Let’s start off with a review. Israel has been redeemed from slavery in Egypt with great power, signs and wonders, and by the deaths of the Passover Lambs. We are no longer slaves. We are a free people! We have crossed through the Red Sea on dry ground. God is providing for all of our needs, even miraculously, with manna, and the water that came from the rock that Moses struck. We’ve fought and defeated the Amalekites by relying on the Lord, symbolized by the hands of Moses being lifted up – then there was victory. God then manifested His presence on Mount Sinai, and the voice of God was heard by all of Israel, and the Ten Commandments were given. Other laws were given. Israel accepted this covenant with God, promising to obey His commands. Animals are killed, and blood is sprinkled on the people. The covenant is confirmed.

Then Moses and Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, climb Mount Sinai, and celebrate this covenant with God. They had a meal on Mount Sinai, and they saw the God of Israel, who manifested Himself to them!

Then the Lord called Moses up on Mount Sinai by himself, where God gave him two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, written by the finger of God, along with other laws, and the plans to make the Mishkan and its various items. Meanwhile, at the bottom of Mount Sinai, the majority of the Jewish people are quickly losing sight of God, and His commands, and our covenant obligations. The majority of Israel starts combining our religion with the religions of the world around us. We make a golden calf. Moses comes down, destroys the Two Tablets of the Ten Commandments, and ends this shameful debauchery. 3,000 men are killed, the golden calf is burned up, ground into powder, scattered in water, and the people forced to drink it, showing everyone that it is no god. Then Moses intercedes with the Lord, so that He does not destroy Israel. Moses goes back up on Mount Sinai, and gets a greater revelation of the Lord than he ever has before. The Lord reveals His Thirteen Attributes to Moses. Moses comes down after this second 40 days with his face glowing, and with another set of the Two Tablets of the Ten Commandments.

Then Moses assembles all the people, and takes an offering to raise the things needed to build the Mishkan. It was taken only from those who freely wanted to give. And, most of the people responded. There was a great outpouring of wealth. The people had to be restrained from giving, because too much was being given! When things are right between us and God, we will want to give voluntarily, willingly, generously to build up the Dwelling Place of God. Do you?

Then Israel built the Mishkan. The word Mishkan comes from the Hebrew root Shachan, which means “to dwell, to abide.” We get other Hebrew words like neighbor and neighborhood from this same root. You see, in spite of the Fall of man, and our sinfulness, and the whole human race being alienated from a holy God, He still wanted to dwell among us, and be good neighbor to us! And, that’s the kind of God He still is; but now He is dwelling among us, not in a tent, or in a Temple made of wood and stones, but in Messiah!

You see, the Mishkan, and later the Temple in Jerusalem which replaced it, and the various items in it, no longer exist. But they always were intended to point to and be fulfilled in a greater way in the Messiah. The Son of God is the Substance to which the Shadows pointed, and remains. He is our Temple, where God most fully dwells and manifests His presence among human beings. And He enables us to become the Temple of God! He is our Ark, the place where God and man meet. He is like the Veil: He opens the way to God for all mankind. He is like the Table: He provides us with the Bread of Life, and the Wine of Joy. He is our Golden Altar, making our prayers rise up and ascend into the presence of God, and be accepted by Him. He is our Golden Menorah, who gives us blazing light, total victory and the fullness of salvation, and the knowledge of God. Messiah is like the Bronze Wash Basin who cleanses us. He is our Bronze Altar, the place where the various sacrifices were offered.

At the Mishkan, and on the Bronze Altar, different types of sacrifices were offered up. In Hebrew, “Korbanot” is usually translated as “sacrifices” or “offerings.” The word korban comes from the root which means “to draw near,” and indicates the primary purpose of these offerings: to draw us near to a holy God from whom the whole world is estranged. Drawing close to God comes through God appointed sacrifices.

The Chatat  – the sin offering, was basic to all the other offerings. It was the first sacrifice offered. First you dealt with the thing that separated you from God – sin – before you offered the Olah – the burnt offering of dedication, or the Mincha – the grain offering of sanctified labor, followed by the Zebach Sh’lamim – the peace offerings of fellowship.

