Leviticus 12:1

Leviticus 12:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Then verse two adds, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.  God now begin to deal with requirements for people's individual purification, beginning with women who had given birth.  This was God's law and applied to all the women of Israel.  If the woman had son, she was to be considered ceremonial unclean for seven days,  Verse three continues, And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.  On the eighth day, the son was to be circumcised.  Verse four concludes, And she shall then continue in the blood of her purifying three and thirty days; she shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purifying be fulfilled.  The woman was to be considered spiritually unclean for another thirty-three days.  During this time, she was to touch nothing considered sacred and was not to go into the sanctuary.  We are so blessed that we today do not have these laws that keep us from God's sanctuary, but through our faith in Jesus Christ we have unlimited, equal access to God and anyplace considered to be His sanctuary.  Verse five states, But if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her separation: and she shall continue in the blood of her purifying threescore and six days.  The time that the woman was to be considered unclean and the time for her purification were both doubled for the birth of a daughter.  Matthew Henry could offer no reason why this was true, other than that was what God said, and neither can I.  Still, we do not have to understand why God tells us to do or not do something, but simply have to obey His instructions.  Verse six adds, And when the days of her purifying are fulfilled, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the first year for a burnt offering, and a young pigeon, or a turtledove, for a sin offering, unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, unto the priest:  After the time of purification was complete, for the birth of either a boy or girl, the woman was to return to the tabernacle with a burnt offering of a lamb and a young pigeon or turtledove for a sin offering.  She was to bring it to the priest at the door of the tabernacle.  We today bring our sin offering, which is our self and all that we have, to Christ, and He presents Himself to the heavenly Father as a sin offering in our place, and through our faith in Him we attain forgiveness.  Verse seven continues, Who shall offer it before the LORD, and make an atonement for her; and she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that hath born a male or a female.  The priest was to offer the sacrifice to the LORD, after which the woman would be considered to be spiritually pure once again.  Just as the women of Israel had to bring the offering to the priest for him to offer it for a sacrifice, we can only find forgiveness and spiritual cleanliness through presenting ourselves to Christ as a living sacrifice.  Jesus Christ alone can bring us spiritual purity.  Verse eight concludes, And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.  Provision was made for those who could not afford to bring a lamb to bring a pigeon or turtledove instead for the burnt offering, but the sin offering was the same in each case.  We may not all be of the same economic status when we come to Christ, but we are required to bring the same sacrifice- our old sinful self and nature.  Economic status never determines our ability to be saved.

Leviticus 11:39

Leviticus 11:39 says, And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.  This would mean just dies instead of being killed to eat.  Even the animals that were clean to eat could become unclean if they died from some other cause.  We are so blessed to not to have to worry about these laws today.  Verse forty adds, And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.  Touching an animal that died like this to remove it from the camp, for instance, had the same penalty as eating the animal.  The person doing either was to wash his or her clothes and be considered unclean until evening.  Someone could have broken this law with no one the wiser, except God, but that person could have also made others unclean without them knowing it, since touching something unclean made the person touching it unclean in the eyes of God.  Verse forty-one continues, And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.  Again, the people of Israel were told that things that crawled were to be an abomination and were not to be eaten.  Verse forty-two states, Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.  I believe this would include snakes and lizards for example.  Verse forty-three adds, Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.  God through Moses warned the people against making themselves unclean by touching or eating any creeping thing.  There are things today that God calls us to do and things that He warns us not to do, even if they do not concern dietary laws, and we need to be very serious about obeying Him so that we do not make ourselves spiritually unclean.  As stated many times, if we do so if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord we do not lose our salvation, but we lose the joy of our salvation.  Verse forty-four continues, For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  The people of Israel were to do these things because the LORD was their God, so they were to sanctify themselves and be holy.  They were not to defile themselves with any creeping thing.  We today are sanctified and made holy by our faith in Christ, and since we are, we are do our best to keep things that defile us from coming into our lives.  God will let us know what these may be.  Verse forty-five says, For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.  God didn't bring us out of the land of Egypt, but He did free us from the bondage of sin.  Verse forty-six adds, This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:  Verse forty-seven concludes, To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.  God said that these were the laws concerning the clean and unclean animals.  I am glad that I do not have to be concerned with them today but am set free by my relationship with Christ as my Savior and Lord.

