Leviticus 25:2
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord.’”
Moses refers to the Sabbath over twenty times in Leviticus; instructing Israel how to worship the Lord. The Sabbath was a very important facet in the life of the children of Israel. God designated a weekly Sabbath day, then every seven years was a Sabbath year, and every forty-nine years, a special Sabbath year, called the year of Jubilee. One of the Ten Laws written by the finger of God, stated, the Sabbath day was dedicated, above all the others, as a day of rest. The driving force behind this command, was the example God had set in Creation.
Exodus 20:11
“For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”
The Sabbath would serve a number of valuable purposes in the life of the believer. First, God wanted His people to rest. Since He designed our bodies, He knows what is best for them, and wants us to learn to take a break. It would do us good to set aside times to rest from our labors and concerns, simply focusing on the goodness of the Lord. Second, the Sabbath was designed to build faith. Israel was an agrarian society, whose existence depended upon the harvest. Yet, in the midst of harvesting the grain, they would be required to stop and rest for a day. Every seven years, they were required to let the land rest, and not plant crops. All of this was designed to cause Israel to trust in the provision that would come from the Lord. God wants us to realize, although we must work hard and apply the principles of the Word to our daily living, we must also learn to trust in His grace. Finally, the Sabbath would set Israel apart from all other nations. As the nation grew and developed trade with surrounding countries, they would stand out because of their refusal to do work on the Sabbath. Much of God’s law was designed with that purpose. He wanted His people to stand out. It was never the desire of God that we be hidden away in the crowd, but like Shadrach and his friends (Daniel 1-3), we stand above the culture and point the way to God.
While we are no longer under the law of the Sabbath, the principles remain. Much of what God is doing in your life, is so you might learn to rest in Him and trust Him. Rather than looking at our daunting circumstances, we should look to the promises of His Word. He is also seeking to make us stand out. Not in a weird way, but because we are a people who are trusting Him, and living according to His Word. Like a city set on a hill, we will become the light of the world, pointing people to the Savior.
Pastor Jim
I once heard of a farmer whose cow had given birth to twin calves. In his excitement, he decided to dedicate one to the Lord. As the days passed, his wife reminded him of his promise, she inquired if he had decided which calf was the Lord’s. Sadly, one of the calves became ill and the farmer did all he could to nurse the animal back to health. Late into the evening, he returned from the barn, and slumped into a chair. His wife, asked what was the matter, to which he replied, “The Lord’s calf died.” Too often, this is typical of our offering to the Lord. Whatever we have left, do not want, need, or use any longer, is offered to the Lord.
Israel needed to learn a very important lesson if they were going to be successful in walking with the Lord. That lesson: the Word of God is counter-cultural in every culture. They were being called to live by a different, and higher standard than the nation they came out of, and the one they were entering into. The same is true of the Christian today. It should not be shocking to us that the world has a different view of what is holy, acceptable, right or wrong, than we do. Instead of looking to the culture around us, we need to look into the Word of God to learn what is holy and what is sinful.
One of the primary purposes of the book of Leviticus is to teach us that God is holy, and requires holiness from His people. The opening verse of Chapter 19 declares, “‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Holiness carries the idea of being set apart. Something that is holy, is something set apart for the Lord’s use. In the same way, someone who is holy has set themselves apart from anything that would defile them, so they might be fit for use by the Lord. As Moses explains the details of how to live a holy life, he speaks to the people regarding their fields and their garments.
I recently received a phone call from someone claiming to be a representative from the Internal Revenue Service, who explained that I was delinquent on payments, and in danger of facing jail time. Instead of panicking, I asked for a phone number to call them back, then researched to see if that was a valid IRS number. I discovered it was a fraudulent number, and this was a scam. The perpetrators were attempting to get financial records and steal my money. Sadly, this is not the only case where someone lies about who they are in order to deceive someone else.
Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest was allowed to enter into the Holiest chamber of the Tabernacle. His responsibility was to provide sin offerings for himself and the people. The activities of this day provided atonement for the sins of the nation. Every aspect of the day was filled with symbolism that pointed to the work of Christ upon the cross. It was on this day, the High priest would select a lamb as a scapegoat, lay his hands upon its head, confess the sins of the nation, and set it free in the wilderness. The Hebrew word translated “scapegoat” is a compound word made up of two words: goat and go. I like to refer to this animal as the “go-goat.” Bearing the sins of the people, it was set free, never to be seen, or heard from, again.
Moses was given detailed instructions regarding the offerings required for a person who was healed of leprosy. This passage of Scripture, though somewhat tedious, is remarkable when we consider the fact that leprosy was incurable in the ancient world. The law of God contained provisions encouraging the people to expect Him to do the miraculous. A person diagnosed with leprosy could find hope in the power and promises of God. We often face difficulties in which there seems to be no hope. Rather than living in despair, or grasping at straws, we must learn to look into the Word, and trust in its promises. The hope Scripture brings is like an anchor for the soul; providing stability in troublesome times. The cleansing of the leper is also intriguing when we consider, the only Old Testament reference to a leper being healed was of Namaan the Syrian. He was a gentile soldier from Syria, who was known for his bravery. When it was discovered he was leprous, the king of Syria sent word to the King of Israel, requesting the God of Israel heal Naaman. When Elisha the prophet, heard of the request, he invited Naaman to his home. However, rather than meeting with him, Elisha sent a servant to instruct Naaman to go wash seven times in the Jordan River, and he would be healed. This great general was humiliated by the way he was treated, and started to leave. He was unwilling to follow Elisha’s instructions, until a servant exhorted him that he had nothing to lose. Upon following the prophet’s instructions, his leprosy was healed. Once healed, Naaman renounced his pagan religion and devoted himself to Jehovah. This story is a remarkable picture of salvation. Like sin, Naaman’s disease had no cure, yet God provided a solution. The solution involved laying his pride aside, and humbling himself under the mighty hand of God. Once Naaman approached God, His way, he was restored and became a follower of God.
After conception a woman was considered unclean and her access to the congregation was limited. In order to be restored into fellowship, she had to wait out a period of uncleanness, then bring the appropriate offering. When this was accomplished, her fellowship was restored. Since we live under a new covenant these requirements no longer apply. For us, fellowship is not broken by giving birth, nor is it restored by offering turtle doves or pigeons. That does not mean we cannot do things that will effect our relationship with God, nor does it mean there is a waiting period for a believer who stumbles.
Leprosy is a skin disease that effects the nervous system; resulting in spreading rash-like symptoms, disfiguration, pain, and ultimately, death. Due to the fact that leprosy is contagious, the nation of Israel was instructed to quarantine lepers until they were healed. Since leprosy was incurable in the ancient world, it would require an act of God for a leper to be healed. Because of the similarities in the growth, spread, and debilitating effects of the disease, leprosy has been considered to be an illustration of sin and it’s consequences.
If we go back to the call of Abraham, we realize Israel was a nation chosen and established by God. Abraham was told that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Later, we read God’s purpose in choosing Israel was for them to be a light to the rest of the world. God’s idea was for the world to know who He was, through the witness of His people. One factor that would make their light shine more brightly was living by a higher standard than the world around them. This is part of the reason for the dietary laws.
Jim Gallagher 