In this concluding chapter of Leviticus, it is important to review the four overriding topics which comprise the book of Leviticus and provide a standard of worship for the nation of Israel.  God told Moses to write concerning offerings/sacrifices (Leviticus 1:1-7:38), priestly duties (Leviticus 8:1-10:20), uncleanness in worship (Leviticus 11:1-16:34), and individual holiness (Leviticus 17:1-27:34).  Each of these sections covered numerous laws, which would become the foundation for worship of the one, true God.  Here is a brief listing of each topic and the laws discussed under each one:

Offerings/Sacrifices (Leviticus 1:1-7:38)
Five offerings/sacrifices were discussed as a part of Israel’s religious system.  The burnt offering symbolized forgiveness of sin (Leviticus 1; 6:8-13), the grain offering pictured a consecrated and thankful heart (Leviticus 2; 6:14-23), the peace offering was given to celebrate fellowship between God and man (Leviticus 3; 7:11-36), the sin offering was offered for non-defiant sins (Leviticus 4:1-5:13; 6:24-30), and the trespass offering was given to make restitution for damages done (Leviticus 5:14-6:7; 7:1-10).

Priestly duties (Leviticus 8:1-10:20)
This section describes the beginnings of the Aaronic priesthood.  Since the priests were intimately involved in assisting the worshipers in their offerings, they needed to be consecrated to God before performing any religious duties.  This ceremony is described in Leviticus 8:1-9:24.  There is also a stern warning to the priests about the seriousness of their duties, which is described in the incident of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10).

Uncleanness in worship (Leviticus 11:1-16:34)
The Lord speaks to Moses and tells him to inform Israel concerning clean/unclean foods (Leviticus 11), uncleanness in childbirth (Leviticus 12), uncleanness in disease (Leviticus 13-14), uncleanness in human discharges (Leviticus 15), and cleansing of the tabernacle on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).

Individual holiness (Leviticus 17:1-27:34)
The final topic of discussion in the book of Leviticus was the matter of individual holiness, which described proper behavior in areas such as  sacrifice and food (Leviticus 17), sexual behavior (Leviticus 18),  relationships to friends and family (Leviticus 19), capital punishment (Leviticus 20), behavior of priests (Leviticus 21-22), religious festivals (Leviticus 23), ceremonial/moral regulations (Leviticus 24) and, finally, the laws regarding special years (Leviticus 25).

These instructions were given to Moses as a part of the law he received on Mount Sinai and Israel would be blessed is they obeyed (Leviticus 26:3-13), but cursed if they chose to disregard God’s laws (26:14-39).

Leviticus 27 tends to feel like an addendum to the book of Leviticus since the blessings/cursings for obedience/disobedience have already been defined; however, this chapter probably ties in with the curses since the Israelites would likely make thoughtless vows during these times.  This chapter primarily focuses on the handling of vows, gifts, and tithes dedicated to the Lord.  If a person vows himself to the Lord, that individual would give an offering to the sanctuary treasury according to his or her age (27:1-8).  Vows could also be fulfilled by giving an offering in the form of an animal (27:9-13, 26-27).  Houses (27:14-15) and lands (27:16-25) could be given to the priests in order to fulfill a vow; however, items already dedicated to the Lord could not be used to make a vow (27:28-29).  A tithe (tenth) of the land would automatically be the Lord’s, but if a man wanted to redeem his tithes he would need to add twenty percent (27:30-31).  If a man tithed of his flock, the tenth animal to be born would belong to the Lord, whether it was healthy or unhealthy (27:32-33).

The book of Leviticus ends with these words, “These are the commands that the Lord gave through Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites” (27:34).

Dear God, may the words of Leviticus remind me of the importance of obedience. 

One of the major themes throughout Scripture is blessing for obedience and judgment for disobedience; therefore, it is not surprising that the book of Leviticus concludes with specific blessings and curses for those who obey/disobey God’s laws.  Leviticus is a guidebook for proper worship of the one, true God and anyone who followed its instructions would be rewarded but anyone who disregarded the laws written in it would face the judgment of God.  These words, given by God and written by Moses, were part of God’s plan to make Israel His “…own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth…a kingdom of priests…a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5).  Obedience was the key factor in Israel becoming these things.  The blessings for obedience (26:3-13), curses for disobedience (26:14-39), and instructions for repentance (26:40-45) are outlined in Leviticus 26.

