Various Laws of God

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Leviticus 19:1) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, (2) “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.'"

The Lord continued speaking to Moses, giving him more laws to pass along to the children of Israel.  His people were to be holy, to the best of their capacity, by separating themselves from the defilements named in this and previous chapters, and by being consecrated to God and obedient to His laws.  Because their Lord in His nature was holy, so must His people strive to be, to the best of their ability, by following the laws He set forth for them.

(3) "‘Every one of you shall fear his mother and his father, and keep My Sabbaths; I am the LORD your God.'"

"Yare", the original word translated as "fear", means more broadly, "to fear, reverence, honor, respect".  Every person was to honor his mother and his father, as had been commanded in the fifth commandment.  They were also instructed to keep the Lord's sabbaths.  It may be that these two things were paired together because if parents were faithful to God's sabbaths, and children in turn, honored their parents, they would continue in honor to their Lord and would pass that on to their children.  Perhaps another way to look at it is that one was to honor his parents regardless of whether or not they observed the Lord's sabbaths, and that it was the responsibility of the children to observe them even if their parents had not taught them so.  Every person was to honor his parents and to keep the Lord's sabbaths because the Lord, their sovereign God, told them to and they were to follow His commands to be holy to the best of their capacity.

(4) "‘Do not turn to idols, nor make for yourselves molded gods; I am the LORD your God.'"

The people were commanded not to turn away from their one true God to idols.  There are many Hebrew words that have been translated as "idols", but this particular word, "eliyl", meant literally "nothing, worthless".  The people were not to turn from their one true God to worthless idols, nor were they to make for themselves gods molded by their own hands, even if they thought they were making an image of their one true Lord.  Again this is a repetition of one of God's Ten Commandments.  I like what Matthew Henry wrote about this in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, "Make not to yourselves gods, the creatures of your own fancy, nor think to worship the Creator by molten gods. You are the work of God's hands, be not so absurd as to worship gods the work of your own hands.”  Once again, the reason behind these commands is because so said their one true Lord, the only One to be worshiped and the sovereign One who had the sole right and authority to command these things.

(5) "‘And if you offer a sacrifice of a peace offering to the LORD, you shall offer it of your own will.'"

Peace offerings were described in Leviticus 11 as being of three different sorts--thanksgiving, vow, or voluntary.  This seems to refer to voluntary peace offerings which were to be offered of one's own free will, and not specifically required.  The way John Wesley put it in his Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, "For though this in general was required, yet it was left to their choice to determine the particulars."

(6) "‘It shall be eaten the same day you offer it, and on the next day; and if any remains until the third day, it shall be burned in the fire.'"

The sacrifice of their voluntary peace offerings was to be eaten the same day they offered it, or by the next day, at most.  However, if any of it remained until the third day, that part was to be burned in the fire.

(7) "‘And if it is eaten at all on the third day, it is abominable; it shall not be accepted.'"

If any of the sacrifice was eaten on the third day, it would be considered "piggul", literally a stinking foul thing, an abomination; it would not be accepted by God as a sacrifice.

(8) "‘Therefore everyone who eats it shall bear his iniquity, because he has profaned the hallowed thing of the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.'"

Anyone who did eat of the sacrifice on the third day would be considered guilty and would have to bear that guilt because he had profaned a holy thing of the Lord.  He would have to bear his punishment and be cut off from his people.

(9) "'And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. (10) And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the LORD your God.'"

What a beautiful law to take care of the less fortunate and to encourage generosity among God's people!  When the people reaped the harvest of their own land, they were to leave the corners of their fields for the poor.  The gleaning of a harvest was what was left over after the reapers; the people were not to gather the gleanings of their own harvests, nor were they to gather every single grape of their vineyard.  This was commanded by God to provide for the poor and for the stranger, the foreigner in the land.  It also taught His people not to be greedy about every single thing they could lay claim to, but encouraged generosity to the poor.  After all, God was giving them this new land that would provide for them.  As God gave, and did not withhold His mercies, so should they give and be merciful.  It's one of the ways they should be holy as their Lord was holy (v. 1).  Thus said their sovereign Lord.

(11) "‘You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.'"

The people were not to steal or deal fraudulently with each other.  Nor were they to lie to one another, but were to be honest and true in all their dealings.

(12) "‘And you shall not swear by My name falsely, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.'"

The people were to maintain a high reverent regard for the sacred name of their Lord, and were commanded not to swear by His name falsely, nor profane His name by using it flippantly in vain.  Never mind the use of God's name as a curse word, I also shudder to hear how commonly "OMG" is used even among children.  What a common, empty, trifling way to refer to the name of the Lord!  Once again the people were to do this because their sovereign Lord commanded it.  People often bristle at that notion, "Because I said so."  There may be reason to question a person who says that, but when the sovereign Lord of the universe says it, you have no reason to question it.  When you fully understand that our Lord is all good, completely just, and works things to the good for those who love Him, you don't have to question Him; you just trust Him.  Even when God punished, it was to bring His people back to Him, which was their only way to life everlasting.  Although He doesn't force and He gives us freedom to choose, in His mercy, He uses His rod and staff to nudge us in the right direction.  When we understand that, and the fact that a great life on this earth is not our ultimate reward, but to be absent from our bodies is to be present with the Lord, then we can wholeheartedly accept what He tells us and not question His love, wisdom, or motives:

Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. (For we walk by faith, not by sight.) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

(13) "‘You shall not defraud your neighbor, nor rob him; the wages of him who is hired shall not remain with you all night until morning.'"

