Leviticus 17-18 Holiness in Blood and Sex

 

 Leviticus 17 The Holiness of Blood

Leviticus 17:1-7 Israelites are forbidden to offer the blood of an animal to any other god than YHWH, and in any location other than the Tabernacle. To offer a sacrifice to a goat demon is to be guilty of bloodshed. It is equivalent to prostitution. The person who does so must be cut off from the people. But this duty (monotheistic worship of the one true God) leads to joy.

Leviticus 17:8-9 The same command is true for anyone who offers a burnt offering elsewhere. Cut them off.

Leviticus 17:10-14 Israelites are forbidden from eating blood. This applies also to foreigners who live among the Israelites. Properly respected, blood makes atonement for life. Eating it results in excommunication. When an animal is killed to be eaten, its blood must be drained on the ground and covered with dirt.

A key statement repeated in verses 11, 14, and 15: the life of a creature is in the blood. Our eternal lives are in Jesus, and specifically through His shed blood. (John 6:53-58) This happened literally on the cross. (John 19:34) and sacramentally at the Last Supper and in partaking of  communion (Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25).  Physically we know that blood transports fuel to the various parts of the body, and oxygen, to enable life at the cellular level.   This is at such a detailed bio-molecular level that it cannot be mixed between animals. Blood transfusions have only been done safely since about 1940, and there are still risks of disease being transferred.

  What a picture of spiritual life! There are at least three important functions of blood. Blood carries nutrients to individual cells, much like the transmission of the Scriptures through preaching, reading, discussion, that is food for the soul. (Hebrews 5:12) Blood also transports oxygen to individual souls so that they can breathe and the nutrients become fuel for both growth and activity, much as Ruach HaKodesh breathes life into the Word of God we have received. (2 Timothy 3:16) Blood also transports the byproducts of this process at the cellular level away to be eliminated in the digestive tract, as Jesus removes our sins to be remembered no more. (Hebrews 10) 

Leviticus 17:15-16 Almost as an afterthought, anyone eating an animal found dead or torn by wild animals must ceremonially cleanse themselves through bathing and washing their clothes.

Leviticus 18 Sexual Relationships

Leviticus 18:1-5 The people of YHWH are to be different from the Egyptians and the Canaanites. The phrase “I am the Lord” (echoing Exodus 3:14-15) is repeated in 18:1,5,21, & 30. His ways are distinctly different from those of the world. He created humankind to function in a distinct way. Although we all fall short, His blessing comes to those who obey, and there are consequences for disobedience.

Leviticus 18:6-18 Incest is forbidden, and specific types are enumerated in detail. To commit sexual immorality is to put self over God.  They go hand-in-hand down a path towards the end described below. One particular prohibition, that of having sex with a woman and her sister (18:18), was violated by Jacob in marrying both Leah and Rachel. (Genesis 29:23-30) This was orchestrated by Laban, who bore the brunt of God’s displeasure, but also did lead to family tensions that continued through the adult lives of Joseph and Benjamin. 

Leviticus 18:19 A woman experiences pain and uncleanness during her menstrual period. Men should respect her.

Leviticus 18:20 Do not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14) Frequently repeated, but ignored today.

Leviticus 18:21 Do not offer your children as sacrifices to Moloch. There is a difficulty in understanding Abraham’s offering of Isaac. (Genesis 22:2) In effect, God told Abraham to profane His Name by offering Isaac as a burnt offering. When he was about to commit the act, God intervened to stop him (Genesis 22:12), but all the explanations fall short. Yes, this was a foreshadowing of Jesus being offering His own life, but Jesus did so of His own free will, having prayed through the issue. (Luke 22:42-44) In any event, the warning of consequences of child sacrifice ought to give a chill to anyone who advocates abortion without restriction.  

Leviticus 18:22 Homosexuality is forbidden, and its consequences were repeated in the New Testament. (Romans 1:27)

Leviticus 18:23 Bestiality is also forbidden. 