The chapter begins with a reminder that Israel should not make any idols or carved images for themselves as an object of worship because God alone would be their God (26:1).  The Sabbath was to be observed and the sanctuary was also to be reverenced by Israel (26:2).  Doing these things would symbolize Israel’s submission to God.  If Israel would obey that which was written in the law they would experience the following blessings: rain and abundant harvests (26:3-5), peace and protection in the land (26:6-10), and God’s presence would dwell with them (26:11-13).  The words, “I will live among you, and I will not despise you.  I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people” (26:11-12, NLT) was God’s way of promising an intimate relationship with Israel.

What if Israel decided to live in disobedience to God (26:14-15)?   The following curses would be unleashed on disobedient Israel: terror from disease, famine, and enemies (26:14-17);  drought and no harvest (26:18-20); predatory animals (26:21-22); more disease, oppression by enemies, and famine (26:23-26); and total collapse of the nation and captivity (26:27-39).  Of course, each one of these curses was designed to turn Israel back to  God but if they did not respond to God’s judgment, another curse would be sent to them.  It is obvious that the curses would become more severe if Israel continued to turn her back on God and disregard His ways.

Since God is patient and merciful, He reminded Israel that these curses could be removed if they would confess their sin (26:40-45).  True humility and repentance on the part of Israel would be recognized by God.  This provision of repentance evidences God’s great love for His people, even when they have disobeyed.  God does not rejoice in the punishing His people, but He uses discipline to turn them back to Him.

Dear God, thank You for blessing me when I obey and disciplining me when I disobey.

Leviticus was a guidebook for Israel to worship the one, true God.  The words written in this book gave a clear testimony of what was expected from worshipers in order to maintain a right relationship with God and others.  Throughout this book, Moses writes the words given to him directly from God and there are primarily four topics discussed: offerings/sacrifices (Leviticus 1:1-7:38), priestly duties (Leviticus 8:1-10:20), uncleanness in worship (Leviticus 11:1-16:34), and individual holiness (Leviticus 17:1-27:34).  These four areas provided a standard of conduct for the nation of Israel and the priests who assisted them in worshiping God.  It was imperative for Israel to obey the laws which were established in Leviticus so that they could experience an uninhibited relationship with God.

The final topic of discussion in the book of Leviticus was the matter of individual holiness, which described proper behavior in areas such as  sacrifice and food (Leviticus 17), sexual behavior (Leviticus 18),  relationships to friends and family (Leviticus 19), capital punishment (Leviticus 20), behavior of priests (Leviticus 21-22), religious festivals (Leviticus 23), ceremonial/moral regulations (Leviticus 24) and, finally, the laws regarding special years (Leviticus 25).  Two special years are mentioned in Leviticus 25: the sabbatical year (25:1-7) and the year of jubilee (25:8-55).  The sabbatical year took place every seventh year in the history of Israel.  They were to work on their land for six years, but on the seventh year they were to let the land rest (25:1-5).  Planting, harvesting, and pruning were not permitted during the seventh year.  Allowing the land to rest for a year would allow the soil to be revitalized.  The Israelites were, however, permitted to eat whatever the land produced naturally during the seventh year (25:6-7).  The sabbatical year was also a time when all debts were forgiven (Deuteronomy 15:1-11) and slaves were released (Deuteronomy 15:12-18).

The year of jubilee took place every fiftieth year (25:8-10a).  Moses described the year of jubilee saying, “Set this year apart as holy, a time to proclaim freedom throughout the land for all who live there. It will be a jubilee year for you, when each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors and return to your own clan” (25:10, NLT).  The Israelites would rest from their labor and return to the land that belonged to their ancestors (25:11-13) during this year.  There were rules concerning buying and selling of land in relation to the year of jubilee and they mainly centered on making sure the price was fair according to how many harvests were left until the next jubilee (25:14-17).  The more harvests, the higher the price of the land.  God also wanted the nation of Israel to rely on His provision during the seventh year when they would not plant or harvest (25:18-22).  If they obeyed God and followed God’s laws, He would provide a large harvest in the sixth year that would continue to provide into the eighth and ninth year (25:21-22).

