Monday, February 21, 2011

Day 52-11

V From the Exodus to the Crossing into Canaan - 1462-1422 B.C. ~ cont.
(1462 - 982 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1)
B. Time spent at Sinai (sometimes called Horeb) ~ cont.
28. Conduct of God's people - Leviticus 19:1-37; 20:7-26
29. Instructions about priests and their duties
a. Spiritual and physical qualifications - Leviticus 21:1-24
b. Separation - Leviticus 22:1-16
{pages 229-234}
Several notes today ~ :-)

Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.  (Leviticus 19:14)

Refreshing reminder that Father cares for those who are handicapped, and gives instruction on how NOT to treat them.  People are people, regardless of age, century, ethnic, gender.  We tend to be less lovely to those who are not like us, ostracizing them from the general assemblies.  I liked Wesley's concise commentary:

Lev 19:11-16
Ye shall not steal — A variety of social duties are inculcated in this passage, chiefly in reference to common and little-thought-of vices to which mankind are exceedingly prone; such as committing petty frauds, or not scrupling to violate truth in transactions of business, ridiculing bodily infirmities, or circulating stories to the prejudice of others. In opposition to these bad habits, a spirit of humanity and brotherly kindness is strongly enforced.

Ye shall keep my statutes.  Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee.  (Leviticus 19:19)

Why?  I get the reason not to mingle cattle with other types, and even the mixing of different types of seeds in one field.  But the woolen and linen?  Gill's commentary on the cattle and seed was informative, and I thought his view on the linen/woollen interesting enough to place here:

neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee; for, as Josephus (l) says, none but the priests were allowed to wear such a garment, and with which the Misnah (m) agrees; in which it is asserted, that the priests have no other clothing to minister in, in the sanctuary, but of woollen and linen; which seems to be a better reason of this prohibition than what Maimonides (n) gives, that it was on the account of idolatrous priests, who used to go clothed with such a garment, and a metal ring on their fingers: the Jewish tradition is, nothing is forbidden on account of divers kinds (i.e. in garments) but wool and flax; camels' wool, and sheep's wool, mixed together, if the greater part is camels', it is free, but if the greater part is sheep's wool, it is forbidden, if half and half, it is forbidden; and so flax and hemp mixed together; also that nothing is forbidden on such account but what is spun and wove (o): the design of this, as of the other, seems to be in general to caution against unnatural lusts and impure mixtures, and all communion of good and bad men, and particularly against joining the righteousness of Christ with the works of men, in the business of justification: Christ's righteousness is often compared to a garment, and sometimes to line linen, clean and white; and men's righteousness to filthy rags, Rev_19:8; which are by no means to be put together in the said affair; such who believe in Christ are justified by the obedience of one and not of more, and by faith in that obedience and righteousness, without the works of the law, Rom_5:19 Rom_3:28; to join them together is needless, disagreeable, and dangerous. 

And whosoever lieth carnally with a woman, that is a bondmaid, betrothed to an husband, and not at all redeemed, nor freedom given her; she shall be scourged; they shall not be put to death, because she was not free.  (Leviticus 19:20)

Why not stoned?  Gill, Henry and Wesley offered about the same commentary, but Wesley's was more succinct:

She shall be scourged - Heb. There shall be a scourging, which probably may belong to both of them, for Both were guilty. It follows, they shall not be punished with death, which may seem to imply that they were to be punished by some other common and considerable punishment, which scourging indeed was, but the paying of a ram was a small penalty and very unsuitable to the greatness of the offence. And the offering of the ram as a trespass offering for the sin against God, is not inconsistent with making satisfaction other ways for the injury done to men, but only added here as farther punishment to the man, either because he only could do this, and not the woman, who being a bondwoman had nothing of her own to offer. Or because his sex and his freedom aggravated his sin. Not put to death - Which they should have been, had she been free, Deu_22:23-24. The reason of this difference is not from any respect which God gives to persons, for bond and free are alike to him, but because bond - women were scarce wives, and their marriages were scarce true - marriages, being neither made by their choice, but their masters authority, nor continued beyond the year of release, but at her master's or husband's pleasure.

Ye shall not make any cutting in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you; I am the Lord.  (Leviticus 19:28)

HA! Tattoos...has to be...

cutting - H8296 - From H8295; an incision.
  • H8295 - A primitive root; to gash.
Only used in Leviticus 19:28 and 21:5.

printing - H5414 - A primitive root; to give, used with great latitude of application (put, make, etc.).

Oh my...used 2011 times in 1816 verses.  Wow!  First usage in Genesis 1:17:

And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.  (Talking about the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - better known as the Sun and Moon.)

Last usage in Malachi 2:9 - Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law.

marks - H3793 - From H3789; a letter or other mark branded on the skin.
  • H3789 - A primitive root; to grave; by implication to write (describe, inscribe, prescribe, subscribe).
Used only 1 time.

marks - H7085 - From the same as H6970; an incision or gash.
  • H6970 - Probably from H6972 in the original sense of cutting off; curtailment; Koa, a region of Babylon.
Browsed all my commentaries - sharing JFB:

Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead — The practice of making deep gashes on the face and arms and legs, in time of bereavement, was universal among the heathen, and it was deemed a becoming mark of respect for the dead, as well as a sort of propitiatory offering to the deities who presided over death and the grave. The Jews learned this custom in Egypt, and though weaned from it, relapsed in a later and degenerate age into this old superstition (Isa_15:2; Jer_16:6; Jer_41:5).

nor print any marks upon you — by tattooing, imprinting figures of flowers, leaves, stars, and other fanciful devices on various parts of their person. The impression was made sometimes by means of a hot iron, sometimes by ink or paint, as is done by the Arab females of the present day and the different castes of the Hindus. It is probable that a strong propensity to adopt such marks in honor of some idol gave occasion to the prohibition in this verse; and they were wisely forbidden, for they were signs of apostasy; and, when once made, they were insuperable obstacles to a return. (See allusions to the practice, Isa_44:5; Rev_13:17; Rev_14:1).

If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.  (Leviticus 20:13)

Homosexuality.  Plain and simple.  Not acceptable to the Lord, at all, in any way, shape or form.

And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.  (Leviticus 20:20)

Childlessness a sign of sin?  This made me wonder about Elisabeth's comment:

Luk 1:25  Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

If childlessness was a sign of God's judgment, she must have endured quite a heavy burden.

No comments:

Post a Comment