Leviticus 18:24-28 The response is tied to the Land of Israel. It vomited out the Canaanites who practiced these things, and the same would happen to the Israelites when they did. (2 Chronicles 36:15-21) The land was defiled by these sins, and it reacted as a person would who ingests something gross. It spewed them out forcibly. 

 

Leviticus 18:29-30 Israel’s defense was to cut off any person who practiced these things. Excommunicate them. Execute them. Or else, they would be exiled. 

The immorality of modern society seems overwhelming, to the point where anyone who challenges abortion on demand or rampant homosexuality or limits on sexual relationships is summarily labeled by news and social media, politicians, and influencers as being Neanderthals or prudes. The consequences of this for our society cannot be dismissed. God is not mocked. (Galatians 6:7) Individuals will face either the judgment seat of Christ (to receive mercy) or the Great White Throne of judgment (to receive justice). Society appears to have a longer timeline, but God lives in eternity. Even Sodom and Gomorrah and the Canaanites had ample time to repent, but not unlimited.  (Genesis 14; Genesis 18:20-19:25. Genesis 15:16;  Deuteronomy 9:3-5)

Leviticus 16 The Day of Atonement

Leviticus 16:1-2 As a sequel to the death of Nadab and Abihu (10:1-3), Moses now records instructions for entering the Most Holy Place, the place where God is present. The High Priest is not to come in whenever and however he chooses to. Further instructions on timing are given later. (16;29, 23:26-27).

Leviticus 16:3-10 An overview - Aaron is to bring a young bull and a ram, plus two goats and a ram from the community. He must bathe, and put on specific linen clothing - a tunic, undergarments, and a turban, all linen. The breastplate and ephod described in Exodus 28 are not mentioned, and presumably not to be worn. (Need to check);

It is worthwhile to keep in mind, based on Hebrews 9:7-26, that Jesus is our ultimate high priest, and also the lamb whose blood was shed for the sin of the world. The entire ceremony is an earthly picture of the presentation by Jesus of His own blood in the true tabernacle in heaven. And the New Testament continues to speak of  Jesus’ second coming to rescue His people. (Hebrews 9:27-28) That passage continues by contrasting the Old Testament sacrifices which can’t really take away sin (Hebrews 10:1-4) with Jesus’ rescue of us which not only really, truly takes away our sin, but gives us His nature by putting His law in our hearts (Hebrews 10:5-18). This passage boldly says that we have confidence to enter the true Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus. (Hebrews 10:19-21), followed by an admonition to Christian living, which includes drawing near to God, holding fast to hope in the midst of hardship, and encouraging others to persevere in love and good deeds and fellowship. (Hebrews 10:22-25) Leviticus 16, the entire atonement ceremony, is a precursor, a picture, of this divine reality.

Leviticus 16:11-14 Aaron is to slaughter the bull for his sin offering, then take a censer full of burning coal and two handfuls of incense and enter the Most Holy Place. The smoke from the burning incense will obscure the atonement cover - the lid on the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10-22) - so that he will not see YHWH and die. He sprinkles some of the bull’s blood on the front of the atonement cover then seven times in front of it.   

Leviticus 16:15-17 Aaron then repeats the procedure with the blood from the goat to make atonement for the people of Israel. No one else is to be in the tent of meeting while Aaron goes into the Most Holy Place.

Leviticus 16:18-19 Next, Aaron is to take both the bull’s blood and the goat’s blood and put some of each on the horns of the altar in the Tabernacle. He then sprinkles some of each seven times with his finger, to cleanse it from the Israelites’ uncleanness. 

Leviticus 16:20-22 Aaron then takes the scapegoat and lays his hands on it to confess all the sins of the Israelites. These are transferred to the goat, who is then sent out to a remote wilderness. Its life was spared but it will spend the rest of it apart from human company; or wild animals might quickly devour it. The goat carries the Israelites’ sins to that remote fate, called azazel, which has acquired additional connotations over the centuries.

