Creative Space for Wanderers
and The census was for those 20+ who were able to serve in Israel’s army: 603,550 men; probably over 2 million in total (NIV Study Bible notes). That’s a lot of people wandering around in the desert!! Enormous emphasis is given to men and male children. No wonder we have a male dominated society and …
The theme of Leviticus might be this: Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy. As a nomadic people, their first question may have been, “how can we show the Lord our appreciation?” Instead of looking at …
Continue reading “More Laws and Feasts; Final Tabernacle Preparation”
and The scapegoat is introduced (Leviticus 16:8-10). Allowed to escape sacrifice, the scapegoat is set free into the wilderness. The rules are harsh from our perspective, but it seems that God has a significant battle to change the hearts of these people. I am the Lord your God. You must not do as they do …
Cleansing: skin diseases, molds and discharges. Rules and procedures. The takeaway for me is being “unclean” marks you as an outcast, an untouchable. This might last until evening, a week or more depending on what unclean event has occurred. While there were probably practical reasons for all of these rules, it seems important to appreciate …
and “Aaron remained silent” after Nadab and Abihu were killed by fire for their unauthorized offering. Sadly, they defied orders and died as a result. Aaron was left with two sons that made another mistake, but apparently not at the same level of significance. Moses was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, but Aaron spoke in …
The eloquent speaker for Moses, Aaron, along with his sons become the first official priests for the Israelites. The ceremony requires a series of required steps for consecrating, purifying, etc., all of which required Moses to perform with precision as detailed in the previous chapters. Moses did these things, not servants or those that worked …
Continue reading “Priests Ministry Begins — Ordination of Aaron and His Sons”
and Several offerings are defined in the beginning of Leviticus. The following synopses are from the NIV Study Bible, p.164: The Burnt Offerings: Voluntary act of worship Atonement for unintentional sin in general Expression of devotion Commitment and complete surrender to God The Grain Offering Voluntary act of worship Recognition of God’s goodness and provisions …
Those who were willing and had the ability to do the work joyfully committed themselves to making the Tabernacle a work of art. “Those who were willing…” appears several times. For what it’s worth, the New Living Translation is much easier to read through this section. They convert cubits to feet and weights to pounds. …
and Bezalel and Oholiab step into the picture. Not kings or judges, not prophets or apostles, these men were chosen because of their great skill. Bezalel was filled “with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills–to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, …