Latest / Teachings On This Day On FerventWord / On Apr 04, 2012: Leviticus 12-19 Clean And Unclean
Transcript
- You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2012. And we will be looking at Leviticus chapters 12 through 19 this week, covering the chapters that we read going through the Bible in three years. As a reminder, there are schedules on the back table, so if you didn't get one on Sunday, you can catch up with us or pick up where we are today and continue to read through the Bible in three years along with us. But as we look at the book of Leviticus, we're looking at a book that is written specifically for the Levites. The word Leviticus means pertaining to the Levites or of the Levites. It was written by Moses to give instruction to the Levites regarding the necessary rituals and laws for the people, the sacrifices, the priests, and so on and so forth. And so it was written as they were out there in the wilderness to give instruction for the priestly ministry. Here you have a genealogy really quick of Jacob and his 12 sons. Jacob is also known as Israel. God renamed him Israel later in his life. And so the 12 tribes of Israel become the children of Israel, which becomes the nation of Israel. And there the names in green are those heads of the different tribes and their families are the ones who make up the nation of Israel. And And so Levi, you can see, is the third son of Jacob. And so it's his descendants, really, that this book is addressed to. Because it's the Levites, that is the descendants of Levi, who are responsible for the care of the tabernacle, and then later on the temple. But then also it's of the tribe of Levi that the priests are. And so Aaron, the first high priest, is of the tribe of Levi. And then it's his descendants that are the priests for the nation of Israel. So the priests were of the tribe of Levi. And then the rest of the Levites, they were servants at the tabernacle and for the tabernacle or the temple later on. And so we're looking at this book, which was written to the Levites, specifically to the priestly line, to give them instruction about how to minister to the people and fulfill their role as priests and ministers of God for the nation of Israel. On our timeline, we are looking at this time period where they're in the wilderness. So The books of Moses is Genesis through Deuteronomy, and those books cover about 2,000 years of history, a little bit more actually. Genesis covers about 2,000 years on its own, and then we go into Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. All of those books are written during this wilderness time you see there on the right-hand side. And so the book of Leviticus continues where Exodus left off. Exodus left off with the putting together of the tabernacle and then finally setting it up. And now, last week we saw in Leviticus the inauguration of the tabernacle and the priestly ministry, and they begin now to do the sacrifices that God had prescribed. And so we're right there in that portion as God has just caused them to set up the tabernacle. The priestly ministry has begun, and these are the instructions that God is giving them to know how to do that. So if you look at the time in the wilderness, they head out of Egypt. And about a month out, God provides manna for them and then continues to provide manna for them for the rest of the time in the wilderness. They arrive at Mount Sinai about two months after leaving Egypt. And there they're camped for about a year. And so the tabernacle is set up about a year after they have been, well, have left Egypt and have been camping there at Sinai. They celebrate the second Passover feast as the tabernacle is set up. And then they do the census of Israel. And then they're about to leave Sinai. And so we're in between that portion where the tabernacle is set up and they're leaving Sinai. So it's about a one month period that all of these instructions are being given and they're beginning to practice these things that we're reading about here in the book of Leviticus. Well, in looking at the geography of Leviticus, it's pretty simple. Egypt is there on the left. That's where the children of Israel were for 430 years. The last of those years were in bondage and captivity. And God sent Moses to lead them out. And so they went out into the wilderness, crossed over the Red Sea, and have been camped at Mount Sinai for some time while they built the tabernacle and received instruction from the Lord. They're still camped there in the book of Leviticus as God continues to give these instructions. And then ultimately, God is going to be leading them into the land of Canaan there on the top right where... It's the land that God promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And so that's where God's taking them. We won't see that in Leviticus. We actually won't see that until the book of Joshua. But that is where they're headed. And we'll get to see their journey through the wilderness in the book of Numbers, which we'll be heading into next week. All right, so here in Leviticus chapter 12, as we start off our chapters this week, the key verse of chapter 12 is verse 6. And it says, "...when the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtle dove as a sin offering to the door of the tabernacle of meeting." So here in chapter 12, we're continuing on really a line of thought that began in chapter 11, where God has now began to address with his people the distinction between what is clean and what is unclean. And so I want to just take a moment to consider this concept of clean versus unclean to help us get a better perspective of the chapters that we'll be looking at tonight. Because last week in chapter 11, we saw the difference between clean and unclean animals, what they were allowed to eat and what they were allowed to touch. And we'll continue on with different regulations regarding what is clean and unclean for the children of Israel. Clean and unclean was really a ceremonial type of cleanliness. That it was a distinction that God made in order to separate his people from the other nations. And God says this several times throughout the book of Leviticus. That these laws and these regulations are to set them apart, that they're not to be practicing the things like the nations around them are, but they're to be obedient to the Lord their God and following these principles and these laws that he has established for them. Haley in Haley's Bible Handbook says it this way. He says, this elaborate system of specifications as to how a person could become ceremonially unclean and the requirements concerning it were designed to promote personal physical cleanliness and a continual