Leviticus 11:26

Leviticus 11:26 says, The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.  Moses said that all animals without cloven hooves and that did not chew their cud were to be considered unclean and that anyone who even touched them would be considered unclean.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.  The people of Israel were to also consider animals that walked on their paws to be unclean, still talking about to eat, and if someone even touched the carcass of such an animal, they were to be considered unclean for the rest of the day.  This was a ceremonial uncleanness, since someone would have to touch the dead animals to remove them from the camp if they were found dead there, and therefore only lasted for the day.  It was not a sin as such unless it were done simply to defy God's law.  Verse twenty-eight continues, And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.  Anyone carrying the carcass was required to wash their clothes and would be considered unclean until the evening.  Though there are spiritually no unclean animals today, we must still be careful about what we come into contact with in the world, and we must not allow the things of the world to defile us spiritually.  Verse twenty-nine states, These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,  Verse thirty adds, And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.  Many of these things we would not think of eating today, but some we do.  Again, we are spiritually free to eat anything that we desire to eat, and anyone who attempts to put restrictions on what we eat based on Biblical grounds has not read the whole Bible.  Verse thirty-one continues, These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.  Creatures that crawled were to be considered unclean to touch, much less to eat.  Verse thirty-two says, And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.  Anything even accidentally touching one of these animals when it was dead, was to be considered unclean.  If a cooking or eating vessel touched the dead animal, it was to be put into water until evening and was to be considered unclean until then.  Verse thirty-three adds, And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it:  If the vessel was made of clay it was to be destroyed, possible because such a vessel might not survive a day in the water or because it would be stained by the blood of the animal.  For whatever reason, earthen vessels were to be treated differently.  Verse thirty-four continues, Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.  Coming in contact with the vessels while they were unclean would make even clean foods, those that could be eaten, be unclean.  Verse thirty-five states, And every thing whereupon any part of their carcase falleth shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.  Even the places to cook were to be considered unclean if they came into contact with these unclean animals and were to be broken down.  Verse thirty-six adds, Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.  Fountains or pits were not to be considered unclean if they came into contact with one of these dead animals, except for the area where the carcass had actually touched.  Verse thirty-seven continues, And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.  Then verse thirty-eight concludes, But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.  Seeds that hadn't been planted were to be considered clean if they touched an unclean carcass, but those that had water on them, which I believe would mean had been planted, were to be considered unclean.  This may have been because the seed that had not been planted would be transformed when it was and grew, whereas those that were already planted had already transformed into the new plant and could not be changed afterward.  

Leviticus 11:13

Leviticus 11:13 says, And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,  Now, Moses begins to give the restrictions on the birds that could not be eaten.  There is quite an extensive list given.  Verse fourteen adds, And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;  Verse fifteen continues, Every raven after his kind;  Verse sixteen concludes, And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,  Verse seventeen states, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,  Verse eighteen adds, And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,  Then verse nineteen continues, And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.  These were the birds of prey and the ones that ate dead things and Matthew Henry said the ones that lived in solitude and darkness.  They were also the ones that basically traveled by flight and walked very little.  Verse twenty says, All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.  Matthew Henry says that fowl here were flying insects referred to in the next verse and they were to be an abomination to the people of Israel.  Verse twenty-one adds, Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;  The people of Israel were to be allowed to eat insects that had legs above their feet.  Verse twenty-two continues, Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.  Moses then gave a list of the insects that could be eaten, which were locusts, beetles and grasshoppers.  I have never had a desire to eat any of these things but do know that they were eaten by people in the Old Testament times and even by some people today, I believe.  Still, since the dietary laws no longer apply, I believe we would be spiritually free to eat of any of the bugs that we desired to, though they might not be that healthy physically.  Verse twenty-three states, But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.  This is a warning that all other flying creeping things would be an abomination to the people of Israel.  Verse twenty-four adds, And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.  Not only were the people of Israel told to not eat these things, but the were to avoid touching them when they were dead.  Then verse twenty-five concludes, And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.  Anyone touching the carcass, maybe to remove it from the camp, would be considered unclean and would have to wash their clothes, and would still be considered unclean for the rest of the day.  Though we do not have the dietary restrictions today, God still takes sin seriously, and if we allow things that are an abomination to God to come into our lives, we will be spiritually unclean until we once again come to Jesus to allow Him to wash us clean by His blood.  Even though we will not lose our salvation if we allow unclean things into our lives, we will limit our witness for God and I believe bring about a spiritual distance between God and us.  

