Leviticus 6:9-7 :5
co(llments on 1:3) . Burn t offerings we
night, which required the priests to kee r~ to be burnt _all
with wood (6 :9 ) . This fire and t he sr!ok e ~~r supph ed
would remind the people that God was wi~t smg from it
wilderness , God showed his prese nce t h" th em . In the
guided them with a pillar of cloud over tho is people and
ing the day and a pillar of fire during the _e !abernacle dur-
40:38). When the Israelites entered the mg t_(Exod 13:22
;
altar fire and rising smoke in the tabern p~ormsed land, the
temple would continue to remind them al; ~d later in the
their midst. 0 0
s presence in
We generally look forward to Sund a s
days and the festivals we celebrate as ti· y ' othher speci.al
offer our prayers and gifts. mes w en we can
f · d to God. But this tan
!ngthiref remmf ths uHs tlhat ~u_r God is alwaycons tly burn
s with us , no;
Ill e orm o_ e o y Spmt Gohn 14:16 -17· Gal 4·6· E h
2:19-22). He 1s always ready to hear our pray~rs and .al P
h~s an open heart to forgive our sins whenever we a ;:~~
him to confess and repen t (1 John 1:9) .
PP
Before the morning offerings, the priests were required
to _remo ve the ashe s fro~ the altar (6:10 ). While doing
this , they woul d be wean ng the sacre d linen garments
and undergarments that were mandatory for priests while
serving at the altar (see Exod 28:1 -5, 39-43). However,
these clothe~ were not to be worn outside the sanctuary.
So after puttm g the ashes beside the altar, the priest had
to change his clothes before he could take the ashes out of
the tabernacle and dispose of them in a ceremonially clean
place (6:11). The Lord again emphasises that the fire on
the altar had to be kept burning at all times, day and night
(6:12-13).
The fact that sacre d clothing had to be worn even when
performing the menial and dirty task of removing the ashes
from the altar is a reminder that everything associated with
the worship of God is important. We need to remember this
when we think about the service we and others offer to God.
Too often we value people by the kind of work they do and
the statu s of their job. Thos e who do manual labour and
dirty jobs are looked down on while those in leadership are
highly regarded. But unde r God's law, even those who are
highly regarded are to do dirty jobs like cle ~_g the altar,
which he consi ders a sacre d task becau se it 1s done for
him (see John 13:12-14) . All hone st and honourable work
has equal value from God's perspective (Rom 12:3-8 ; 1 Cor
15:58 ; Col 3:23-24). No one should feel that their task or
function is less impo rtant than what others do.
6:14-23 Grain offerings
. The guilt offering of a ram was described earlier. but the
The regulations on prepa ring grain offering~ were gi~e_
n
earlier (2: 1_14), but now the pries ts were gi~en specific
instructions on how to offer the memorial portion, m front
0! the altar and with all of the
incense (6:14-15_)- Th~ reS t
of the grain offering was to be eaten by the pnes ts m the
147
ta?er nacle courtyard (6:16 ; see Lev 2:3, 10; 5:13) . The
~n ests were not _to add yeast to the flour before they baked
1t, because ?nee tt ~ been given the grain offering became
most holy ltke the sin and guilt offerings (6 :17-1 8). Only
male descendant s of Aaron who were ceremonially clean
were allowed to eat the grain offerings.
The in struc tions also includ e a special morning and
evening grain offer ing to be made when pries ts were
anointed or ordained for ministry (6 :19-2 0). Unlike other
grain offerings, this one had to be cooked with oil on a grid-
dle and offered broken in piece s (6:21 ). Further, it was to
be prepared by the son who was next in line to be the high
priest (6 :22). Only sons of Aaron could be priests , as is
indicated here by giving the directions to Aaron and his sons ,
and the high priesthood was passed from father to son (see
16:32 ; Num 3:5-10) . It is important to note that the grain
offerings presented by the priests were not to be eaten but
burnt completely (6:23 ). When the people presented grain
offerings, the priests received their share . But when the
priests presented an offering on their own behalf, God was
to be the only recipient.