recognition of God in all the ways of life. And so as we look at these rules and regulations regarding clean and unclean, we can see some very practical understanding or practical purpose for these laws. There was diseases that could easily develop in some of the things that God declared were unclean. And so by abstaining from those things, Israel would be kept from those diseases and they would not be vulnerable to those. But also here, Haley's pointing out that it was also meant to be a continual reminder about God and a reminder that you're to be devoted to God, that you're to be focused on the things of God and following him, not just at the tabernacle, but in all of your life, you're to strive to keep yourself clean. That is to keep yourself in a condition where you can have that fellowship with God because of cleanness. Now, If you became unclean, it wasn't that you, you know, had rebelled against God. It was just a matter, again, of ceremonial uncleanness. And what that would mean then is you would have to go through this ceremony or this ritual or this process of becoming clean again. And that process was determined by the type of uncleanness you encountered. So some things you were just unclean until evening, and then you would have to wash, and you'd have to wash your clothes, and then you'd be allowed to come back into the camp. Some things required for you to stay out of the camp for seven days. For example, if you were to go into battle and you were to, you know, touch a dead body or you were to kill somebody in the battle, there was a seven-day quarantine for those who were engaged in that. And then after seven days, then they would go through this process and become clean and then be allowed back into the camp of Israel. And so it was kind of a situation where God set it up so that there would be these quarantines, there would be this separation, so that those who were engaged in uncleanness, that they would not be amongst the people, but they would be separated and outside of the camp. Numbers chapter 19 has a little bit of detail about the process of becoming unclean. after being unclean. And it specifically deals with that subject I just mentioned of war and when you're in battle and the process for becoming clean after that. But this will give you a little bit of a sense of what it took to become clean. In Numbers chapter 19 verse 17 it says, For an unclean person they shall take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin and running water shall be put on them in a vessel. Verse 1. And then it says in Numbers 19.22, Whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and the person who touches it shall be unclean until evening. So this uncleanness required this ritual where this animal, a red heifer, would have to be burned, and its ashes would then be put into water, and then that water would be sprinkled upon the unclean person. And they would have to go through this process of being washed, outside of the camp in order to be able to come back into the camp. And again, the duration of them being outside of the camp depended on the type of uncleanness that they had encountered. But if they were unclean and they touched other things, then it would cause those other things to then be unclean. And then those other things would have to be washed and, you know, made clean again. But if they would not make themselves clean, Numbers 19 tells us that they were to be cut off from the people. And so this was a requirement. And you can kind of begin to get the understanding of the extent that this would take the people to. I mean, this was not, you know, a little thing about, you know, just go wash your hands in the bathroom. This was, you had to go outside of the camp. You had to go through this process. And then afterwards, you would be allowed back in. And so it was a very prominent thing in their minds to, to be clean, to be set apart, to be devoted to those things that God had called them to be involved in. So just to help clarify the distinction, you have things that are sinful. Those are rebellion. Those are things that God said, thou shalt not, don't partake in these things, don't practice these things. And those things were sinful. And if you partook of those things, then you had to follow the instruction of the law, the sacrifices, in order to atone for those sinful actions. Unclean was not necessarily sinful. And we'll see that throughout our time this evening, that it's not a rebellion against God. A lot of times it's accidental. Sometimes it's required. You know, if God commands you to go to war and that makes you unclean, well, it's part of, you know, the act of war that God has commanded you to. So it's not necessarily a sinful thing. It's just, you know, something that God instructed to keep the people separate, to mark them as unique and separate, and then also to protect them from some of the diseases and things that could happen and so that they would not spread. And then those things which were clean were the things that were accessible to anybody. It wasn't, you know, only the priest could touch it. It was just common. It was just things that were clean. They weren't unclean. And so anybody could handle them and partake of them. And then you have things that are referred to as holy. And the holy things are... are things that are completely devoted to God. And so those would be the things of the tabernacle, the things that the priests were only to handle. The altar and the instruments to attend the altar and things like that would be holy and devoted to the Lord. And so these are the different ideas that are being expressed here between clean and unclean. It's this idea of understanding that there are some things that when you partake of them, it's going to cause you to have to go through the ceremony to be cleansed, and then you'll be allowed back into the camp to be with the people. So as we look now at chapter 12, we are looking at that process for childbirth. Chapter 11, we saw that process and what, you know, the clean and unclean definitions for food and for animals. But here we're talking about childbirth. And so God gave instruction here in chapter 12, in verses 1 through 5, he gave instruction regarding the days of purification, After childbirth. And so he prescribed a certain amount of time. If the child was a male, if it was a little boy that was born, then they would be unclean for seven days. On the eighth day, that boy would be circumcised and then they would be unclean for 33 more days. So a total of 40 days they would be unclean. And so they would have to be kept set apart, kept separate, isolated because of their uncleanness for these 40 days if