After reading chapter 11:
*This chapter is about what meat foods are considered clean and unclean, but the definition of those terms and the fundamental difference between them is not given.
Clean:
- Animals that have BOTH divided hoofs AND chew cud. This would have included cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and antelope.
-Water creatures that have BOTH fins AND scales.
-Birds that are not on the unclean list.
-Flying insects that have jointed legs for hopping. This includes grasshoppers and locusts.
Unclean:
- Camels, rabbits, hyraxes, and animals that walk on paws.
-All water creatures that do not have BOTH fins and scales.
- Owls, osprey, ravens, storks, herons, eagles, vultures, kites, storks, gulls, cormorants, hoopoes, and bats. (Notice that bats are included in a list of birds. Generally speaking, these birds are meat eaters, scavengers, and birds of prey. )
-Every insect that does not have jointed legs for hopping.
-Every creature that moves along the ground, wether on feet or on its belly. This includes weasels, rats, lizards, skinks, and chameleons. (I'm surprised snakes are not mentioned by name.)
*Touching the carcass of an unclean animal makes a person unclean. They must wash their clothes and they will be clean again by the end of the day. (The magic of twilight) The carcass of an unclean animal makes almost anything it touches unclean. Ovens or cooking pots must be broken if they come in contact with an unclean animal. Wet seeds that come in contact with these carcasses will be unclean, but not dry seeds for planting. Also, springs and cisterns will not become unclean. This uncleanness cannot be a primitive form of God ordained germ avoidance. If it was, God would tell them they didn't need to destroy their ovens and cooking pots. Fire sanitizes. Also, I would personally be worried about the water in a cistern into which any dead animal fell. But, I imagine they couldn't afford to lose water in a cistern, considering the area they lived in. Bugs, rats, and other critters must have fallen in regularly. Having water to drink trumps everything.
*Also, I don't hink that the difference between clean and unclean animals represents a divine knowledge. Notice that the clean animals tend to be domesticated or relatively easy to catch. The unclean animals tend to be more dangerous and take more effort to hunt down, which may negate any benefits. Nevertheless, other cultures throughout the world have no such restrictions and enjoy eating many of the animals considered unclean, especially sea creatures and pigs. It also cannot be equated to the difference between carnivores and herbivores. Camels, rabbits, and hyraxes are herbivores. They have long been food meat for many people. Also, chickens and other insectivore birds are considered clean and they eat many insects and small animals.
*A person is also considered unclean if they come in contact with the carcass of a clean animal that died on its own. They can eat it, but they must wash and they will be clean again in the evening.
*These regulations fail to account for a variety of animals from around the world. What about elephants, hippos, and rhinos? What about penguins, ostriches, and emus? What about kangaroos? Why does it only speak about animals common to that part of the world? Could it be these laws were not universal and were only for the Israelites? The end of the chapter seems to suggest that "cleanness" is a form of holiness. Perhaps, in some convoluted way, that is how we got the saying, "cleanliness is next to godliness."
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Leviticus chapter 10
After reading chapter 10:
*Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, slipped up. They seem to have put the wrong kind of incense on the fire. This was forbidden in Exodus 30:9, but God had not said the penalty was death. Even so, fire came out of the presence of the lord and consumed them. Moses had no sympathy for them or Aaron and basically said, "I could have told you this would happen." Aaron was speechless. Two of Aaron's cousins were called to carry the bodies outside the camp. Aaron and his sons were not allowed to mourn their loss. They must stay at the entrance to the tabernacle or they would die too. Lovely. With friends like God, who needs enemies? No grace, no mercy, no empathy. Pure obedience was all that mattered. They did what they were told.
*Interesting tidbit: In verse 3, Moses gives a direct quote from Yahweh as justification for Nadab's and Abihu's deaths. However, that quote is nowhere else in previous scriptures! Not only that, it doesn't say anything about God killing people, unless there is a subtle implied threat.
*Then, like nothing happened, God proceded to tell Aaron that he and his sons were not to drink fermented beverages of any kind. They were also required to teach the Iraelites all the decrees given through Moses. Moses told Aaron and his sons to eat the grain offering that was leftover from the offerings to the lord. They and their family members were also to eat the priest's portions of the meat offerings. Moses got mad when he found out they hadn't eaten the meat from the goat of the sin offering. Aaron seems to have felt that it would have been inappropriate for him to eat it after what had happened that day. That satisfied Moses.
*Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, slipped up. They seem to have put the wrong kind of incense on the fire. This was forbidden in Exodus 30:9, but God had not said the penalty was death. Even so, fire came out of the presence of the lord and consumed them. Moses had no sympathy for them or Aaron and basically said, "I could have told you this would happen." Aaron was speechless. Two of Aaron's cousins were called to carry the bodies outside the camp. Aaron and his sons were not allowed to mourn their loss. They must stay at the entrance to the tabernacle or they would die too. Lovely. With friends like God, who needs enemies? No grace, no mercy, no empathy. Pure obedience was all that mattered. They did what they were told.
*Interesting tidbit: In verse 3, Moses gives a direct quote from Yahweh as justification for Nadab's and Abihu's deaths. However, that quote is nowhere else in previous scriptures! Not only that, it doesn't say anything about God killing people, unless there is a subtle implied threat.
*Then, like nothing happened, God proceded to tell Aaron that he and his sons were not to drink fermented beverages of any kind. They were also required to teach the Iraelites all the decrees given through Moses. Moses told Aaron and his sons to eat the grain offering that was leftover from the offerings to the lord. They and their family members were also to eat the priest's portions of the meat offerings. Moses got mad when he found out they hadn't eaten the meat from the goat of the sin offering. Aaron seems to have felt that it would have been inappropriate for him to eat it after what had happened that day. That satisfied Moses.
Leviticus chapter 9
After reading Leviticus chapter 9:
*On the eighth day after the ordination of Aaron and his sons, Moses summoned them and the elders of Israel. He told them to make a sin offering with a goat, a burnt offering with a calf and a lamb, a fellowship offering with a ram and an ox, and a grain offering. They gathered up the things for the offerings and met at the front of the tabernacle. Verse 5 says the entire assembly came near and stood before the lord. Does that mean all million plus people? That must have been some crowd in front of the tabernacle. Moses told Aaron to make the offerings. They were done according to previous instructions. Then Aaron lifted his hands and blessed the people. How much power do you think that blessing had over those people's lives? After that, Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle, presumably to consult with God. When they came out, they blessed the people again, and the (indescribable) glory of God appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the lord and consumed the burnt offering, which had already been burnt in verses 12-14, and again in verse 16. I'm confused. Anyway, when the people saw it, they cheered and fell facedown. Did the people in the back of the crowd even know what was happening?
*On the eighth day after the ordination of Aaron and his sons, Moses summoned them and the elders of Israel. He told them to make a sin offering with a goat, a burnt offering with a calf and a lamb, a fellowship offering with a ram and an ox, and a grain offering. They gathered up the things for the offerings and met at the front of the tabernacle. Verse 5 says the entire assembly came near and stood before the lord. Does that mean all million plus people? That must have been some crowd in front of the tabernacle. Moses told Aaron to make the offerings. They were done according to previous instructions. Then Aaron lifted his hands and blessed the people. How much power do you think that blessing had over those people's lives? After that, Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle, presumably to consult with God. When they came out, they blessed the people again, and the (indescribable) glory of God appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the lord and consumed the burnt offering, which had already been burnt in verses 12-14, and again in verse 16. I'm confused. Anyway, when the people saw it, they cheered and fell facedown. Did the people in the back of the crowd even know what was happening?
Friday, October 2, 2015
Leviticus chapter 8
After reading Leviticus 8:
*This chapter is about the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests, which I thought had already happened back in Exodus chapter 40. Here it goes into much more detail and is pretty much an acting out of god's instructions delivered in Exodus chapter 29. After the ordination ceremony, Moses told Aaron to cook the meat from the sacrifice and eat it at the entrance to the tabernacle. They were not to leave the entrance for seven days and nights so they would not die. They did everything Yahweh had commanded.
* I am going to ask the same question Ramona Quimby asked her kindergarten teacher about Mike Mulligan. "When did they go to the bathroom?" I will add "Where did they go?" as well. Ramona recognized that was a very important question, even if her teacher didn't. Seven days is a long time for five men to spend in the entrance of a tent without proper facilities and means of waste disposal.
*Also, what did they eat and where did they sleep during that time? Their priestly garments had blood and oil sprinkled on them, wouldn't that have attracted critters while they slept? Those fine clothes would have been mighty smelly, dirty, and wrinkled by the end of seven days.
*This chapter is about the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests, which I thought had already happened back in Exodus chapter 40. Here it goes into much more detail and is pretty much an acting out of god's instructions delivered in Exodus chapter 29. After the ordination ceremony, Moses told Aaron to cook the meat from the sacrifice and eat it at the entrance to the tabernacle. They were not to leave the entrance for seven days and nights so they would not die. They did everything Yahweh had commanded.