6:24-30 Sin offerings
The instructions given to the pries ts for sin offerings
include that the animal must be slaug htere d before the
LoRD in the sanctuary and that these sacrifices are most
holy (6:24 -25) . The priest who burnt the fat of the offer-
ing on the altar was to eat the rest of the animal in the
tabernacle courtyard, though he could be joined by other
males in his family (6:26, 29). Because this sacrifice was
most holy, anything that touched it became holy. Therefore,
any clothing stained with its blood had to be washed in the
tabernacle area, not outside it, and any clay pot used to
cook the meat was to be broken or a metal pot thoroughly
scrubbed (6:27 -28) . The washing in the sanct uary and
the breaking of the clay pot illustrate the holiness of this
sacrifice, which was holy because it was used to make
atonement for sin.
The remains of animals sacrificed as sin offerings that
required taking the blood into the tabernacle were not to be
eaten but burnt outside the camp (6:30 ). These sacrifices
included those for the sins of the priests and for the commu·
nity as a whole . The priest was to sprinkle the blood before
the Most Holy Place (see 4:5-12 , 16-21 ; 16:11 -16, 27) , and
the sacrificial animal belonged completely to God.
7:1-10 Guilt offerings
details of this sacrifice were not specified (5:14-19). Here
the Lord gives the priest directions on sacrificing this ram
like a sin offering, including burning the fat tail (7:1-5 ; see
4:32-35) . Like the sin offering, the guilt offerin g was most
holy and was to be eaten in the sanct uary by the priest who
148 Leviticus 7:6-27
offered it and any male members of his family (7:6; see
6:26-29).
Thus the same laws applied to sin and the guilt offer-
ings, for both were for atonement and purification (7:7).
The meat from both was to be given to the pries t who
offered the sacrifice. We also learn here that a priest could
keep the hide of a burnt offering he sacrificed (7:8) . All
forms of grain offerings also belonged to the priest who
offered them (7:9-10).
The priests who worked in the sanctuary were rewarded
accordingly. God provided good food for his servants. This
provision would have encouraged the priests to be active in
their sanctuary duties and not neglect their ministry.
The age range for priests ministering in the tabernacle
was twenty-five to fifty years old, and all were men (Num
8:23-26). Mature, physically fit men were required for
this physically, emotionally and spiritually challenging
service. Priests over fifty years of age could continue to
assist the younger men and probably provided much-needed
mentoring.
7:11- 21 Fellowship offerings
The priests were responsible for making sure that the offer-
ings the Israelites brought fit the Lord's requirements. So
here they were given specific directions on different kinds
of acceptable fellowship offerings (7:11). If the offering
was to give thanks to God for what he had done, the cow,
lamb or goat had to be accompanied by three different kinds
of unleavened bread with olive oil mixed into the dough
(7:12; see 3:1). This offering also required bread made
with
yeast that would not be offere d on the altar but given to
the priests with the unleavened bread offering (7:13 -14).
After the blood and fat portions to be burnt on the altar
were removed, the remainder of the animal was returned to
the one who offered it to be cooked and eaten on the same
day (7:15) .
The meat of offerings given because of a vow or simply
as a gift to God was also to be eaten on the same day, but
leftovers could be eaten the next day (7:16) . The reason
for this allowance is not given . However, any meat left
over on the third day had to be burnt because it has become
impure and was probably rancid in the West Asian climate
(7:17 -18) . Eating the meat on the third day was a serious
offence. The person who offered the sacrifice would not
receive credit with God for it, and the one who ate it would
be charged with sin for eating something unclean.
Also, sacrificial meat eaten outside the sanctuary that
accidentally touched something that was unclean became
unclean and had to be destroyed (7: 19). Further, because
the meat of the fellowship offering was sacrificed to the
Lord and belonged to him, only people who were ceremoni-
ally clean could eat it.