Various laws were given regarding the buying and selling of land.  Since God had given the land to the nation of Israel, they were only stewards of it; therefore, the land was never to be permanently sold (25:23).  If an Israelite fell on hard times and had to sell a part of his land, a close relative was to buy it back for him or maybe he would be able to buy it back at a later time; however, if it was not able to be purchased back, the land would be returned to him in the year of jubilee (25:25-28).  There were two exceptions to the land being returned in the year of jubilee.  A house in a walled city could be purchased only a year from the sale and would not be returned in the year of jubilee (25:29-31).  Another exception to this rule was that the Levites always had the right to buy back a house that was sold in one of the towns given to them (25:32-34).

God also gives some instructions concerning the poor (25:35-38) and slaves (25:39-55).  If a man became poor, others were obligated to help him without charging interest for the money that they had lent him (25:35-38).  The poor were to be treated with respect and compassion during their time of struggle (25:43).  If a man becomes poor and sells himself into slavery, fellow Hebrews were not to treat him as a slave but as a hired servant (25:39-40).  In the year of jubilee, that servant was to be freed to return to his family (25:41-42).  The Israelites were permitted to purchase slaves from the nations surrounding them, but they were to never treat their fellow Hebrews as slaves (25:44-46).  Any Israelite who falls on hard times and sells himself into slavery could be bought back by a family member or they could even redeem themselves if they became prosperous (25:47-53).  If a Hebrew was still considered a slave during the year of jubilee, he was to be released along with any of his family members who were also in slavery.  Israel was once a slave to Egypt and God had delivered them, so the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee were visible expressions of the freedom that Israel had experienced through God’s mercy.

Dear God, thank You for having mercy on me and I now pray that You would help me to show that same mercy to others.

The book of Leviticus is clearly a guidebook for the nation of Israel to maintain proper worship of the one, true God who had delivered them from Egyptian bondage and would soon give them residence in the land of Canaan.  God wanted to ensure that the Israelites would not be influenced or involved in worshiping other gods like many of the nations that surrounded them so the words written in Leviticus revealed what was expected from them.  Issues significant to Israel’s worship were contained in this book and included matters such as offerings/sacrifices (Leviticus 1:1-7:38), priestly duties (Leviticus 8:1-10:20), uncleanness in worship (Leviticus 11:1-16:34), and individual holiness (Leviticus 17:1-27:34).  Since Leviticus 17 Moses had been writing concerning how a person could maintain holiness and purity before God.  The topics he addressed with the nation of Israel regarding their holiness were sacrifice and food (Leviticus 17), sexual behavior (Leviticus 18),  relationships to friends and family (Leviticus 19), capital punishment (Leviticus 20), behavior of priests (Leviticus 21-22), religious festivals (Leviticus 23), ceremonial/moral regulations (Leviticus 24), and laws regarding special years (Leviticus 25).

The first nine verses of Leviticus 24 discuss ceremonial regulations relating to the care of items in the tabernacle such as the golden lampstand (24:1-4) and the bread (24:5-9).  Moses had already detailed the design (Exodus 25:31-39), construction (Exodus 37:17-24), and location of the golden lampstand in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:24-25) and these verses were a reminder that the golden lampstand was to be fueled continually by pure oil of pressed olives.  This was important since this golden lampstand provided light in the holy place.  Instructions were also given concerning the bread which was placed on the table of shewbread in the tabernacle.  Although the table of shewbread is discussed in Exodus 25:23-30, Leviticus 24:5-9 reveals that there were to be twelve loaves of bread divided into two piles of six (24:6).  In front of each pile, incense was to be burned as a memorial offering (24:7).  The bread was to be replaced each Sabbath and given to the priests for them to eat in the holy place (24:8-9).