* I am going to ask the same question Ramona Quimby asked her kindergarten teacher about Mike Mulligan. "When did they go to the bathroom?" I will add "Where did they go?" as well. Ramona recognized that was a very important question, even if her teacher didn't. Seven days is a long time for five men to spend in the entrance of a tent without proper facilities and means of waste disposal.
*Also, what did they eat and where did they sleep during that time? Their priestly garments had blood and oil sprinkled on them, wouldn't that have attracted critters while they slept? Those fine clothes would have been mighty smelly, dirty, and wrinkled by the end of seven days.
Leviticus chapter 7
After reading Leviticus 7:
*Verses 1-10 are basically a repetition of instructions for guilt offerings.
*Next we have instructions for fellowship offerings. There are two kinds. First, we have offerings of thanksgiving. The person making this offering must bring a cake of unleavened bread and a cake of leavened bread along with his thank offering, which is meat. The bread is given to the priest, all the meat must be eaten the same day as the offering. The second kind is the result of a vow, or a free will offering. Meat from that offering may be eaten for two days, no more. On the third day, it is to be burned. If any of the meat is eaten on the third day, any credit for the offering is null and void. Plus, it will make anyone who eats it impure.
*Meat that touches anything unclean must be burned. Any unclean person that eats meat from a fellowship offering is to be excommunicated. No ifs, ands, or buts.
*Absolutely no fat from any meat animal is to be eaten. It may be used for other purposes. Anyone who eats animal fat from an offering is to be excommunicated. Absolutely no blood from any meat animal is to be eaten. Anyone who eats blood is to be excommunicated.
*A few questions arise from this. Is it even possible to get every bit of blood out of an animal before it is eaten? Even if a sacrificial animal is well drained of blood, wouldn't the tissues still retain some blood? Why is eating blood and fat so reprehensible that a person would be excommunicated? With so many ways to be excommunicated, I imagine the Israelites might have been reduced to a constant state of fear and guilt, which would be to the benefit of the priests. Also, I wonder if the Israelites were prone to anemia.
*From verse 28 on, we are given the instructions for what parts of a fellowship offering were the priest's shares to keep and eat. I imagine they never went hungry.
Dr. Robert Sapolsky has an interesting perspective on religious ritual and priesthoods that I find fascinating. It woul be well worth your time to watch the video of his lecture on the biological basis of religiosity.
*Verses 1-10 are basically a repetition of instructions for guilt offerings.
*Next we have instructions for fellowship offerings. There are two kinds. First, we have offerings of thanksgiving. The person making this offering must bring a cake of unleavened bread and a cake of leavened bread along with his thank offering, which is meat. The bread is given to the priest, all the meat must be eaten the same day as the offering. The second kind is the result of a vow, or a free will offering. Meat from that offering may be eaten for two days, no more. On the third day, it is to be burned. If any of the meat is eaten on the third day, any credit for the offering is null and void. Plus, it will make anyone who eats it impure.
*Meat that touches anything unclean must be burned. Any unclean person that eats meat from a fellowship offering is to be excommunicated. No ifs, ands, or buts.
*Absolutely no fat from any meat animal is to be eaten. It may be used for other purposes. Anyone who eats animal fat from an offering is to be excommunicated. Absolutely no blood from any meat animal is to be eaten. Anyone who eats blood is to be excommunicated.
*A few questions arise from this. Is it even possible to get every bit of blood out of an animal before it is eaten? Even if a sacrificial animal is well drained of blood, wouldn't the tissues still retain some blood? Why is eating blood and fat so reprehensible that a person would be excommunicated? With so many ways to be excommunicated, I imagine the Israelites might have been reduced to a constant state of fear and guilt, which would be to the benefit of the priests. Also, I wonder if the Israelites were prone to anemia.
*From verse 28 on, we are given the instructions for what parts of a fellowship offering were the priest's shares to keep and eat. I imagine they never went hungry.
Dr. Robert Sapolsky has an interesting perspective on religious ritual and priesthoods that I find fascinating. It woul be well worth your time to watch the video of his lecture on the biological basis of religiosity.
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Leviticus chapter 6
After reading chapter 6:
*If anyone sins against their neighbor by stealing, cheating, extortion, swearing falsely, etc., they must make restitution and make a guilt offering.