The people were commanded not to defraud or cheat their neighbors, nor rob them.  They must not take that which did not belong to them, nor were they to withhold for a time what was rightfully due others.  That is what was meant by holding wages until the next morning.

(14) "‘You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God; I am the LORD.'"

I believe the point of cursing the deaf is that they cannot hear what is being said of them, and thus defend themselves.  Likewise, the blind cannot see and therefore protect themselves from the stumbling block.  No man was to take advantage of the ignorance, simplicity, or inexperience of his neighbor, but in all things do to his neighbor as he would have his neighbor do to him, if the situation was reversed:  "Love your neighbor as yourself" (James 2:8).  Fear the Lord, understanding that He could easily strike you blind and deaf, and revere the omnipresent and omniscient Lord who sees all and hears all, thus says your Lord God.

(15) "‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty, but in righteousness you shall judge your neighbor.'"

The people were to judge fairly and righteously, giving no partiality to the poor because of pity for them, nor partiality to the rich and powerful.

(16) "‘You shall not go about as a talebearer among your people; nor shall you take a stand against the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.'"

I believe "talebearer" means "gossip".  Some of the commentators of old, I'm sure wiser than me, indicated that the original word "rakiyl" referred more to a merchant or peddler, and suggested that this just meant someone who dealt in scandal and sold secrets as a merchant would.  I believe it refers to a gossip, plain and simple, as a gossip does act as a peddler going about passing the news to many he meets.  The King James Version does not use the word "gossip" anywhere in its translation, but the word is translated as "gossip" in other versions where our definition of a gossip is obviously meant (Proverbs 11:13 and 20:19).  I believe "talebearer" in the KJV meant just that, one who bore tales about another, a gossip.  The people were also not to take a stand against the blood of their neighbors, meaning they were not to take a stand as an accuser that would put his life in danger or stand idly by when his life was in danger.  Obviously, this would refer only to accusing or defending falsely, as the people were commanded to be truthful and fair and not show preference to one over the other.  Their sovereign Lord commanded this.

(17) "‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not suffer sin upon him.'"

The child of Israel was not to hate his brother within his heart.  It was not enough to refrain from hateful actions toward him, but he also must not harbor any hatred toward him in his heart.  Jesus would later say that harboring hatred in the heart was a breach of the sixth commandment:  “You have heard that it was said by those of old, ‘You shall not kill, and whoever kills will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." (Matthew 5:21-22a)  If a brother wronged him, the child of Israel was not to hold it in and let it fester into hatred, but was to rebuke him if necessary, and not allow him to stay in his sin, unconvinced and unrepented of it.  Wow!  Love your brother enough to lovingly rebuke him.  How often do we just ignore sin, and just "live and let live"?  "Judge not" seems to be the favorite scripture nowadays.  We certainly can't judge the heart or motives of a person, but the fruits or actions we see, we can judge.  How often are we told to do just that!?

“Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him." - The words of Jesus in Luke 17:3

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. - Ephesians 5:11

Open rebuke is better than secret love. - Proverbs 27:5

Let the righteous strike me; it shall be a kindness; and let him rebuke me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head... - Psalm 141:5a

Those who sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear. - 1 Timothy 5:20

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one converts him, let him know that he who converts a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. - James 5:19-20

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. - Galatians 6:1

Another way to look at the last part of verse 17 is that not only is the brother who committed the act in danger of staying in his sin, but the one who failed to rebuke him may suffer sin upon himself:

“When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand." - Ezekiel 3:18

Who knowing the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. - Romans 1:32

Now back to Leviticus 19:

(18) "‘You shall not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.'"

The people were told not to avenge themselves for any wrong they felt done to them, nor were they to bear any grudges against the children of their people.  It appears here the Lord was telling His children of Israel how they should treat one another, not necessarily outsiders.  However, he tells them to love their neighbor as they love themselves, and He will tell them in a later verse that the stranger that dwelt with them was also to be loved as they loved themselves.  Thus commanded their sovereign Lord.

(19) "‘You shall keep My statutes. You shall not let your livestock breed with a diverse kind; you shall not sow your field with mixed seed, nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you.'"

The Lord told His people through Moses that they were to keep His statutes, and He continued to list them.  There were not to cross-breed their livestock with different kinds.  It is generally believed this meant breeding a horse with a donkey, or a donkey with a cow, etc., and did not mean breeds within cattle or breeds within horses, etc.  The original word "kilayim" means "separate", indicating a complete separate breed of animal.  The people were also instructed not to sow their fields with mixed seeds.  This may have meant planting two different crops together which may have resulted in one overtaking the other, and seems just prudent agricultural management.  It may have been the cross-breeding of two different kinds of seeds for an entirely different kind of food that the Lord was commanding against.  After all, He had already created perfect and sufficient kinds, and man need not try to improve upon them.  The mixing of garments is harder to understand.  The actual meaning of the original word "shaatnez" is not really known.  Since it is included with other "mixings", we can be sure it is a mixing of materials in a garment.  The older commentators wrote that it was probably something called "linsey woolsey", cloth of linen and wool spun together.  It may have also meant the wearing of garments that were patched together with two different types of fabric.  Once again, it may have been for wise and prudent reasons because the threads or fabrics would not wear or age well together. However, I believe the bigger picture was that God was teaching them to be a pure people and not to intermingle with the heathens.  He wanted to discourage experimentation and to teach them to respect and accept His best for them.

