Category: Leviticus

THE HEART OF THE TORAH

4/5/2013

Hebrews 9:28

Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

            The middle verse of the Tanach says, "Now Moses diligently inquired about the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it was burned up!" (Leviticus 10:16). To understand what happens in this passage we must go back to chapter 9 when the grand-priesthood inauguration begins.

            Hashem, who is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24) had established a very serious protocol whereby Israel was to approach him. Moses gave very specific instructions about it. Nadab and Abihu, two of the sons of Aaron were careless in their application of the protocol and were utterly burned by the fire of God as they approached the Sanctuary in an unauthorized manner (Leviticus 10:1—3). Aaron was obviously devastated and in mourning but he and his other two sons were in the middle of the grand inauguration (Leviticus 9) so they couldn’t stop for mourning; Aaron therefore held his peace (Leviticus 10:3).

            Some may argue that God’s punishment of Nadab and Abihu was out of proportions and could be qualified as the tantrums of a capricious deity, but instead of reviewing God’s actions, maybe we should review our own sense of what is important and what is not. Intersection with God is not to be taken lightly. There may also be more to the event than meets the eye!

            Part of the priesthood’s inauguration was that Aaron and his sons were to eat sections of the goat offered as a olah עולה, burnt offering inside the Tabernacle precinct. Moses couldn’t find that goat so he searched diligently for it until he discovered that it had been fully consumed. The patriarch then got angry and asked for an explanation to which Aaron answered,

Behold, today they have offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before Adonai, and yet such things as these have happened to me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would Adonai have approved?" (Leviticus 10:19).

            What happens here is that Aaron reminds Moses that it was unpleasing to God for a priest to do office while in sadness or mourning (Deuteronomy 26:14; 16:11), a theme even found later among Semitic kings (Nehemiah 2:1-2). So because he was uncontrollably saddened at the death of his two sons, Aaron felt he could not do proper justice to that part of the service which he then forewent. Moses was pleased with the explanation (Leviticus 10:20).

            What is to be noticed here is that this center verse of the Torah verse tells us to "search diligently" for the goat of the sin offering which is an early representation of Yeshua’s covering. Therefore the central goal of studying to Torah is the search for Messiah's covering.

            The Talmud explains that the death of Aaron’s sons is not really justifiable, so that it can only be counted as the ‘death of the righteous which creates atonement for others’, a very prevalent theme in Biblical text. Whether we agree or not with the Talmud’s interpretation, since Yeshua is our High-Priest as well as our covering (Hebrews 9:25), this is an idea that very much fits the theme of the priestly inauguration.

            May we also spend our lives seeking diligently to approach God through the atonement of Yeshua.

P. Gabriel Lumbroso

For P. Gabriel Lumbroso's devotional UNDER THE FIG TREE in Kindle edition click here.

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THE HEAVENLY ADAM

3/14/2013

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.2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become
the righteousness of God.

Reading much differently from its English processed translations, the original Hebrew text of the second verse of the first chapter of the Book of Leviticus presents interesting messianic insights. I do not believe that the English misreading is due to any conspiratory voluntary malefic action, but rather to a reading with an already established theology. We must also realize that a translation always carries the bias of the translator; it is merely a commentary in another language. I heard it said one time that reading the Bible through a translation is like kissing a bride through a veil!

The usual translations of the verse read something to the effect of: “When any one of you brings an offering to ADONAI … (Lev. 1:2), but a more literal translation of the text would read, (my translation) “When a man from among you (you: 2nd person plural) desires to come near Me with n offering …” The word for ‘man’ is adam אדם, the same as the name of the first man Adam. This did not pass the attention of Chassidic teacher Rabbi Schneur Zalman. In 1812 The Rabbi suggested a deeper meaning in the verse; he came to the messianic conclusion of the existence of a supernatural/spiritual Adam who approaches Hashem on the behalf of Israel. Based on the vision of Ezekiel in which he saw ‘a figure with the appearance of an Adam, Jewish teachings sometime offer the idea of a heavenly Adam; it is to this spiritual Adam the Rabbi refers to.