it was a boy. And then God explains if it was a girl... It was instead 80 days instead of 40 days. So it was a longer portion of time that they would be unclean, set apart during this time after the child has been born. We also see here in chapter 12 that... There's sacrifices that are required after childbirth. And verses 6 through 8 give the details of that. So they were to offer a lamb as a burnt offering and a bird as a sin offering upon the days of uncleanness being completed. So the days of purification when they were finished. then the mom would take these sacrifices to the tabernacle and offer them to the Lord as a sacrifice for the pregnancy and the childbirth that took place. We often see God doing this at the end of chapter 12. He also gives... for those who are poor. You can't afford a lamb burnt offering. So he says, if you're poor, you can bring two birds and offer one as a burnt offering and one as a sin offering and he would accept that. That's interesting because in Luke chapter 2, with Mary and Joseph, it tells us that when they completed the days of purification, so they completed 40 days after Jesus was born, they followed Leviticus chapter 12. They went to the temple. They presented him before the Lord. They offered two birds. as a sacrifice and so it's one of the ways that we know that Joseph and Mary were poor because they offered the sacrifice that God provided for those who were poor after childbirth. So that's Leviticus chapter 12. It's the time of uncleanness or the time of purification after a child has been born. Chapter 13 now, we look at verse 45 as the key verse. It says, Now the leper on whom the sore is, his clothes shall be torn and his head bare, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, Unclean, unclean. So now as we continue this idea of uncleanness, now we're talking about leprosy in chapter 13. Now leprosy... ♪♪ In fact, we'll see as he talks about garments and houses that it is also used generically regarding perhaps things we would call mold or fungus and those types of things. So those types of contagious and spreading diseases are referred to under this idea of leprosy. So the first thing he talks about regarding leprosy is the law of leprous sores. And so this is in verses 1 through 46 here of Leviticus chapter 13. And so here's what would happen. If a person had some type of sore on their body that... seem to be deeper than the skin. So it wasn't just that you scraped your arm on the doorway or, you know, it wasn't something like that where you got a cut, you got a bruise, you know where it came from. But this is something different. You have this sore on your body and it's deeper than the skin. It's not just a scrape, but there's more serious of a condition going on. God gives all of the details of how to analyze the condition, how to examine the person, how to test out and see is this really, you know, this severe of a disease or not. And so if it's a swelling or a scab or a bright spot that is deeper than the skin, then that person is to go to the priest and be examined by the priest. Right? And so the priest is to examine it, to check it out. Okay, what does this look like? Is this something that's more serious than a simple sore or wound? And they would look for different signs, like has the hair fallen out in that area? Or has the hair turned white in that area? And if it had, if the hair had turned white, if it was deeper than the skin, then that person would become unclean. Now, if there was no white hair, then the priest was instructed, okay, isolate this person for seven days. And so it was kind of a quarantine to allow the condition to either get better or get worse. And then they would be re-examined afterwards. If the sore spread, then they know, okay, this is something serious. And so now this person would be unclean. If the sore spread to cover the whole body of the person, so their whole body, was a sore, but there wasn't raw flesh, they would still be considered clean. But as soon as there was raw flesh as a result of this disease or sore, then they would be made unclean and put outside of the camp. And so Leviticus chapter 13, I'm sure as you read it, has a lot of detail and I'm not going to go through all that detail. And you could say thank you, that's okay. But But it's all the different conditions. And you can see God making sure, you know, he didn't want it to be superstitious. It wasn't meant to be, you know, that they were to be fearful and just kind of like, well, you know, when in doubt, you know, just cast them out. That's not what he wanted. He said, okay, set them apart for seven days. Let's make sure. He gave them very thorough instructions and medically sound instruction to analyze and diagnose their condition. So that they would be accurately diagnosed and then treated appropriately. So that they would be treated with dignity along the process, even though they might have this very dangerous condition. And so this was how to deal with leprosy when it was on a person. Then in verses 47 through 59, he gives the instruction for leprous garments. So he talks about the greenish or the reddish plague. And so, you know, you have your favorite jacket or something and all of a sudden there's this strange spot on there. It's greenish, it's reddish, there's some kind of issue with it. So... isolate it for seven days. And if it spreads, if the spot gets bigger, then it's unclean and you have to burn your favorite jacket. If it doesn't spread, then you can wash it. You can isolate it for seven more days. And if it continues to stay the same, it doesn't change, it doesn't fade, then you know, okay, there's something wrong with this or some type of infection on this garment. And so you're to burn it if the spot faded, God said, okay, you can rip it out and then patch it and just, you know, rip out the part that's affected and toss that, but you can patch it and still continue to keep your favorite jacket. But if another spot appears, again, then you know there's some type of, you know, contagious thing that's going on with that garment and so you're to get rid of it. So all of this detail about leprosy, all of this instruction for leprosy, whether it's on a person or whether it's in a garment. Well, chapter 14 continues on with the subject of leprosy. The key verse is verse 2. It says, And so, If a person was diagnosed to have leprosy, this contagious disease, this spreading disease, they would be put outside of the camp. They wouldn't be allowed to be within the camp of Israel. They wouldn't be allowed to partake of, you know, the tabernacle sacrifices and services. They would be outcasts of society. But God made provision here in