(20) "'And whoever lies carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to a husband, and not at all redeemed nor given her freedom, she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.'"

If a man lay with a slave who was betrothed to a husband, and not at all redeemed or given her freedom, they were punished, but not put to death.  Because the woman was a slave and not free, she did not possess complete self-command and could not be considered completely guilty on her own.  Had she been free, later scripture indicates she would have been put to death.  Being betrothed, this would have been considered adultery.  Being redeemed would have meant a sort of repayment that would have given the woman her freedom.  Now to a more difficult part--why was the woman to be scourged and not both of them?  Actually, some of the Bible commentators believe that the wrong pronoun was used and they both were to be scourged.  However, Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, he himself relying on other former scholars, explained it this way:

"...she shall be scourged; and not he, as the Targum of Jonathan and Jarchi remark, though the Vulgate Latin version renders it, "both shall be beaten"; and the original text does not clearly determine it whether one or both should be scourged, since it may be rendered, "there shall be a scourging"; and seeing both were guilty of sin, it is reasonable to suppose that both should be scourged, but this is contrary to the sense of the Jewish writers; so Kimchi [medieval rabbi and biblical commentator], observes, the word is...in the singular number and feminine gender, and not in the plural; wherefore, according to the simple sense, she is to be beaten, and not he to be beaten; and this was done with the thong of an ox's hide, as is the sense of the word used, according to Gaon [medieval Jewish scholar], and so some in Aben Ezra; and so it is remarked in the Misnah, all the uncleannesses, whether of a man or woman, are alike as to stripes and sacrifice, but with respect to a bondmaid, he (i.e. God) hath not made the man equal to the woman as to stripes, nor the woman to the man as to sacrifice..."  Note the italicized phrases are my own words; the other names are labeled and defined in other blog posts.  In summary, neither the man nor the woman was to be put to death.  The woman was to be scourged, and the man's requirement was as follows:

(21) "‘And he shall bring his trespass offering to the LORD, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, a ram as a trespass offering.'"

The man who lay "carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to a husband, and not at all redeemed nor given her freedom," was to bring a trespass offering of a ram to the Lord to the door of the tabernacle.  The woman, being a bondmaid and having nothing of her own, was not obliged to bring an offering; her scourging was sufficient.

(22) "'And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the LORD for his sin which he has done; and the sin which he has done shall be forgiven him.'"

Accepting the ram trespass offering before the Lord, the priest would make atonement for the man for his sin, and he would be forgiven.

(23) "'And when you shall come into the land, and have planted all manner of trees for food, then you shall count their fruit as uncircumcised; three years shall it be as uncircumcised to you; it shall not be eaten.'"

When the people came into the land the Lord was giving to them, and they planted all kinds of trees for food, the fruit of those trees was to be considered "uncircumcised", not fit to be eaten, but to be cast away as the foreskin of the flesh.  For three years they were not to eat the fruit of those trees.  There were probably multiple reasons for this.  The fruit of a young tree before its maturity would not be good; plucking off the fruit as soon as it began to form on young trees would help them grow stronger and help them to bear better and more abundant fruit the next year; spiritually, this law could be compared with that of animals, that no creature should be accepted as an offering till it was past eight days old, which was also the time when children were to be circumcised. We will see that God would have the first-fruits of their trees, but because for the first three years they were considered as a lamb or a calf under eight days old, God would not yet accept them, as He should have every thing at its best.  The law taught the people obedience and patience

(24) "‘But in the fourth year all its fruit shall be holy with which to praise the Lord.'"

In the fourth year all the fruits of the newly planted trees were to be considered holy, separated and devoted to the Lord, probably given to the priest or perhaps ceremoniously eaten before the Lord in praise and thanksgiving to Him.

(25) "‘And in the fifth year you shall eat its fruit, that it may yield to you its increase; I am the LORD your God.'"

In the fifth year of the newly planted trees, the people were allowed and encouraged to eat the fruit of them, that they might be blessed for their obedience with the trees' increase; thus said their Lord God who promised the increase and was well able to deliver it.

(26) "‘You shall not eat anything with the blood, neither shall you use enchantment, nor observe times.'"

Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, explained that this began a list of "pagan customs" that were grouped together.  The prohibition against eating blood would seem to refer to the eating of blood with meat which had not been properly bled in slaughtering as commanded previously in Leviticus 7:26 and 17:10, but Mr. Barnes believed there was probably a special reference to some sort of magical or idolatrous rites, as it was repeated with the list of other pagan rituals.  The people were also forbidden to use "enchantment", the original word being "nachash" which meant to whisper a magic spell.  They were not to "observe the times", the original word "anan" meaning "cloud", which probably referred to divination by the clouds to observe lucky and unlucky days, as was a superstition in practice among pagans.  It sounds very much like the reading of horoscopes today.