People who knowingly beca°:1e ceremonially unclean,
for example, by touching something unclean, and then ate
this meat would face the serious consequence of being cut
off from their people (7:20 -21; see 5:2-6) . The meaning of
this phrase is uncertain . It may mean being rejected or
expelled from the covenant community, executed or other-
wise subject to the Lord's judgement. In Leviticus, being cut
off is also the consequence of eating fat or blood (7:25-27;
17: 10); offering animal sacrifices in places other than the
Lord's sanc tuary (17:4, 9) ; having unlawful sexual rela-
tions (18:29); sacrificing children to foreign gods (20:3-5);
turning to mediums (20:6); having sexual relations with a
menstruating woman (20:18); and not fasting on the Day of
Atonement (23:29).
7:22 -38 Further Instructions for the Peop le
The Lord now gave Moses further instructions for the Isra-
elites on the portions of animals they were not to eat and
what they were to give to the priests as their share of the
offerings.
7:22 -27 Eating fat and blood forbidden
The Israelites were not to eat the fat of clean animals that
could be offered for sacrifice, meaning cattle , sheep or
goats (7:22-23). This fat was the Lord's portion, and eating
it would be taking what belonged to God, or acting as if one
was equal to God and infringing on his rights. The fat of
animals that were killed or died naturally could be used for
different household purposes, but God's people were not to
eat it (7:24). The possible reasons for this prohibition are
discussed at 3:16-17. The consequence of eating fat from
any animal sacrificed as a food offering was serious: anyone
who did so was to be to be cut off from the people of God
(7:25; see comments on 7:20-21).
Consuming the blood of any animal was strictly for-
bidden, "because the life of every creature is its blood"
(17: 14a). Therefore, the blood of any slaughtered animal
was to be completely drained out before the animal was
sacrificed or eaten (7:26) . Another reason for this prohibi-
tion could be that the blood of a sacrificed animal provid ed
atonement for sins. Like the fat, the blood belonged to God.
Thus consuming blood was taking from God. This serious
offence was punished by being cut off from the community
of God's people (7:27).
In South Asia, we understand the concept of the divine
and the holy. What belongs to the divine is never to be
encroached on. In our relationship with God, we are to
remain in our own place just like the Israelites were not to
transgress into God's territory.
Taking what belongs to the gods is unthinkable in our
society. How much more should Christians avoid misusing
what belongs to God! Yet while Christians acknowledge this
in theory, in practice we sometimes see people misusing
 Leviticus 7:28-8 :7 149

r.hurch _funds ~d ~hurch property. They seem to compart- priests. Then I will dwell among the Israelit es and
and separa te it from their acti ons. be their God. They will know that I am the LoRD
. faith
ruentah se their
When Christians transgr ess on the sacred like thi s , non _ their God, who brough t them out of Egypt so that I
. . t f
c~sna ns 1ose respec or us and for our God. To be good might dwell among them. I am the LoRD their God"
" 1 tnesses of our Lord, we need to honour him in all things. (Exod 29:43-46) .

7:28-38 The Priests ' share of offerings
Again we· are remind ed that the people were to be active1y
rifi · • meet with people who open their hearts to him. He wants
involved _m sac cmg their offerings to the Lord (7:28_29)
With therr ownr hands they were to presen t the Parts of therr··
•
fellowship of1enngs to be burnt on the altar and ·
the priests _( 7:30). This include d cutting up thegi~ :~
and presen ting the breast that was symbolically given·
. . b
God by wavmg 1t a ove :t,he altar. The priests ministered to
the peopl~ by repre~e nting them before God, splashi ng the
blood agams t the sides of the altar and burning the fat in
the altar fire (7:31). In return, the animal 's breast and ri ht
~h were to be given to the priests as the share that Jod
asSigned for their provision (7 :32-34 ).
The priests were to dedicate all their time to serving God
and the people in the sanctu ary, and they had no time to
earn anothe r income. So God ordained that their livelihood
was to come directl y from the offerings presen ted to him
(7:35) ·. These portion s were to be their perpetual share for
g~n_erations to come (7:36) . God establi shed this pattern of
gwmg so that the daily functions of the sanctua ry could be
performed withou t any hindran ce.
The section on sacrifi ces conclu des with a summa ry
stateme nt that God gave these laws to the Israeli tes at
Mount Sinai as part of his covena nt making with them
(7:37-38; see the introduction) .