First, sin must be atoned for. Then comes dedication and service to God, then genuine fellowship and intimacy with God. You can’t truly serve God until you have genuine atonement. You can’t have genuine intimacy and fellowship and closeness to God until your sins are atoned for, and you are serving the Lord. Do you understand?

That brings us to last week’s and this week’s parashas. Let’s start with chapter 9, which describes the beginning of the work of the Cohaneem at the Tabernacle.

A priest brings God closer to men, and he brings men closer to God. But, before they can be mediators for others, priests need to be free of sin, and dedicated to the Lord. So, first of all, Aaron and his sons are commanded to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering for themselves. Now, if you believe in Messiah Yeshua, you are a priest. We believe in the priesthood of all Believers. Messiah Yeshua is our High Priest, and we are lesser priests, serving under Him. Priests can’t have sin in their lives, and they must be dedicated to the Lord. Are you?

When a person asks Messiah Yeshua into his or her life, what they are doing is symbolically laying their hands on the head of Yeshua. The person confessed his sins and the Son of God takes away the sinful life of the person. Then He gives the person His life, making the exchange of life complete. If you have never done this, make Him your Chatat. You need to identify with Him. Let Him take your sins, and be your Substitute, and give you His eternal, victorious life!

Then you need to keep laying your hands on the head of Messiah by confessing your sins to God, and thanking God for the sacrifice of the Messiah. Then the Lord will wipe away every sin you have committed. Then, make a decision to dedicate your life to God. Make a commitment to Him to serve Him with all your heart, all your soul, and all your might.

Then, after the priests are clean, and committed to serving the Lord, they are ready to serve others. Look at verse 15-18: Then Aaron presented the people’s offering, and took the goat of the sin offering which was for the people, and slaughtered it and offered it for sin, like the first. He also presented the burnt offering, and offered it according to the ordinance. Next he presented the grain offering, and filled his hand with some of it and offered it up in smoke on the altar, besides the burnt offering of the morning. Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram, the sacrifice of peace offerings which was for the people.

What a beautiful picture! Israel drawing near to God through the Korbanot. Their sin, which separates them from God, is atoned for by the sin offering. They are dedicated to the Lord by the burnt offering. They are working and serving the Lord, represented by the grain offering of sanctified labor. Finally, they have peace and fellowship with the Lord as seen by the peace offerings.

What happens when the people of God are in a right relationship with the Lord, truly committed to serving Him, and working for Him, and close to Him? Blessing comes! Verse 22 says that Aaron lifted up his hands (a gesture of blessing) toward the people and blessed them. How could God’s representative not bless them, seeing them is such a beautiful condition! And, the blessing of God will come upon us as well, when we experience the atonement provided by Messiah Yeshua, and are dedicated to Him, working for Him and serving Him, and sharing life and intimacy with the God of the universe!

After the High Priest blessed the people, then Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting. When they came out and blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Then fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the portions of fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.

The sacrifices bring us near to the infinitely holy God. Then blessing comes, and then presence and power of God comes! You want the presence and power of God of your life? Make sure your sins are forgiven by placing your faith in God and Messiah. Keep on confessing your sins, and make a decision that everything that God shows you to be right, and something that He wants you to do, you are committed to do. Then, serve the Lord – in your workplace, in your home, in the synagogue. Spend some time with the Lord, meditating on His word, singing to Him, praising Him for the Supreme Being He is, and the great things He has done. You will experience the blessing, the power and the presence of the Lord!

Chapter 9 shows us what we should do. Chapter ten illustrates what we should not do. Nadav and Avihu, two of the sons of Aaron, were in the Mishkan. They were supposed to be burning incense, but instead they offered Esh Zarah – strange, unauthorized fire – to the Lord. The Lord was incensed at this lack of respect, and another Esh – the fire of the Lord, came from the Sh’chee-nah, the glorious Dwelling Presence of God that was manifested in cloud that hovered over the Ark Covering in the Most Holy Place, and incinerated them!