(27) "‘You shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shall you mar the corners of your beard.'"

Rounding the corners of their heads was probably in reference to the customs of the Arabs who would  show honor to their pagan god by cutting the hair away from their temples in a circular pattern, wrote Albert Barnes.  Marring the corners of the beard may have some reference to hair used in divination which was the practice of some heathens, but it was believed by Mr. Barnes and others that it may have just meant the pagan practices that were done as signs of mourning, to be included with those in the next verse, all of which were spoken of together by the Lord in later verses (Lev. 21:5 and Deut. 14:1).

(28) "'You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks on you; I am the LORD.'"

I have read the ancients were very violent in their grief.  Even in the Bible we read of tearing the clothes and pouring ashes on the head, but apparently it could get more violent with the tearing of the hair and face with the nails, cutting their ears or arms, and beating their chests with their fists, which was done to appease the gods.  If the printing of marks on a person was in reference to things done for the dead, Dr. John Gill referenced Aben Ezra, early Jewish scholar, that "there were (those) who marked their bodies with a known figure, by burning, for the dead".  Most of the commentaries I read pointed to the custom of tattooing marks on the body in honor of different idols.  This was not to be done for the Lord was their one true sovereign Lord God.  In Revelation, false worshipers are represented as having received in their hands and on their foreheads the mark of the beast.  I have often wondered if this will indeed be a visible mark, but apparently the ancients did mark their bodies thusly.  Adam Clarke, in his commentary on the Bible, called these marks "stigmata", and referenced Galatians 6:17 when the Apostle Paul wrote that he bore in his body the marks (stigma) of the Lord Jesus.  I'm sure that Paul did not have literal tattoos of Jesus, but his heart and the life he lived, as well as literal marks received from scourging and stoning of him for Christ's sake, marked him as belonging to Jesus.  Mr. Clarke lived from about 1760 till 1832, and I had to chuckle when I read what he wrote about tattooing:  "I have seen several cases where persons have got the figure of the cross, the Virgin Mary, etc., made on their arms, breasts, etc., the skin being first punctured, and then a blue colouring matter rubbed in, which is never afterward effaced."  Can you imagine if he saw all the "cases" nowadays?!

At first, I thought I would not dare try to tackle whether or not tattooing was anti-Biblical, but I believe I will.  A prohibition against tattooing is only mentioned once in the Bible, in this verse.  God said that by two or three witnesses a thing shall be established, so when there is only one obscure verse about a thing, I know that does not represent the will of God.  He would have been very clear about it!  Personally, I would never permanently mark my body with anything, but I have to say that I don't believe there is a clear prohibition against tattooing.  There IS a prohibition against cutting and marking for the dead and for idols, and this idea is definitely repeated throughout the Bible.

(29) "‘Do not prostitute your daughter, to cause her to be a whore, lest the land fall to whoredom, and the land become full of wickedness.'"

This was definitely a prohibition against prostitution, specifically prostituting one's daughter, which was a practice of the Gentiles to honor some of their idols to whom women were consecrated and publicly prostituted.  When that type of lewdness was practiced openly in religious rites, it no doubt led to that type of immorality throughout the land.  The whole land would become full of wickedness.  Although our U.S. government is not supposed to be a religion, I would argue that it does represent an agnostic or atheist religion in that it seeks to prohibit any mention of the one true God.  I see it as trying to push its religion on the country, and just look at how its religious or anti-religious notions affect the morality of our nation!  God or His laws can't be mentioned in schools or public places where it might "offend".  People must be free to sacrifice their unborn babies and to practice uninhibited heterosexual and homosexual sex, and we all must be made to accept it and even applaud it!  I do believe the verse above refers to physical prostitution, but in many places in the Bible a spiritual whoredom and adultery is meant when the people "go a whoring after idols", and of course, that leads to a land full of wickedness.

(30) "‘You shall keep My sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary; I am the LORD.'"

The people were commanded to observe the Lord's sabbaths and to reverence His sanctuary, and not defile it with the types of impure and immoral worship as was practiced in the temples of the pagan gods, as He alone was the one true God and they were to reverence Him as He told them.

(31) "‘Give no regard to them who have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them; I am the LORD your God.'"

The original word transcribed as "familiar spirits" is "ob" and it literally meant "water skin" as a bottle, and it referred to diviners who perhaps empty of themselves, swelled up as bottles full of their demonic spirits and speaking the spirits' words.  The people were commanded to turn away from those who spoke by spirits and from wizards, or "yiddoniy", "knowers".  I believe this is an absolute prohibition against any sort of spiritism or fortune telling, as this theme is indeed repeated throughout scripture.  By seeking after such people, the children of Israel would become defiled by them because they trusted in their words and predictions rather than in their one true Lord God.

(32) "‘You shall rise before the gray headed and honor the face of the old man, and fear your God; I am the LORD.'"