Like the priests of Israel, pastor s and priests in our
churches are to be approp riately provid ed for as they
serve God and his people (Luke 10:3-7; 1 Cor 9:7-14) . This
provision should come from the offerings given by the wor-
shippers. Church es have applied this principle in various
ways. Some provid e a monthl y salary that is determ ined
according to the situatio n in the local community. Others
give either the entire tithe or a percen tage of it to those
who minister. Whate ver the method, we need to make sure
the provisi on is enough to cover living expens es in our
community.
8:1-10:20 Institution of the Priesthood
The sacrifices and the taberna cle with its numerous rituals
required a priesth ood that was ordained, trained and ready
to perform the necess ary duties. In Exodus, God said of the
tabemacle :
"There also I will meet with the Israelit es, and the
place will be consec rated by my glory. So I will
consec ra te the tent of meetin g and the altar and
will consec rate Aaron and his sons to serve me as
God's ultimate purpos e in establishing all these regulations
was to enable his relationship with his people. He wants to
to dwell with them and be their God. He wants them to
t remember him as the God who redeemed them from slavery.
To maintain this relationship with the Israelites, he selected
to Aaron as the high priest and his sons to be represe ntative s
or mediat ors betwee n him and his people. Levitic us now
records their ordinat ion as priests and the beginn ing of
their ministry at the taberna cle at Mount Sinai.
8:1-13 Ordination of Aaron and His Sons
At the end of Exodus, Moses set up the tabernacle and car-
ried out the directions he was given for consec rating it and
ordaining his brother Aaron as high priest and Aaron's sons
Nadab, Abihu, Eleaza r and Ithama r as priests under him
(8:1-2; Exod 29:1-46 ; 40:1 -38) . This section of Levitic us
pauses in its account of God's commands to describ e Moses'
actions at that time. It describes the sacrific es offered as
part of the ordination ritual, which would continu e to be
offered each time a new priest was ordained. It also speci-
fies that ordinations were to be conduc ted in the presen ce
of al_l the people_(8:3-4) . This highly symbolic ceremo ny
publicly authen ticated the priestly positio n to which God
had specifically called Aaron and his sons (Exod 4:10-15 ,
27-31; 28:1).
. As Moses ordained the priests , he explained to the Isra-
elites what God ~ad commanded (8:5). First, the priests
~ad to wash, which was _both physica lly and symbo lically
1mporta_n t (8:~). The pnests always had to wash before
performmg their duties becaus e only what is clean may be
m ~e presence of the holy God. A special bronze basin was
put m the ~berna cle for this purpos e (Exod 30:17-2 1).
The pr~ests then put on the specia l clothin g t hey
were reqmre d to wear in the taberna cle . This clothin g is·
d "b d . d ·1 in Exodus 28. We recogn ise uniform s
esc_n ~ _ m etai
as s_igmficant becau~ e ~hey identif y those who perform
~~cul ar ~sks and ~dicat e their a~thori ty to do so. In a
~ar fashion, the pnests were reqmred to wear a special
uniform that set them apart for God and the respon sibilities
he ~ave th~m. Then as now, priestly vestme nts have sym-
bolic meanmg and are made of the highest quality material.
The priests ' tunics were made of the finest white linen, as
were their linen undergarment s, both of which completely
covered the priests (8:7; see 16:4; Exod 28:42) .
The sash of the high priest was beautifully embroidered.
His robe was blue, an expensive dye, and had bells around
the bottom so the people could hear him walkin g as he
 \ 50 Levi ticu s 8:8 -36
ne for the pne !)ts' stn
(Exod 28 :33 -34) . He live r and kidn eys on the al tar to ato
mi nis t ere d in the ten t of me etin g and enable them to rece ive the Lor
d's forgive ness (8:16)
at the wai st tha t was
also wor e an ephod, a sho rt ves t tied The rest of the offering was bur nt out
side the camp becaus~
two precious ston es
emb roidered with gold thre ad and had it was a sin offering for prie sts (8 :17
; see 4:11 -12) . Sec-
nam es of the trib es
on the sho uld ers eng rav ed wit h the ond ly, Moses offered a ram for a bur
nt offe ring according
astp iece worn over the (8:1 8-2 1; see 1:10-13).
