Day 55, February 24 Bible Reading

 

Day 55,  February 24

Num. 3:1-13  The role and duties of the Levites

Num. 8:5-26  The purification and setting apart of the Levites

Lev. 21 – 22:16     Rules for priests / Separation of priests

Num. 3:1-13  The role and duties of the Levites

• Num 3:1-4 Summary of Aaron’s diary.  He had 4 sons, but his first 2 Nadab and Abihu were killed by God for offering profane fire, while the last two, Eleazar and Ithamar went into the family business of priesthood with their father Aaron.

• Num 3:5-10 The entire tribe of Levi were presented and given to Aaron and his sons, to do the work of the tabernacle. Any outsider who tries to come near shall be out to death. This begs the question why David was not killed later on when he entered the tabernacle, begging for bread.

• Num 3:11-13 The Levites were taken instead of every first born in Israel.  God owned them, as he redeemed all the firstborn as the price for freeing them from Egypt.

Num. 8:5-26  The purification and setting apart of the Levites

• Num 8:5-7 The entire tribe has to be purified. To cleanse them the water of purification was sprinkled, their bodies shaved, clothes washed.

• Num 8:8-12 Time for sacrifices - one for young bull for sin offering, one for burnt offering, and a grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil.  Normally the right thigh and breast were a wave or heave offering.  Interestingly the Levites were all offered as a wave offering instead before the Lord.

• Num 8:13-19 One again Levites were given as a wave offering to God and as a gift to Aaron and his sons and to ensure that there will be no plague when the children of Israel come near.  This is key “For all the firstborn among the children of Israel are Mine, both man and beast; on the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them to Myself. 18 I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn of the children of Israel.”

• Num 8:20-22 Everything that the Lord commanded concerning the Levites were done.

• Num 8:23-26 The Levites start service at age 25 and retire at age 50.

Lev. 21 – 22:16     Rules for priests / Separation of priests

• Lev 21:1-4 Aaron and the priests cannot defile themselves by touching any dead except for closest relatives: mother, father, son, daughter, brother and virgin sister. Funny.  Once a woman is a virgin she belongs to the father. Once not a virgin, she belongs to her husband,  So I guess a brother can be married and pop someone’s cherry and still not defile a priest.

• Lev 21:5-8 The Levites cannot have bald heads, shave the edges of their beards or cut their skins.  So why does the army prefer bald heads? The priests should not take a wife who is a prostitute or someone who has had sex before (unfortunately termed as defiled) or a woman divorced from her husband.  Note the unfortunate emphasis on sex to determine fs a woman is defiled or not.  Also note women who are divorced can marry again; it is just that Levites could not marry them. Why these regulations? Well it is because the priests are holy to God and God is the one who is Holy and sanctifies them.

• Lev 21:9 “The daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by playing the harlot, she profanes her father. She shall be burned with fire. ← No comment.  I guess the son can play the harlot and live?  And I thought God did not advocate burning people with fire.  He is not Molech? What gives?

• Lev 21:10-15 The high priest cannot uncover his head nor tear his clothes, nor go near any dead body even for his father or mother, nor go out of the sanctuary.  Why? He was anointed with oil. He has to take a virgin for a wife, not a widow nor divorced woman nor a harlot.  No you see where this purity movement get a lot of toxic ideas from, as if a woman who is not a virgin is toxic. Thank God we are NOT living in Old Covenant days and these laws are ONLY for Israel.

• Lev 21:16-24  Some more interesting regulations.  No descendant who has a defect may serve, either: blind, lame, marred face, limb too long, hunchback, dwarf, defect in his eye  ← Guess who made that descendant that way? God did.  So in a sense God made this person this way, but yet he cannot serve.  Other reasons for not giving an offering: broken foot, hand, eczema, scab or a eunuch.  They cannot come near to offer any offerings by fire.  They may eat the shewbread but not approach the veil or altar else their defects would profane or defile the sanctuary.
  
  

• Lev 22:1-8 You cannot serve while being unclean.  What makes you unclean temporarily?  Leprosy, any discharges, touching a corpse, semen emission assuming during sex or nocturnal emissions, touching unclean animals, whatever uncleanness acquired must be so until evening,.  The sun going down makes him or her clean.  You cannot eat any animals dying naturally or killed by beasts.  It must be killed as part of an offering.

• Lev 22:9-13 No outsider such as a hired servant can eat the holy offerings. Slaves purchased or one born in his house can eat.  A priest’s daughter married to an outsider cannot eat. If she is widowed, divorced, has no children and returns to her father as her head may eat. Now why the emphasis on children? 

• Lev 22:14-16 If anyone eats an offering unintentionally he has to restore it with the 20% redemption tax.