God commanded His people respect their elders, rising out of respect and honoring their wrinkled faces because of the blessed long life and experience and wisdom that it represented.  The Lord told them to fear their God who was the sovereign Lord who commanded this respect.  I believe there were reasons behind it that were more than just a demand of obedience.  In my post on The Ten Commandments, I spent some time studying the fifth command, to honor your father and mother.  The commandment promised that by honoring their parents the children of Israel would have a long life in a good land (Exodus 20:12).  It was the last commandment about filial respect, that is the respect for the parent in the parent/child relationship.  The first four commandments dealt with our honor and duty toward our Father God, and the fifth dealt with the honor and duty toward the ones who stand between us and God to teach us about Him and to teach us to respect all authority.  I believe this honor and respect for the aged represented a type of filial respect.  The second half of the commandments dealt with fraternal relationships, how we were to treat our brothers or neighbors.  As John Wesley put it, "This respect is due to such (elderly), if not for themselves, yet for God's sake, who requires this reverence, and whose singular blessing old age is."  The parenthetical word is mine.

(33) "‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. (34) But the stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.'"

God commanded love for strangers dwelling among His people just as they were to love their neighbors and brothers.  They were to remember that they were once strangers themselves, and they should treat strangers as they would have wanted to be treated.  This tells us how we should treat the immigrants in our land now, with love and respect.  However, I don't believe it commands us to ignore our laws and shield lawbreakers from punishment.  The strangers who dwelt among the Israelites were commanded to assimilate and follow God's commandments.  However, I don't believe as some of the old commentators on the subject wrote, that this commandment only pertained to the strangers who were circumcised and proselytes, or converts.  I do believe that God commands us to love and not mistreat any person.  When Jesus was asked who was included among their neighbors when He had said to love their neighbor as themselves, He told the parable of the good Samaritan who helped someone who could have been considered an enemy.  Once again, I say that loving does not necessarily mean aiding and abetting in hiding from the law, but we love and help all people as our neighbors, our brothers, ourselves, within our means to provide that help.  Just as we show love and kindness to any sinner, as we all are sinners, so we show love to the stranger, but that never means condoning and enabling continued sin.  Yes, I know many strangers come here for a better life and many have hearts for them as they would for a man stealing a loaf of bread for his starving family.  However, encouraging someone to disobey laws and hide in the shadows is never the right way to help someone.  Do we not separate families when one member decides to sell illegal drugs?  It was that person's decision that resulted in the consequence of separating him from his family.  However, that does not mean that we don't show love and compassion for that family and for the prisoner, as Jesus said to do for the prisoner (Matthew 25:36-40).  I agree with some who say that we have created a bait and switch by a former administration which encouraged illegal immigrants and ignored immigration laws, and now we are adhering to the laws.  Again I compare this to drug laws that may have become lax, but then someone who was lured by easy money gets caught and suffers imprisonment.  That is the risk one takes when he breaks the law, and while some get away with it, some do not, and it is by their own risky action that they are separated from their families.

(35) "‘You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measurement of length, weight, or volume.'"

The first part of the verse was repeated from verse 15:  "You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment."  Once again the people were commanded to judge fairly and righteously, this time with regard to measures.  The phrase "measurement of length" was translated from the original Hebrew word "middah", which pertained to measurements of length and surface.  "Mishqal" meant "weight or heaviness; and "mesurah" was a measure for liquids.

(36) "'Just balances, just weights, a just ephah, and a just hin, you shall have; I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"

Continuing the command from verse 35, in order to measure and weigh fairly, they must have honest scales and weights to measure a fair ephah, which was understood to be representative of the standard of dry measure, and a fair hin, the standard for liquid measure.  Albert Barnes believed the last part of the verse actually belonged with the next and last verse in this chapter.  Once again God identified Himself as the people's Lord, this time adding that He was the One who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and...

(37) "‘Therefore you shall observe all My statutes and all My judgments, and do them; I am the LORD.’”

Because He was their one true God and Lord, the One who rescued them from Egypt and took them as His own people, the people were obliged to observe His statutes and judgments with great reverence and consideration, and were commanded to actually do them, as well, that is, they were to consciously obey their Lord God.  In the past I have read over the phrase "observe My statutes" as meaning to do them.  However, with the help of Matthew Henry's commentary, this time I really understand that God is making a distinction between observing and doing.  Quoting Mr. Henry, "We are not likely to do God's statutes, unless we observe them with great care and consideration," and, "Yet it is not enough barely to observe God's precepts, but we must make conscience of obeying them."  We cannot do one without the other.  It is not enough to know and "believe in" God and His commandments.  Satan knows and believes in God.  Neither can we become so legalistic that strict adherence to the laws is all that matters.  We respect and revere God for Who He is, our Creator, our merciful Lord Who is all good, completely just and trustworthy, and worthy of all praise and honor and obedience.  We understand that it is because He loves us and ultimately wants us to choose everlasting life with Him that He has given us laws that are in our best interests.  We love Him and others because He first loved us.  We obey with a heart toward God and His people to the best of our ability.  We are flawed humans who will positively fail:

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23

"As it is written, 'There is none righteous, no, not one;'" - Romans 3:12

That is why just obeying and doing the laws is not enough.  It is also completely necessary to respect and observe God and His sovereign laws in our hearts:

"...For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7b

“I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” - Jeremiah 17:10

Both "observe" God's laws and "do" them!

