The Holy God wanted a Holy People. They lived in a Holy Land, which had a Holy City. Within that Holy City was a Holy House, in which was a Holy Place and a Most Holy Place. Serving in the Holy House were Holy Priests, mediators who brought the Holy God closer to unholy men and women, and who brought unholy men and women closer to the Holy God. The Holy People needed to be holy in God’s sight to draw near to God at the Mishkan. This part of Leviticus gives us the laws so that the Holy People could stay holy. It was essential that the Jewish people were separated from their uncleanness, lest while they were in a state of uncleanness, they try to draw near an infinitely holy God, defile His Dwelling Place, and be severely punished for it.
Chapter 14: The procedure for cleansing leprosy
Remember that a leper was unclean, isolated from Israel, unable to draw near to God at the Mishkan, in a continual state of mourning. Leprosy is a good illustration of what sin does to us. Sin makes us unclean, cut off from God, unable to draw near to God at the Mishkan and worship the Lord. Sin forces us to live alone, isolated and unwelcome from the community of God’s people. Sin kills life; it removes the goodness and happiness and blessing from us.
If someone with leprosy was healed from their leprosy, they needed to undergo a complex procedure. A bird was killed over running water. Blood cleanses, as does clean, running water. This is a symbol of cleansing. Another bird, along with cedar wood, which smells clean and delicious, a scarlet string, which represents being in a state of sin, and hyssop, was dipped into the blood of the bird that was killed. The live bird was then released over an open field – a symbol of the man’s newfound freedom. The one cleansed from the leprosy washed his clothes, shaved off all his hair, and bathed in water. On the seventh day he repeated the process. On the eighth day he offered a guilt offering to atone for his transgressions, a sin offering to atone for sin, a burnt offering, since he was newly dedicated to God. Blood and oil was placed on the right ear, indicated he could hear God again, the thumb of his right hand, showing that he could serve God again, and his right big toe, indicated his new walk with God. A grain offering was offered, showing that he was able to work, and his work was now accepted by God.
Not only people, but even houses could get leprosy. If there was a suspicious mark, the house was quarantined for seven days. If the growth spread, the affected area was torn out and rebuilt. If after being replaced the mark broke out once again, the whole house was torn down. If the home was pronounced clean by the cohen, a similar procedure with two birds, cedar wood, scarlet string, hyssop, running water, and the open field, was employed, and then the house was atoned for, and made clean. Thank God that there is healing from leprosy, and that there is also healing for spiritual leprosy – sin!
Chapter 15: Laws for holy life with the body
Sin has affected every part of us – body, soul and spirit. Now, Sex and reproduction is a part of normal life, and it is right and proper, and a pleasure and a delight within marriage, but unfortunately sin has affected this aspect of humanity as well. Under the Older Covenant, it affected Israel’s ability to draw near to God.
If a man had a disease in his genitals – if his physical body wasn’t working right in that important area, and had some sort of bleeding or discharge, he was unclean for seven days. He couldn’t go to the Mishkan to worship during that time. After he was healed, he needed to wait seven days, then wash his clothes, bathe his body, so he was clean inside and out, and on the eighth day, offer two pigeons or doves, for a sin offering, and a burnt offering. He was atoned for, and rededicated to the Lord, and able to draw near to God at the Mishkan.
If a man had sex, and there was a normal emission of semen, if they simply bathed in water, they then became clean at sunset, the beginning of a new day. They could go to the Mishkan and draw near to God there. No sacrifice was needed.
If a woman had her monthly period, she was unclean, and could not draw near to God at the Mishkan. Anyone who touched her, or things in close proximity to her, was unclean until he washed his clothes and bathed his body. Then at sunset he was clean. After her period finished, if she simply bathed in water, then seven days later, she was once again able to go to the Mishkan and draw near to God there. No sacrifice was needed.
If a woman had some sort of bleeding or discharge that was not part of her normal period, she could not approach the Dwelling Presence of God at the Mishkan. She was unclean. But after she was healed from it, like the man, she needed to wait seven days; then on the eighth day, she offered two pigeons or doves, for a sin offering, and a burnt offering. She was atoned for, and rededicated to the Lord, and able to draw near to God at the Mishkan – praise be the Lord.