In one sense, the scapegoat illustrates for us the ultimate fate of those who die without salvation in Christ. Those who don’t want to be reconciled to God will be consigned to the outer darkness, the wilderness of loneliness.  (Matthew 8:12) C. S. Lewis’ book The Great Divorce illustrates this in modern vernacular. But in a second sense, the sins of all of us were laid on Jesus on the cross. (Isaiah 53:6) When Jesus died and spent three days in hell, one might speculate that He took those sins that had been laid on Him and deposited them in hell. But since He is God, He was able to leave them there and return to the land of the living, and then to heaven, taking with Him (eventually) all who follow Him.

Leviticus 16:23-25 Aaron is to undress from the linen clothing and leave it there, in the sanctuary area. He bathes (again) and puts on his regular clothes. He then comes out (presumably into the courtyard) to sacrifice the burnt offerings for both himself and the Israelites. Also, the fat of the sin offering that was offered in the sanctuary is burned up at this time. 

Leviticus 16:26-28 The laborer(s) who took the scapegoat into the wilderness, and those that took the carcasses of the bull and goat that were offered to be burned up outside the camp, must also bathe and wash their clothes before coming back inside.

Leviticus 16:29-31 This ritual, Yom Kippur, is only allowed once per year, on a specified date - the 10th of Tishrei, the seventh month of the year, about six months after Passover. (23:26-27) This is to be a day of rest; a Sabbath - no work is allowed to be done. The Israelites were to deny themselves as well, possibly meaning to fast. 

We are called to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. (Romans 12:1) Although there will be martyrs (and there have been many throughout the last 2,000 years), every believer is called to sacrifice any part of their life that is in between them and Jesus. Reasonable service could mean many things depending on circumstances. What the Day of Atonement shows us is the serious cost of sin in our relationship with God. It was ultimately fulfilled on Cavalry. We can but offer ourselves, not to atone for sin (our own or others’), but to be what God wants us to become.

Leviticus 16:32-34 This is a permanent command: Succeeding high priests were to do just as Aaron was commanded to do. 

Leviticus 11-15 Clean and Unclean

Leviticus 11 Kosher defined - clean and unclean food

Leviticus 11:1-8 Israelites may only eat clean animals. 

• They are defined as having a divided hoof and chewing the cud. Unless an animal has both, it is unclean and not to be eaten, and the carcass of an unclean animal is not to be touched.
• Leviticus 11:9-12 Definition of clean sea creatures: only those that have both fins and scales.
• Leviticus 11:13-19 Unclean birds are not defined by any characteristic, but simply listed.
• Leviticus 11:20-25 Definition of clean insects: insects that walk on all four legs that have jointed legs for hopping. 
• Leviticus 11:29-31 Definition of unclean animals that move along the ground.

Leviticus 11:26-28 seems to restate for emphasis the command for avoiding touching unclean animals (from 11:1-8).

Leviticus 11:32-38 Further instructions on dealing with items that contact unclean animals, specifically with their carcasses. Wash it, unless it is a clay pot, which must be shattered. A spring or cistern, or seeds are not made unclean by contact. A person becomes unclean by contact.

Leviticus 11:39-40 The carcass of a clean animal transmits uncleanness by contact. The response to this must be washing clothes, and waiting until evening (presumably sunset) to become clean. Implicitly this differentiates a clean animal that dies of natural causes from one that is slaughtered for food. 

Leviticus 11:41-42 Repetition of uncleanness of animals that crawl on the ground. (11:29-31)

 

Leviticus 11:43-45 The overall principle is this. Be clean, because the Lord God is holy. Being clean is part of being holy. He wants us to be holy like He is holy.

Leviticus 11:46-47 Summary and conclusion of the rules of kosher food. Choose wisely. 

