|
|
Teaching - Leviticus Commentary
|
Written by Rev. Justin Lee Marple
|
|
Thursday, 02 July 2009 12:16 |
The Book of Leviticus is a book of good news because it teaches the forgiveness of sins through the appointed blood of atonement. Not that the blood of bulls and goats actually takes away sins (cf. Heb 10:4), but it points us to the blood that does -- that of the whole and spotless lamb Jesus Christ. The book shows that your sins cannot be atoned through the shedding of your own blood but only through the shedding of this blood. Offering a sacrifice was not a good work, but an ordinary means of grace. The way of salvation is narrow and it is not people-initiated but comes from God. All ancient peoples knew that they needed atonement, as their sacrificial systems showed, but salvation is from the Jews and in particular is from the priest-sacrifice of Jesus of Nazareth. And His sacrifice is applied through faith. Why did the true people of God offer sacrifices? Because they believed the promise of God to forgive sins and now we preach the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name.
The nation of Israel was to be set apart as a holy nation both morally and outwardly. The distinctions between clean and unclean animals demonstrated the distinction between the nation of Israel and the Gentiles. While election in Christ is still good news, just as this showed the election of Israel among the nations, we are no longer set apart in such external things because forgiveness of sins is now proclaimed to all nations in Jesus Christ. And the elect of every nation have the Spirit, setting us apart starting with our hearts. Demands that Christians preserve a particular culture whether forty years old or four hundred years old or whatever have missed this change in what the good news looks like and because they are a man-made way of salvation are dangerous.
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 14:47 |
|
|
The Holiness Code & Appendix (Leviticus 17-27) |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by Rev. Justin Lee Marple
|
|
Saturday, 20 June 2009 12:12 |
Lev 17:10-12 makes an interesting point worth quoting: "If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood" (ESV).
Thus the reason the people cannot eat blood (a regulation that goes back to Gen 9:4) is that life is in the blood and the blood makes atonement by the life. In other words, because of the role of blood in sacrifice (a point made by Dr. Richard Belcher of RTS, lectures on iTunes, for why discharges of blood make you unclean) and because of the symbolism of blood as life you could not eat it. During the time of the apostles there was a transition (Acts 15:20) where they allowed eating all animals as clean but not the blood (returning us to Gen 9:3-4). This makes sense to keep in place at the time because sacrifices, though effectively done away with in Christ's one sacrifice, continued to be performed at the temple until it was destroyed in AD 70. So as long as the sacrificial system continued for the Jewish people, this was a way for Jews and Gentiles to have table fellowship. These thoughts are made provisionally, I am open to your comments and ideas. Nevertheless, it is clear that it is important to see that you cannot atone for yourself (discharges of blood make you unclean) and you must be atoned for only by the blood appointed by God. And today we Spiritually drink the blood of Jesus.
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 14:44 |
|
Leviticus 11-16 and the New Testament |
|
|
|
|
Written by Rev. Justin Lee Marple
|
|
Tuesday, 16 June 2009 12:09 |
What follows is a list of some New Testament texts that assume information learned in Lev 11-16:
Matt 8:2-4 [Mark 1:40-45][Luke 5:12-15]
Matt 15:11, 17-20 [Mark 7:18-19, 20-23]
Matt 9:20 [Mark 5:25ff] [Luke 8:43ff]
Matt 10:8, 11:5 [Luke 7:22]
Matt 23:25-26
Matt 23:27
Mark 5:13
Luke 1:10, 21
Luke 2:22-24 (quoting Lev 12:8)
Luke 4:27
Luke 11:38-41
Luke 17:12-19
John 2:6
John 13:8-11
John 15:3
John 18:28
Acts 10:10-11:18
Acts 19:12
Rom 14:14-20
1 Cor 7:14, 8:7
2 Cor 6:16-17, 7:1
1 Thess 4:7
Titus 1:15
Heb 9:7, 12-13, 24-25, 28, 10:4, 19-20, 21-22, 23, etc.
Rev 18:2
Rev 21:27
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 14:43 |
|
Distinguishing Clean and Unclean (Leviticus 11-16) |
|
|
|
|
Written by Rev. Justin Lee Marple
|
|
Sunday, 14 June 2009 12:01 |
|
As the chart of Lev 8-10 reveals, the third panel (Lev 10) does not tell of Moses or Aaron offering sacrifices but instead says, "You are to distinguish between the holy and common, and between the unclean and the clean. And you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that YHWH has spoken to them by Moses" (Lev 10:10-11). Thus we can see a transition in Lev 8-10 from sacrifices (Lev 1-7) to distinguishing the unclean and the clean (Lev 11-16). The sacrifices (Lev 1-7), performed by the priests (Lev 8-10) were necessary to make many unclean things clean (Lev 11-16).
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 14:41 |
|
The Structure of Ordination (Leviticus 8-10) |
|
|
|
|
Written by Rev. Justin Lee Marple
|
|
Thursday, 11 June 2009 11:58 |
Remembering that the laws were situated in a narrative framework, the narrative continues with the story of the ordination setting apart Aaron and his sons as priests. But these three chapters are set apart because while the rest of Leviticus has a narrative framework it is mostly legal material whereas these chapters are mostly narrative. As Wenham says, "The history provides a setting for the laws, not vice versa" (129).
Lev 8 spells out in more detail what Exodus ended saying shall happen (Exo 40:12-16). Those verses in Exodus lay out the parts of the ordination service that set apart Aaron and his sons as priests. There is a ceremonial washing element, they receive the priestly garments resembling the tabernacle (as Meredith Kline notes), and they are anointed with oil. Tremper Longman argues that it is possible that the narrative may not be in chronological order because Exodus 19:22-24 mentions priests (123). But such harmonization seems unnecessary since the author wanted it to be clear that no one in this kingdom of priests (Exo 19:6) would be permitted. Priests and people in Exo 19:24 then is simply two parts for the whole nation appropriate in the context like heavens and earth are two parts for the whole of creation.
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 October 2010 14:39 |
|
|
|
|
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
|
|
Page 1 of 2 |
|
|
