Due to Israel’s position on the globe, the seasons “don’t match” with those in the U.S. So, while some of us deal with snow in December, those in ancient (and current) Israel are planting grain. A tablet was found with the following “rhyme” on it (it was probably much better in the original, but we’re dealing with a rough translation):
The two months are olive harvest (September/October) The two months are planting grain (November/December) The two months are late planting (January/February) The month is hoeing up of flax (March) The month of barley harvest (April) The month is harvest and festivity (May) The two months are vine tending (June/July) The month of summer fruit (August)
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~~~~~Lesson: Leviticus: Chapters 26-27
Today's reading covers both the blessings God promised to bestow upon the Israelites if they obeyed his commands and the punishments for not doing so. Can you list one blessing God has given you? God, in this section, also lays down the many curses that will fall on the Israelites if they don’t follow his commands. Do you think that God curses us today as punishment? Why or why not? ~Reading: Chapters 26 & 27 Chapter 26:3-16 "If you live in accordance with my precepts and are careful to observe my commandments, I will give you rain in due season, so that the land will bear its crops, and the trees their fruit; your threshing will last till vintage time, and your vintage till the time for sowing, and you will have food to eat in abundance, so that you may dwell securely in your land. I will establish peace in the land, that you may lie down to rest without anxiety. I will rid the country of ravenous beasts, and keep the sword of war from sweeping across your land. You will rout your enemies and lay them low with your sword. Five of you will put a hundred of your foes to flight, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand of them, till they are cut down by your sword. I will look with favor upon you, and make you fruitful and numerous, as I carry out my covenant with you. So much of the old crops will you stored up for food that you will have to discard them to make room for the new. I will set my Dwelling among you, and will not disdain you. Ever present in your midst, I will be your God, and you will be my people; for it is I, the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of the Egyptians and freed you from their slavery, breaking the yoke they had laid upon you and letting you walk erect. "But if you do not heed me and do not keep all these commandments, if you reject my precepts and spurn my decrees, refusing to obey all my commandments and breaking my covenant, then I, in turn, will give you your deserts. I will punish you with terrible woes- with wasting and fever to dim the eyes and sap the life. You will sow your seed in vain, for your enemies will consume the crop...” [more descriptions of punishments]. Chapter 27: paraphrased Redemption of votive offerings and things that cannot be redeemed (as they already belong to the Lord). The name of the land “Palestine” is from the Philistines, who invaded the land in approximately 1200 b.c. This same section of land has been known as Canaan, by the names of the twelve tribes (such as “in the land of Dan” or “Asher”), Judah, Israel, Judea, and Galilee, among many others.
Source: MJF Books. (2006.) Everyday Living: Bible Times and Lifes. Thomas Nelson, Inc. New York, NY. ~~~~~Lesson: Leviticus: Chapters 24-25 (reading after lesson)
The Jubilee year, as you read, happened every 49 years...during that year, all property reverted back to the family who originally owned it. Do you think this rule could be applied to our society (the land being divided up, and reverting to the original owning family every fifty years)? Do you think it would work? Why or why not? I'm going to copy the entire section here (24:17-22) "Whoever takes the life of any human being shall be put to death; whoever takes the life of an animal shall make restitution of another animal. A life for a life! Anyone who inflicts an injury on his neighbor shall receive the same in return. Limb for limb, eye for eye, tooth for tooth! The same injury that a man gives another shall be inflicted on him in return. Whoever slays an animal shall make restitution, but whoever slays a man shall be put to death. You shall have but one rule, for alien and native alike. I, the Lord, am your God." This is a very heated debate in our society today: abortion and capital punishment. Now we know that Jesus redeemed us from all sin and gave us salvation. This freed us from following the Law of the Old Testament. I'm sure we'll all be nice, but I would like a good discussion: What is your view on abortion....Does it agree or disagree with the Old Testament? Does it agree or disagree with the New Testament? What is your view on capital punishment (the death penalty)...Does it agree or disagree with the Old Testament? Does it agree or disagree with the New Testament? ~Reading: Leviticus: Chapters 24-25 Chapter 24:17-22 "Whoever takes the life of any human being shall be put to death; whoever takes the life of an animal shall make restitution of another animal. A life for a life! Anyone who inflicts an injury on his neighbor shall receive the same in return. Limb for limb, eye for eye, tooth for tooth! The same injury that a man gives another shall be inflicted on him in return. Whoever slays an animal shall make restitution, but whoever slays a man shall be put to death. You shall have but one rule, for alien and native alike. I, the Lord, am your God." Chapter 25: 3-4, 8-10 (3-4) "For six years you may sow your field, and for six years prune your vineyard, gathering in their produce. But during the seventh year the land shall have a complete rest, a Sabbath for the Lord, when you may neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard." (8-10)"Seven weeks of years shall you count- seven times seven years- so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years. Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month let the trumpet resound; on this, the Day of Atonement, the trumpet blast shall re-echo throughout your land. This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to his own property, every one to his own family estate." The clothes of the priests were made of plain linen. The high priests’ clothing were passed on to his successor upon his death.