*Verses 8-13 are about how the priests are to keep the fire on the altar perpetually burning. There are also instructions for how the priests are to dispose of the ashes, which requires wearing different garments and underwear for removing ashes from the altar and for carrying the ashes outside the camp. Why does it matter what clothes and underwear a priest is wearing when the ashes from sacrifices are being moved from one place to another? Are these the kinds of things Yahweh cares about?
*Verses14-18 deal with how the priests will treat their portion of a grain offering. It must not be baked with yeast and it must be eaten in a holy place, preferably the tabernacle courtyard. Any male descendant of Aaron can eat it. Whatever touches it will become holy. The priests don't get to eat all the leftover flour donated to the lord. They also have to make a grain offering very morning and evening. It must be burnt completely and not eaten.
*Verses 24-29 deal with more regulations for sin offerings. I do wish these rules for individual kinds of sacrifices were all contained within their proper categories. It seems we must revisit them over and over. The place the animals are slaughtered is holy. The priest making the offering eats its meat in a holy place, the courtyard of the tabernacle. Whatever touches the meat becomes holy. If sacrificial blood gets on clothes, they must be washed in a holy place. There are more holiness rules about cooking pots and descendants of Aaron. It all seems rather pointless for something as ambiguous as holiness.
*If anyone sins against their neighbor by stealing, cheating, extortion, swearing falsely, etc., they must make restitution and make a guilt offering.
*Verses 8-13 are about how the priests are to keep the fire on the altar perpetually burning. There are also instructions for how the priests are to dispose of the ashes, which requires wearing different garments and underwear for removing ashes from the altar and for carrying the ashes outside the camp. Why does it matter what clothes and underwear a priest is wearing when the ashes from sacrifices are being moved from one place to another? Are these the kinds of things Yahweh cares about?
*Verses14-18 deal with how the priests will treat their portion of a grain offering. It must not be baked with yeast and it must be eaten in a holy place, preferably the tabernacle courtyard. Any male descendant of Aaron can eat it. Whatever touches it will become holy. The priests don't get to eat all the leftover flour donated to the lord. They also have to make a grain offering very morning and evening. It must be burnt completely and not eaten.
*Verses 24-29 deal with more regulations for sin offerings. I do wish these rules for individual kinds of sacrifices were all contained within their proper categories. It seems we must revisit them over and over. The place the animals are slaughtered is holy. The priest making the offering eats its meat in a holy place, the courtyard of the tabernacle. Whatever touches the meat becomes holy. If sacrificial blood gets on clothes, they must be washed in a holy place. There are more holiness rules about cooking pots and descendants of Aaron. It all seems rather pointless for something as ambiguous as holiness.
Leviticus chapter 5
After reading chapter 5:
*Here we learn what are some of the things that require sin offerings for forgiveness: not speaking up as a witness, touching the carcass of a dead animal, touching human uncleanness ( We will learn more about that later.), and carelessly taking an oath. If a person is guilty of these things, they must confess and offer a female lamb or goat as a sin offering. If they can't afford that, two doves or pigeons will do. If they can't afford that, some fine flour will do.
*The next instructions are for guilt offerings. This is to be done when a person unintentionally sins in regard to Yahweh's holy things.(The passage is not clear what this means, maybe we will be enlightened later. ) Restitution must be made, then a ram is to be sacrificed.
*Verses 17-19 have me scratching my head. If a person sins and doesn't know they are guilty, they must make a guilt offering. I guess we must assume that the person was informed of their guilt by an helpful person, probably a priest. Otherwise, how would they know they should make a guilt offering? I wonder what would have been the Israelites' personal feelings about the priests at this time.
Edited.
*Here we learn what are some of the things that require sin offerings for forgiveness: not speaking up as a witness, touching the carcass of a dead animal, touching human uncleanness ( We will learn more about that later.), and carelessly taking an oath. If a person is guilty of these things, they must confess and offer a female lamb or goat as a sin offering. If they can't afford that, two doves or pigeons will do. If they can't afford that, some fine flour will do.
*The next instructions are for guilt offerings. This is to be done when a person unintentionally sins in regard to Yahweh's holy things.(The passage is not clear what this means, maybe we will be enlightened later. ) Restitution must be made, then a ram is to be sacrificed.
*Verses 17-19 have me scratching my head. If a person sins and doesn't know they are guilty, they must make a guilt offering. I guess we must assume that the person was informed of their guilt by an helpful person, probably a priest. Otherwise, how would they know they should make a guilt offering? I wonder what would have been the Israelites' personal feelings about the priests at this time.
Edited.
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