Chapter 16: Drawing near to God on Yom Kippur
This is the main set of laws about the proper way for the Holy People to draw near to God on Yom Kippur, the special set apart by God to atone for all the sins of the entire nation that had accumulated during the year. I want to point out that what the Torah demands is very different from what is going on in synagogues anywhere in the world today. Yom Kippur is all about the Temple, the priests and the sacrifices – not about rabbis and synagogues, prayers and fasting.
Before he could take care of his own needs for atonement, the High Priest first bathed in water, as an act of physical and spiritual cleansing. After bathing, the High Priest put on his garments: the linen undergarments, the linen tunic, the linen sash and turban. No ephod or breastplate was worn on this occasion because the High Priest appeared as the head of the people in a simple, humble manner.
Likewise, Messiah Yeshua, our High Priest, made atonement for us, not in the glorious robes of His divine glory, but the linen garments of humanity, clean indeed, but also ordinary and humble.
Like the High Priest that came from Aaron, and like Messiah Yeshua, we need to be right with God before we can really meet the deepest needs of others. We must be washed by the waters of baptism, and have atonement through faith and commitment to the Messiah, be dedicated to Him, and walk humbly before our God. Is that you?
Then High Priest took care of the sin problem for himself and his family. The High Priest of Israel was himself a sinner. Before he could atone for the nation, he first had to deal with his own sins. He needed sacrifices in order to approach the presence of the holy God. The High Priest killed a bull for a sin offering for himself. He took some of the blood, a fire pan full of coals from the altar, two handfuls of incense, and went through the veil into the Most Holy Place.
Because of God’s mercy, He allowed the High Priest, a mere man, to go within the veil, to come into His presence, to atone for himself and for the nation. But even there the High Priest put the incense on the fire so that the ensuing cloud of incense covered the Ark, and the whole area of the Most Holy Place. This had to be do so that he would not die. Even the High Priest of Israel was not to gaze directly at the presence of God on Earth.
In the Most Holy Place the High Priest took some of the blood in his finger and sprinkled the Ark Cover, and in front of the Ark Cover. The blood of the bull was the symbol of the new, innocent and pure life provided for the priest and his household. This gave him new life to stand in a right relationship to God, and provided atonement for the priest’s offenses against God.
The Torah allowed priests to serve that were themselves sinful and in need of atonement. They were required to bring sacrifices for themselves. By contrast the High Priest of the New Covenant, Messiah Yeshua, did not need to atone for His sins because His Person and Work were flawless. He did not have to offer sacrifices for Himself before He could serve us. Our High Priest was holy, pure and undefiled. During His whole life He demonstrated perfect love and obedience to God, and conformity with His will. He was tempted in all ways like we are, yet never once did He yield to sin. Though living in a world of sin and temptation, He remained undefiled.
Having taken care of his own sin problem, the High Priest then went out, took one of the goats for the sin offering, slaughtered it, took some of its blood back into the Most Holy Place and sprinkled the blood in front of and on the Kaporet, the Ark Covering, as he had done with the blood of the bull. By doing this, God could cover man’s sin of breaking His laws so He could be merciful to us.
By sprinkling blood on the Covering of the Ark, God showed that He could cover the Ark containing the 10 commandments, which all of us violated, and grant us atonement. God could now show mercy, because His righteousness and justice were completely satisfied.
God could say, “I am no longer offended because the evidence of man’s sin has been covered from My eyes, and I see only the blood of an innocent substitute who paid the required penalty of death.” Through this atonement the nation received a new lease on life for one more year.
The Ark Covering and the blood that was sprinkled on it pointed us to the Messiah. Because of what Yeshua did, because of the blood that He shed, God is completely satisfied with His work of atonement. The Lord is able to forgive mankind, and is able to dwell in and among His people. Messiah is where atonement is made, where God dwells, where God and man meet. Have you come to the blood sprinkled ark covering?
Not only did the High Priest himself, and his family, and the nation of Israel, need atonement, but there was also a need to cleanse God’s Holy House, because of the impurities of the Chosen People. The blood of the goat sprinkled on and before the Ark Cover atoned for the Temple as well.
Having finished his duties within the Temple, the High Priest then went out to make atonement for the Mizbeach – the Bronze Altar. Taking blood of the bull and of the goat, the High Priest put it on the horns of the altar. The blood was sprinkled seven more times on the altar so that it was completely consecrated for another year of service.