~~~~~ Lesson: Leviticus: Chapter 23
I think it is really important for our understanding of the New Testament to see the foundation for the behavior of everyone of the time. And that foundation can be found in the Old Testament. Of all the sacred days, feasts, and celebrations, the first that God talks about it the Sabbath. How many of us, traveling across country, would actually stop for one whole day on our journey for the Sabbath? (Be honest…I admit that my answer is ‘no’.) What do you think has changed in life that the ancient Israelites traveling through great hardship would observe the Sabbath and, often, we don't today? There are seven feasts listed in the reading section. Question: Please go pick one....do some research on the internet, or in your bible, or in other religious books. Come back and state two facts about that feast that you did not know before. I'll be posting the discussion topics on our next post date- this is a lot of information and I want to give everyone a chance to read it & think about it before throwing questions at you!
Leviticus: Chapter 23 covers the "Sabbath, Feasts, and Seasons" of the Israelites. It is a very informing experience to look at the list, and then compare it a bit to what we celebrate today (and realize that we even celebrate some of the same things, 4,000-5,000 years later!). Feel free to read the chapter in the Bible if you want. I am going to lay out the "events" in a different format. First of all, the Hebrews and we are on different calendars! Use this as a reference as we do a quick overview of the Holy Days, Weeks, Etc. of the Hebrew Year. 1st month- Nisan-----late March-early April 2nd month- Iyar-----late April-early May 3rd month- Sivan-----late May-early June 4th month- Tammuz-----late June-early July 5th month- Ab-----late July- early August 6th month- Elul-----late August-early September 7th month- Tishri-----late September-early October 8th month- Heshvan-----late October-early November 9th month- Chislev-----late November-early December 10th month- Tebeth-----late December-early January 11th month- Shebat-----late January-early February 12th month- Adar-----late February-early March Obviously, there was the Sabbath day each week to be observed. Leviticus 23:1-3- The Lord said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: The following are the festivals of the Lord, my feast days, which you shall celebrate with a sacred assembly.” "For six days work may be done; but the seventh day is the Sabbath rest, a day for sacred assembly, on which you shall do no work. The Sabbath shall belong to the Lord wherever you dwell." Now we have seven annual feasts (though they sometimes run consecutively [like Good Friday and then Easter Monday] to add to the confusion!). A. Passover- also called Pesach (celebrated on 10th or 14th [depends on bible] day of the first month of the Hebrew calendar, Nisan. Commemoration of the night that God stuck down the firstborn of Egypt while sparing the Israelites. B. Feast of Unleavened Bread- also called Mazzot (celebrated the seven days directly following Passover). Ate bread without yeast and offered sacrifices to God. C. The Offering of Firstfruits- a slightly "tricky" holiday. The offering of the firstfruits of the barley usually took place during Mazzot. However, the rest of the produce that started to grow/ripen between Passover & Pentecost were offered during the Pentecostal celebration. Main Point: Off first fruits of any harvest to thank God. D. The Feast of Weeks- also called Pentecost- also called Shavout. Occurred seven weeks after Passover. Had a solemn gathering of the people and main purpose was to thank God for the wheat harvest. E. The Feast of Trumpets- celebrated on the first day of the seventh month (Tishri). This feast marked the end of the agricultural year. The blasting of Trumpets (hence its name) was used to announce the coming month, which included the two yearly "feast" or "events." F. Day of Atonement- took place on the tenth day of the seventh month. The High Priest made solemn sacrifice on behalf of everyone in Israel. This was the one day a year that the high priest could enter the most Holy Place. This was, as the name implies, a day of atonement. E. Feast of Booths (also called Feast of Tabernacles or Sukkoth)- took place five days after the Day of Atonement. People "camped out" in small huts that were hastily thrown up in order to recall the time in the desert before taking Canaan. This was a joyous week, time of final celebration before the New Year, and thanksgiving for the year's harvest. Lesson given by St. Basil the Great:
“The halcyon is a seabird that nests by the shore, laying its eggs in the sand, and bringing forth its’ young in the middle of winter when the sea beats against the land in violent and frequent storms. But during the seven days to hatch its young- all winds sink to rest, and the sea grows calm. And as it then is in need of food for its young ones, the most beautiful God grants this little creature another seven days of calm: that it may feed its young. Since all sailors know of this, they this time the name of the 'halcyon days.' These things are ordered by the Providence of God for the creatures that are without reason, that you may be led to seek of God the things you need for your salvation. And when for this small bird he holds back the great and fearful sea, and bids it be calm in winter, what will he not do for you made in his own image? And if he should so tenderly cherish the halcyon, how much more will he not give you, when you call upon him will all your heart?” Question: How do you practice complete trust in God? ~~~~~Lesson: Leviticus 20-22 (reading after lesson)
Almost all of today's readings are rules that we have covered before. The difference is that in this section, the punishment for infringing upon the rules is laid out. This punishment is most usually death! Can you imagine being put to death today because you used the Lord's name in vain? Being put to death because you didn't honor your mother and father?Why do you think that in the Old Testament death was a punishment and in the New grace is counseled? We will go into Aaron, the priesthood, etc. in later books in great detail. ~Reading: Leviticus: Chapters 20-22 (note: Sections in [ ] are my paraphrase of a verse) Leviticus 20:22-27 [1-5: anyone who sacrifices their children will be put to death] [6-8: fortune tellers and those who see them put to death] [9-21: anyone who dishonors mother/father put to death....those who violate sexual rules of conduct put to death.] (22-27) "Be careful to observe all my statues and all my decrees; otherwise the land where I am bringing you to dwell will vomit you out. Do not conform, therefore, to the customs of the nations whom I am driving out of your way, because all these things that they have done have filled me with disgust for them. But to you I have said: Their land shall be your possession, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am giving it to you as your own, I, the Lord, your God, who have set you apart from the other nations. You, too, must set apart then, the clean animals from the unclean, so that you may not be contaminated with the uncleanness of any beast or bird or of any swarming creature in the land that I have set apart for you. To me, therefore, you shall be sacred; for I, the Lord, am sacred, I, who have set you apart from the other nations to be my own. A man or a woman who acts as a medium or fortune-teller shall be put to death by stoning; they have no one but themselves to blame for their death." Chapter 21: Sanctity of the Priesthood and those of Aaron's line excluded from the Priesthood Chapter 22: Further details on proper people to offer sacrifices and what animals are acceptable Cutting of one’s beard or hair was a common sign of mourning. Self-mutilation was also a sign of mourning in some culture/religious groups of the time. Tattooing was believed by pagans to protect the person against demons or evil spirits. It was also used to signify belonging to a certain social class, cult, or religion.
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Jennifer Becker Landsberger
Who am I? Freelance writer (magazines, websites, & copywriting), Catholic, military wife, and Mensan. Double Bachelor's in History & Psychology. Witnessing by charity and love are above all. Studying the Bible and beyond helps me on this quest. Feel free to join my walk into the Bible.
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If you found the information helpful, even a small donation would be wonderful! Thank you & God bless you. ~~~Prayer before Writing-
Oh creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with a loving knowledge of you, that I may bring you like to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries what you have revealed. Categories
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To my readers & fellow writers,
I promise: 1. I will pray that God's grace helps illuminate all of our interactions- both those of simple reading and more active conversations. 2. I will communicate with you respectfully and civilly. These are (rightly) issues which we feel passionate about. But even in disagreements, I will respect you fellow "seekers of truth." 3. I will not fall into negative behavior or words, such as insinuations, exaggerations, blames, or personal attacks. I respectfully ask you to do the same. 4. I will pray we will all find the truth and strive to fulfill the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) This site will occasionally feature paid posts! I always 100% verify everything I endorse. You will not see posts for products or sites I would not use myself.
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