This may sound far-fetched, but only until we read Paul teaching along the same lines in. The Apostle says, "The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:47). Understanding that everything on earth was created after an heavenly pattern, we understand that Paul’s accounting of first and second does not refer to importance, but only to the chronology of this Adam’s earthly manifestations.

The Rabbi was right. Israel does have an Adam, who approaches Hashem on our behalf, and who "lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25 referring to Isaiah 53:12). He is our burnt offering in Hebrew called olah עולה or ‘he that ascends’, an image of a total submission and consumption in God and ascending to him (Lev. 1:3; Matt. 26:39; John 3:13-15). He is our grain offering (Lev. 2:2; Matt. 26:26); our peace offering which is an image of communion and fellowship with Hashem through a meal (Lev. 3:1; John 14:27; Rev. 19:9). He also is our sin offering for involuntary sins (Lev. 4:2; 2 Cor. 5:21 (the word for sin in Hebrew or Greek also means: sin offering); Heb. 9:28); and our guilt offering ((Lev. 5:19; Isa. 53: 10-11).

In studying the eternal offering ordinances in the Book of Leviticus, we learn about Yeshua’s eternal intercessory role in our lives. It is one and the same thing, and since He completes them (Matthew 5:17), if the offerings become obsolete as some teach, Yeshua also becomes obsolete, God forbid!

May we always be granted to confidently approach Hashem through him who is our eternal intercessory offering, in a spirit of submission and humility, in full knowledge of our sin, and personal unworthiness.

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ADONAI THE SHIELD

3/12/2013

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Hebrew 4:16
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

This week we are studying the gory details of the beginning of the Book of Leviticus concerning the Levitical offerings. These consist of an uncomfortable text seeming more worthy of a conversation between butchers than a spiritual manual on the concepts of approaching God. Yet, it may surprise many to know that at the age of five, Leviticus used to be the first book required of Jewish children to learn for their spiritual education.

Today, because there is no temple, the Book of Leviticus is 'tossed under the bus' of irrelevancy. Yet, in full knowledge of what will happen to the Temple, Hashem gave these important words as part of the main oracles of his manifestation on Mt Horeb; they are a substantial part of the Tanach תנך. How come so many people dare to can claim the words of Hashem irrelevant and obsolete just because they sometime seem so far removed from their current culture that they don't understand it?

In spite of Paul's statement that the Levitical offerings were never intended for salvation (Heb. 9:9), many people endorse the notion that the Levitical offerings were for the purpose of sin atonement and that therefore they are obsolete in these post Yeshua-death-and-resurrection days. If it is so, somehow Yeshua forgot to inform the disciples who lived with him for three years, as in the Book of Acts, they attend the twice daily worship times at the Temple, which consists of an animal offering (Acts 3:1). Also, when Paul came to Jerusalem, he paid the expenses for the animal offerings to break not only his own Nazarite vow, but that of four other Jewish believers in Yeshua (Acts 21). History books tell us that Jewish believers in Israel actually continued Temple attendance until it was destroyed. The sacrificial system was never an issue for them; they always understood that for the Jewish people, these were forever ordinances. Yeshua himself said that he did not come to abolish the Torah (that includes the sacrificial system of worship), but to complete it (Matt. 5:17).

A closer look at the Hebrew language used in the text reveals that actually Leviticus is a lesson on approaching God with the protocol, honor, and respect he deserves. It also teaches us the role of Yeshua in our lives. Even the Hebrew word for atonement; kaphar כפר reveals the nature of the offering as not being a ransom, or a price for sins, but a protective covering; a shield. God is holy and a consuming fire towards all that is unclean and impure. We need the protective shield of the Master Yeshua in order to approach Hashem and this is what the Levitical offerings teach us in many levels. David actually called the Messiah: the shield of salvation (Ps. 18:35)..

Thanks be to Hashem. He has provided us the shield/covering of the Lamb to cover our nakedness (Gen. 3:21) that we may approach Him confidently with our requests. Yeshua simply brought the final piece of the puzzle that activated the whole system: his innocent death as a righteous person.