Leviticus chapter 14 for If they were healed, then there was a way for them to be allowed back into the camp and become part of the society once again. And so verses 1 through 32 deal with the cleansing of the leper. And so the priest then would examine the person who says, hey, I've been cleansed from my leprosy. And he would be examined. He'd be set apart for a certain time and re-examined. And if it was indeed true, the priests discovered, yeah, it's true. You've been healed. Then there was this process that they would go through of offering a bird as a sacrifice. Two birds, actually. One would be offered as a sacrifice. The other would have the blood of that sacrifice upon it. And it would be set free. And the leper would go through this process of being sprinkled with the blood, being set apart for seven days, being anointed with oil as well as the blood. And then he would offer two lambs as trespass and sin offerings. And so he would go through this process and be cleansed and then be once again allowed back into the camp and part of the society. I really like some insight that David Guzik had regarding Leviticus chapter 14 and the cleansing of the leper. He says this, this seems to be a picture of Jesus's death and its spiritual application. A heavenly being, as a bird is of the heavens, dies in an earthen vessel while remaining clean. And it was remaining clean because of the running water that it was killed in. It says the death of the bird is associated with blood and water. And the blood is connected with life being applied to the living bird and then applied to the one cleansed. Now you might got a little bit lost in there, so let me sum that up for you. So the bird that's sacrificed represents Christ. The living bird then would possibly represent you and I. And how the living bird is sprinkled with the blood of the bird that died, the sacrifice. And that bird then is set free and lives. And so Jesus, being God, a heavenly being, was confined to an earthen vessel, put to death, but he was clean. There's the running water. His blood being applied to us then enables us to go free and to be cleansed. And so there's some interesting pictures there that you can consider in the cleansing of a leper here in Leviticus chapter 14. I think it's really interesting too, here in the cleansing of the leper, that the process of cleansing is somewhat similar to the process for ordaining the priest. Remember, for the priest, they would take the blood of the sacrifice and put it on their ear and their thumb and then their big toe, and And then also they would take the anointing oil on the priest and put it on the ear, the thumb, and the big toe. And that same process was done for the cleansing of a leper. And I think it's really interesting to consider because leprosy, of course, was not a disease that they knew how to cure. the process of putting these people outside the camp was because there was no treatment for it. There was no, you know, there is no herbs that they could, you know, prescribe or something. It was something that the only way they would be healed is if God did a work. And so as God miraculously heals them, I think what the Lord is showing here in this picture is that you've been healed. You've been cleansed of leprosy. God has saved your life and so devoted to him. Just like the priest, that your life is to be devoted to the Lord. And these things carry some, of course, more significance for us as believers, because as we look at the scriptures, leprosy really fits as a picture of sin. In the way that it spreads, in the way that it affects the body, leprosy is a very accurate picture of sin. And you and I, having been cleansed of sin, the Lord has saved our life then the blood of Christ, you know, being applied to us from head to toe, that our lives should be devoted to Him. He saved our life. And so we need to be living for Him and for His glory. So some great pictures here, even though these chapters can be somewhat tedious. Well, in verses 33 through 53, God gives the instructions for the leprous houses, the law of leprous houses. And so if you're in your house and you notice, hey, that's a strange spot on the wall. I wonder where that came from. And you see that it begins to grow. It's reddish or greenish. There's these streaks there. Then the instruction is to isolate the home for seven days. You got to move out for seven days. And then the priest is to examine it. And see, did it spread? Has it gotten worse in the seven days? And if it has gotten worse, then they are to remove the rocks that make up the wall where that spot is. They're to scrape down the whole house, get rid of everything out of the house. You know, all the dust, everything, just clean it out completely, replace the stones and replaster. And then the house will be clean unless the spot appears again. If the spot appears again, then you got to break down the house, completely take it outside the camp. It's not to be used any longer. But if it doesn't appear, then the house is clean. And then there's a process, again, of sanctifying the house with an offering that is killing a bird, dipping the living bird in its blood, letting it go free, sprinkling the house seven times. And that's the process for offering the sacrifice for this house that is now clean from this leprosy. Well, then we have the summary of leprosy in verses 54 through 57. It's God saying, these are the laws regarding, you know, these types of diseases, these types of infections, these types of, you know, spreading and contagious things. This is how you're to handle it. One of the things that I always consider in looking at the law of leprosy is, is it the law of leprosy or is it also a picture of the law of sin? And as I talked about, leprosy is a good picture of sin. It's an accurate picture of sin. I think it's interesting that when a person sees on themselves that they have this spot on them that perhaps is leprosy, the criteria is look and see, does it seem to be more than skin deep? Is it deeper than the surface issue? Is it something that's a little bit deeper than what's happening on the surface? And then if it is, then they're to be examined by a priest and to go through this process. And I would encourage you, I would ask you to consider regarding sin in your life. To consider, as you realize, as God brings to your attention, hey, this is a condition that you are in, this is something that you're practicing, that you need to ask yourself that same question. As you see that spot and you go, oh, wow, there's this sin in my life, that you need to consider, is this more than skin deep? Is this a more serious issue than just something that's on the surface? Because