Biblical Worldview Learning Center Friends:
We continue in the book of Leviticus this week. There are some interesting aspects of the worship
and community life in Israel that is covered in these passages. Additionally, we will find some practical
application of these things to our lives today.
Remember our book specials for this month. They will make a great gift for others or study books for
yourself. Details are at the end of this e-mail.
Blessings in the Lord,
David Barrett, Director
Biblical Worldview Learning Center
david@biblicalview.com
208-377-2367
Date: June 6
Reading: Leviticus 21:1-24
Chapter 21 of Leviticus contains God's instruction through Moses concerning some specific things
about the priests. Remember the priests of Israel came from the children of Aaron. So, this was told
to "the priests the sons of Aaron" as it mentions in verse 1.
Some of the restrictions mentioned here were also placed upon all the people of Israel. For example,
no Israelite was to make cuttings or engravings on his skin. These were practices of worship among the
pagan nations. But, some of the restrictions mentioned here are specific for the priests. We see this in
the very first of the chapter when a priest is not allowed to take care of a dead person except for a very
close family member. If the priest had the anointing oil upon him so he could enter the sanctuary of the
tabernacle, he could not even take care of his dead mother or father.
These restrictions may sound strange to us, but we must remember that God was placing a special high
calling upon the priests in Israel and, with a greater responsibility before God, there comes a greater
restriction on a person’s life. Today, a minister of God may not specifically face these restrictions
because he no longer fulfills the "High Priest" role that is held by Jesus Christ, but his life is so dedicated
to the Lord that he does face greater restrictions than the common believer. He must consider his
life, not only as an example to the world, but an example to those who attend the church in which he
ministers.
All who follow Jesus Christ are to live lives of Godliness and to avoid any appearance of evil. Those who
enter a clearly identifiable role of ministering the Word of God have an even greater responsibility to
see that their life appears unblemished to the world and to their fellow Christian believers.
Date: June 7
Reading: Leviticus 22:1-33
One of the things stressed by the Lord in this chapter to the priests and children of Israel is, "When
you worship the Lord, things must be perfect." The priest cannot participate if he has a blemish and the
sacrifice brought must not have a blemish either. If either participant does have a blemish, then the
Lord will not accept the sacrifice. In fact, the priest could even be cut off from the presence of the Lord.
Every time a sacrifice was brought, both the sacrifice and the priest had to be examined. It was not only
a matter of the acceptance of the sacrifice, but it could be a matter of life and death for the priest. Only
that which was perfect and done in obedience to God’s commands would be acceptable to the Lord.
All this stressed the holiness and perfection of God and His intolerance for sin. It was also a picture of
the perfect priest and perfect sacrifice that was needed for the true forgiveness of all sin. That priest
and sacrifice was found in Jesus Christ.
Date: June 8
Reading: Leviticus 23:1-22
Leviticus chapter 23 begins listing the major feasts of Israel. In your reading today, you read about
the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of the First Fruits, and the Feast of Weeks. Each
time you read through this section we will address one of these feasts. Today, let's reflect once again on
the feast you are probably most familiar with and that is the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread.
The Passover is always linked to the seven day feast called the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The evening
before the Feast of Unleavened Bread begins, the children of Israel would celebrate the Passover. Can
you remember why it is called the Passover and why it was a Feast of Unleavened Bread? I am sure you
remember back to the miraculous exodus that Israel made from Egypt. The Passover was a reminder
of God's mercy and grace when he passed over their homes and did not destroy the first born of their
families and flocks.
But, why did God pass over the Israelites' homes? It was because of the blood of the Passover lamb
that was on their doorposts. So, the Passover part of this feast served a purpose of remembering what
the Lord had done in the past, but it was also a foreshadow or symbol of what the Lord would do in the
future. In the future, the Lord would provide the perfect Passover in Jesus Christ. The “Lamb of God”
who was killed for our sins.
The seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread which then happened was a feast reminding the Israelites of
two things. First, it reminded them of the haste in which their forefathers were rushed out of Egypt and
did not have a chance to get their bread to rise. Second, it reminded them of the sin they needed to
get out of their lives. In preparation for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, each Israelite household had to
remove all the old leaven from their homes. This was symbolic of the sin that needs to be taken from
our lives.
Each of these feasts were special celebrations in the life of the Israelite. However, of greater
significance, is the fact that each of these feasts points to our need of Jesus Christ and how He has
fulfilled all that God requires for our salvation. Jesus is our Passover and it is He who can rid our hearts
of the leaven of sin.
Date: June 9
Reading: Leviticus 23:22-44
Three more feasts are mentioned in the remainder of Leviticus 23 which you read today. These
feasts are: Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. Again we will
focus on the first of these three feasts for our discussion today.
We are told in verse 24 that on the first day of the seventh month the children of Israel are to celebrate
a Sabbath called a holy convocation. This was a special Sabbath separate from the weekly Sabbath day
of rest. This too was a day of rest and no work was to be done on this day other than an offering unto
the Lord.