May you and yours also all come under ihs covering, that you may approach the Father with all confidence with your requests.

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LETTER VS INTENT

4/13/2011

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Romans 1:20
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

The eighteenth chapter of Leviticus is the main chapter defining the rules for sexual conduct. If we set the lifestyle recommendations of this chapter by today’s accepted moral we would find ourselves at odds with the Bible. Actually, these words sound more like the moral rhetoric we would find in what we call ‘backward’ societies, or Islamic countries. Of course we can rationalize by saying, “Oh, but these were different times”, but is that right? Is the Bible right for then, and wrong for today? Is God just “backwards”, not in sync’ with the times and therefore should be ignored? I dare say that at the top of the reasons for modern western social problems is failure to comply with His commandments.

Along with outrightly disobeying the Commandments, it is possible to also be what Jewish sages have termed a ‘reprobate by permission’. Here is how it works. Not every action is mentioned in Torah, but what is not mentioned is inferred by the intent of the commandments. For example, pornography, female homosexuality and polygamy are not mentioned or referred to as wrong in the Torah, so those who adhere to strict ‘sola scriptura” (refusing any teaching that is not in the written form of the Bible itself) often conclude that these things are not inherently wrong. Many a Bible teacher strays because of this. These things are only mentioned in the writings of sages and scholars who have studied the Bible and found that these were wrong. This shows that we cannot just study by ourselves. We need the help of those whom God has anointed as teachers and who have understood not only the letter of the Commandment but also the intent. This represented much of Yeshua’s teachings such as in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5,6,7). From killing He helped us understand that the wrong thing was not the actual action of killing but the anger in our heart that was wrong. Same with adultery, he showed us that the intentional looking was wrong, not just the action. The first sign of trying to rationalize the Torah against the voice of the conscience is when we ask “Is it really forbidden in the Word?” We must beware of that tendency.

In our modern times we have learned to look at the Father as this ‘lovey-fuzzey chocolate-candy’ person who understands and is not what people have termed ‘under the law’ or a ‘legalist’ (by the way, what is the difference between legalism and faithful obedience?) We picture God as One who ‘understands’ that we are not that bad of a person inside even if we disobey; that He sees the ‘goodness’ and the ‘real’ us and does not really define us by our actions (well, He sees the ‘real’ us alright!). The story of Nadab and Abihu seems to tell us otherwise (Leviticus 10), and Yeshua’s epistles to the seven Asian congregations also seems to give us quite a few stipulations for His personal approval (Revelations 2 and 3).

When He comes, He will not judge us by today’s twisted so-called modern concepts of morality, righteousness, or even political correctness, but by the commandments of His Words that we are responsible to know.

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TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST ... ?

4/12/2011

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Hebrews 9:24
For Messiah has entered … into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.

Each year in the Fall Leviticus teaches about a day of fasting and repentance called: ‘Yom HaKippurim’ or, ‘The Day of Atonements’ (Leviticus 23:26-32).. This day is usually observed by the Jewish people but not by the Christians. On that day in Israel, the whole country stands still. It’s a day of fasting, rest and prayers. All shops are closed and the only traffic allowed is emergency vehicles. Fall in Israel has the most comfortable weather and it is common on the evening of Yom Kippur for people to stroll down for a walk with their children in the middle of the empty highways and streets.

The first ordinances of Yom Kippur are given us in chapter sixteen, within the context of ritual purity and on the heels of the incident with Nadab and Abihu. This tells us that Yom Kippur is about purity and atonement in order to approach the Almighty in the Tabernacle or later on, the Temple.

Since neither the Tabernacle nor the Temple is present today, one may legitimately ask, ‘What does this have to do with me today?’ Also, the fact that Yeshua is presented as our once for all atonement offering, we may feel that like this ceremony in at this time obsolete.

