Laws: Remaining Holy

Instructions to Aaron about the Day of Atonement (Day 10, Month 7)

ch. 16

• God tells Moses, ‘Give Aaron these instructions’:

i. Do not enter the Most Holy Place arbitrarily or you will die (cf. 10:1-3);

ii. give offerings;

iii. wear priestly garments;

iv. atone for yourself;

v. take 2 goats (sacrifice & scapegoat);

vi. enter the Most Holy Place with a cloud of incense & sprinkle blood for atonement;

vii. release the scapegoat in the desert;

viii. keep this as an annual Sabbath [Rest]

Laws about sacrifices and the importance of blood

17:1-9

• Bring all sacrifices to the tabernacle, where blood is accepted;
• Bring all sacrifices to Yahweh, not idols

17:10-14

• God will reject those who eat blood; blood represents life [cf. Gen 9:4] & makes atonement

17:15-16

• If you eat an animal killed by nature [& undrained of blood], wash yourself [a ritual ‘cleansing’]

Laws for God’s HOLY people

ch. 18

• List: Egyptian & Canaanite [immoral] sexual practices must not be copied [see also 20:10-21];
  • the [HOLY] Land vomits out its inhabitants when it is defiled [by their sin / see also 20:22-24]

ch. 19

• List: Various laws & statutes;
  • v2, the Israelites must be HOLY, for God is HOLY (cf. 11:44-45)

ch. 20

• List: Sins requiring the death penalty or banishment;
  • v7, v26 God’s people must be HOLY

21:1-15

• List: Laws for priests so they don’t become ‘unclean’;
  • v6, v7b-8, v15, God makes the priests HOLY

21:16-24

• Descendants of Aaron with physical defects are ‘unclean’;
  • They must not approach the tabernacle curtain or altar as (v23) God makes them HOLY;
  • They may eat the holy food

22:1-16

• Holy food must not be eaten by anyone that will pollute it;
  • v16, God makes [people] HOLY

22:17-33

• Only unblemished animals are acceptable to God as offerings;
  • v32, God must be HALLOWED

Sacred times

ch. 23

• List: The times for God’s holy meetings [including the 3 GREAT FEASTS, see Ex 23:14-16, Dt 16:16]:

#1. (23:3) The Sabbath [Rest]:

• held on the seventh day [of each week: Friday night, Saturday daytime];

#2. (23:5) The Passover:

• held Day 14, Month 1 [of religious calendar; cf. Ex 12:12-14, v42-49],

& (23:6-8) & The Feast-of-Unleavened-Bread [1st GREAT FEAST]:

• held Day 15, Month 1 for 7 days [cf. Ex 12:15-20];

#3. (23:9-14) The Feast-of-Firstfruits [a.k.a. Firstfruits of barley harvest]:

• held on Sunday [following Passover];

#4. (23:15-22) The Feast-of-Weeks [2nd GREAT FEAST] [a.k.a. Pentecost / Firstfruits of wheat harvest, cf. Ex 34:22a]:

• held on Sunday 50 days after Feast-of-Firstfruits
• Leave gleanings for the poor (cf. Lev 19:9-10);

#5. (23:23-25) The Feast-of-Trumpets:

• held Day 1, Month 7 [First day of the year in Jewish civil calendar];

#6. (23:26-32) The Day of Atonement:

• held Day 10, Month 7 (see Lev 16) as a Sabbath of self-denial;

#7. (23:33-36, v39-43) The Feast-of-Tabernacles [3rd GREAT FEAST] [a.k.a. Feast-of-Ingathering / Final harvest, cf. Ex 34:22b]:

• held Day 15, Month 7
• Israelites must live in tents for 7 days, as during the Exodus [e.g. Ex 13:20]

24:1-4

• Law: Every night: provide olive oil, & light the tabernacle lampstand [cf. Ex 27:20-21, 30:7-8]

24:5-9

• Law: Each Sabbath: set twelve loaves of showbread on the [tabernacle] table [cf. Ex 25:23-30]

History: A blasphemer is sentenced to death

24:10-23

• During a fight, a man blasphemes & curses [God’s] Name, so he is brought to Moses;
• God demands the death penalty [expanding law in Ex 20:7, 21:22-25];
• The man is stoned to death

Laws: Obey God and be blessed

25:1-55

• (v1-7, v18-22) The Sabbath Year: Each 7^th year, let the land rest from sowing & reaping [cf. Ex 23:10-11]
• (v8-17) The Year of Jubilee: Each 50^th year, let all the people return to their ancestral land
• (v23-55) Laws: a. only sell land temporarily; b. do not charge interest; c. set slaves free at Jubilee

26:1-13

• If you obey God’s laws, God will bring blessings: fruitfulness, peace, victory in war, etc.

26:14-39

• If you disobey God’s laws, God will bring curses: disease, defeat by enemies, famine, etc.

26:40-46

• If you confess your sins, God will remember His covenants with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob

ch. 27

• When vowing a dedication to God, the dedicated people, animals, property, etc. have a set value;
• God will accept money so the offerer can redeem [buy back] the dedicated item

Gen / Ex / LEV / Num / Deut