Leviticus 25

Lev 25:42 The people of Israel are the LORD's slaves, and he brought them out of Egypt; they must not be sold into slavery.

Lev 25:55 Israelites cannot be permanent slaves, because the people of Israel are the LORD's slaves. He brought them out of Egypt; he is the LORD their God.

Rules on slavery. Those who belong to God cannot be a permanent slave. We are blessed because when Christ came his death gave us the right to be called sons of God. Now we have become not only His servants but we can also become sons of God. NO more slaves of sin.

Joh 8:34 Jesus said to them, "I am telling you the truth: everyone who sins is a slave of sin.
Joh 8:35 A slave does not belong to a family permanently, but a son belongs there forever.
Joh 8:36 If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free.

Leviticus 24

Lev 24:20 If you break a bone, one of your bones shall be broken; if you put out an eye, one of your eyes shall be put out; if you knock out a tooth, one of your teeth shall be knocked out. Whatever injury you cause another person shall be done to you in return.

Lev 25:42 The people of Israel are the LORD's slaves, and he brought them out of Egypt; they must not be sold into slavery.

Leviticus 23

Lev 23:42 All the people of Israel shall live in shelters for seven days,
Lev 23:43 so that your descendants may know that the LORD made the people of Israel live in simple shelters when he led them out of Egypt. He is the LORD your God.


A reminder.

Leviticus 22

Lev 22:31 The LORD said, "Obey my commands; I am the LORD.
Lev 22:32 Do not bring disgrace on my holy name; all the people of Israel must acknowledge me to be holy. I am the LORD and I make you holy;
Lev 22:33 and I brought you out of Egypt to become your God. I am the LORD."

Leviticus 21

Lev 21:16 The LORD commanded Moses
Lev 21:17 to tell Aaron, "None of your descendants who has any physical defects may present the food offering to me. This applies for all time to come.
Lev 21:18 No man with any physical defects may make the offering: no one who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed;
Lev 21:19 no one with a crippled hand or foot;
Lev 21:20 no one who is a hunchback or a dwarf; no one with any eye or skin disease; and no eunuch.
Lev 21:21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any physical defects may present the food offering to me.
Lev 21:22 Such a man may eat the food offered to me, both the holy food offering and the very holy food offering,
Lev 21:23 but because he has a physical defect, he shall not come near the sacred curtain or approach the altar. He must not profane these holy things, because I am the LORD and I make them holy."
Lev 21:24 This, then, is what Moses said to Aaron, the sons of Aaron, and to all the people of Israel.

Wow! Reading this made me wonder about God and his demands for perfection and holiness. What is God telling me? It seems that God is so obsessed with perfection that no one can enter his temple at all!

Reading the Old Testament is a challenge. I am trying to read the Bible again without any commentaries and it’s proving to be difficult especially with passages like these.

I am thankful that we have the perfect sacrifice that will erase all our defects before God.

Eph 5:2 Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.

Leviticus 20

Lev 20:26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine. Chapter 20 is full of “Do not.” It must be very difficult living in that age where there’s so much rules. One of my students at Sunday school commented that it’s so difficult being a Christian. He’s right because as a Christian, a born again at that, there’s so much pressure to be Christ like that it can drive one crazy. You’re not supposed to do this because you’re a born again; you’re not supposed to be like that, to speak like that, to dress like that, etc. I don’t know. All I said is that if you think and live your life as simply as possible, without thinking about the don’ts and start more with the do’s of living the life of a decent, hardworking and law abiding citizen (sometimes being a Christian is as simple as that) maybe he can lighten his burden. He’s right it’s difficult being a born again Christian. But after reading this chapter of Leviticus and trying to imagine living under the law and not under grace…I mean...We’re blessed. I am blessed for the law revealed the power of the grace of God. It’s difficult being a Christian but it’s a lot better than living under the law. God’s grace is sufficient.