Even though this was where the sacrifices of Israel were offered up, where atonement took place, since we were an imperfect people, with an imperfect priesthood, the altar itself had to be purified. You see, sin is so powerful, sin is so exceedingly sinful, sin is so pervasive, that even the Holy Temple and the Holy Altar of the Holy People needed to be cleansed of impurities. Now, if we were the chosen nation that was closest to God, what does that tell us about the rest of the world, and about the nature of mankind in general?
Isn’t it wonderful that our High Priest, Messiah Yeshua, is now in the true Temple in Heaven, which can never be defiled, where sin can never reach? From that perfectly pure Temple He can save completely (in a perfect, all-comprehensive manner) all who come to God through Him.
Next the High Priest took the live goat, and on behalf of the entire nation of Israel he laid his hands on the head of the goat and confessed all the sins of Israel onto the goat. When the High Priest confessed the sins of the entire nation onto the head of the Azazel, the scapegoat, it enabled this innocent life to bear our sins. The goat took on the sins of the nation. It was led out into the wilderness, pushed over a cliff, never to return again. We didn’t want our sins coming back to bother us! The people could have full, complete and total assurance that their sins had been taken away from them. They would never be confronted by these sins again.
In the New Covenant, we also have the assurance of salvation. God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Yom Kippur ceremonies did not stop with atonement. Once atonement had been made, the High Priest, the other priests and the people could then enter into the blessedness of dedication to God. The High Priest took off his humble linen clothes. Then he would bathe in a special place, put back on his entire High Priestly clothing of beauty and splendor, and sacrifice a ram for a burnt offering of dedication for himself, and one for the entire nation. Serving in his clothes of glory as the official High Priest after atonement had been made, he could dedicate himself and the nation to God for another year.
In a similar way, after we are atoned for, we must be dedicated to God’s purposes. We must present our bodies, our lives, our money, our wealth, as a living a holy sacrifice acceptable to God, which is our spiritual service of worship.
It was impressed upon Israel that this day was one of the most important days of the year, occurring in the seventh month, indicating that this month was the most perfect time for atonement and final redemption. The observance of this day is a permanent statute for all Israel. It is Shabbat Shabbaton, a Sabbath of Sabbaths. It is the one day a year for intense soul searching, to understand the awfulness of sin, that sin leads to death. It is a day for sacrifices, prayer, fasting and soul-searching, and knowing that God has provided His way of atonement – under the Older Covenant through Priest, Temple and Sacrifice, and now under the New Covenant by means of the death and resurrection of the Son of God.
We can only approach God on His terms, not on our terms that we make up and we insist on. Since the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD the non-Messianic Jewish community has approached God on their own terms. Sadly, the majority of the Jewish people have rejected the Messiah that He has sent, and the salvation and atonement that He provides. and substituted repentance, prayers, good deeds and fasting for the God-ordained sacrifices and rituals of this day. However, without an innocent substitute, without the shedding of blood, without the exchange of life principle, there can be no atonement, no cleansing, no new life. Authentic Judaism today, therefore, only is found in Messianic Judaism.
Chapter 17: Laws concerning sacrifices
While Israel was in the wilderness, with the Mishkan right there, the Lord insisted that the animals that were killed for food needed to be sacrificed at the Mishkan by the priests as peace offerings, which could be eaten by the offerer. Now, normally animals don’t need to be sacrificed in order to be kosher to eat. The reason for this was to cure Israel from making their own sacrifices, away from the Mishkan, and being tempted to offer the sacrifice to other gods. All sacrifices must be offered at the Mishkan, under the supervision of the priests.
Another important principle: no one is to eat blood. Blood is holy. It represents life. Verse 11 is a good verse to memorize: For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood, by reason of the life, that makes atonement. This is an important law, not only for Israel, but for everyone today. So, you Europeans, no blood sausages, no blood pudding and no blood soup!
Hunting is permitted, but the blood of the animal or bird must be poured out and covered out of respect for this holy substance. If an animal was eaten which died naturally, or was killed by another animal, he was unclean – he could not worship at the Mishkan until he washed his clothes, bathed, and a new day began at sunset. Then he was clean once again.
Chapter 18: Proper Sexual Relationships
The Egyptians and the Canaanites engaged in improper sexual relationships, which disgusted and angered God. The Holy People of Israel must have proper marriages and proper sexual relationships. I don’t want to elaborate them all, but basically you couldn’t marry a relative that was too close. You must not commit adultery with someone else’s wife. All homosexuality and lesbianism is forbidden by penalty of death. Sexual activity must remain within our species – sex with non-humans is absolutely forbidden under penalty of death. At that time men were allowed to marry more than one wife, but you couldn’t marry a mother and daughter, or two living sisters.