Leviticus 24:10-23 provides some additional moral regulations for the people of Israel as well as some reminders concerning issues which have already been mentioned.  In order to warn against the sin of blasphemy, a historical example is given involving an Israelite, whose mother was an Israelite and father was an Egyptian, who blasphemes the name of the Lord and curses (24:10-11a).  In this situation, the blasphemous act was either wishing a curse on someone else in the name of the Lord or simply cursing God.  The punishment in this case was a little confusing since the blaspheming man was of mixed descent.  Instead of punishing the man immediately, he was brought before Moses and they took him into custody until the mind of the Lord regarding this matter was shown to them (24:11b-12).  When the mind of the Lord was revealed in this circumstance the man was taken outside the camp and those who heard his blasphemy laid their hands on his head, probably as witnesses against his crime, and he was stoned (24:14, 23).  This example of blasphemy was to serve as a stern reminder that speaking against the name of the Lord or using His name flippantly would not be tolerated in Israel (24:15-16).  Leviticus 24:17-22 reminded the people of Israel that the punishment should fit the crime.  If a man takes the life of another, his life should be taken from him (24:17).  The rest of the crimes mentioned in verses 18-21 were to be repaid according to what was taken from the innocent party.  These laws would be the same for a stranger living in Israel as well as a citizen of Israel (24:22).  The nation of Israel would exist by God’s ceremonial and moral code of conduct.  These commandments were not meant to be restricting but freeing.  When the people obeyed, they would experience the blessings of God.

Dear God, may my obedience lead to Your blessings in my life.

Individuals who were a part of the nation of Israel could remain holy and pure before God by obeying the guidelines set forth in such matters as sacrifice and food (Leviticus 17), sexual behavior (Leviticus 18),  relationships to friends and family (Leviticus 19), capital punishment (Leviticus 20), and behavior of priests (Leviticus 21-22); however, there were also ways that the nation as a whole could remain right with God, which were expressed in celebrating religious festivals.  These national expressions of worship were detailed in Leviticus 23 and include the Sabbath (23:3), Passover/Feast of Unleavened Bread (23:5-8), Feast of Firstfruits (23:9-14), Feast of Weeks (23:15-22), Feast of Trumpets (23:23-25), Day of Atonement (23:26-32), and the Feast of Tabernacles (23:33-44).  Each of these feasts were an appointed time when Israel was to come together to publicly display their worship of God.  If Israel wanted to maintain a proper relationship with God they would need to celebrate these festivals according to the instructions given by God.

Although the Sabbath is the only weekly display of worship, the mentioning of it reminded the Israelites that they were to work six days and on the seventh day they were to rest (23:3).  The command to keep the Sabbath was established in God’s initial creation and then repeated as a part of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11).  The rest of the celebrations were to be observed yearly.  Here is a listing of the Feasts and some details concerning each one:

Feast: The Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread (23:4-8)
Date: 14th of the first month, March/April on the Jewish calendar, at sunset the Passover begins (23:5).  Feast of Unleavened Bread began on the 15th of the first month and ended on the 21st (23:6)
Purpose: The Passover celebrated God’s delivering of Israel from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12) and the Feast of Unleavened Bread served as a reminder of Israel’s quick departure from Egypt and their related hardships

Feast: Feast of Firstfruits (23:9-14)
Date: 16th of the first month, which would have been celebrated as a part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread
Purpose: The first part of the barley harvest was to be brought to the priest (23:9-11) along with a burnt, grain, and drink offering (23:12-13) as a consecration of the entire harvest to God.

Feast: Feast of Weeks/Harvest or Pentecost (23:15-22)
Date: The 50th day after the Sabbath preceding the Feast of Firstfruits, which would have been around the 6th of May/June (23:15-16)
Purpose: This was a dedication of the wheat harvest to the Lord by offering special sacrifices (23:17-20).  The sacrifices would sanctify Israel and ready her for a new season of work.  Celebrating this feast also reminded Israel to care for the poor if it was in their ability to help (23:22)

Feast: Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah (23:23-25)
Date: the first day of the seventh month, September/October (23:24)
Purpose: Trumpets were blown on this day as a special reminder that the Day of Atonement was approaching.  The day of this feast was to be a day of rest and special offerings/sacrifices were to be made (23:25; Numbers 29:1-6)

Feast: Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur (23:26-32)
Date: 10th day of the seventh month
Purpose: This day was appointed as a time to cleanse the nation and tabernacle from sin.  Full details are given in Leviticus 16.  Israel was to afflict themselves (probably fasting), abstain from work, and offer sacrifices on this day of cleansing.