if it's something that's a little bit deeper, well, you need some help in addressing that sin. You know, there's some sins that, well, there's a lot of sins rather, that are very difficult to lay aside. The author of Hebrews calls us to lay aside all the sin, right? And the weights which easily ensnare us. Or lay aside the weights and the sin which easily ensnares us. But sometimes it's difficult to do that. And there's people who are trapped in sinful practices and it's deeper than the skin. It's more than you can handle. And so there's opportunity for you to go to the priest. Of course, we could look at that as the high priest, but also God has called us as his children, kings and priests. And he's enabled us to be involved in his ministry and his work. In 1 Peter chapter 2, it tells us that we're a chosen generation, a royal priesthood of people belonging to God. And James also tells us that when we confess our sins to one another and pray for one another, that the prayer of a righteous man avails much. And so there's this opportunity that we have in the people that God has placed around us so that when there's sin in our life that is more than skin deep, it's not just, you know, you accidentally tripped and said something you weren't supposed to, but there's a lifestyle, there's a pattern here, there's a deeper issue. then you need some help and you need to go to the priest. And I don't mean that, you know, you have to go to Pastor George, but you can. But there's also others around you that can help you, that can pray with you, that can, you know, help and be used by the Lord to help you overcome those issues of sin in your life. And so I want to encourage you to consider and ask the same question. Is it more than skin deep? Is it something that, you know, it's not just a one-time stumble, but it's really a life issue and I need someone else to help me overcome this and walk in holiness as God has called me to. Well, now we look at Leviticus chapter 15. Verse 2 is the key verse here in Leviticus 15. It says, Leviticus chapter 15 is probably one of your favorite chapters in the whole Bible, right? No, probably not. So what are we talking about here in chapter 15? We're talking about discharges of all kinds. Bodily discharges are not typically things that you get excited about, but it's instruction that God has given. And so we'll look at this for a couple seconds here. Verses 1 through 15, God describes some unclean discharges. And these are kind of unusual discharges. These are discharges perhaps from infection or some type of, you know, unusual condition or abnormal condition. And so these discharges are considered unclean. And God there gives the process of dealing with that uncleanness. So he says if you have a discharge, that means you're unclean. Anything that was under you, so anything that might have come in contact with the discharge, that would be unclean. Once you're cleansed, you have to wait seven days, bathe in water. And so again, you're outside of the camp, you bathe in water, you're then allowed back into the camp through this process of purification. And then you offer two turtle doves as a sin, as well as a burnt offering. So there was this process that you had to go through if there was some type of discharge, some type of infection, some type of spewing forth from your body that this was the process that you had to go through. Well, God goes on in verses 16 through 18 to talk about, well, if the discharge is an emission of semen, whether it be through a sexual relationship or not, that also was a cause for uncleanness. And so it was not, you know, you have to be outside of the camp for seven days, but you would be unclean until evening or And then you would be allowed to be clean and back into the camp. Verses 19 through 24 refer to a woman's discharge of blood. And so this would be, you know, the normal monthly cycle, the menstrual cycle for a woman. And so this describes that time period and the uncleanness that goes along with it. And so it would be a time of uncleanness for seven days. Again, there is the process of being cleansed and purification that would need to be followed. And then, you know, going along that with that anything that was under her was unclean. So when she's cleansed, wait seven days, bathe in water. And that would be, you know, the cleansing of the woman in her monthly cycle. But then in verses 25 through 30, we have the prolonged discharges of blood. And we talked about this a little bit on Sunday because there in Luke chapter 8, we saw the woman who had the issue of blood for 12 years. And I think it's amazing how God, you know, just ties these things together, how we're reading about it and then we're seeing it in Luke, we're seeing it here in Leviticus 15. And God has just attached these things together to give us a little bit better understanding. And so in Leviticus chapter 15 verses 25 through 30, it describes the process for these, you know, prolonged discharges of blood. And so it would be a time of uncleanness. So this woman for 12 years was unclean and anything she touched became unclean. Anybody who came in contact with her would become unclean. And so there was this normal process of uncleanness, but it would be extended because this discharge of blood continued. Well, once the When discharge stopped, for example, in the case of this woman, when she was healed by Jesus, then there was also sacrifices for her to offer. And so she had to go through this process to be cleansed and to be admitted back into society and clean and not continue on in that uncleanness. Well, then verses 31 through 33 give a summary of the different kinds of discharges and the instruction that God is giving for that. Leviticus chapter 16, verse 34 is the key verse. It says, Here in Leviticus chapter 16, we're looking at the day of atonement. And the Day of Atonement was a special day where the high priest was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies or the holiest of all where the Ark of the Covenant was. Now, it's interesting here in chapter 16, God makes reference to Nadab and Abihu. He makes reference to not just coming anytime before the Lord, but to come according to the instruction that he had given. And so we saw earlier in Leviticus how Nadab and Abihu, I think it was chapter 10 of Leviticus, how they were killed by the Lord because they tried to offer strange fire before God. And we saw that it might be a possible connection with drunkenness because the context of the verses there in Leviticus chapter 10. But here we get a little bit more insight that perhaps it wasn't just the alcohol that was involved, but they tried to go beyond the role