Leviticus 19

Lev 19:11 "Do not steal or cheat or lie. Lev 19:12 Do not make a promise in my name if you do not intend to keep it; that brings disgrace on my name. I am the LORD your God. Lev 19:13 "Do not rob or take advantage of anyone. Do not hold back the wages of someone you have hired, not even for one night. Lev 19:14 Do not curse the deaf or put something in front of the blind so as to make them stumble over it. Obey me; I am the LORD your God. Lev 19:15 "Be honest and just when you make decisions in legal cases; do not show favoritism to the poor or fear the rich. Lev 19:16 Do not spread lies about anyone, and when someone is on trial for his life, speak out if your testimony can help him. I am the LORD. Lev 19:17 "Do not bear a grudge against others, but settle your differences with them, so that you will not commit a sin because of them. Lev 19:18 Do not take revenge on others or continue to hate them, but love your neighbors as you love yourself. I am the LORD.

Leviticus 18

Lev 18:4 Obey my laws and do what I command. I am the LORD your God. Lev 18:5 Follow the practices and the laws that I give you; you will save your life by doing so. I am the LORD."

Leviticus 17

Lev 17:11 The life of every living thing is in the blood, and that is why the LORD has commanded that all blood be poured out on the altar to take away the people's sins. Blood, which is life, takes away sins. Lev 17:12 That is why the LORD has told the people of Israel that neither they nor any foreigner living among them shall eat any meat with blood still in it. Lev 17:13 If any Israelites or any foreigners living in the community catch an animal or a bird which is ritually clean, they must pour its blood out on the ground and cover it with dirt. Lev 17:14 The life of every living thing is in the blood, and that is why the LORD has told the people of Israel that they shall not eat any meat with blood still in it and that anyone who does so will no longer be considered one of his people.

Leviticus 16

Lev 16:11 When Aaron sacrifices the bull as the sin offering for himself and his family,
Lev 16:12 he shall take a fire pan full of burning coals from the altar and two handfuls of fine incense and bring them into the Most Holy Place.

It must be pretty expensive making sacrifices for atonement of sins for one’s self and family. For how many times does a person sin in a day?

In the Mosaic times a priest has a lot of complex cleansing rituals before they can enter the Most Holy Place because God’s nature demands it.

Made me appreciate Christ more and more because through him we can enter in God’s presence without hesitation for Christ has taken it upon himself to offer himself as the perfect sacrifice.

Heb 9:28 In the same manner Christ also was offered in sacrifice once to take away the sins of many. He will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are waiting for him.

Leviticus 14

Lev 14:8 You shall wash your clothes, shave off all your hair, and take a bath; you will then be ritually clean. You may enter the camp, but you must live outside your tent for seven days.
Lev 14:9 On the seventh day you shall again shave your head, your beard, your eyebrows, and all the rest of the hair on your body; you shall wash your clothes and take a bath, and then you will be ritually clean.

The Israelites knew quarantine.

Shaving the hairs removes disease carrying parasites.

It is amazing how these ancient people knew these things.

Leviticus 13

Lev 13:1 The LORD gave Moses and Aaron these regulations.
Lev 13:2 If any of you have a sore on your skin or a boil or an inflammation which could develop into a dreaded skin disease, you shall be brought to the Aaronite priest.
Lev 13:3 The priest shall examine the sore, and if the hairs in it have turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the surrounding skin, it is a dreaded skin disease, and the priest shall pronounce you unclean…

The early Israelites practice, even in today’s standards, rigorous and sophisticated hygienic practices.

It is interesting that the priests not only played spiritual roles in the life of the early Israelites but they also act as doctors that diagnose diseases.

They even have regulations against mildews.

Leviticus 12

Lev 12:1 The LORD gave Moses the following regulations
Lev 12:2 for the people of Israel. For seven days after a woman gives birth to a son, she is ritually unclean, as she is during her monthly period.
Lev 12:3 On the eighth day, the child shall be circumcised.
Lev 12:4 Then it will be thirty-three more days until she is ritually clean from her loss of blood; she must not touch anything that is holy or enter the sacred Tent until the time of her purification is completed.
Lev 12:5 For fourteen days after a woman gives birth to a daughter, she is ritually unclean, as she is during her monthly period. Then it will be sixty-six more days until she is ritually clean from her loss of blood.
Lev 12:6 When the time of her purification is completed, whether for a son or daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the Tent of the LORD's presence a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a pigeon or a dove for a sin offering.
Lev 12:7 The priest shall present her offering to the LORD and perform the ritual to take away her impurity, and she will be ritually clean. This, then, is what a woman must do after giving birth.
Lev 12:8 If the woman cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two doves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest shall perform the ritual to take away her impurity, and she will be ritually clean.