Feast: Feast of Tabernacles, also Booths or Ingathering (23:33-44)
Date: 15th day of the seventh month and celebrated for 8 days (23:33-34)
Purpose: A feast of thanksgiving for God’s provision of harvest for the year, but also a celebration for God’s protection of the Israelites during the 40 years in the wilderness when they dwelt in tents.  As a remembrance of this time of wandering in the wilderness, the nation of Israel was to live in tents for seven days.

Dear God, help me to often reflect on the good You have done in my life and rejoice in Your work. 

The book of Leviticus provides the Israelites with specific details on how they can properly worship the one, true God.  Four areas of worship are discussed throughout the book including offerings/sacrifices (Leviticus 1:1-7:38), priestly duties (Leviticus 8:1-10:20), uncleanness in worship (Leviticus 11:1-16:34), and individual holiness (Leviticus 17:1-27:34).  Obedience in these areas would bring God’s blessings upon the nation of Israel, but disobedience would result in the judgment of God upon the individual.  The guidelines of proper worship found in the pages of Leviticus would also distinguish Israel, God’s chosen people, from all the other pagan nations surrounding them.  Individual holiness, the current area being studied, helped each person maintain a pure heart before God and others.  Individual holiness includes topics such as  sacrifice and food (Leviticus 17), sexual behavior (Leviticus 18),  relationships to friends and family (Leviticus 19), capital punishment (Leviticus 20), behavior of priests (Leviticus 21-22), religious festivals (Leviticus 23), ceremonial/moral regulations (Leviticus 24), and laws regarding special years (Leviticus 25).  Leviticus 21-22 provide instructions for the priests, those who assisted the Israelites in worshiping God.  These standards for priests were high because God expected them to model holy conduct before the nation of Israel.

Several matters of conduct are defined for the priests in these chapters.  First, priests were to avoid touching dead bodies except in the case of a close relative such as a father, mother, son, daughter, brother, or virgin sister (21:1-4).  Priests were also to keep themselves separate from understood pagan rituals of the culture (21:5-6).  There were restrictions on who priests could marry.  Prostitutes and divorced women were not to be taken as a wife by priests (21:7-8).  If the priest’s daughter became a prostitute, she must be burned by fire in order to maintain purity of the home (21:9).  Leviticus 21:10-15 simply restates the instructions just given.  In the next several verses, the Lord speaks to Moses and demands that any priest who assists the worshiper with sacrifices must not have any physical deformities (21:16-24).  Deformity in the priest may distract the worshiper and would not represent the wholeness of God.  Although a physically deformed priest could not help in matters of sacrifices, he was permitted to eat of the holy and most holy food from the sacrifices (21:22).

In Leviticus 22 the Lord gave Aaron regulations for the priests to remain ceremonially clean while performing any of the priestly duties (22:1-2).  Any priest who performs duties while unclean was to be “cut off” from the presence of the Lord (22:3).  Leviticus 22:9 indicates that performing priestly duties while unclean could result in death.  The Lord listed some of the things that would make a priest unclean, but also described how he could again become clean (22:4-8).  Some of the things which would render a priest unclean were skin disease, contact with a dead body, having an emission of semen, touching an unclean animal, or touching someone who is ceremonially unclean.  God also provides further instructions regarding the people within the priest’s household who were able to eat of the sacred offerings made by worshipers (22:10-13).  Anyone who ate of the sacred offering but was not permitted to do so was required to make restitution and then pay an additional twenty percent (22:14-16).