of lsrael (see Exod 28:6 -12). A bre to the directions for bur nt offerings
rep rese ntin g the tribes
ephod held twe lve precious stones This was a food offering (see commen
ts on 1:9).
peo ple, the high priest ordin~t ion offering
of Israel. The se stones reminded the Thirdly, Moses offered a ram as an
rese nted the Israelites d on the n ght ear lobe
ru1d the Lord tha t the high prie st rep (8:22) . Thi s time, he put the bloo
in the tabernacle and and his sons, for th~
before the Lord whe n he ministered right thumb and righ t big toe of Aaron
0) . The bre astpiece 3-24) . The symbolism
ten t of mee ting (8:8; see Exod 28:15-3 right side was the side of hon our (8:2
ch the prie sts used sev era l ways. It may
also held the Urim and Thummin, whi of this acti on can be inte rpre ted in
making nati ona l deci-
to det erm ine the will of God when have been inte nde d to rem ind the
prie sts tha t they were
Sam 14:41). The high him and walk in his
sion s (see Exod 28:30; Num 27:21; 1 alw ays to list en to the Lord, ser ve
plate on his forehead the late r sprinkling
prie st wore a turb an with a pure gold ways. The fact tha t this ano inti ng and
LoRD" (8:9 ; see Exod inting and splashing of
inscribed wit h the words: "HOLY TO THE with blood (8:30) are similar to ano
ed the priests and the
28:36-38) .
ing special clothes the alta r may imply tha t this act link
The Isra elit es were not alone in hav altar. A similar anointing was par
t of the ritual for cleansing
religions around them. ase (14:14}, and thus
for prie sts to wea r. So did the oth er someone healed of a defiling skin dise
e tha t clothing com-
We too need to think about the messag it is also possible tha t this anointing
symbolised the priests'
rs wear vestments tha t
municates. Some priests and ministe rad ical ly cha nge d stat us as the y wer
e tran sformed from
y. Others avoid such
symbolise thei r ordination and authorit common to holy, or purified from clea
n to holy.
t all wor ship per s are
clothing, eith er to communicate tha As wit h a fell ows hip offe ring , Mo
ses sacrificed the
view as unn ece ssar y
equ al before God or reject wha t they ordination ram and removed the req
uired fat and internal
from oth er religions
formality. Wh at mes sag e are tho se org ans and the righ t thig h, which
wer e the prie sts ' por-
ss whe n we app ear
rece ivin g whe n the y see how we dre tion (8:25). He the n took the loaves
of bread tha t were to
hin g as showing a
before God ? Do the y inte rpre t our clot accompany a fellowship offering for
tha nks givi ng (8:26;
lack of respect for God? the org ans and the
gav e him, Moses see 7:12) and put the bread, the fat,
Fol low ing the dire ctio ns tha t God right thigh into the hands of Aaron and
his sons for them to
ing in it with a sacred 7). He was symboli -
anointed the tabernacle and everyth symbolically wave before the L ORD (8:2
ces (8:1 0 ; see Exod
olive oil mix ed wit h frag ran t spi cally filling the ir hands wit h the ir resp
onsibility and with
30:22 -29). Thi s acti on con sec rate
d the se item s to God 's ses offered all of this
(Exod 30:29). Moses the Lord's provision for them . Then Mo
service and mad e the m "most holy" food to the Lord by bur nin g it on the
alta r, and he waved
nt offerings and on
also spr ink led oil on the alta r of bur the por tion he rece ived as the one
mak ing the offering
e them holy (8:11;
all the uten sils to con sec rate and mak (8:28-29).
sac red oil on Aaron's
Exo d 27:1 -8) . The n he pou red the Moses sprinkled the sacred anointing
oil and blood from
rings and to minister
hea d to consecrate him to make offe the ord inat ion offering on the clot hin
g of Aaron and his
0-33) . Moses then
in God 's holy presence (8:12; Exod 30:3 sons, making thei r clothing holy (8:3
0) . Then he gave them
riate vestments and rest of the meat of
dressed the sons of Aaron in the approp instructions for cooking and eati ng the
anointed them (8:13 ; Exod 40:14-16). se instructions were
the ordination ram and the bread. The
ring of thanksgivin g
sim ilar to tho se for a fellowship offe
8:1 4-3 6 Ordination Sacrifices
s required thre e sac- (8:31-3 2; see 7:15).
