Pastor Billington's Blog

Leviticus 20

So, what were the “customs of the nation” that the Israelites weren’t supposed to practice (Leviticus 20:23)? The sacrifice of children, witchcraft, dishonoring parents, and a myriad of sexual sins. The penalties for the offenses ranged from isolation, to excommunication, to death. Why don’t we read about more deaths from these issues? Well, first of all, the offense needed to be proven beyond a doubt, with multiple witnesses willing to testify (Deuteronomy 17:6). It’s also likely that the leadership made judgments in some cases that would bypass the death penalty. For example, it seems that “an eye for an eye” wasn’t taken literally, but instead monetarily.

Thought for the day: In some ways, this is a continuation of “You shall be holy; for I, Yahweh your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:1, WEB). We find many of these same sins condemned in the New Testament, along with the same injunction:

1 Peter 1:15 (WEB) “but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior”

Leviticus 19

God is holy, so we must be holy. Holiness is tied to obedience in our chapter today. The Israelites are reminded to engage in certain practices and behaviors, and the categories are illustrative for us today. They (and we) should:

• Respect parents
• Respect the sanctity of worship
• Respect other’s property
• Respect the truth
• Respect the land
• Respect people in general
• Respect workers and slaves
• Respect the elderly
• Respect foreigners
• Respect the poor
• Care for the poor
• Do business properly
• Refuse to engage in pagan practices

Fortune telling, witchcraft, and mediums continue to be a problem today. Wicca, the tarot, and astrology claim countless adherents. In addition to the absolute denial of God (idolatry), these also look to fate, spirits, and forces as entities that shape and direct our lives. The problem? God’s people should look to God, His Spirit, and His Word for direction.

Thought for the day: God’s Word sets the standard for our lives. Anything else is a cheap and useless imitation.

Psalm 19:7-11 (WEB) “The LORD’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. The LORD’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple. The LORD’s precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. The LORD’s commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever. The LORD’s ordinances are true, and righteous altogether. They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb. Moreover your servant is warned by them. In keeping them there is great reward.”

Leviticus 18

Sexual sin has been a problem for mankind from the very beginning. It’s even celebrated in certain religions and in the world at large. God’s people were to live differently. Have God’s standards changed?

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (WEB) “Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom. Some of you were such, but you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.”

We also have a reminder in our passage that children are precious and should be protected.

Leviticus 18:21 (WEB) “You shall not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech. You shall not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.”

Thought for the day: “Some of you were such” implies that we shouldn’t engage in those types of behavior anymore. We are to be different from the world!

Romans 12:2 (WEB) “Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.”

Leviticus 17

Chapter 17 is a warning against idolatry. God decides where, when, and how offerings should be made. The pagans had multiple altars and multiple places for sacrifices. God had one, and the offerings were to be overseen by the priests. To offer somewhere else is to disobey God. To offer blood somewhere else or in some other way is blasphemous. The blood of a sacrifice is sacred because it represents the life of the worshiper. It is not to be used indiscriminately.

There is a similar warning in the New Testament to be careful how we worship. The background could be that of going to a guild meeting where they have a feast in the name of another god.

1 Corinthians 10:19-22 (NLT) “What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?”

Thought for the day: Paul warns us to be careful with our relationships. We could be committing blaspheme without even realizing it!

1 Corinthians 6:14-18 (WEB) “Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what portion does a believer have with an unbeliever? What agreement does a temple of God have with idols? For you are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk in them. I will be their God and they will be my people.’ Therefore ‘Come out from amongst them, and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you. I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Leviticus 16

You could bring a sacrifice for known sin, but what about unknown sin? That seems to be the purpose of the day of atonement. Once a year the high priest could go into the most holy place in the tabernacle. He would bring the blood of the bull offering (his personal offering), and the blood of the goat offering (for the nation), then sprinkle it on the mercy seat (the golden lid covering the ark of the covenant). The second goat would be set free, perhaps symbolizing the taking of the sins away from the nation and out into the wilderness. Verses 1 & 2 probably indicate that in addition to being drunk, Nadab and Abihu tried to enter the most holy place inappropriately.

Thought for the day: There is no need for continuing sacrifices because Jesus is the final sacrifice for sin. Jesus is our day of atonement!