The concluding verses of Leviticus 22 define acceptable and unacceptable sacrifices.  If a burnt offering (Leviticus 1; 6:8-13), peace offering (Leviticus 3; 7:11-36), or any special offering was made to the Lord, the animal must be without defect (22:18-21).  Any defect or deformity in an animal used for sacrifice would not be accepted (22:22-25).  Furthermore, animals younger than seven days were not be used as a sacrifice (22:26-27) nor should a new mother be offered as a sacrifice (22:28).  The Lord also reminds the priests that a thanksgiving offering was to offered properly and the entire sacrificial animal was to be eaten on the same day it was offered (22:29-30).  Obedience to these instructions was to be observed because God had delivered them from Egypt and expected them not to profane His name through disobedience (22:31-33).

Dear God, You’ve delivered me from sin and now I pray that You would make me obedient to Your ways. 

In the last of four sections in the book of Leviticus, Moses writes concerning maintaining individual holiness.  Several issues are mentioned under the section of individual holiness including sacrifice and food (Leviticus 17), sexual behavior (Leviticus 18), relationships to friends and family (Leviticus 19), capital punishment (Leviticus 20), behavior of priests (Leviticus 21-22), religious festivals (Leviticus 23), ceremonial/moral regulations (Leviticus 24), and laws regarding special years (Leviticus 25).  In this particular passage, God instructs Moses and nation of Israel concerning penalties for breaking the law.  Most of the crimes mentioned in this chapter are punishable by death.  Why such a harsh punishment for the crimes mentioned?  God wanted Israel, His chosen people, to understand the seriousness of sin.  Proper punishment for sin was necessary to prevent others from committing the same crimes.  Throughout the scriptures the death penalty was reserved for the most heinous crimes such as premeditated murder (Exodus 21:12), kidnapping (Exodus 21:16), disrespect for parents (Exodus 21:17), adultery (Leviticus 20:10), homosexuality (Leviticus 20:13), blasphemy (Leviticus 24:13-16, 23), and idolatry (Deuteronomy 13:6-10).

Several crimes punishable by death are specifically mentioned in Leviticus 20.  First, any individual who offered their child as a sacrifice to the false god, Molech, was to be stoned with stones (20:1-3).  The death penalty would also include anyone who hid their eyes from such a crime (20:4-5).  Another crime which was to be punished by death was necromancy, which was a summoning of the spirits (20:6, 27).  Persistent rebellion and disrespect for parents was to be punished by putting that child to death (20:9).  Adultery (20:10), incest (20:11-12, 17), homosexuality (20:13), polygamy (20:14), bestiality (20:15-16), and intercourse during a woman’s menstrual cycle (20:18) were to be punished by putting the offenders to death.  Other forms of incest are mentioned in Leviticus 20:19-21 but the punishment seems to be barrenness instead of death.

The teaching on capital crimes ends with God commanding the Israelites to obey all of the instructions which had been given to them by the mouth of Moses (20:22).  Obeying the Lord’s commandments would keep them distinct from the pagan nation that currently inhabited the Promised Land (20:23-24).  The concluding verses of Leviticus 20 remind the people of Israel that God had set them apart from all other nations to make them a holy people as He was a holy God (20:25-26).  Disobedience to His ways would not be tolerated.  Prior to giving His law, God had told the nation of Israel, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.  And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6).

Dear God, may I walk in Your ways and obey Your commandments. 

The book of Leviticus is neatly divided into four areas of proper worship before God: offerings/sacrifices (Leviticus 1:1-7:38), priestly duties (Leviticus 8:1-10:20), uncleanness in worship (Leviticus 11:1-16:34), and individual holiness (Leviticus 17:1-27:34).  All that is written in Leviticus comes directly from the mouth of God and recorded by the hand of Moses, who then gave these guidelines to the nation of Israel.  If Israel wanted to maintain a proper relationship with God and each other, they would need to carefully follow those things written in this book.  In this final area concerning individual holiness (Leviticus 17:1-27:34), a number of issues are mentioned including sacrifice and food (Leviticus 17), sexual behavior (Leviticus 18), relationships to friends and family (Leviticus 19), capital punishment (Leviticus 20), behavior of priests (Leviticus 21-22), religious festivals (Leviticus 23), ceremonial/moral regulations (Leviticus 24), and laws regarding special years (Leviticus 25).  Leviticus 19 primarily focuses on holy living in relationships between family and friends.  The way a person interacted with friends and family revealed much about an individual’s holiness and the Israelites were to strive to be holy because God is holy (19:1-2).  Children could maintain a proper relationship with their parents if they would revere or respect them (19:3a).  Honoring one’s father and mother is the fifth commandment given in the law and was imperative to the structure of any society (Exodus 20:12).  Also, an individual could maintain a proper relationship with God if he would keep the Sabbath (19:3b), not worship idols (19:4), and observe the peace offering according to given instructions (19:5-8).  God also established the principle of gleaning, which was leaving the corners of the fields and fallen grapes for the poor to harvest (19:9-10).