The significance of the kosher rules is puzzling. Some are clearly health based, since some foods, along with fat and blood, are clearly unhealthy. Dead bodies decompose very quickly and result in both bacteria and toxins. Some animals are notorious carriers of vermin such as ticks. But the selection of specific species does not necessarily line up 100% with protecting physical health. This leads us to suspect that these rules have an element of testing the Jews for obedience, and also perhaps a degree of marking them for others to identify. After all, Jesus declared all foods clean. (Mark 7:19) Instead, all men would recognize His disciples by their love for each other. (John 13:35)

Another dimension of this is the link between clean and holy. There is not a one-to-one correspondence unless one makes it so by definition. Jesus pointed out that the Pharisees observed the details of the ritual law, but were full of internal sin.  (Matthew 23) But Leviticus 11:44 says  “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” in the immediate context of discussing uncleanness. The implication seems to be that it is possible to be clean without being holy, but it is impossible to be holy unless one is clean. And perhaps it is not too big a stretch to think that unclean thoughts are included here. (Matthew 23:25 & 27) Perhaps teeming vermin that automatically are repugnant to us are what our impure thoughts are like to God. That things like pride, avarice, wrath, lust, envy, gluttony, and sloth are the unclean stuff we should really be concerned about.

The New Testament has a different perspective on food, substantially different from clean and unclean. Jesus told His disciples that His food was to do the will of the Father who sent Him. (John 4:34) He said that His body was real food. (John 6:51, 54-56) At the last supper He offered it to His disciples (Matthew 26:26). Hebrews 5:12-14 asserts that the teachings that follow in that epistle are solid food, while the basics of faith are milk; not to imply lack of nutrition, but that they are by themselves insufficient to reach spiritual maturity. This is truly Kosher.

Leviticus 12 Purification after childbirth

Leviticus 12:1-5 A woman is ceremonially unclean after giving birth, one or two weeks depending on the gender of the child. Then she must wait an additional 33 or 66 days before she can be purified from her bleeding. Obviously there is risk in childbearing, but the life is in the blood. Also, the boy child is to be circumcised on the eight day, a practice first mentioned in Abraham’s circumcision of Isaac.  (Genesis 17:10-14)

Leviticus 12:6-8 The rules for purification after the designated waiting period after childbirth are to offer a lamb, or two pigeons or doves. Why does a woman need purification after giving birth? Prior passages have labelled blood as unclean. A woman sheds blood in giving birth to a new life. Life is in the blood. (Leviticus 17:11&14) 

After Mary had completed her forty days of purification after Jesus’ birth, she took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (to the Father), and offered two doves for her purification according to the passage. (Luke 2:24) The spiritual reality behind this is fully revealed in Jesus’ words to His disciples, that whoever drinks His blood has eternal life. (John 6:53-54) That would be further explained at the last supper. (Luke 22:20) Jesus shed His blood to give us eternal life. A woman shedding blood during childbirth is a physical picture of this eternal truth - that the Lamb of God would shed His blood on our behalf so that we can be born again through the Spirit of God. (John 3:3 ff.) The mother sacrificially gives blood to bring new physical life into the world, and is thereby blessed  by this rite specified in Leviticus 11.

Leviticus 13 Skin Diseases and Mold

Leviticus 13:1-46 Rules for dealing with skin diseases

Leviticus 13:1-8 General rules for anyone with a condition that might be a defiling skin disease

• A description of what it might look like
• Direction to go to a priest for diagnosis and instruction
• Instructions for the priest on how to make the diagnosis and what behavior to prescribe
• Criteria for clean vs. unclean 

Leviticus 13:9-13 When the disease has run its course, they are clean.

Specific types of uncleanness

• Leviticus 13:14-17 Raw flesh makes a person unclean.
• Leviticus 13:18-23 Criteria for evaluating a boil.
• Leviticus 13:24-28 Evaluating a burn scar.
• Leviticus 13:29-37 Criteria for a sore on the head or chin.
• Leviticus 13:38-39 Evaluating a rash.
• Leviticus 13:40-44 Evaluating baldness and loss of hair.

Leviticus 13:45-46 Regulation for those diagnosed as unclean. They must live alone, outside the camp, wear torn clothes, have unkempt hair, cover their face, and cry out “Unclean! Unclean!”

Although this passage is often taught as dealing with Leprosy, there seems to be a distinction between Hansen’s disease, the modern name for leprosy, and tzaraath (Strong’s H6883), an infectious skin disease. Hansen’s disease is a specific bacterial infection with several symptoms that can include skin damage, but also includes damage to the nerves, respiratory tract, and eyes.  It can al so lead to damage to fingers, toes, limbs, etc., due to unnoticed injuries because of nerve damage. Tzaraath is a collection of skin conditions that can include a rash, boils, or  bald or discolored skin patches, but can also affect objects such as clothing or household goods, sounding more like mold. 

