Leviticus

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Leviticus

• The Priests Manual

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Types of Sacrifices

• Sin offering. Got rid of contamination to
  sanctuary caused by transgressions
• Burnt offering. Expressed worshipers deepest
  thanksgiving and dedication.
• Peace offering. A meal shared by worshipping
  family.
• Sacrifice of Christ on the cross expresses all
  three of these functions.

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Chief Events at Sinai (P)

• Erection and dedication of tabernacle (Exod
  25-31 35-40)
• Ordination of priesthood (Leviticus 8)
• First sacrifice (Leviticus 9)
• Fire came out from the LORD and consumed the
  burnt offering and the fat on the altar and when
  all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on
  their faces. 924

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Old Calendars

• Exod 2314-17
• Unleavened bread
• Harvest
• Ingathering
• Exod 3418-26
• Unleavened bread
• Weeks
• Ingathering

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Later Calendar Leviticus 23

• Sabbath
• Passover on 1-14 and Unleavened bread on 1-15 to
  1-21
• Weeks
• New Year on 7-1
• Day of Atonement on 7-10
• Feast of Tabernacles 7-15

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Day of Atonement (Lev 16)

• Only time of year when High Priest allowed in
  Holy of Holies
• High Priest offered bull as a sin offering for
  himself and his household
• Blood from goat--purged sanctuary of defilement
  from transgressions altar atoned for with blood
  from bull and goat
• Goat for Azazel--sins of people carried away

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Sabbatical year Jubilee year

• Sabbatical or Seventh year
• Jubilee after seven sabbatical years
• Proclaim liberty throughout the land
• Land returned to family which originally owned it
• Yahweh alone owns land we are resident aliens
• slaves freed
• no record of historical observance, but...

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Other Social Laws in OT

• Exod 21 male slaves freed in 7th year Deut 15
  male female slaves freed in 7th year Lev 25
  slaves freed at Jubilee
• Deut 151-6 debts cancelled in 7th year Deut
  157-11 Do not refuse a loan as sabbatical year
  approaches Lev 25 debts cancelled at Jubilee
• Lev 2634 2 Chr 3621 land enjoyed its sabbaths
  during the exile

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Clean and Unclean

• Holy--Common/Normal Clean---Unclean
• Health reasons? Trichinosis? Easily spoiled
  shellfish?
• Avoidance of Canaanite/Babylonian practices?
• Discipline (Letter of Aristeas)

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Clean and Unclean (cont.)

• Pollution occurs when bodily processes disturb
  the harmony of the cosmos
• Milgrom life vs. death (blood, semen)
• M. P. Carroll nature and culture. (Animals
  which eat meat are trespassing in the realm of
  culture)
• Many forbidden animals the surrounding nations
  few clean animals the Israelites

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Kinds of unclean things

• priestly contact with the dead 211-4
• women at childbirth 121-5
• skin diseases (psoriasis or fungal) chaps 13-14
  (give person an appearance of death)
• menstruation 1519-24 genital discharges
  152-12, 25-27
• animals that do not have cloven hoofs (camels) or
  that do not chew the cud (pigs-reviled in ANE
  chthonic cults) chap 11

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History of Tabernacle

• Tent in wilderness period (inside or outside
  camp)
• Tent, or building, at Shiloh (Eli and Samuel)
• Tent of David
• Temple of Solomon
• Ps account gives us cross section through this
  whole history 1.25 tons of gold 4 tons silver 3
  tons of bronze

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Tabernacle

• God tabernacled with Israel
• Levites camped in inner circle
• East Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun (Leahs
  children)
• South Reuben, Simeon (Leahs children), and Gad
  (Zilpah-L)
• West Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin (Rachels
  children)
• North Dan (Bilhah-R) Asher (Zilpah-L),
  Naphtali (Bilhah-R)

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Ark

• Sign of Yahwehs presence in Holy War
• Arise, O Yahweh, and let your enemies be
  scattered (Num 1035-36)
• Cherubim on lid deposited in sanctuary
• Box to contain Decalogue (Deuteronomy)
• Fate of ark? Jer 316-17 2 Macc 24-8 (tent,
  ark, and incense altar)
• Mercy Seat (post-exile)

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What Happened at Sinai Numbers 11-1010

• 1 Census of first generation
• 511-31 Ordeal for woman accused of adultery
• 622-27 Aaronic benediction

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What Happened in the Wilderness Num 1011-2013

• 114-35 spirit of Moses put on 70 elders Eldad
  and Medad prophesy in the camp
• 121-16 Moses marries Cushite Miriam leprous.
  Has God spoken only through Moses?
• 131-1445 spies despising of the gift of the
  land led to death outside the land alarm at
  strength of inhabitants

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What Happened in the Wilderness Numbers
1011-2013

• 16 Korah-Dathan-Abiram
• Korahites vs. exclusive priesthood of Aaron
  consumed by fire Dathan and Abiram vs.
  authority of Moses--Egypt was a land flowing with
  milk and honey swallowed by earth
• 17 Aarons rod Levites preeminent over other
  tribes
• 20 Miriam dies Moses and Aaron excluded from the
  land

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What Happened from Kadesh to the Plains of Moab
Numbers 2014-3613

• 2022-29 death of Aaron Eleazar HP
• 221-2425 Balaam Magic wont work against
  Israel archaic poetry
• 251-5 Incident at Baal Peor
• 256-18 Zeal of Phinehas
• 26 Census of second generation
• 271-11 361-13 Daughters of Zelophehad