February 14 - Leviticus 5-7: On Sacrifices (part 2)

Today’s Reading: Leviticus 5-7

The Message

English Standard Version

Happy Valentine's day! May you feel the Love of our Creator above all others today.

Thought to Guide Your Reading

Cleanliness is more than ritualistic cleanliness.

Summary in 100 Words or Less

God continues to give instructions on how to give sacrifices. Sin sacrifices were to be given even if you did not know that what you were doing was wrong. Anything that touched the sacrifice must be holy. The meat could be eaten until the third day. If anyone ate of it on the third day they were excommunicated from the community.
These were the instructions for the different sacrifices given.

How Today’s Reading Contributes to the Gospel: God is Setting All Things Right

A person could be unclean or guilty without knowing what they were doing.

God made these laws because he wanted to set all things right on the earth. Because of this, transgressions of the Law were taken seriously. Even if a person did not know that what they were doing was wrong they were guilty. However, they were only required to sacrifice an offering to God and were not greatly punished. Ignorance of how what you do sets things wrong does not absolve your guilt.

God requires holiness in rituals.

Everything used in sacrificing needed to be holy. If something was not holy then the sacrifice was not helpful to the person. Holiness means set apart for God. Our sacrifice (our lives) must be holy to God to be acceptable.

Anyone who ate meat on the third day was cut off from their community.

This doesn't sound as bad to us. We can go from town to town, city to city, congregation to congregation and no one will ask if we were cut off from our previous group. However, being excommunicated from Israel meant that person's entire social structure, their protection from people who would do them harm, and help when in need was gone. This was a disastrous situation that anyone would want to avoid. Why would God do this? Anyone who is not fully committed to God setting all things right on the earth should not be part of his Chosen People. The Elect are people dedicated to God. Those who are not dedicated to God can be bad influences and can turn others away from their dedication. This is why God cuts people off for what we would consider small sins.

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