In Leviticus 19:11-18 Moses writes concerning some general principles which promoted good relationships between neighbors.  Stealing (19:11a), lying (19:11b-12), and cheating/robbing (19:13) would not be tolerated among the people of Israel.  Mistreatment of the disabled (19:14), injustice (19:15), gossip (19:16), hatred/bitterness (19:17), and vengeance (19:18) were not to characterize the people of Israel.  Instead, loving your neighbor as yourself was to be the guiding principle in all of their relationships (19:18b).

Leviticus 19:19-37 reveals some various regulations.  Leviticus 19:19 prohibits mixing certain things, which may have been a pagan practice and Israel was to remain distinct.  Leviticus 19:20-22 requires punishment of a man who commits adultery with a betrothed slave.  This is an exception to the death penalty which was required for adultery in most cases (20:10).  Leviticus 19:23-25 required that the Israelites not eat from fruit trees for four years after entering the Promised Land.  The fruit from the first three years was considered unclean and the fruit of the fourth year was to be offered to the Lord.  They were permitted to eat the fruit in the fifth year.  Leviticus 19:26-31 specifically names several practices from which the Israelites were to abstain because they were associated with pagan practices of their culture.  Many of these practices were closely related to worship of false gods.  Leviticus 19:32-34 requires Israel to respect the elderly (19:32) and resident aliens (19:33-34).  These two groups of people were not to be mistreated.  Leviticus 19:35-36 required honesty in conducting business with others.  Although there are numerous guidelines given in this passage, the nation of Israel wasexpected to know and obey them.  Obedience to these principles would evidence holiness before God and others.

Dear God, keep me holy in my relationships with others. 

In this final section of the book of Leviticus (Leviticus 17:1-27:34), Moses writes concerning issues of individual holiness including sacrifice and food (Leviticus 17), sexual behavior (Leviticus 18), relationships to friends and family (Leviticus 19), capital punishment (Leviticus 20), behavior of priests (Leviticus 21-22), religious festivals (Leviticus 23), ceremonial/moral regulations (Leviticus 24), and laws regarding special years (Leviticus 25).  Each of these issues was important to remaining pure before God and offering acceptable worship to Him.  Disobedience in any of these areas would render the worshiper unclean and cause him to be in danger of God’s judgment.  Leviticus 18 provided vivid instructions regarding sexual practices among the nation of Israel.  Many of the pagan nations surrounding Israel included immoral, sexual behavior in their religious ceremonies, but God demanded that the Israelites remain distinct in their worship (18:1-5).  Rather than allowing their flesh to rule sexual behavior, the people of Israel would need to remain pure and abide by God’s commands in order to worship Him properly.