Wow! The Lord killed them for this religious infraction. Moses tells us why: The Lord said: “By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored.” To whom much is given, much is required. The greater a man’s knowledge or position, the higher the standard he must keep. Good religious leadership is essential. When the Lord is treated with reverence by the leaders, the people learn and follow their example, and the Lord is honored. Let’s be praying for our religious leaders, that they would continually treat the Lord as holy.

Why did Nadav and Avihu offer strange fire? Either they were not using the right kind of coals, from the bronze altar, or they used the wrong kind of incense, or they burned the incense at the wrong time – other than during the morning or evening sacrifice.

They weren’t being careful. They weren’t doing what the Lord had clearly commanded them. Why weren’t they being more careful? They may have been drunk, since a prohibition against drinking immediately follows this event (see verses 8-11). Now I like a nice glass of wine or beer, but I never drink when I am know I am going to be in a situation where I will be called upon to serve the Lord.

Or, perhaps they weren’t being careful with the Lord’s holy things because they really didn’t fear the Lord. They really didn’t love the Lord in their hearts; and when we don’t really fear or love the Lord, we aren’t careful with the things He has instructed us to do.

People who don’t really love or fear the Lord aren’t careful about religion. They don’t seek the Lord, they don’t study for themselves, they don’t learn, to make sure that they are really doing what the Lord wants and expects. And, as a result, they will make tragic mistakes. They won’t learn those absolutely essential teachings, like salvation by the finished work of Messiah, and knowing that salvation comes by faith alone, and not by any human efforts. They won’t find out that the Holy Scriptures are inerrant and infallible, and utterly trustworthy. They won’t believe that Messiah Yeshua is fully God and fully man, and that the Holy Spirit is a Person. They won’t be careful about maintaining moral purity in their lives.

Let me give you some examples: you talk to a typical Roman Catholic, and you challenge him: you should read the Bible – God’s divinely inspired Word for yourself. If you do, you will discover that many of the practices and teachings of the Catholic Church aren’t found in the Bible – they are traditions of men that actually contradict the Holy Scriptures. The Bible is the Supreme Authority in these matters, and it clearly warns us not to add our man-made traditions and teachings that contradict the Word of God.

And, here’s the response from someone who is not careful: I’m not concerned. I don’t need to read the Bible for myself. My church, my religious leaders, know what is right.

You challenge a typical Jewish person: you should read the New Testament for yourself. It was written by Jewish people, about a most wonderful Jewish man, a descendant of David, who did the most fantastic miracles, who taught the most beautiful truths, and who then died, but came back to life, showing that He is the Messiah of Israel and the Savior of the world! Won’t you read the New Testament for yourself? Won’t you study what God revealed to the prophets about the coming of the Messiah, like Isaiah 53?

Response: O, I don’t need to. Judaism doesn’t believe the Messiah has come yet. My spiritual leaders don’t believe in Yeshua. He can’t be the Messiah. He can’t be that important. In fact, to be honest with you, religion isn’t all that important. I want just a little bit of religion – and not too much of it!

You witness to your typical American about the reality of God, and the evidences for God that surround us everywhere, and the truth of His Word, and they just aren’t interested. They don’t want to investigate. They don’t want to read, they are unwilling to study this all-important matter. They aren’t careful. Why? They just don’t care. And, they will suffer the consequences for despising the Lord in this way.

The Holy Scriptures reveal that there is a Holy God who has a Holy People, who at one time had Holy Priests serving in a Holy House, within which was a Holy Place, in which was a Most Holy Place. There were Holy Sacrifices that enabled us to draw near to this Holy God. There are Holy Days – the Sabbath and the yearly holidays, are set apart to accomplish God’s special purposes. The Holy People must wear Holy Clothes, and they must eat Holy Food. That brings us to chapter 11, which gives us the principles for Israel’s Holy Diet.

Regarding land animals, they must chew the cud and have a split hoof. Animals from the sea must have fins and scales. Birds generally must not be birds of prey, that prey on other birds and on animals. Insects are limited to grasshoppers, locusts and crickets.