Hebrews 9:11-12 (WEB) “But Christ having come as a high priest of the coming good things, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption.”

Leviticus 15

Uncleanness was a big deal both physically and spiritually. Jesus, with the way he treated those who were unclean, shows us that there is a revolution coming.

Matthew 9:20-22 (WEB) “Behold, a woman who had a discharge of blood for twelve years came behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; for she said within herself, ‘If I just touch his garment, I will be made well.’ But Jesus, turning around and seeing her, said, ‘Daughter, cheer up! Your faith has made you well.”’ And the woman was made well from that hour.”

He is the revolution! We are all unclean because of our sin, but His death on the cross makes us ceremonially clean before God.

Hebrews 9:14 (WEB) “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without defect to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

The healing of the woman with the issue of blood reveals the spiritual cleansing that takes place when we believe, as well as foreshadows the physical healing that will take place for all of us in the resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:42-43 (WEB) “So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown perishable; it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.”

Thought for the day: Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

1 Corinthians 15:56-58 (WEB) “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

Leviticus 14

There is a procedure that must be followed when a leper is pronounced clean, and it is detailed here. This examination and sacrifice are important parts of the process, which is why Jesus told the leper He healed to show himself to the priest!

Mark 1:42-44 (WEB) “When he had said this, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was made clean. He strictly warned him and immediately sent him out, and said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anybody, but go show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.’ “

With mold being recognized as such a big deal in houses today, maybe Scripture was way ahead of its time. Perhaps God knows something we don’t!

Thought for the day: While we may not understand all the laws God gave Israel, perhaps we should recognize that there were good reasons for them. We just might not have all the resources we need to figure them out!

Romans 11:33 (WEB) “Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past tracing out!”

Leviticus 13

The priests were charged with making determinations about blood, discharge, burns, boils, sores, infections, mold and mildew. Any determination they made was based on patient examination and evidence. And it wasn’t all doom and gloom! In addition to being declared unclean, you could also be declared clean and brought back into the fellowship of the congregation. Is there perhaps a lesson for us here? We can see leprosy as a substitute for sin. When we make determinations about others who we believe are engaging in sin, we need to make sure that our evaluations are based on facts and done with the proper attitude. Sometimes we determine that we need to stay away from them to protect ourselves. Sometimes we decide that we need to stay away to help them understand the consequences of their actions. The purpose of any type of avoidance is to help lead the person engaging in sin to repentance.

Thought for the day: Reconciliation is always the goal in relationships.

2 Corinthians 2:6-8 (WEB) “This punishment which was inflicted by the many is sufficient for such a one; so that, on the contrary, you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive sorrow. Therefore I beg you to confirm your love towards him.”

Leviticus 12

While there is certainly a religious component present in the following chapters, there is a practical one as well. In an age where medical knowledge was limited and tests for bacteria and viruses were nonexistent, how did one deal with blood, discharge, burns, boils, sores and infections? In this chapter we see that a loss of blood and the ongoing drainage makes a new mother ceremonially unclean. After a specified number of days an offering is made, and the mother is declared clean. The purification time difference for the birth of males and females could be because of circumcision. It may count towards the cleansing process in some way.

Thought for the day: Would you believe that circumcision is still relevant? We aren’t born into a relationship with God. That happens when we believe! But there’s also a spiritual circumcision that takes place when we are saved.

Colossians 2:11 (WEB) “In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ.”

Leviticus 11

This chapter explains which creatures were considered clean and which were considered unclean. Many have tried to provide a rationale for why some animals are placed in one category or another. Some claim hygiene is a factor, some believe that a deviation from established norms makes an animal unclean, while others think that the use of some animals in Canaanite ritual customs was a component. While the rationale is debated, the purpose is dedication and holiness. By keeping the distinctions between clean and unclean animals the worshipper is reminded that there are distinctions between clean and unclean in the moral realm as well. By following God in both the physical and spiritual realms the worshipper shows their devotion to Him.

Thought for the day: Even though we don’t need to follow the same dietary distinctions as the Israelites, we still have moral laws that God calls us to follow. By obeying them we show our dedication to Him!

1 Peter 1:15 (WEB) “but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior”