will then sprinkle the blood of the dead bird seven times on the person being purified of the skin disease. When the priest has purified the person, he will release the live bird in the open field to fly away. So pause there, what is the priest

sprinkling over the person being purified? Is it surprising what he's using? Would you think that The purification process might involve water instead of blood. But remember we're comparing this to Jesus' crucifixion on the cross coming in the New Testament. Verse 8. The person being purified must then wash their clothes, shave off all their hair, and bathe themselves in water. Then they will be ceremonially clean and may return to the camp. However, they must remain outside their tents for seven days. On the seventh day, they must again shave all the hair from their heads, including the hair of the beard and eyebrows.

They must also wash their clothes and bathe themselves in water. Then they will be ceremonially clean. Okay, so pause there. There we have the water. So why do you think it's blood first and then washing with water? Verse 10. On the eighth day, each person being purified must bring to the first. two male lambs, and a one-year-old female lamb, all with no defects, along with a grain offering of six quarts of choice flour moistened with olive oil and a cup of olive oil.

Then the officiating priest will present that person for purification along with the offerings before the Lord at the entrance of the tabernacle. The priest will take one of the male lambs and the olive oil and present them as a guilt offering, lifting them up as a special offering. lifting them up as a special offering before the Lord. He will then slaughter the male lamb in the sacred area where sin offerings and burnt offerings are slaughtered. As with the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest. It is a most holy offering. The priest will then take some of the blood of the guilt offering

and apply it to the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified. Then the priest will pour some of the olive oil into the palm of his own left hand. He will dip his right finger into the oil in his palm and sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the Lord. The priest will then apply some of the oil in his palm over the blood from the guilt offering that is on the lobe of the right ear,

the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified. The priest will apply the oil remaining in his hand to the head of the person being purified. Through this process, the priest will purify the person before the Lord. Then the priest must present the sin offering to purify the person who was cured of the skin disease. After that, the priest will slaughter the burnt offering and offer it on the altar along with the grain offering.

Through this process, the priest will purify the person who was healed and the person will be ceremonially clean. So pause there. That's the whole process for someone to be purified. Think about how many steps are in that process. think about how specific every detail is. Think about the people involved. Think about the time it took. And now think about how we repent from sin, post-crucifixion.

What are the steps we take to be cleansed and purified? Verse 21, But anyone who is too poor and cannot afford these offerings may bring one male lamb for a guilt offering to be lifted up as a special offering for purification. The person must also bring two quarts of choice flour moistened with olive oil for the grain offering and a cup of olive oil. The offering must also include two turtle doves or two young pigeons, whichever the person can afford. One of the pair must be used for the sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. On the eighth day of the purification ceremony, the person being purified must bring the offerings to the priest in the Lord's presence at the entrance of the tabernacle.

The priest will take the lamb for the guilt offering along with the olive oil and lift them up as a special offering to the Lord. Then the priest will slaughter the lamb for the guilt offering. He will take some of its blood and apply it to the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified. The priest will also pour some of the olive oil into the palm of his own left hand. He will dip his right finger into the olive oil in his palm and sprinkle some of it seven times before the Lord. The priest will then apply some of the oil in his palm

over the blood from the guilt offering that is on the lobe of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the big toe of the right foot of the person being purified. The priest will apply the oil remaining in his hand to the head of the person being purified. Through this process, the priest will purify the person before the Lord. Then the priest will offer the two turtle doves or the two young pigeons, whichever the person can afford. One of them is for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, to be presented along with the grain offering. Through this process, the priest will purify the person before the Lord.

These are the instructions for purification for those who have recovered from a serious skin disease, but who cannot afford to bring the offerings normally required for the ceremony of purification. So the next section is Treatment of Contaminated Houses. Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, When you arrive in Canaan, the land I am giving you as your own possession, I may contaminate some of the houses in your land with mildew. The owner of such a house must then go to the priest and say, It appears that my house has some kind of mildew.

Before the priest goes in to inspect the house, he must have the house emptied so nothing inside will be pronounced ceremonially unclean. Then the priest will go in and examine the mildew on the walls, if he finds greenish or reddish streaks. and the contamination appears to go deeper than the wall's surface, the priest will step outside the door and put the house in quarantine for seven days. On the seventh day, the priest must return for another inspection. If he finds that the mildew on the walls of the house has spread,

the priest must order that the stones from those areas be removed. The contaminated material will then be taken outside the town to an area designated as ceremonially unclean. Next, the inside walls of the entire house must be scraped thoroughly, and the scrapings dumped in the unclean place outside the town. Other stones will be brought in to replace the ones that were removed, and the walls will be replastered. But if the mildew reappears after all the stones have been replaced,

and the house has been scraped and replastered, The priest must return and inspect the house again. If he finds that the mildew has spread, the walls are clearly contaminated with a serious mildew. And the house is defiled. It must be torn down and all its stones, timbers, and plaster must be carried out of the town to the place designated as ceremonially unclean. Those who enter the house during the period of quarantine will be ceremonially unclean until evening, and all who sleep or eat in the house must wash their clothing.