The Day of Atonement

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(Leviticus 16:1) And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they offered before the LORD, and died;

In the last post, the Lord had been instructing both Moses and Aaron on the cleanliness rules for men and women with a discharge.  He now spoke to Moses regarding what his actions should be after the death of his sons, when they had offered the strange unauthorized fire before the Lord.  This chapter may seem out of place, like it should have been placed immediately after the incident regarding the sons of Aaron.  However, Adam Clarke, in his Commentary on the Bible, wrote that if this chapter was indeed transposed, it was a very ancient change as all translation versions of the Bible placed this chapter just where it now stands.  Perhaps a more likely reason for the admonition here was to emphasize that that particular incident was an act of uncleanness that had to be handled in a particular way to prevent the people entering into the tabernacle unclean or defiled, whereby they would have incurred the penalty of death.  Matthew Henry, in his Commentary on the Whole Bible, wrote that what followed in this chapter was the law concerning the day of atonement, and that the commandments concerning that law were given at a time after the death of Aaron's sons, and that that incident served as a perfect example for why he must now make atonement for "his house".  The Lord gave instructions for how Aaron was to make atonement and how he could then approach God without incurring the same punishment as his sons.

(2) And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at all times into the Holy Place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat."

Aaron, the high priest (and likewise all successive high priests after him), was not to come just any old time into that most holy place within the veil where the Lord would appear in a cloud above the mercy seat of the Ark of the Testimony, lest he die because of his irreverence and presumption, like that of Aaron's sons.  Matthew Henry explained and reflected on this:

"Before the veil some of the priests came every day to burn incense upon the golden altar, but within the veil none must ever come but the high priest only, and he but on one day in the year, and with great ceremony and caution. That place where God manifested his special presence must not be made common. If none must come into the presence-chamber of an earthly king uncalled, no, not the queen herself, upon pain of death (Esther 4:11), was it not requisite that the same sacred respect should be paid to the Kings of kings? But see what a blessed change is made by the gospel of Christ; all good Christians have now boldness to enter into the holiest, through the veil, every day (Hebrews 10:19-20); and we come boldly (not as Aaron must, with fear and trembling) to the throne of grace, or mercy-seat, Hebrews 4:16."

(3) “Thus Aaron shall come into the Holy Place: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering."

Thus, in this way, as follows in scripture, Aaron was to come first into the Holy Place, and ultimately into the Most Holy Place within the veil as mentioned in verse 2.  He was to bring a young bullock for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering.

(4) “He shall put on the holy linen coat, and he shall have the linen trousers on his body, and shall be girded with a linen sash, and with the linen turban he shall be attired; these are holy garments.  Therefore he shall wash his body in water, and put them on."

The garments the high priest was to put on--the linen coat, trousers, sash, and turban--were holy garments.  Therefore the priest was to wash his body in water before putting them on.  Note that at this time he did not put on the grander garments--the breastplate, ephod, robe, etc.  On this occasion he wore only simple white linen as this was not a day of celebration and rejoicing, but one of mourning and humiliation.

(5) “And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering."

The congregation was to supply to the priest two kid goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.

(6) “And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house."

Aaron, as high priest, was to offer for himself a bullock as a sin offering to make atonement for himself, for his own personal sins and for his family's sins.

(7) "And he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation."

Aaron was to take the two kid goats, the sin offering of the people, and present them to the Lord at the door of the tabernacle.

(8) "And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. (9) And Aaron shall bring the goat on which the LORD’s lot fell, and offer it for a sin offering."

The two goats formed one sin offering, one to be sacrificed to the Lord, and one scapegoat to be set free.  This was illustrative of death and resurrection for salvation.  Lots were cast to determine which goat would be used for each purpose.  Jewish tradition states that there were two lots or pebble-like objects, one with the Lord's name on it, and the other with the name for the scapegoat.  According to Adam Clarke, "then they put the two lots into a vessel which was called a kalpey, the goats standing with their faces towards the west. Then the priest came, and the goats stood before him, one on the right hand and the other on the left; the kalpey was then shaken, and the priest put in both his hands and brought out a lot in each: that which was in his right hand he laid on the goat that was on his right, and that in his left hand he laid on the goat that was on his left; and according to what was written on the lots, the scape-goat and the goat for sacrifice were ascertained."

(10) "But the goat on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make atonement with it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness."

The goat upon which the scapegoat lot fell was also to be presented to the Lord as was the one to be sacrificed, but this one was presented alive, an equally important part of the sin offering, to make atonement for the sins of the people.  It was to be let go into the wilderness.

(11) “And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself."

Then Aaron was to bring his own bullock sacrifice and kill it as a sin offering to make atonement for himself and for his family.

(12) "And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it inside the veil."

Aaron was to take a censer or fire pan of burning coals from the altar of burnt offering, and his hands full of sweet incense finely beaten, and bring both inside the veil into the Most Holy Place.

(13) “And he shall put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, that he not die."