Leviticus 11:1

Leviticus 11:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,  God spoke to both Moses and Aaron this time.  God is not limited in how He speaks to people, nor in the number of people that He speaks to about the same thing.  Verse two adds, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.  God moved from sacrifices to dietary requirements.  Moses and Aaron were to tell the people what these were.  Of course, we know that after the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, that God told Peter these rules no longer applied.  We should also notice that there was never a time when the people of God were prohibited from eating meat, either before Christ came or after, so to attempt to make this a requirement for Christians is Biblically incorrect.  Verse three continues, Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.  Animals with divided hooves that chewed cud could be eaten.  This would mean cattle, for example.  Verse four states, Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.  Then, the exclusion was given.  God said the camel for example could not be eaten, because it did not have a divided hoof.  Verse five adds, And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.  The coney, or rabbit, could not be eaten for the same reason.  Then verse six continues, And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.  We tend to think of the rabbit as a hare, but there was a distinction made here.  Still, they were both excluded as sources of food.  Verse seven says, And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.  Swine were likewise excluded, but for a different reason, that being that they did not chew the cud.  Animals had to meet all the specifications in order to be considered clean.  When it comes to God's laws, meeting part of them is never enough, which is why salvation is available through Christ alone.  Just as meeting part of the requirements did not make an animal clean to eat, meeting part of the requirements of God's law does not make us spiritually clean.  Verse eight adds, Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.  Not only were the people of Israel not to eat of these animals that God proclaimed unclean, but they were not to even touch them if they were dead.  The best way to stay spiritually clean is to avoid contact with unclean things.  This doesn't mean that we are to avoid all contact with the world but means that we are to never allow the unclean things of the world to touch us spiritually.  Verse nine continues, These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.  God now specified what fish could be eaten, and that was fish with fins and scales.  Verse ten adds, And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:  The fish without fins and scales were to be considered an abomination to the people of Israel, and I assume still are to the Jewish people today.  Verse eleven continues, They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.  Verse twelve concludes, Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.  All fish without fins and scales were to not only not be eaten but were to be considered an abomination to the people of Israel.  Again, God through His command to Peter did away with these dietary laws, I believe because through Christ we have been given freedom from attempting to justify ourselves through the law.

Leviticus 10:12

Leviticus 10:12 says, And Moses spake unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meat offering that remaineth of the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and eat it without leaven beside the altar: for it is most holy:  Moses spoke to Aaron and his two remaining sons and told them to eat the meat that remained of the offerings made by fire to the LORD beside the altar.  Moses said that it was most holy.  We should consider the things that we offer to God today to be most holy as well, and we should use them under the direction of the Holy Spirit as obedient children of God.  Verse thirteen adds, And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is thy due, and thy sons’ due, of the sacrifices of the LORD made by fire: for so I am commanded.  Moses said Aaron and his two sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, the priests, were to eat this food in the Holy place because it was their due of the sacrifice of the LORD and he said this because this was God's command to him.  We, as Christians, are a part of the priesthood of the world today, and we know that God has promised to meet our needs if we are faithful to Him, so I believe that we should consider all the things that He blesses us with to be holy.  I don't believe that God blesses us to simply meet our own selfish desires, but He does so to enable us to do His work in the world today, but like Moses, we will know what God commands us to do with these blessings if we are listening to Him.  Verse fourteen continues, And the wave breast and heave shoulder shall ye eat in a clean place; thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters with thee: for they be thy due, and thy sons’ due, which are given out of the sacrifices of peace offerings of the children of Israel  Moses then told Aaron and his sons that they could also eat what was left of the wave breast and the heave shoulder, and that his daughters could eat of it as well.  They were to do so in a clean place and not by the altar.  God didn't just make a provision for Aaron and his sons but for his whole family.  God does not just make provisions for Christians today when they are in what would be considered holy places, or places of worship, but He makes provisions for their families as well out in the world.  Of course, as followers of Christ, we should do our best to make sure that wherever we are is a place that is spiritually clean.  Verse fifteen states, The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they bring with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to wave it for a wave offering before the LORD; and it shall be thine, and thy sons’ with thee, by a statute for ever; as the LORD hath commanded.  This was not just something that Moses decided concerning Aaron and his sons having the rest of the heave and wave offering for their own sustenance, but it was God's command.  God did not tell them to simply claim what they wanted, and He would give it to them, and I don't believe that He does that today.  Verse sixteen adds,  And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying,  Then verse seventeen continues, Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the LORD?  When Moses brought a goat for a sin offering and saw that it had been burned up, and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar because they had not followed his instructions, which were God's command, concerning the offerings.  We need to realize today that we need to seek and follow God's instructions concerning all that we have, which will always be something that He has blessed us with.  Verse eighteen says, Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the holy place, as I commanded.  Once more Moses told them that they should follow the instructions that he gave them, because they came from God.  The same is true about the things God gives us today.  We are to use it all under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse nineteen adds, And Aaron said unto Moses, Behold, this day have they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD; and such things have befallen me: and if I had eaten the sin offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD?  Matthew Henry says that Aaron took responsibility for the deviation based on an affliction that he had, and asked if the offering would have been accepted if he had eaten it in his state.  I believe that when there is some physical reason that we cannot follow every physical aspect of the worship of God due to an affliction, then God understands.  Verse twenty concludes, And when Moses heard that, he was content.  When Moses heard the explanation of Aaron, he was content.  If we think that somehow a fellow Christian is not following God's teachings, the first thing we should do is seek an explanation if we feel that their actions are somehow bringing discredit God.  This does not mean that we should do so if we simply disagree with what they are doing.  We must make sure that what we have a concern about is something that reflects badly on God.