that God had given to them and enter into the holiest. And so God says, look, don't just enter in like they tried to do, but follow the instructions that I'm giving here. So verses 1 through 10 deal with that, entering into the holiest. And so the holiest was the place where God's presence dwelt. There above the Ark of the Covenant, the presence of the Lord was, and it was only one time a year that the priest was allowed to enter. Actually on that day, the Day of Atonement, he would enter three times, but that was the only day for the whole year that they would be allowed to enter into the holiest of all. And so the process for the high priest entering to enter into the holiest, verses 11 through 14, describe the sin offering that the priest has to offer. And so before the high priest could do anything, he had to offer a sin offering for himself. Because although he was the high priest, he was a sinner. And so he had to atone for his sin in order to go forward with the rest of the day of atonement. Well then, verses 15 through 19, he would have to offer a goat sin offering, But this was for the people. And so he would be offering a sin offering on behalf of the whole nation. And so this goat would be sacrificed there at the altar. But then in verses 20 through 22, you have the live goat that would be released. So there were two goats. They would cast lots. And the one that had the short stick, that one was sacrificed. The other one would be let go. After the high priest laid his hands upon it, confessed the sins of the people, and after the other goat was sacrificed, then the live goat would be sent out into the wilderness, and it became what we know as the scapegoat. And the scapegoat would go out, and through this process, God says he will forgive the sins of the nation of Israel. And so on the Day of Atonement, all their sins would be forgiven. There's some more instructions there in verses 23 through 28. Again, giving the instruction for how to administer the blood, to go into the holiest of all and sprinkle the blood of the bull offering, then to go back in and sprinkle the blood of the goat offering, and to, you know, do these things that God has prescribed for the Day of Atonement. And then he gives the timing for the Day of Atonement in verses 29 through 34. And so he gives the instruction there for when it's to be held or when it's to happen. Also that type of attitude. It's interesting as we've looked thus far in our scriptures as we've been reading along, we've seen lots of feasts that God has been talking about. And three times a year, remember, all the men are to appear before the Lord. And those are feasts. Those are celebrations. Those are times of feasting and enjoyment and great joy. The Day of Atonement is a unique day on the Jewish calendar because it was a day where God says, you're to afflict your souls. It was to be a serious day where they were to be not joyful and celebrating, but considering. They were to be somber. They were to be seriously considering their sin and the fact that their sin was being forgiven as this goat is being offered in their place. So the Day of Atonement, here you have the required annual feasts of the nation of Israel. The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Harvest, and then the Feast of Ingathering. The Day of Atonement would be in the seventh month, which corresponds to our September through October, that time frame. And then the Day of Atonement would be in the seventh month, which corresponds to our September through October, that time frame. And it would be, I think it was the eighth day of the seventh month that they would have this Day of Atonement and go through this process. And it was the one day of the year that the priest was allowed to enter the holiest of all. And just to remind you of the significance of what Christ did for us upon the cross. So they had limited access to the holiest of all. Only the high priest could go. Nobody else in Israel could go. No other priest could go. Only the high priest could go into the presence of God. Only one day of the year. And that was to sprinkle blood upon the mercy seat before the Lord. But when Christ died upon the cross and the veil in the temple that separated the sanctuary of the tabernacle or the temple from the holiest of all, that veil was torn in half from top to bottom and The author of Hebrews tells us this is the body of Christ that was broken for us that signifies that we now have entrance into the presence of God. And so the relationship with God that we have through Christ Jesus is far superior than what existed under the old covenant because they could only enter once a year on the day of atonement and it was only the high priest who You and I, we have our sins forgiven in Christ because of what He did for us upon the cross. And so He invites us to enter in. He says, come boldly before the throne of grace and find mercy and grace to help in your time of need. And so we have this incredible privilege and honor of going into the presence of God. And I probably should have been showing the diagram as I was talking about this in case you weren't here. This is the layout of the tabernacle. The outside border there would be the wall of the tabernacle or the courtyard of the tabernacle. And within the courtyard, as you entered in from the right, you would have the altar where the sacrifices would be offered. You'd have the laver where the priests would wash. Then you would have the holy place, which had the table, the lamb stand, and the incense altar. Only the priests could go in there. And then there was a veil that separated the holy place from the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was. And so only the high priest could pass through that veil and enter into the Holy of Holies on this Day of Atonement as God is describing it here. But for you and I as New Testament Christians, in this new covenant that God has given to us, we have access to the presence of God 365, 24-7, constantly, anytime we can go into the presence of God, enjoy His presence, we can speak to Him constantly, And have that type of real and personal relationship with Him. So it's an important understanding of the Day of Atonement and what it was for, but also to remind us how incredible we have it as believers in Jesus Christ that we can enter in by faith into the presence of God to speak with Him, to hear from Him, and to have that relationship with Him. Well, Leviticus chapter 17 now, verse 11 is the key verse. It says, "...for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul." So here in Leviticus chapter 17, God gives some instruction about sacrifices as well as the blood of the