But if the priest returns for his inspection and finds that the mildew has not reappeared in the house after the fresh plastering, he will pronounce it clean because the mildew is clearly gone. To purify the house, the priest must take two birds, a stick of cedar, some scarlet yarn, and a hyssop branch. He will slaughter one of the birds over a clay pot filled with fresh water. He will take the cedar stick, the hyssop branch, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, and dip them into the blood of the slaughtered bird and into the fresh water. Then he will sprinkle the house seven times. When the priest has purified the house in exactly this way,

he will release the live bird in the open fields outside the town. Through this process, the priest will purify the house, and it will be ceremonially clean. These are the instructions for dealing with serious skin diseases, including scabby sores, and mildew, whether on clothing or in a house, and a swelling on the skin, a rash, or discolored skin. This procedure will determine whether a person or object is ceremonially clean or unclean. These are the instructions regarding skin diseases and mildew. So pause there at the end of Chapter 14. That last section had an interesting difference to it.

I don't know if you caught it in the treatment of contaminated houses section. God said, I may contaminate some of the houses in your land with mildew. Why do you think God phrased it that way? Why do you think he said it that way that he is the one who would contaminate some of the houses? Why do you think he would do that? And then here we are, we've dealt with skin diseases, mildew, rashes, discolored skin. And we've got one more chapter that we're going to read today. And that's Leviticus 15, which is on bodily discharges.

And as we dive into this interesting final chapter and we continue hearing all these laws that God has set out for the Israelites, I want you to think about who the Israelites were. Were any other societies following God's commands or listening to God? Were any other societies living this way? We get a picture of Egypt and what it was like before God saved the Israelites from slavery. But how is God setting apart the Israelites from everyone else through these rules? and although we don't have to follow these rules legalistically anymore in the New Testament

because of Jesus's sacrifice fulfilling the law, how are we set apart in today's society? So here we go, Leviticus 15. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, give the following instructions to the people of Israel. Any man who has a bodily discharge is ceremonially unclean. This defilement is caused by his discharge Whether the discharge continues or stops

In either case the man is unclean Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies And anything on which he sits Will be ceremonially unclean So if you touch the man's bed You must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water And you will remain unclean until evening If you sit where the man with the man with the

discharge has sat, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. If you touch the man with the discharge, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. If the man spits on you, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. Any saddle blanket on which the man rides will be ceremonially unclean. If you touch anything that was under the man, you will be unclean until evening. You must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until

the evening. If the man touches you without first rinsing his hands, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. any clay pot the man touches must be broken and any wooden utensil he touches must be rinsed with water. When the man with the discharge is healed, he must count off seven days for the period of purification. Then he must wash his clothes and bathe himself in fresh water and he will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day, he must get two turtle doves or two young pigeons and come before the Lord at the entrance of the the tabernacle and give his offerings to the priest. The priest will offer one bird for a sin offering

and the other for a burnt offering. Through this process, the priest will purify the man before the Lord for his discharge. Whenever a man has an omission of semen, he must bathe his entire body in water and he will remain ceremonially unclean until the next evening. Any clothing or leather with semen on it must be washed in water, and it will remain unclean until evening. After a man and woman have sexual intercourse, they must each bathe in water, and they will remain unclean until the next evening. Whenever a woman has her menstrual period, she will be ceremonially unclean for seven days. Anyone who touches her during that time will be unclean until evening.

Anything on which the woman lies or sits during the time of her period will be unclean. If any of you touch her bed, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. If you touch any object she has sat on, you must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. This includes her bed or any other object she has sat on. You will be unclean until evening if you touch it. If a man has sexual intercourse with her and her blood touches him,

her menstrual impurity will be transmitted to him. He will remain unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will be unclean. So let's pause here before we finish up this section. Is God saying that there's something wrong with sex or bodily functions or having a menstrual cycle? Or is he concerned about the health of his community and wanting to make sure that disease doesn't spread,

that the Israelites don't get sick. Because who is the one who created people? Who is the one who created man and woman? We talked about this in Genesis. God created humans in a very specific way, but he also wants to take care of them. Verse 25, If a woman has a flow of blood for many days

that is unrelated to her menstrual period, or if the blood continues beyond the normal period, she is ceremonially unclean. As during her menstrual period, the woman will be unclean as long as the discharge continues. Any bed she lies on, and any object she sits on during that time will be unclean just as during her normal menstrual period.

If any of you touch these things, you will be ceremonially unclean. You must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening. When the woman's bleeding stops, she must count off seven days. Then she will be ceremonially clean. On the eighth day,

she must bring two turtle doves or two young pigeons and present them to the priest at the entrance of the tabernacle. The priest will offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. Through this process, the priest will purify her before the Lord for the ceremonial impurity caused by her bleeding.

This is how you will guard the people of Israel from ceremonial uncleanliness. Otherwise, they would die, for their impurity would defile my tabernacle that stands among them. These are the instructions for dealing with anyone who has a bodily discharge, a man who is unclean because of an omission of semen or a woman during her menstrual period. It applies to any man or woman who has a bodily discharge, and to a woman. a man who has sexual intercourse with a woman who is ceremonially unclean. So there at the end of Leviticus 15, we see another reason why God is taking cleansing of our bodies so seriously.

He says otherwise their impurity would defile my tabernacle. Why was it so important for them to be clean in the presence of God, to be purified? And now that Jesus has come and given his sacrifice, God has sacrificed his son. How do we look to God when we accept God's presence into our lives? How are we purified? How are we purified now today? So I hope you enjoyed this reading. Like I said and like I'll probably say every week during Leviticus,

it is a strange book of the Bible in a modern context. But we are working through it and we are still able to pull pieces out and find a connection to God through it. So thank you all for listening. We'll pick up next week with Leviticus 16 talking about the Day of Atonement. Feel free to reach out. I love getting your emails, your experiences with the show. And I hope that God keeps speaking through His Word to you. And I will talk to you in the next one.