He was to put the incense on the fire that was in the burning coals in the censer which created smoke or a "cloud of incense" that would cover the mercy seat on the Ark of the Testimony.  This was done just as directed so that he not die.  Matthew Henry described it this way:  The high priest "set the coals down upon the floor, and scattered the incense upon them, so that the room was immediately filled with smoke. The Jews say that he was to go in side-ways, that he might not look directly upon the ark where the divine glory was, till it was covered with smoke; then he must come out backwards, out of reverence to the divine majesty; and, after a short prayer, he was to hasten out of the sanctuary, to show himself to the people, that they might not suspect that he had misbehaved himself and died before the Lord."

(14) "And he shall take some of the blood of the bullock and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times."

After creating the cloud of incense, the high priest came out of the Most Holy Place to fetch some of the blood of the young bull that had been collected in a basin and held by another priest, according to what I have read on the subject.  He was to first sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat eastward, which would be the eastern side of it.  Since the head of the sanctuary where the Ark within the Holiest of Holies was, stood westward, then eastward or the eastern side would be toward the entrance of the tabernacle and toward the people. It seems to me that sprinkling on the east side of the ark and sprinkling in front of it would all take place on the same side of it.  However, whether or not blood was actually sprinkled on the Ark itself is what seems to be in question.  Dr. John Gill, in his Exposition of the Entire Bible, pointed to the Mishnah, apparently the first written record of the Oral Law, which stated that the high priest sprinkled one time above the mercy seat and seven times below or in front of it.  Dr. Gill and Matthew Henry both pointed to Jewish history and tradition which stated that no drops of blood actually fell on the mercy seat itself, but rather fell to the ground in front of it.  It seemed to be more about the upward and downward motions of the sprinkling rather than about different areas that were sprinkled.

(15) “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat."

After sprinkling the blood of the young bull which was for himself (v. 11), the priest was then to go out from the Most Holy Place, outside the veil, into the courtyard, and was to kill the goat of the sin offering for the people.  He was to do with the goat's blood as he had done with the bull's blood, and sprinkle it above and in front of the mercy seat.

(16) "And he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins; and so he shall do for the tabernacle of the congregation that remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness."

Thus the high priest would make atonement for the Holy Place because of the uncleanness of the sinful children of Israel.  The sins of the people would have normally rendered even the Most Holy Place to be an unfit habitation for their most holy Lord, but by the sprinkling of the blood described above, atonement was made.  It was made for the Most Holy Place and also for the part of the tabernacle, the courtyard, where the people in their uncleanness were admitted.  The tabernacle was allowed by God to remain among them even in their uncleanness because of the atonement made.

(17) "And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goes in to make atonement in the Holy Place, until he comes out, and has made an atonement for himself, for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel."

There was to be no one, not even other priests, inside the tabernacle when the high priest went in to make atonement for himself, his family, and for all the congregation.  Not until the high priest came out having made atonement for them all, could anyone else enter.

(18) “And he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD, and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bullock and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around."

After sprinkling blood from the bull and from the goat in the Most Holy Place, the high priest then went to the golden altar of incense outside the veil, but said to be "before the Lord".  He was also to make atonement for it, taking blood from the young bull and from the goat and putting it on the horns of the altar all around.  Dr. John Gill wrote that according to the Mishnah, the blood of the two animals was mixed together and the priest went around the horns of the altar putting blood on them once, and not two separate times as was sprinkled in the Most Holy Place.

(19) "And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel."

After putting blood on the horns of the altar, the priest was then to sprinkle the altar seven times, seven being that number of perfection, to cleanse it and sanctify it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.

(20) “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat."

When the priest had finished the atonement for the Most Holy Place, the altar, and the tabernacle of the congregation as a whole, he was to bring forth the live goat, the scapegoat, from verse 10.

(21) "And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat, and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a fit man. (22) And the goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness."

Aaron, as high priest, was to lay both his hands on the head of the live goat and confess the sins of Israel.  Dr. John Gill pointed out that three words were used to describe what was being confessed--iniquities, transgressions, and sins; this included all sins, "greater or lesser, sins of ignorance and presumption, known or not known".  With both hands on the goat, he transferred all those sins he confessed onto the head of the goat, with all the punishment that the people deserved now put upon the animal.  The goat was then sent away into the wilderness by a "fit man", which meant one fit for this purpose, possibly one well acquainted with the wilderness who could take the goat far into the wilderness into an uninhabited or literally separated land signifying the removal of their sins far away from the people and out of God's sight.

(23) "And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take off the linen garments which he put on when he went into the Holy Place, and shall leave them there."

After laying his hands on the goat and having it led into the wilderness, Aaron, the high priest, was to come back into the tabernacle and take off the linen garments he had put on when he went into the Most Holy Place (verse 4).  Those garments were to be left in the tabernacle, probably in some particular chamber within it, never to be worn again say Jewish writers, according to Matthew Henry; they were to make new linen garments every year for the annual day of atonement.

(24) “And he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, put on his garments, come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, and make atonement for himself and for the people."

The high priest was then to wash himself in the "holy place", which would seem to be actually at the laver in the court right outside the Holy Place, unless another wash basin was brought inside the so-called "holy place".  It is very likely that it was "a" holy place, rather than "the" holy place, but it is really not explicitly clear where he washed himself.