My friends, many of these terrible sexual perversion are back, and gaining strength. We must keep ourselves from them! God calls them toh-eh-vah, an abomination, or toh-eh-vot – abominations – a very strong word. We must not leave out the “eh”, and declare that they are “tov” – good, when God declares them toh-eh-vah – abomination! Woe to the man, the woman, the nation, the civilization, that takes away from the word of God, and calls tov what God calls toh-eh-vah!
One other law for sex within marriage. Even within a proper marriage, intercourse was not to take place while the woman was having her period. It’s disgusting, and defiles the couple. They are to be cut off from Israel. I would hope that all of us would practice this as well.
Chapters 19 and 20: General principles for being holy
Fathers and mothers are to be honored, revered, respected – never cursed.
God’s sabbaths, His holy days, are to be kept, even if it means loss of income.
No idolatry of any kind is to be engaged in.
Peace offerings may be eaten only on the first or second day. Perhaps the meat might start going bad by then, and since the food was eaten to draw near to the holy God, spoiled food should not be used.
The needs of the poor were to be met by not reaping the corners of the field, gathering the gleanings of harvest or vineyard, but leaving them for the poor to gather. We too must give tzadakah to the poor. Do you?
We must be honest in our actions, and not steal.
We must be honest in our actions, and not deal falsely.
We must be honest in our words, and not lie to one another or slander one another.
We must be honest in our judgments, not being partial to the poor, just because they are poor, or showing favoritism to the rich, because they are powerful, but letting truth and law prevail.
We must only pray and worship and make promises and vows to the one true and living God.
We must pay our employees on time. They depend on us.
We must not show disrespect to those with physical handicaps. We must honor the grayheaded and elderly. We must treat the non-citizens living among us with love and respect. We must not take advantage of them, because once we were aliens in Egypt, and so we know better.
We must not hate our fellow countryman in our heart; if he does something wrong, we can correct him, but not take our own personal vengeance against him. Let the legal system and God take care of him for you. Rather, you shall love your neighbor as yourself – looking out for the good, working for the well-being of those around you; which our Supreme Rabbi said is the second greatest commandment of all.
We were not to breed together two kinds of your cattle; sow our field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment of two kinds of material mixed together. God has laws in nature, and we want to respect those laws, and remember that we are a holy people, unmixed with evil.
When we planted fruit trees, the first three years of fruit were not to be eaten. The fruit of the fourth year was given to the priests at the Temple. We could eat the fruit of the fifth year.
Trying to peer into the future by occult methods – by divination or soothsaying, is absolutely forbidden. It’s dangerous; it’s demonic. If we want to know the future, we consult the prophets of God, not psychics! Don’t try to consult the dead by turning to mediums or spiritists.
We don’t make our facial hair look unnatural, by rounding off the side-growth of our heads nor harm the edges of our beard. The Chassidim have misunderstood this verse, and grow side curls, but that is not necessary, and not what this command is telling us to do.
Nor are we to make our body look unnatural, by making any cuts in our body nor making any tattoo marks on ourselves. I would add body piercings as well. Our bodies are beautiful the way God made them. They reflect His image. They are His Temple – don’t harm them. Don’t defile them!
We must not engage in prostitution, which defiles the people who participate in it, and the city or nation that tolerates it.
Honesty and integrity must characterize out business and financial dealings. We must use only just weights and measures.
We must not sacrifice our children to god or power. Why would anyone sacrifice one of their children? For extra blessing, for success. And, isn’t that what motivates most of the abortions in our country? The children are sacrificed to supposedly make the lives of their parents better or easier.
The Canaanites violated all these laws. They had sex with close relatives, were adulterers, homosexuals, lesbians, engaging in prostitution, bestiality, sacrificing their children to their gods, filled with mediums, spiritists, divination, and many other shameful things. Their iniquity was now full, their land defiled, dirty, unclean in God’s sight, because of all these abominations, God was about to judge them and destroy them, and rightfully so.
As for us, let us be holy, knowing that the Lord our God is holy. And, may we be light and salt, preventing our nation from deteriorating further. Perhaps the Lord will even use us to turn back the tide of corruption, and bring our nation back to God.