Today’s passage: Leviticus 11

Helpful thoughts:

• God gives instruction and clarity on foods/animals that are clean or unclean and what to do if they are touched, eaten, etc.
• The people of Israel were to follow God’s commands and be set apart (Holy) because God is holy.  No other explanation was required.  Nor was any other explanation needed.
  • It should be noted, people have tried for a long time to figure out why some of these animals were clean or unclean.  There isn’t any agreement as to why.

Questions to consider:

1. What animals did you think of from these descriptions?  What are some foods we eat today that were unclean for Israel?  What are some foods that we clean you wouldn’t want to eat today?
2. What seems to be the difference between “unclean” and evil?  When did something “unclean” become part of a sinful act?
3. How does God’s holiness rightly produce an expectation for our seeking to obey and honor Him as Lord?

Today’s passage: Leviticus 10

Helpful thoughts:

• After all of the instruction had been given and all the preparation had been made for the priests and the service in the tabernacle, two of Aaron’s sons decided to offer a form of worship of their own devising.  The Lord took their lives immediately.
  • Aaron and his surviving sons were to continue carrying out their tasks in service.
  • It is quite possible alcohol was involved given the command in verse 8.
• In verses 10-11 God directly communicates to Aaron what to role of the priests was:
  • Distinguish between the holy and the common.
  • Distinguish between the clean and the unclean.
  • Teach God’s law to the people.
• The meat from the sin offering had been given as a provision for the priests.  Given the events of the day, Moses’ concern was heightened for total obedience.  Aaron understood the meat to be a provision and also likely a celebration of forgiveness.  On this day, after losing his sons, he didn’t feel like celebrating.  Moses understood his logic and his actions, and evidently, the Lord agreed.

Questions to consider:

1. How did the event of Nadab’s and Abihu’s rebellion and death cause Moses, Aaron and his sons to respond?  How did their view of their task and God’s expectations become more focused?  How was their fear of God effected?
2. What was Nadab’s and Abihu’s sin?  Beside simply offering unauthorized (Or “strange”) fire, what did their actions show concerning their reverence of the Lord?
3. Now being under the New Covenant, covered in Christ’s blood, and with the whole of Scripture available to us, what would be a right response for Christians today concerning reverence and obedience to the Lord?  What kind of fear would be unnecessary?  What reason should we refrain from becoming flippant?

Today’s passage: Leviticus 9

Helpful thoughts:

• With the week of Aaron’s and his sons’ ordination completed, it was time for them to offer their first sacrifices as priests.
• Before the priests could offer anything on behalf of the people, they had to offer a sacrifice for their own sin.
• God manifested His presence in the Tabernacle in a way that was unmistakable to the people.  He was visibly showing His approval of the priests, the offerings, the Tabernacle and the people of Israel as His people.  They were to be His people, and He was their God.

Questions to consider:

1. Why did the priests have to offer sacrifices for themselves before they could do anything on behalf of the people (Hebrews 5:1-3)?
2. How is Jesus better than the Old Covenant priesthood (Hebrews 7:26-28)?

Today’s passage: Leviticus 8

Helpful thoughts:

• Chapter 8 contains the ordination and consecration of the priesthood (At this point, Aaron and his sons).
• The priests offered a sin offering, a burnt offering and a peace offering separately as progressive elements of their preparation for service.  They were not ready for the final offering and consecration without having participated in the prior prerequisite offerings.
• Eating the food offered and remaining in the tabernacle for one week were given to complete the ordination process.  The meal and time spent likely initiated the relationship, place and service that would come for the priesthood.

Questions to consider:

1. How many times can you find the phrase, “As the Lord commanded” in this chapter?  What is being confirmed through this repetition?
2. What place was Moses serving in all of this (And on whose behalf)?  In what way was he set apart to be able to make these sacrifices and sprinkle the blood prior to the ordination of the priesthood?
3. How significant was this process of ordination?  What would the consequences have been if Aaron and his sons had left the tabernacle within that first week (Verse 35)?  What picture was God ensuring would be before the eyes of His people in establishing the priesthood?