animals. And so first of all, he gives the instruction that there's to be no other place of sacrifice besides the tabernacle. Now, God is setting his people apart. In the pagan nations around them, they would sacrifice to their gods wherever they wanted to. And very often they would set up on the high places these altars to these false gods. But here God's giving the instruction, you're not to sacrifice wherever you want to. If you're going to sacrifice, you need to come to the tabernacle. And that's where the sacrifices are offered. Now this was somewhat temporary. We see later on in Deuteronomy chapter 12... that God gives instruction regarding certain kinds of offerings. So like the peace offering, for example, which was really a feast of celebration and fellowship with God. God says, look, when you go into the land and I expand your borders... and it's too far for you to go to the tabernacle or the temple, then you can offer those sacrifices. You can kill this kind of animal and you can have that feast with your family. But it's very specific conditions that he gives there in Deuteronomy chapter 12. And so as he talks about you not to sacrifice an animal outside of the camp, notice it's the camp that he's talking about. And so it's talking about this time in the wilderness that they're to go to the tabernacle to offer their sacrifices. Once they get into the promised land, they can offer certain animals or they can slaughter certain animals and eat them. But The sacrifices like the sin offering, the trespass offering, the burnt offering, those types of things they would always have to do at the tabernacle and at the temple. So you can check out Deuteronomy chapter 12 for a little bit more insight there. But then God also gives them instruction about the blood in verses 10 through 14. He says, you shall not eat the blood. And so God is setting apart the blood of these animals and saying, this is not to be consumed. And whoever eats of the blood shall be cut off from the people. It's a very serious offense. He says, look, I gave you the blood in order to make atonement. So the blood is not to be dealt with lightly because the reason why I have given you the blood of these animals is so that you have the opportunity to be forgiven of sin. And so he wants them to understand how serious atonement is and how serious the blood is And so he explains there, when you kill an animal to eat, you have to drain the blood out first, and then you can eat. That it was to be kept separate, they were not to consume the blood or meet with the blood still in it. Well, then he gives instruction in verse 15 and 16 about animals that died naturally. And so if an animal died naturally, you know, you're walking down the path and there, you know, a cow is dead, you think, hey, it sounds like dinner. Then you could eat, you could do that. It died naturally, it died from some unknown cause. God says you can eat that, but it causes you to be unclean. So if you didn't kill it yourself, then eating that animal would cause you to be unclean and you'd have to go through the process of purification to become clean once again. Leviticus chapter 18, verse 30. Therefore, you shall keep my ordinance so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you and that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God. Well, here in Leviticus chapter 18, we have God's laws concerning sexual immorality. And this is important for them because, well, it was common in the nations around them. You know, sometimes we can look around at the things that are going on as far as sexual immorality in our day. And we think, man, things have never been this bad. But the reality is these are not new problems. These have always existed. And that's why God has these laws here in Leviticus chapter 18. Notice he says, so that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you. The nations that God will be driving out of the land of Canaan were involved in not only idolatry, but all types of sexual immorality. And God's explaining that's why the land is vomiting them out. That's why they're being cast out of the land and God is giving that land to the nation of Israel because they were involved in all kinds of immorality along with the other sinful practices that they had. And so here, God says, you're going to keep my statutes. Don't be like those other nations. Don't practice those other things. You do what I say. Don't look around and say, well, they're doing it. Or, you know, it must be okay because this people are doing it. No, no, no. God says, you follow what I say. You keep my word. Very great instruction for us today as well. Well, he gives the laws about close family relationships in verses 6 through 18. Now some of us, you know, we would look at these and we would say, well, why does this even need to be said? But it needs to be said because it is immorality that existed then and exists today. So there was not to be the uncovering of nakedness So sexual relationships or anything close to it of anyone who is near of kin. Not of your father, not of your mother, not of your stepmother, not of your sister, not of your aunt, not of your uncle, not of your daughter-in-law or sister-in-law. God gives all these different examples. Why? Because these are the types of things that were being practiced that God said you are not to practice those things. And so he gives all this instruction about these close family relationships that you're not to uncover the nakedness or be involved sexually with those who are closely related to you. Well, then in verses 19 through 23, he goes on to give some other various sexual laws. So that you were not to approach a woman in her impurity. So in that monthly cycle, that you were not to approach her for relationship in that way. He explains you're not to offer your kids as burnt offerings. Again, this seems like, well, why does that need to be said? Well, because it was a practice that not only the other nations around them practiced, but even throughout Israel's history, they practiced. where they would heat up this altar and offer their kids as burnt offerings to these false gods. And so there was very evil corruption that was going on in the nations around Israel. And that's why God's saying, do not practice those things. Of course, here we also have his instruction, do not lie with a man as with a woman. So he's talking about homosexuality and that is not to be practiced. He also goes on to say, you shall not mate with any animal. And again, we would say, why do these things need to be said? Well, because they're practices that were going on and they're practices that are still going on within our society today. And so God