Leviticus 11-20

Lev 11:44 I am the LORD your God, and you must keep yourselves holy, because I am holy.
Lev 11:45 I am the LORD who brought you out of Egypt so that I could be your God. You must be holy, because I am holy.
Lev 11:46 This, then, is the law about animals and birds, about everything that lives in the water, and everything that moves on the ground.
Lev 11:47 You must be careful to distinguish between what is ritually clean and unclean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.


I saw a TV evangelist expounding this chapter of Leviticus. He showed data proving the health benefits of eating this animal and that. He also showed data on why eating this kind of animal is harmful. The preacher was attempting to justify these regulations through scientific data. But I think he missed the point of all these regulations. Though trying to back these regulations with hard science to prove its validity and divinity is a noble endeavor, unfortunately these things are secondary considerations in the study of these dietary laws because what they are all about is obedience.

The Lord is guiding his chosen people to maturity.

Another thing is science is continually changing. It contradicts itself, revises itself and sometimes it is simply wrong. This makes it doubtful, even inappropriate to use science to justify immutable divine truths contained in the Bible. For thousand of years science has evolved but the Bible and its message remained as it was and will be.

Leviticus 1-10

Lev 1:17 And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD.


Lev 2:16 And the priest shall burn the memorial of it, part of the beaten corn thereof, and part of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof: it is an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

Lev 3:17 It shall be a perpetual statute for your generations throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood.

Lev 4:1 The LORD commanded Moses
Lev 4:2 to tell the people of Israel that anyone who sinned and broke any of the LORD's commands without intending to, would have to observe the following rules.

Lev 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:

Ignorance is not an excuse. Either one learn the hard way, that is, by making restitution, or one learn the easy way by taking the time to learn the Lord’s commandments.

The rules on sacrifices for the sin offering also acted as economic sanctions to the sinners.

The Lord demands perfection in sacrifices.

So many regulations, it seems that these regulations not only acted as a guide but they also acted as a sort of civilizing reigns for the primitive Israelites.

Exodus 35-40

Exo 40:33 Moses set up the enclosure around the Tent and the altar and hung the curtain at the entrance of the enclosure. So he finished all the work.
Exo 40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tent and the dazzling light of the LORD's presence filled it.
Exo 40:35 Because of this, Moses could not go into the Tent.
Exo 40:36 The Israelites moved their camp to another place only when the cloud lifted from the Tent.
Exo 40:37 As long as the cloud stayed there, they did not move their camp.
Exo 40:38 During all their wanderings they could see the cloud of the LORD's presence over the Tent during the day and a fire burning above it during the night.


Chapters 35-40 is all about specifications. I can’t make anything out of these chapters. I am tempted to skip these chapters and the next book which is Leviticus which talks about more specifications and more specifications. What are these specifications all about?

Maybe I can’t understand these chapters because there’s no story in there. There are no characters to characterize, no conflict to learn something from, nothing. It’s like reading an engineering manual.

Three things I noticed about these chapters though:
1. Details--It seems that God love details.
2. Order—Everything must be done in such a way that God prescribes it.
3. Beauty—The articles, the dress, the tabernacke in everything that God told the Israelites to make, there’s beauty in them. The tabernacle must have been a beautiful structure.

It’s the little things. Why does God pay attention to little details? The Israelites ever obedient (and ever disobedient) to God executed the design that God had given them paying attention to every detail. What benefits the Israelites from these?

Maybe, God in telling the Israelites to build a tabernacle and all its implements and all the priestly garments paying attention to every detail was telling the Israelites that in following God up to the very littlest details, God was in fact helping the Israelites build a personal tabernacle of faith for themselves.

