“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9 ESV
St. John's Lutheran Church, Rome NY
Leviticus 17:1-16
Prohibitions
In verses 1-9 of chapter 17 we have a prohibition against sacrifices that are not made in the Tabernacle.
In Canaan, where the Hebrews were going, the Canaanites sacrificed to goat demons in the fields and this prohibition was put in place in order to prevent these things.
From then on sacrificing an animal somewhere other than the Tabernacle (or Temple in latter times) was considered murdering that animal.
Verses 10-16 not only ended the chapter but also set in place another Jewish prohibition: eating blood.
Two verses are very important here: Lev 17:11 And Lev 17:14
Your blood was your life and blood was the only thing that could substitute for sins and wash them away. It really was a sacrifice killing an animal and wasn’t supposed to be something that was too easy. There was supposed to be a reminder every time you sacrificed an animal that it was painful because a life had to be taken.
In verses 1-9 of chapter 17 we have a prohibition against sacrifices that are not made in the Tabernacle.
In Canaan, where the Hebrews were going, the Canaanites sacrificed to goat demons in the fields and this prohibition was put in place in order to prevent these things.
From then on sacrificing an animal somewhere other than the Tabernacle (or Temple in latter times) was considered murdering that animal.
Verses 10-16 not only ended the chapter but also set in place another Jewish prohibition: eating blood.
Two verses are very important here: Lev 17:11 And Lev 17:14
Your blood was your life and blood was the only thing that could substitute for sins and wash them away. It really was a sacrifice killing an animal and wasn’t supposed to be something that was too easy. There was supposed to be a reminder every time you sacrificed an animal that it was painful because a life had to be taken.
Leviticus 18:1-30
Unlawful Relations
Before you think, “This chapter is ridiculous- this stuff is pure common sense,” let’s put it into perspective:
The Egyptians felt that the best way to keep the royal family “pure” was to in-breed the siblings.
In the first few chapters of Genesis there had to have been some brothers and sisters who would have been married as there also would have in the time of Noah.
The Canaanites were a brutal people and many of these sexual prohibitions were aimed at them.
Verses 1-18 cover these banned sexual relationships:
Mother, Father’s wife- even if it wasn’t your own mother
Your own siblings or step-siblings, Your own children, Half-siblings
Any aunt that’s a blood relative, Aunts that are not blood relatives
Daughter-in-law (remember how well this worked for Jacob’s son Judah)
Your brother’s wife while he is alive (except for the case of levirate marriage which is the wife marrying her husband’s brother after her husband died in order to carry on the family)
A woman and her daughter (no all in the family cases allowed)
No sisters at the same time- it didn’t work out so well for Jacob, Rachel, and Leah.
Menstruation= no sex- period.
Don’t sacrifice your children to idols.
Do not covet your neighbor’s wife means don’t have sex with her.
The Bible forbids homosexual sex; It does not forbid homosexual people, however. This is not a biblical ban on homosexuals as some interpret- on the contrary, it is a forbiddance against homosexual sex.
Being a homosexual does not compel you to have homosexual sex just like being a heterosexual doesn’t compel someone to have heterosexual sex.
Abstinence was expected outside of marriage and in case you felt like asking homosexual marriage is biblically forbidden.
Bestiality is strictly forbidden as well.
Before you think, “This chapter is ridiculous- this stuff is pure common sense,” let’s put it into perspective:
The Egyptians felt that the best way to keep the royal family “pure” was to in-breed the siblings.
In the first few chapters of Genesis there had to have been some brothers and sisters who would have been married as there also would have in the time of Noah.
The Canaanites were a brutal people and many of these sexual prohibitions were aimed at them.
Verses 1-18 cover these banned sexual relationships:
Mother, Father’s wife- even if it wasn’t your own mother
Your own siblings or step-siblings, Your own children, Half-siblings
Any aunt that’s a blood relative, Aunts that are not blood relatives
Daughter-in-law (remember how well this worked for Jacob’s son Judah)
Your brother’s wife while he is alive (except for the case of levirate marriage which is the wife marrying her husband’s brother after her husband died in order to carry on the family)
A woman and her daughter (no all in the family cases allowed)
No sisters at the same time- it didn’t work out so well for Jacob, Rachel, and Leah.
Menstruation= no sex- period.
Don’t sacrifice your children to idols.
Do not covet your neighbor’s wife means don’t have sex with her.
The Bible forbids homosexual sex; It does not forbid homosexual people, however. This is not a biblical ban on homosexuals as some interpret- on the contrary, it is a forbiddance against homosexual sex.
Being a homosexual does not compel you to have homosexual sex just like being a heterosexual doesn’t compel someone to have heterosexual sex.
Abstinence was expected outside of marriage and in case you felt like asking homosexual marriage is biblically forbidden.
Bestiality is strictly forbidden as well.
Leviticus 19:1-37
Hey, I've heard that somewhere...
---Chapter 19 is an in-depth review of Holy living and the most important verse is framed in the middle.
—Verses 1-16 talk about leaving some of your harvest in the fields to feed the poor, not stealing, not lying in court, not cheating someone you’ve hired, and not hurting the handicapped.
—Verses 19-37 bring up different topics:
—Don’t violate God’s created order, don’t sleep with other men’s slaves, allow a tree to grow before you eat its fruit, and you don’t need sorcery because you have Yahweh.
—Verse 28 is not a prohibition against tattoos as we know them: it’s a prohibition against cutting your body in a pagan ritual.
—Verse 31 sets further prohibitions against sorcery.
—Now that we’ve framed verses 17 & 18 let’s look at them, shall we?
—All of the stuff that’s framing these verses may seem like a lot to take in and keep but what if we start in the middle and work our way out?
—“You shall not hate your brother in your heart” covers all kinds of sins from murder to adultery to the very sin of hate.
—“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people” also makes it simple. Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that vengeance is not something that humans should practice- vengeance belongs to God.
—“but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” When you start with love it makes the rest of this stuff easier to do in your heart.
---Chapter 19 is an in-depth review of Holy living and the most important verse is framed in the middle.
—Verses 1-16 talk about leaving some of your harvest in the fields to feed the poor, not stealing, not lying in court, not cheating someone you’ve hired, and not hurting the handicapped.
—Verses 19-37 bring up different topics:
—Don’t violate God’s created order, don’t sleep with other men’s slaves, allow a tree to grow before you eat its fruit, and you don’t need sorcery because you have Yahweh.
—Verse 28 is not a prohibition against tattoos as we know them: it’s a prohibition against cutting your body in a pagan ritual.
—Verse 31 sets further prohibitions against sorcery.
—Now that we’ve framed verses 17 & 18 let’s look at them, shall we?
—All of the stuff that’s framing these verses may seem like a lot to take in and keep but what if we start in the middle and work our way out?
—“You shall not hate your brother in your heart” covers all kinds of sins from murder to adultery to the very sin of hate.
—“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people” also makes it simple. Elsewhere in Scripture we are told that vengeance is not something that humans should practice- vengeance belongs to God.
—“but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” When you start with love it makes the rest of this stuff easier to do in your heart.