Regardless of the medical diagnosis, this passage can be seen as a metaphor for sin. It is chronic, contagious, and requires spiritual diagnosis and treatment. While the Mosaic law commands exclusion from society to avoid contaminating others, the reality is that all sin and we would not have a society if everyone self-isolated from everyone else. We hide  our sins for the most part. But the New Testament shows Jesus cleansing the lepers (Luke 17:11-19), not being contaminated by them, but decontaminating them, and healing the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:25-34), not being made unclean by her, but transmitting His wholeness to her. The bottom line on this is for us to see the hopelessness of sinners apart from Christ, but the healing, deliverance, and fullness of life that Jesus offers by delivering us from sin. Only He can, but HE CAN!

Leviticus 13:47-59 Dealing with Defiling Molds

Leviticus 13:47-52 Any garment with a persistent mold, based on color and whether it spreads, must be burned.

Leviticus 13:53-59 Dealing with ambiguous cases, deciding what materials are potentially salvageable and which are not. The process for identifying and cleansing a garment that is redeemable. 

While this passage deals with tzaraath contaminating physical objects, generally sin does not flow from people to objects, since sin is a heart condition. Rather, the lesson seems to be that if an object is a gateway to sin, e.g., pornography, it must be burned to eliminate its contamination of people. 

Leviticus 14 Cleansing from Tzaraath

Leviticus 14:1-20 Procedure for any diseased person to be ceremonially cleansed.

• Leviticus 14:2-7 After the individual is examined, two birds are brought, one offered and the other to be washed together with cedar, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, the water to then be sprinkled on the penitent and the live bird to be released.
• Leviticus 14:8-9 The individual then washes his clothes, shaves, and bathes, and waits outside his tent seven days. He then shaves, bathes, and washes his clothes again, and is considered clean.
• Leviticus 14:10-11 On the eighth day, the individual brings three lambs (two male, one female), grain, olive oil, to present before the Lord. 
• Leviticus 14:12-18 The priest then offers one of the lambs and the oil as a guilt offering. He takes blood from the lamb and applies it to the right ear, thumb, and big toe of the individual, just as was  done for the priests during their ordination (8:23-24). The priest then sprinkles the oil before the Lord, applies it to the ear, thumb, and toe of the individual, and pours it on his head.
• Leviticus 14:19-20 The priest then offers the sin offering and the guilt offering.

Leviticus 14:21-32 Instructions for the poor, who cannot afford the above offerings. Less expensive offerings, but the same steps are still required.

Leviticus 14:33-54 Cleansing from defiling molds

Leviticus 14:33-42 If the owner of a house thinks it looks like there might be a defiling mold, he is to ask the priest to inspect it. This begins a multi-step process. If the priest’s initial inspection sees suspicious colored depressions, they seal the house for a week.  Then the priest re-inspects and if it appears to have spread, they remove the contaminated stones and has the inside walls of the house scraped. Both those stones and the plaster go to the dump, and are replaced.

Leviticus 14:43-47  Later, if the mold reappears the house is declared unclean and is torn down and hauled to the dump.  People who go into it are unclean for a day, and anyone who eats or sleeps in it must also wash their clothes.

Leviticus 14:48-53 If the house is not unclean, then purification involves two birds, cedar, hyssop, and scarlet yarn in a manner very similar to a person who is being purified. (14:2-7) It seems odd that he needs to make atonement for the house, but this is the command.

Leviticus 14:54-55 This concludes the rules for dealing with defiling skin diseases and mold. ( Leviticus 13-14). Even though uncleanness and skin diseases are not necessarily sin in and of themselves, they represent things that can weigh us down, separate us from Him, or hinder us from fully entering into all He has for us. 