explains, these are the practices of the people. They've defiled the land and the land is vomiting them out. So don't continue on those practices or the land will vomit you out. And so those practices didn't just defile themselves, but it also defiled the land, as God is explaining here. And it's important for us to consider that, you know, there's some serious consequences to sin. Those who practice all these types of things very likely will say, hey, we're not hurting anybody. But the reality is sin is more damaging than we realize. And in looking at the immorality that goes on in our nation, you know, we should not be surprised if our land vomits us out. That, you know, the fornication, the adultery, all the immorality that goes on, the pornography, these are serious things. And we are defiling the land. Now, that's the nation as a whole, but, you know, even within the church. there's such just immorality that goes on. And it is evil and it's wicked and it defiles not only you, but also the land, the people around you. It is serious and it affects many people. And so God deals very seriously with these types of sexual sins here in Leviticus chapter 18. Well, we finish it off this evening in chapter 19, verse 2 is the key verse. It says, speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel and say to them, you shall be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy. So here in chapter 19, God says, you need to be holy. I'm holy. You need to walk like me. You need to be like me. You need to set yourself apart from these evil practices. And so he goes on and gives all kinds of different miscellaneous laws regarding holiness that he calls his people to follow. And obviously we're not going to go through all of these in detail. But here's a quick summary. You're to honor or revere your father and mother. You're not to worship idols. You're to offer sacrifices willingly. So no sacrifices are to be forced or to be, you know, something like a burden or an obligation. You're not to glean your fields. The rest is for the poor. And so as you're, you know, picking all the oranges off your tree, you're not to take all the oranges off your tree, he's explaining to them. But you need to leave some so that the poor can go and get some oranges and be able to feed themselves. And this is interesting how God is providing for the poor of the society in this command. And we see this being carried out by Israel and specifically by Ruth. Remember, as she's going through the fields and getting the extra gleanings? This is because Boaz was following the instruction that God gave and he was leaving some for the poor to be able to come and glean. He says you're not to steal or lie. You're not to cheat your neighbor. You're to respect the disabled there in verse 14. You're not to give injustice in your judgments. You're not to hate your brother. I think it's interesting there in verse 17. He also says you're not to hate your brother and you're to rebuke your neighbor. You know, rebuke is something that we're commanded to do. It's an act of love. that he says, look, if you don't rebuke your neighbor, you'll also be guilty of sin. And so you need to take that seriously. And again, in the church, I think this is something for us to consider that, you know, we need to correct one another and not just allow sin to continue on, not just allow people to continue on in sin, but there's opportunity, there's requirement for rebuke, for correction. It needs to be done biblically. It needs to be done, you know, according to the things that God has said, but it needs to be done. And we cannot just allow it to continue. Well, he also talks about not eating the fruit for the first four years. That is to be, you know, left alone as they enter into the land and then the fifth year they can partake of it. don't prostitute your daughter again why would this need to be said well because it was a common practice he talks about giving no regard to mediums and that would include you know all those you know spiritual type things that are not of the lord we're not to pay any attention to that honor the presence of an old man so when george comes in stand up pay attention Don't mistreat strangers. Have honest skills. That's honest business practices. And again, various other laws that God gives instruction for here. Verse 37 here in chapter 19 says, therefore you shall observe all my statutes and all my judgments and perform them. I am the Lord. And so we end this evening with that thought. God says, I am the Lord. That it's not about what you think or what I think. It's not about what they thought or what they could figure out what was best or what the nations around them did. God says, look, I'm God. You're not. So you follow me. I'm God. I purchased you. I cleansed you. Put the oil and the blood on your ear, on your thumb, and on your big toe, and you be devoted to me. You be holy because I'm holy, because I am the one who has offered to you forgiveness and eternal life. I created you. I purchased you. You're mine. I'm God, and you are to be obedient to me. Let's pray. Lord, as we consider that thought, I pray that you would help us to be faithful in our obedience to you, God. And Lord, when there is those issues of disobedience, I pray that you would help us, Lord, to have the courage to be bold, Lord, to consider, is it more than skin deep? Is it not just a one-time type of issue, but is it a pattern, a lifestyle, a condition that Oh Lord, we need help in dealing with this. God, I pray that you would help us to be faithful and obedient to your word, to turn away from sin. Lord, to follow you with all of our hearts. I pray, God, that you would cause us to be holy, that you would cause us to pursue after and seek after holiness. Lord, that you would not allow us to continue on in rebellion, but Lord, that you would bring that correction that is necessary. Lord, you said it's love to rebuke. And so God, I pray, Lord, that you would rebuke us where it's needed. Lord, that you would cause us to understand the sin in our life. Lord, that we would turn from it, that we would honor you in being set apart for you. I pray, God, that you would use us to minister to one another and to help each other overcome sin. Not, Lord, to condemn or judge or convict or make fun of or try to do anything like that, but God, Lord, that you would use us to come alongside one another, to link arms, to help each other overcome and conquer and be victorious, to be holy and set apart for you. So God, help us to build up, to encourage and strengthen and not tear down. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 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