I believe that this Holy Diet is especially meant for Israel – the Holy People. Look at verse 26: “they are unclean “la-chem – for you – Israel, my Holy People.” Verse 27: “they are unclean la-chem – for you.” Verse 28: “they are unclean la-chem – for you.”

The primary purpose of this Holy Diet is for Israel to be holy. “Make yourselves holy and be holy… You will be holy for I am holy (see verses 44-45). Israel’s Holy Diet is designed to keep Israel holy – distinct from the other nations, separated to accomplishes God’s purposes.

It wasn’t just eating a non-kosher animal that rendered us unclean. If an Israeli touched the dead bodies of one of these unclean animals, he became unclean. He couldn’t worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. He couldn’t offer the korbanot. He couldn’t draw near to God. He remained unclean until he washed his clothes, and until the evening fell, which began a new day.

Should we keep kosher today? I would encourage Jewish people to do so, including Messianic Jews, as these commands are “la-chem – for you.” They are part of your distinct Jewish identity that keeps us part of the Holy People. Gentiles need not keep kosher, although they certainly may choose do so. Since there may be some health benefits from this diet, you may want to do so, although you are not obligated to do so. It is a matter of personal freedom.

Chapter 12 gives us another principles for cleanliness, and it has to do with childbirth. When a woman gives birth to a baby, it’s both a good thing, and a bad thing. A new life comes into the world, made in the image of God, but at the same time a fallen human being comes into the world, who will sin, who will do things that offend God, who will do things in his life that will harm other human beings. It can’t be helped.

When a woman gives birth to a baby boy, she becomes unclean for 7 days. She has brought another sinner into the world. Sin is being transmitted from generation to generation. The sin that started with Adam is reaching yet another generation, and that grieves the Lord. After 7 days, she must bathe herself. On the eighth day the boy is circumcised and comes into our covenant relationship with God. The woman is unclean for Temple worship for another 33 days, for a total of 40 days, the number for testing and judgment.

After the time for her to become clean has elapsed, she must go to the Temple, and offer a sin offering, to atone for sin, and a burnt offering of dedication. After she is atoned for, and rededicated to the Lord, she once more is clean in the Lord’s sight.

But if she has a baby girl, the time is doubled, and she is unclean for 80 days. Why is the period of uncleanness double? Because women are worse than men? No. My Rabbi, Louis Goldberg, speculated that the reason is that a baby girl grows into a woman, who is capable of giving birth, and directly bringing other sinners into this world, and so the length of time needed to become clean is doubled.

Chapter 13 deals with another issue of cleanliness and holiness – leprosy. Leprosy can include Hansen’s disease, what we know of as leprosy, but it can also include other kinds of skin infections as well.

If a person had a skin infection, he went to the priest who inspected it. If the priest wasn’t sure, the man was isolated for 7 days, and then inspected by the priest once again. If the priest could determine that it was a skin infection, with raw flesh or an open wound, the man was unclean. Verses 45-46 tell us what happened then: As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and the hair of his head shall be uncovered, and he shall cover his mustache and cry, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp. The poor man was in mourning, unclean, isolated from Israel. It’s almost as if the poor man was dead.

Leprosy is a good illustration of what sin does to us. Sin alienates us from God, HaMakor – the Source of goodness and life and happiness and blessing. Sin kills life; it removes the goodness and happiness and blessing from us. Being in a state of sin, unatoned for, is like being in a state of spiritual death, cut off from God and true life. Human beings who are still in their sins, unatoned for, are not fully alive the way they need to be. Sin makes us unclean, cut off from God, unable to worship the Lord. Sin forces us to live alone, isolated and unwelcome from the true community of God’s people. How horrible! Yes, sin is truly horrible, and the closer you draw near to the Holy One, the more aware of how horrible sin is, especially the sin in your own life.

Leprosy affected not only human beings, but other parts of their environment, like clothing. If some clothing was suspect of having an infection, it was remedied by washing the garment, cutting out the affected part, or by burning it.

Thank God that there is cleaning from leprosy, and cleansing from sin! Next week’s parasha gives us the laws for the cleansing of those who had leprosy, which points us to the work of our blessed Messiah.