bNotes – Book of Leviticus

Author: Moses, written 1450 -1410 B.C.

Holy means “separate” or “devoted.”

“Pleasing aroma” as mentioned in Exodus may suggest that God was accepting the offering in conjunction with the person’s repentant/worshipful attitude.

If animals go to Heaven, and really, why wouldn’t they, will all the ones sacrificed in the Old Testament be there, because they did take on the sins of the people. However, Jesus is obviously in Heaven and He took on all the sins ever. So, maybe the sacrificial animals will have a super nice pen or area to live in?

The high priest used Urim and Thummim, which is believed to may have been two smooth stones he kept. These stones either had a “yes” answer on one, and a “no” answer on the other, or both answers on both stones – a “yes” and “no” stone would be “no answer” or “ask again later” apparently. The idea was that God would cause the proper answer to fall out when the stones were shaken, therefore giving His answer to their questions. Sounds like an earlier version of the Magic 8 Ball. However, this obviously worked because it was from God, and the Magic 8 Ball was pure chance because it is from some manufacturing plant somewhere.

My only question is: “Why didn’t God speak to the high priest like He did to Moses?”

God sent down flames from the sky to consume Aaron’s offering on the eighth day, his first will full capacity as High Priest.

Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, who were priests as well, messed up and burnt the wrong kind of fire than God commanded and he sent a blaze of fire that killed them for their disobedience. When Moses told Aaron why this happened, the Bible says “And Aaron was silent.” These rituals were no joke!

Rabbits were unclean to eat. I don’t eat rabbits, so that’s good. Pigs on the other hand? I eat them and they are also considered unclean in the Old Testament.

It appears that dogs and cats were unclean and therefore unfit to eat. “Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that have paws are unclean.” Paving the way for happy puppy and kitty lovers everywhere! Although, I think cats were considered evil due to their link to the Egyptians. (That part is mostly speculation with a little of “I think I heard that somewhere.”)

“…Therefore, you must be holy because I am holy.” Leviticus 11:45
Old Testament sacrifices did not remove sins, they only covered them. Only Jesus Christ’s death on the cross wipes all sin away forever for everyone: past, present and future.

The term “scapegoat” comes from the goat that was chosen to take the sins of the people of Israel out into the wilderness of Azazel to remove their guilt during the Day of Atonement each year.

Consuming blood would get you kicked out of the community and set apart from God.

God decreed that no one should shave their beards or mark their skin with tattoos. Among a list of other things, this may have been to further separate them from the Canaanites who they were about to encounter.

God mentions “Molech” and for the Israelites to not make sacrifices to him. He called it “spiritual prostitution.“ Who is he?

Molech was the national god of the Ammonites.

God forbid the people to seek the guidance of mediums, psychics and fortune tellers.

The Year of Jubilee, a celebration for every 50th year, where it was commanded that all debts be forgiven, slaves be freed and lands returned to original owners seems to have never been carried out according to the Bible. The existence of poverty in Israel is evidence for this.

God told the people that they could buy up the people and children of the neighboring countries as slaves for the Israelites, even saying to call them property to be handed down to their own children. However, this could not be done to fellow Israelites.

The Bible never champions slavery, but does acknowledge that it exists. In the Hebrew culture, slaves were seen as human beings and allowed many of the same rights as the Israelites.

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