Today’s passage: Leviticus 7

Helpful thoughts:

• Today’s chapter concludes this portion of instruction on several forms of offerings.
• There are three types of peace offerings:
  • Thanksgiving (Verses 12, 13, 15) – An appreciation of God’s goodness and favor
  • Vows (Verse 16) – Given after the completion or fulfilment of a stated vow
  • Freewill (Verse 16) – An offering brought without any other reason than worship
• We are given a helpful reminder at the end of the chapter.  After having read all this information about the details of these offerings (And perhaps getting lost in the details…), Israel still hadn’t left Mount Sanai.

Questions to consider:

1. Knowing Israel hadn’t left Mount Sanai and had yet to begin regular worship and offerings in the tabernacle, what has God displayed about His commands and leadership of His people?  Is God telling Israel to do anything He has not prepared them to do?
2. How could this encourage us as leaders, parents, etc.?  When should we begin to expect knowledgeable and fruitful actions from those we lead?

Today’s passage: Leviticus 6:8-30

Helpful thoughts:

• Burnt offerings were to be given regularly (Exodus 29:38-42).  The fire was not to go out.  Because of this, whenever someone brought a sacrifice or offering, there was never to be a need to get the altar ready.
• In these passages, there is a shift from the overall instruction of each offering to the specifics concerning what the priests were to do in each offering.
• The sacrifices and offerings set the materials (The grains, meat, blood, etc.) apart for the Lord’s worship.  They became “holy.”  Therefore, they were to be eaten, or discarded, or the materials they’d been carried in were to be washed before they left the tabernacle.  What was designated as holy, needed to stay within the holy place.

Questions to consider:

1. In what way did the faithfulness of the priests to give burnt offerings provide what the people needed for their worship?
2. In what way did the faithfulness of the people to worship provide for the priests?
3. How does the faithfulness of every one of God’s people bless the church (Ephesians 4:16)?

Today’s passage: Leviticus 5:14-6:7

Helpful thoughts:

• In these verses, we read about guilt offerings.
• Guilt offerings seem to be quite similar to sin offerings, except:
  • The animals sacrificed were males, not females (More costly).
  • Payment was to be made.  A restoration of what was lost, plus 20%.
    • These differences seem to indicate the offenses which necessitated a guilt offering were more severe and costly to others than that which necessitated a sin offering.
• True repentance includes a turning from our sin to righteousness.  A person who is truly repentant will want to make things right with the one he/she has sinned against (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).

Questions to consider:

1. How would the requirements for the guilt offering coincide (and help us better understand) Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:23-24?
2. Though we are no longer under the Old Covenant, how could this principle still give us guidance/wisdom if we wrong others today?
3. What has God done with our guilt (Romans 8:31-34)?

Today’s passage: Leviticus 5:1-13

Helpful thoughts:

• Instructions for sin offerings continue.
• Had Jephthah known the law of the Lord (Verse 4), he would have had a solution for his foolish vow (Judges 11:29-40).
• There were three levels of sin offerings allowed.   All three carried the same weight or significance, ensuring that anyone in Israel could make offerings for their sin.  Obeying the Lord was not only for the wealthy.

Questions to consider:

1. What were the specific reasons mentioned to offer sin offerings in today’s passage?  What were the examples given?  In what way could they be representative of other sins?
2. In what way would this provision of a sin offering have been a relief to the people of Israel?  Some might think this was over the top or strict, but in truth it was a way of being released of a burden!  How was God being gracious to the people in providing these instructions?
3. What would the continual need of bringing sacrifices have taught the people?  Were these animal sacrifices going to truly rid them of their sin?  Was it going to cure their hearts?  What were they to learn they really needed? (Hebrews 10:4-7)

Today’s passage: Leviticus 4

Helpful thoughts:

• Chapter 4 through verse 13 of chapter 5 give instruction concerning sin offerings.
• Today’s chapter speaks to unintentional sins committed (Violating God’s law without understanding, unbeknown to the person).
• Anyone in Israel (From the priests, to the common citizen, to the nation as a whole) was capable of sin (As we all still are).  And all were responsible to seek purification for their sin.  Sin against God requires purification.

Questions to consider:

1. What would be an example of sinning unintentionally?  Can you think of a time when this happened in the Old Testament or the New?
2. What would be happening in a person’s heart when sinning unintentionally versus sinning intentionally?  Why is it good to still hold people accountable for unintentional sin (Or transgress, or violate the law) in a society (Like speeding on a road a person is unfamiliar with)?
3. What is needed to prevent a person or a group of people to sinning unintentionally?  What did Israel need to learn and be familiar with?  What do we need to know?