I sometimes find it helpful in my study to see a diagram of the tabernacle.  There are many fine diagrams to be found on the internet; this one is free to use from Wikimedia Commons:

After washing, he was to put on his rich priestly garments as described in Leviticus 8:7-9 and elsewhere.  He was then to "come out" which would seem to indicate he had been inside the Holy Place and not at the laver in the courtyard.  He was to come out and offer both his own and the people's burnt-offerings (the rams from verses 3 and 5 above), and thus make atonement for himself and for the people.

(25) "And the fat of the sin offering he shall burn on the altar."

The fat of Aaron's sin offering (the bullock from verse 3 and verse 6 above) was to be burned at the same time as the burnt offerings.

(26) “And he who released the goat as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he may come into the camp."

The "fit" man who had released the goat into the wilderness (v. 21) was to wash himself and his clothes before he could come back into the camp.

(27) "And the bullock for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the Holy Place, shall be carried outside the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, their flesh, and their dung."

The body of Aaron's young bull for his sin offering, the fat of which had just been burned on the altar, and the body of the goat of the people's sin offering (v. 15), both having had their blood sprinkled within the veil to make atonement, were to be carried outside the camp, and their skins, flesh, and dung were to be burned in the fire.

(28) "And he who burns them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp."

The person or persons who burned the parts of the animals outside the camp were to wash their clothes and bathe their bodies before they were allowed to come back into the camp.

(29) "And this shall be a statute forever for you: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether a native of your own country or a stranger who dwells among you."

This, that is, what had been before described and the summary of which followed, was to be a statute forever, or at least until the end of the Aaronic priesthood, when the Messiah came and put an end to all the rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices.  The seventh month, the month of Tisri, the seventh month from Nisan, which was appointed to be the first month, would have been part of our September and October.  I have read that "afflict your souls" was an old term for fasting, but it was probably more than that with the original word meaning humbled or humiliated, brought low.  They were to do no work at all on this tenth day of the seventh month, this day of atonement, not the natives of their country, nor the stranger or foreigner who dwelt among them.  Compare this command in the seventh month, or sabbatical month, as it has been called, to God's command for the sabbath day:

"But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates." - Exodus 20:10

(30) “For on that day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD."

On that day of atonement, atonement would be made for the people, to cleanse them from their sins, so that they could stand pure and clean before the Lord.

(31) "It shall be a sabbath of rest to you, and you shall afflict your souls, by a statute forever."

That day of atonement was to be a sabbath rest to the people and they were to cease their work, other than the work of the Lord as described above.  Dr. John Gill pointed out that this was symbolic of the "cessation from the performance of sinful works, at least from a sinful course of life, and from a dependence on works of righteousness, when a man is brought to believe in Christ, and in the atonement which he has made."  In this day of sabbath rest, they were to afflict their souls, which Matthew Henry detailed this way:  "They must refrain from all bodily refreshments and delights, in token of inward humiliation and contrition of soul for their sins. They all fasted on this day from food (except the sick and children), and laid aside their ornaments, and did not anoint themselves..."  Once again, this was to be a stature forever, or as long as the ceremonial law lasted, until the coming of the Messiah.  Actually, it IS forever, when you consider that Christ fulfilled all these things for us--"For we who have believed do enter that rest..." (Hebrews 4:3).

(32) “And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's place, shall make atonement, and put on the linen clothes, the holy garments; (33) And he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation."

The priest who is anointed and consecrated to be high priest in his father's place shall then be the one to make atonement, and put on the linen clothes and holy garments.  "He" in the beginning of verse 32 probably refers to Aaron, the high priest, anointing his successor.  In the same manner that Aaron as high priest made atonement for the holy place and the tabernacle (v. 16 above), for the altar (v. 18), for the priests, that is, for himself and his family and his sons the priests (v. 6), and for all the people of the congregation (v. 17), so was his successor to do.

(34) "And this shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel, for all their sins, once a year.” And he did as the LORD commanded Moses.

Dr. John Gill pointed out that this was the third time (see verses 29 and 31) that this was stated must be a statute forever, indicating just how important this day of atonement was and that it was to continue in perpetuity.  He, Aaron as the first high priest, did exactly as the Lord had commanded to Moses be done.

Some of the old commentaries are always quick to add that whatever was being spoken of as being a statute forever was just meant to be a statute until the Messiah came.  Although that certainly could be said to be the case with regard to the actual ceremonial rites and laws, once again I am struck by the fact that this IS an everlasting statute in that we must receive perpetual atonement by the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  While He died once for all and once was sufficient, are we not continually sinning and continually repenting and looking to Christ and His atonement?  I wonder how many times in my past study have I accepted the commentator's point that the particular statute I was studying was a statute forever until the end of the Aaronic priesthood, or until Christ came.  While the rituals may have ended, it's not that the statute ended, it was fulfilled in Christ!  As Jesus Himself said: 

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." - Matthew 5:17-18

As Matthew Henry stated, the annual day of atonement or "the annual repetition of the sacrifices showed that there was in them only a faint and feeble effort towards making atonement; it could be done effectually only by the offering up of the body of Christ once for all, and that once was sufficient; that sacrifice needed not to be repeated."  The apostle said it this way in Hebrews:

"For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, "Behold, I have come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me) to do Your will, O God."'...By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." - Hebrews 10:1-7 and 10)