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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Lev. 19
Some thoughts on just a few of these many laws…
- Lev. 19:14a – “Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind…”. I think another way to say that would be, “Do not take advantage of another’s weakness.” Or maybe even, “Don’t kick a man when he’s down.” Remember, love does no harm.
- Lev. 19:17 – “Do not harbor hatred against your brother. Rebuke your neighbor directly, and you will not incur guilt because of him.” This makes me think of Paul’s teachings. When a brother offends or sins against you, you should confront him in love, with the intention of restoring him both to God and to yourself. Thus, rebuke is the loving action because it seeks restoration, while harboring hate ruins you both.
- Lev 19:19 – The command to not crossbreed, cross-pollinate, or combine fabrics has me baffled. The only thing I can figure is that keeping things pure was a representation of their whole-heartedness to God.
Lev. 20
Let’s see…Lot’s daughters slept with their father, Abraham married his half-sister, and, from back in Leviticus 18, Jacob married rival sisters (though not entirely his fault). Also, when Noah’s little family of eight were all that were left on the planet, you know they had to violate many of these laws. So many of the prominent Biblical characters should have been put to death according to these laws! Yet God found favor with them, accepted them, and made them part of His great plan. I chalk this up to one of the many things in the Bible that I just don’t understand.
I will say, however, that this is more confirmation of the fact that God did not pick these people because they were righteous. God can see the devotion to Him even in our imperfect hearts. And in His mercy, He chooses to accept that devotion and purify our hearts. I will also say that God didn’t fully set His people apart until He brought them out of Egypt into the wilderness. These laws were partly intended to guide their behavior in a different direction. They were to be a nation that better reflected the character of the One True God. In the past, they did as the surrounding culture did. But now, they were to be holy like their God.
Lev. 21
God held priests to a higher standard of holiness than the general population. Likewise for their families. If a priest’s daughter defiled herself sexually, they were to burn her to death. Yikes – that’s harsh! It’s not hard to see how so many people take the view that God is some kind of harsh and cruel dictator. Quite honestly, I’m not even sure what to think or say about laws like these.
In trying to reconcile it in my mind, what comes to me is that I’m not sure God ever really expected His people to keep this law. What I mean is that it wasn’t really a “do this or die” ultimatum. Technically speaking, the people were already dead. Therefore, it was more of an, “if you want to save yourself, you must do this” directive. The thing is, God knew from the start that we couldn’t because not one of us is righteous. However, WE needed to know that. Hence, the law.
I think what God really wanted was for His people to respond to the law with humility, seeking His mercy. When we do that, He provides another, more attainable path to righteousness. It is more attainable because the work is His, not ours. He mercifully offers us His righteousness, through the person of Jesus Christ. And since Christ fulfilled the requirements of the law for all people, God no longer requires us to burn, stone, otherwise kill and reject those who fall short. That is why Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matt. 9:13).