God seemed to be telling the Israelites this: “Hey, Israelites, my children, get busy and build the tabernacle and at the same time build your Godly character and identity.”

Exodus 34

Exo 34:20 …"No one is to appear before me without an offering. “

Well, well, a very good reminder during the tithes and offering part of the worship service.


Chapter 34 talks a lot about rituals and offerings and feasts. Maybe a lot of nonsense today but writing down these specifications down is an order that came from God.

Exo 34:27 The LORD said to Moses, "Write these words down, because it is on the basis of these words that I am making a covenant with you and with Israel."

These rituals, offerings and feasts serves as a reminder to the Israelites of their covenant with God.

Exodus 33

Vs. 12-17

Moses said to the Lord, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. ‘You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The Lord replied, “My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?


The people of Israel have survived because of their belief in YHWH. YHWH has become part of their identity that to think of an Israelite who does not believe in YHWH is to think of an Israelite that is not an Israelite. When Moses came back from Mt. Sinai, he commanded the Levite to put to the sword those who denied YHWH by worshipping the golden calf.

Lord what will happen to us once you remove your presence? Moses asked God, because Moses knew that once the Lord removes his presence from the Israelites his people will not last. Either they will be vanquished or they will be absorbed by the other people. It is their belief in YHWH that makes the Israelites different that separates them from all the other nations on the face of the earth and this made them the chosen people of YHWH for YHWH had chosen them first (Gen. 12).


What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?


Obedience, plain and simple obedience to God.

Exodus 32

Exo 32:19 When Moses came close enough to the camp to see the bull-calf and to see the people dancing, he became furious. There at the foot of the mountain, he threw down the tablets he was carrying and broke them.
Exo 32:20 He took the bull-calf which they had made, melted it, ground it into fine powder, and mixed it with water. Then he made the people of Israel drink it.

The Israelites thought that Moses was gone. They thought that he would not come down again from Mount Sinai. With Moses gone (so they thought) the Israelites began to be restless. They asked Aaron to make a golden calf that they can worship, a god that will replace the God of Moses, a god they can manipulate.

When Moses and Joshua heard the noise, they thought that the Israelites were in battle. But Moses knew that it’s not the sound of battle but a sound of celebration for the Lord spoke to Moses and told him what was happening in the Israelite camp. When they returned, they found the Israelites celebrating, feasting and worshipping an idol.

In anger the Lord meant to destroy the Israelites but Moses pleaded on their behalf.

Exodus 25-31

Exo 31:16 The people of Israel are to keep this day as a sign of the covenant.
Exo 31:17 It is a permanent sign between the people of Israel and me, because I, the LORD, made heaven and earth in six days, and on the seventh day I stopped working and rested."
Exo 31:18 When God had finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two stone tablets on which God himself had written the commandments.

I was reading these chapters of the exodus and just like the last verses I can’t make anything out of it. The chapters talked about building these and building that complete with specific measurements and rituals and priestly ornaments. But these traditions have served the people of God for so long but are they still useful and meaningful for Christians today?

But reading these chapters made me realize how God put order to the Israelites—through little things.

Maybe I can learn something from these chapters like making sure that little things are within Gods specifications like my Sunday school lesson plans, or my prayers, how I pray, who I pray, devotions etc. Little things that I take for granted little things like measurement of an altar, priestly garments, little things, those seemingly meaningless little things that if we add together becomes a tabernacle.

Exodus 21-24

To tell the truth I want to skip these parts of the Bible that deals with legalities. So many rules and laws that, speaking today, is so primitive and some are even so common sensical that they ought not to have been written at ll. What benefit are these for so devotional reader of the Bible. Unless one is a biblical scholar or a theologian or a law student, these chapters can be a fascinating area of study.

These rules and laws are the foundation of our jurisprudence; that is undeniable. These divine-human laws created civilization and paved the way for the revelation of God in Christ.

Exo 24:7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.
Exo 24:8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.


These laws are a revelation of God for God is God of order.

1Co 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Up to now these laws and rule are still much relevant as they were during the times of the Patriarch.

These laws reveal grace.

To tell the truth I don’t know what to make of these chapters.