Leviticus 10:1

Leviticus 10:1 says, And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.  Two of Aarons sons offered a strange burnt offering to the LORD, one that He had not commanded them to offer.  We today cannot just assume that we can offer things to God without first making sure that what we are doing is in accordance with His will.  Verse two adds, And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.  God destroyed them with fire.  God has offered us one way to salvation today, and that is through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, and if we attempt to find salvation by any other method, we will one day find ourselves in the fiery pits of hell.  Verse three continues, Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.  Moses told Aaron that this was but a fulfillment of God's word.  God had said that He would sanctify those that came near Him, and when Nadab and Abihu did not come under the sanctification of God, they were destroyed.  We cannot come into the presence of God without being sanctified, and we can only be sanctified through the blood of Christ. Then we are told that Aaron held his peace.  If we see something removed from our Christian life that has been bringing dishonor to God, no matter how much we may have valued it, we can only hold our peace.  Verse four states, And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.  Moses called on two of Aaron's cousins to carry the bodies of Nadab and Abihu from the camp.  Those things that corrupt the worship of God cannot be allowed to continue to stay in God's presence.  Of course, we could say that God is present everywhere, which is true, but some places are known as places where He is worshipped, and they certainly cannot be allowed to have things present which do not honor God.  Verse five adds, So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.  Mishael and Elzaphan did as Moses had instructed them to do, just as we must do as God instructs us to do today.  Verse six continues, And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.  Aaron and his sons were forbidden to publicly mourn since they represented God, and it was God who had destroyed the two sons and brothers.  When we are representing God, which as Christians we should do at all times, we should not mourn when God deals with sin, even if it hits close to home.  The people were to mourn the loss of two of their priests, I believe because of the reason for their death. We need to take our relationship with God very seriously.  Verse seven says, And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.  Aaron and his sons, the priests, were forbidden from going out of the tabernacle since God' anointing oil was upon them.  Verse eight adds, And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,  Now, God spoke directly to Aaron without going through Moses.  God speaks directly to us as followers of Christ, though He may speak to us through others as well as we grow in discipleship.  Verse nine continues, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:  Aaron and his sons were warned to not go into the tabernacle of the congregation if they had been drinking strong drinks.  This could be viewed as a prohibition for the priests to not drink, or as a prohibition for the priest on duty to not drink.  The best way to be sure would be for Aaron and his sons to just not drink strong drinks.  We certainly should never come into God's presence under the influence of any alcohol or drugs, and we most definitely should not attempt to carry out our calling as Christians while we are.  Verse ten states, And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;  God told Aaron that the prohibition of drinking strong drinks was so that they would be able to tell the difference between the holy and the unholy and between the clean and the unclean.  We today should remain clear minded so that we can tell the difference between what God calls us to do and what we might do and what we are not to do as His followers.  Verse eleven adds, And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.  Aaron and his sons had the responsibility to teach the people of Israel all of God's statutes.  We today have the responsibility to teach the world about God, and we can do so much more effectively when we are of a clear mind.