When Israel conquered Canaan, they doubtless found houses that had been contaminated by pagan religious practices. Or they may have themselves contaminated their houses. Does residual sinfulness linger over locations apart from human behavior? Our gut tells us so. Some places just don’t feel right. The exact mechanism of the spiritual realm - what demonic forces are at work and how they work - is not the issue. Our susceptibility and response to these forces is what matters. Ritual purification enabled the Jews of that day to make a public renunciation of whatever evil forces were present. Baptism in water is Jesus’ designated symbol and statement of receiving His deliverance from sin. Beyond that, cleanness and wholeness  are inextricably linked. 

The symbolism of the cedar, scarlet yarn, and hyssop in this ceremony. Cedar has a pleasant aroma and is durable.  It also has antibacterial properties and was used as a preservative in ancient times. The big use was in the construction of Solomon’s temple. (1 Kings 6&7) Scarlet, of course, represents blood, and a scarlet thread was later used as a sign of the Lord’s presence by Rahab in Jericho. (Joshua 2:18-21) Hyssop is a bit of a puzzle, but may have been used for herbal healing. Its petal structure also is ideal for the sprinkling ritual.  It is also mentioned in David’s psalm of confession (Psalm 51:7), and was part of the wine vinegar that was offered to Jesus on the cross just before He died. (John 19:29) Ultimately, any cleansing that matters comes through the work of Christ on the cross. 

Leviticus 15 Dealing with unclean discharges

Leviticus 15:1-12 An unusual bodily discharge by a male is implicitly something other than a normal bowel movement. (There are instructions elsewhere for dealing with that - Deuteronomy 23:12-14.) Clearly blood coming out of bodily orifices is unusual, and at some point diarrhea becomes unusual. Although not explicitly defined, most likely it is the point at which the flow is uncontrolled and contaminates clothes and places where one sits or lays. There are instructions for cleansing of clothes or furniture the discharge contaminates, and how that uncleanness is further transmitted. Uncleanness is transmitted by touch, both to people and to objects like pots. 

Leviticus 15:13-15 Formal cleansing from this uncleanness starts by waiting a week after the discharge ends. After that he is to wash himself and offer two birds - doves or pigeons.

 

Leviticus 15:16-18 An emission of semen is cleansed by washing with water and waiting until evening. This applies to both the man, clothing that is contaminated, and any woman he has sexual relationship with.

Leviticus 15:19-24 A woman’s monthly menstrual discharge is designated to last seven days. The same rules apply to this as a man’s ejaculation of semen, other than its designated weeklong duration. This flow of blood is not unusual and does not require an offering. 

Leviticus 15:25-30 A woman who has a blood discharge outside of her regular monthly period falls under the same rules as a man with a bloody discharge. She is unclean as long as it lasts, has to wait a week after it ends, and make a sin offering of two birds after that. However, when Jesus encountered the woman with the issue of blood for twelve years and she touched Him, He did not become unclean, but her flow of blood stopped immediately. (Mark 5:25-34) Jesus commended her faith, but even though she had faith, she had to take action and actually reach out to touch Him in order to be healed. 

Leviticus 15:31-32 These rules are specifically intended to protect the Israelites from coming into the Lord’s presence while unclean, defiling His dwelling place, and dying in that condition. 

There seems to be an underlying spiritual health regime behind what would otherwise be guidelines for physical health. Bodily discharges are known to carry high levels of both bacteria and toxins that can easily infect another person who inhales or ingests them. Hence modern medical practice requires gloves and face masks and elaborate washing and disinfecting of health care workers depending on what specifically they are doing. Blood transfusions require extreme care and testing. Public restrooms often stink (at least men’s rooms) despite the use of disinfectants. 

Jesus talked about true uncleanness as being the unclean things that come out of the heart through the mouth.  Eating with unwashed hands does not defile a person. Unclean food is processed by the digestive system and is eliminated through natural processes. Various versions of the seven deadly sins are what defile a person. (Matthew 15:10-20) Being defiled is not a death sentence as long as redemption is possible, but dying in a defiled state is the worst possible end of life. Even so, how we live in this life is important to our happiness and well-being. Murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander don’t just condemn our souls in eternity, they make our lives in this world a living hell.