A sexual behavior that would not be tolerated in Israel was the sin of incest (18:6-18).  Although many circumstantial situations are given in these verses, the principle is clearly stated in Leviticus 18:6, “ You must never have sexual relations with a close relative, for I am the Lord” (NLT).  They were to abstain from incestuous relationships because God demanded sexual purity among His people.  Any Israelite involved in incest would be in violation of God’s revealed commands, making their worship unacceptable to God.  Worship of God and disobedience to God cannot co-exist.  A couple more laws for sexual behavior were given in Leviticus 18:19-23.  First, a man was not permitted to have sexual intercourse with a woman while she was having her menstrual cycle (18:19).  Secondly, adultery would not be tolerated in Israel (18:20).  Any man involved in a sexual relationship with another man’s wife would become defiled.  Next, Leviticus 18:21 reads, “Do not permit any of your children to be offered as a sacrifice to Molech, for you must not bring shame on the name of your God. I am the Lord” (NLT).  Since this section is dealing with immoral sexual behavior, this verse was probably a prohibition of parents offering their children as temple prostitutes, as was customary in pagan worship.  Another sexual behavior that would not be tolerated among the Israelites was the sin of homosexuality (18:22).  Moses writes, “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin” (NLT).  The last sexual behavior that would not be permitted in Israel was the sin of bestiality, which was the practice of a human being having sexual relations with an animal (18:23).  All of these practices were a violation of God’s intention for sexual behavior.  The requirements for sexual behavior are clear.  Moses emphatically states, “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for the people I am driving out before you have defiled themselves in all these ways” (18:24, NLT).  The Canaanites were the ones God would drive out of Israel’s land and any Israelite who disobeyed these commands would encounter the same fate as these pagan people (18:25-30).  The nation of Israel was to commit themselves wholly to God and His ways if they wanted to be blessed by God.

Dear God, keep me sexually pure. 

Leviticus 17 begins the last section of a book which details how an individual could properly worship and obey God.  Thus far in Leviticus instructions have been given concerning the five sacrifices observed in worship (Leviticus 1:1-7:38), the beginning of the priestly duties (Leviticus 8:1-10:20), and the specifics of uncleanness in worship (Leviticus 11:1-16:34).  Leviticus 17-27 provides guidelines for maintaining individual holiness (Leviticus 17:1-27:34).  If Israel was going to be pleasing to God and distinct from pagan nations surrounding them, they would need to carefully follow all the worship guidelines in this book.  In this section relating to individual holiness, Moses writes about sacrifice and food (Leviticus 17), sexual behavior (Leviticus 18), relationships to friends and family (Leviticus 19), capital punishment (Leviticus 20), behavior of priests (Leviticus 21-22), religious festivals (Leviticus 23), ceremonial/moral regulations (Leviticus 24), and laws regarding special years (Leviticus 25).  Failure to obey these instructions given by God would result in judgment, but obedience would bring blessing (Leviticus 26).

In Leviticus 17 there are two requirements given in relation to sacrifices and eating meat: the commandment to sacrifice only at the tabernacle (17:1-9) and the commandment against eating blood (17:10-16).   Sacrifices were not to be offered any other place than at the door of the tabernacle of meeting (17:5-7).  Any sacrifice made outside of the tabernacle would invite God’s judgment on that individual and remove him from the people (17:3-4, 8-9).  Offering sacrifices in the tabernacle would also ensure that Israel would not be tempted to make offerings to false gods, as was the practice of pagan nations (17:7).  The second requirement relating to sacrifices and eating meat was that the Israelites must abstain from eating blood since the “life of the flesh is in the blood” (17:10-12).  Blood is special to God since it signifies life and abstaining from eating it evidences a respect for life.  Furthermore, blood was used to make atonement for sin and therefore sacred to God as the element which symbolizes forgiveness or covering of sin.  Anyone who would eat blood was to be cut off from the people.  Moses also writes concerning the blood of animals who are killed while being hunted.  If a hunter caught an animal, the blood was to be poured out and covered with dust because blood represented life (17:13-14).  If someone eats an animal that died naturally or had been killed by another animal, his clothes needed to be washed and then he would need to bathe (17:15).  He would remain unclean until evening (17:15).  Refusal to wash his clothes or bathe after consuming an animal of this type would result in him being found guilty (17:16).  This process was necessary because the blood had not been drained naturally.

Ultimately, blood was not to be consumed because God chose it as the element by which a sinner is forgiven.  The shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross brought life to all who would believe in Him as the atoning sacrifice for sin.  Blood was sacred and to be respected by the worshiper.  Any violation of these requirements would result in the judgment of the individual.

Dear God, thank You for providing life to the sinner through the blood of Jesus Christ.