A unique part of this day was the blowing of the trumpets which are said to be done for a memorial.
That means the blowing of the trumpets was to be a reminder to the people. We are not told exactly
what the reminder was, but so many of the feast pointed back to the Exodus from Egypt and events
connected with it. So, it is likely that this also was to bring an aspect of that back to their memory.
The blowing of the trumpets in Scripture is often connected to the voice of God or a great act of
judgment by God. Because of this, and other reasons, it is believed by some that the memorial was to
the act of God in giving the law on Mount Sinai.
Israel was encouraged through this and other feasts to remember the great acts of God that were a part
of their physical redemption from Egypt. In prayer, meditation, and the reading of God’s Word, we too
should be reminded of the work of God in our lives and in the lives of our families and our nation.
Date: June 10
Reading: Leviticus 24:1-23
Leviticus chapter 24 has three very definite divisions. The first division (verses 1-9) addresses
some priestly functions in the tabernacle. The next division, beginning with verse 10, addresses
the punishment of a public blasphemer in Israel. The final division (verses 17-22) deals with what is
sometimes called the lex talionis. That is, this last division addresses the principle that the punishment
needs to fit the crime. Today, let's look at what we can learn from the first section of this chapter.
Verses 1-9 speak of two aspects of the tabernacle. One is the oil for the lamps and the other is the
bread for the table. The congregation of Israel was to supply what was needed for both of these articles
in the tabernacle. The lamps were to be burning before the Lord continually and the “showbread”, as it
was called, was to be prepared for every Sabbath. The bread for the table was to be made in 12 loaves,
obviously to represent the 12 tribes of Israel.
Each of the things found in the tabernacle are symbolic and represent something in the spiritual
aspect of our relationship with God. In Scripture, oil quite frequently represents the Holy Spirit. The
lamps, continually being lit, represent the light of truth that the Lord provides through the presence of
the Holy Spirit. The 12 loaves represent the "Bread of Life" the Lord provides through His Word.
Today, as we worship the Lord, we should seek His presence in our lives through meditation and
prayer. Our desire should be that the Holy Spirit would indwell us and provide us with the "Light
of Truth" for us to follow each and every day. We are to realize, however, that God’s Spirit works
in conjunction with His Word. So, we are to actively seek to "feed upon the Scriptures." That is, we
should read and meditate upon them regularly so that the Holy Spirit can then bring to our mind an
understanding of God’s Word. In this way, He guides us day by day.
Date: June 11
Reading: Leviticus 25:1-24
The Lord established a very special law for Israel that they were to follow when they entered the
Promised Land. In verse 2 we are told that the Lord instructed Moses to tell the children of Israel
that "when ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord."
Unlike the weekly Sabbath that was given for people to follow, the Sabbath of the land was to occur
every 7 years, instead of every seven days. And it was to last a whole year. The land was to be given rest.
This law has both spiritual and practical aspects to it. On the spiritual side, the people of Israel
were to show their faith in God by following His statute. Also, they would need to trust that the Lord
would take care of them during that year in which the land would lie uncultivated. In verse 21, the Lord
promised that in the sixth year the land would bring forth an abundant harvest that would equal three
years.
On the practical side, this law made the Israelites actually provide a rest for the land that would
rejuvenate it. When land is repeatedly cultivated, planted and harvested, it becomes depleted of
nutrients. However, if the land is allowed to lay fallow (that is the word for leaving land uncultivated) it
replenishes itself during that time period.
Modern farming methods with their extensive use of fertilizers have tried to counteract this
depletion process. However, those practices often result in less productive land and a less nutritious
harvest. Prior to modern farming methods, farmers would often divide their land into plots – usually,
seven. In this way they could not only rotate crops, which helped slow down the nutrient depleting
process, they could also leave one plot fallow each year. In a seven year period, then, they would have
rested their whole farm. This was the practice of George Washington at his Mt. Vernon estate.
God's Word provides wisdom even for the day-to-day tasks of life, like the farming of His earth.
Date: June 12
Reading: Leviticus 25:25-55
God has a special place in his heart for the person who is poor and has fallen on hard times. He
desires for those who follow Him to make special efforts to take care of those who are poor among
them. In fact, the Lord says, even if he is a stranger (foreigner) or someone just passing through, you are
still to treat him with an extra measure of kindness.
If he needs money, you are not to charge him usury. The word usury means interest. In other words,
God says that you should make an "interest free loan" to a poor person. In fact, if they are not able to
pay back what they borrowed, then you should just consider it a gift to them.
For the Israelite, they were to remember that they were a stranger in Egypt and God brought them
out. Because of this, they were to treat the strangers among them, and the poor among them, with
kindness. Today, we should remember that we were once strangers to God and the servants of sin. God,
however, came and rescued us and redeemed us from that bondage. So, we too, should treat those that
are in poverty and have fallen on hard times with kindness. Just as God showed kindness to us.
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