These are legitimate questions, but they may deserve a little more studying. First, the festivals of Leviticus twenty-three were never identified as the ‘Feasts of the Jews’ as is often done in the Gospels, but rather as the ‘Feasts of the Lord’ (Leviticus 23:2, 44). A Jew is technically a descendant of Judah the son of Jacob, so the term ‘Feast of the Jews’ only relates to the fact that these were celebrated in Jerusalem of Judea. All the inhabitants of Israel had to go or send representatives to Jerusalem for these Feasts, and they have been ordained as a perpetual ordinance for those who follow the God of Israel.

Ritual purity relates to the fact that we are human, so as long as we are in this physical biological state, we are still impure. The fact that Yeshua died to redeem us from that impurity and even to take our sins upon Him does not negate the fact that we are still today in this dimension of sin and impurity. While we are declared sinless and pure before God through the atonement/covering of Yeshua, our actual experience of reality is one marred with imperfection. To say otherwise is to be oblivious to reality. Also to question the remembrance of the facts that brought us back into relationship with the Father is like a husband asking, ‘If I married her, it seems obvious that I love her; why does she need to hear it again … and again?” Or “Why do we have to bother with anniversaries?”

Paul himself mentions about this Yom Kippur fast (Acts 27:9), and he was known for observing the Festivals (Acts 24:14). Again people may have to reconsider what they we have been taught about the relationship of Yeshua’s believers with the Hebrew Scriptures.

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A PEACEFUL MEAL WITH THE PRINCE OF PEACE

3/8/2011

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Ephesians 2:14
For he is our peace …

The beginning of Leviticus presents us with five types of offerings to approach God each carrying a different message. We have lost their meaning in translation but their imagery still reveals their message. These offerings are the physical outward expressions of the longings of the inward heart in seeking to approach God in full communion.

The Sin and Guilt Offerings are mandatory. The Passover lamb and the daily perpetual offerings fall under these categories. The Sin Offering is for the state of being a sinner, the Guilt Offering for sins involuntarily committed (there are not offerings for voluntary sins). You see, we are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. We may have never killed or stolen, but we may have thought or wished it at times through coveting. There is a teaching in Judaism that the last of the Ten Commandments is the reason why we break the nine others. Both God and priest get a share of this offering; the offerer gets nothing.

After we have acknowledged our sinful states, sinful actions and thoughts that result from it, we have the ‘Ascent Offering’ which is the only one that is totally dedicated to God. No one but God gets to partake of it. It is a voluntary offering. After we have cleansed ourselves from sin, the ‘Ascent Offering’ represents a desire for complete utter abandonment to God; a strong desire to perpetually abide with the Almighty. After dedicating our lives to God comes the Meal Offering. The Meal Offering is voluntary and now that we’ve dedicated ourselves to Him, it represents our walk with God. Only priest and God get a share.

After confessing our faults and dedicating our lives to walk with God, we celebrate the Peace Offering; the one we all look forward to as it expresses the completion of our union with God. This is the one we also get a share of along with God and the priests. These usually consisted of lavish parties. God’s fellowship with us has always been expressed by a meal; it was true on Mount Horeb and it will be true at the end of the age (Exodus 24:9-11; Revelations 19:9). That is why the most spiritual thing we can do in this world, the highest act of spirituality we can practice on this earth, is to have a peaceful and joyful meal with our families. It represents our union with God.

It is no wonder that in this day and age of the soon return of the Master, the enemy works like mad (and he is mad and the father of all madness; cursed be his name!) to break up families. When we break up our families we play in the devil’s hands against God’s plan. For decades now, his biggest attacks have been against the family units. First he got everybody distracted away from the daily dinner table which resulted in families breaking apart. Now the very idea of family is being redefined; ugh!

Please Messiah, return soon, even in our days, so we can recline with You at that Peace offering meal with all our brothers and sisters and start the work of bringing back sanity to this world!

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THE HEART OF THE TORAH

THE HEAVENLY ADAM

ADONAI THE SHIELD

LETTER VS INTENT

TO FAST OR NOT TO FAST ... ?

A PEACEFUL MEAL WITH THE PRINCE OF PEACE

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