The ordination of Aaron and his son The newly ord ain ed prie sts wer e req
uired to stay at
for a bur nt offering
rifices: a bull for a sin offering, a ram the entrance to the ten t of mee ting day
and night for a full
ring (Exod 29:1-28).
and another ram for an ordination offe seven days (8:33-35) . This time could
be symbolically con-
The Hebrew word tran slat ed ordinati
on means "to fill the Some scholars assume
divine service, which nected to the seven days of creation.
hands", or to consecrate someone for tha t the ritu als wer e to be rep eate
d each day for se~e n
requires purity. the tent of me_etwg
ne for the sins of days. The period of sep arat ion befo re
The first offering was mad e to ato also mar ked the prie sts' change in
stat us from ordinal'Y
them unclean (8:14) .
Aaron and his sons, for sin had made men to serv ant s of the Lord who wer
e comman ded to do
Moses smeared some
r As with the sin offering for a leader, wha t he required (8:36).
r of bur nt offering to
of the blood on the horns of the alta
the bas e (8:15· see
mrify it and poured out the res t at
l:25) • Then as with other sin offe
rings, he bur nt th~ fat,
 Leviticus 9:1-24
9:1-24 Priests Begin Their Ministry
The nai:ration continues by describing the first acts of the
priests m their ministry. After the full week of ordination
.Aa:1'on was ready to begin his d~ties as the anointed high
pnest. So Moses summoned him and his sons with the
elders of Israel (9:1). Aaron was to make the same offer-
ings ~at Moses had earlier made for him and his sons: a sin
offenn_g and a ?urnt offering (9:2). The great importance of
the o:fice of pnest is evident in the numerous and expensive
offenngs they were required to present on the altar.
Before offering sacrifices for the people, Aaron and his
sons were to offer a sin offering and a burnt offering for
themselve_s. Even though they were anointed and conse-
crated dunng th~ir ~rdination week, they were still required
t~ atone for their sms. This requirement certainly empha-
sises the vulnerability of leaders and their constant need
to receive _forgiveness for their sins. The fact the priests
offered a sm offering implies that they sinned.
. Many of ou~ le~ders seem to be smeared with corrup-
tion. As they nse m power and influence, they behave as
though they are less accountable to the law than others or
are even above the law. By contrast, the higher Levitical
priests rose in leadership, the more accountable they were
to follow God's law. Their spirituality had to be lived out
in the society and was under scrutiny. The reality of their
sinfulness was recognised through the sacrifices of atone-
ment they had to perform for themselves.
At this time, the Israelites were also required to sacri-
fice a sin offering, two burnt offerings and two fellowship
offerings because the Lord was about to appear to them
(9:3-4) . Everyone did as Moses commanded in anticipation
of seeing the glory of the LoRD (9:5-6). But before this would
happen, Aaron had to offer sacrifices to make atonement for
himself and the people, who also had to be purified (9:7).
With the assistance of his sons, Aaron did exactly as
required. He offered a calf for his own sins, putting the
blood on the horns and at the base of the altar and burning
the required fat and internal organs on the altar and the
rest outside the camp (9:8-11) . Then he sacrificed a ram
for his burnt offering in the prescribed way (9:12-14). The
account of his sons' roles indicates which parts of the ritual
the priests could perform and which were to be done by the
high priest. . .
After offering a sacrifice for himself to receiv_e forgive -
ness for his sins and a burnt offering as a costly gift to God,
Aaron sacrificed a sin offering to make atonement for the
people (9:15). Then he offered their burnt offering, a calf
and a lamb, and their grain offering (9:16-17). T~e peo~le's
fellowship offerings followed, and Aaron waved his portions
that had been placed in his hands (9:18-2 1; see 8:27). In
short, Aaron and his sons did everything that the Lord had
commanded tlrrough Moses.
151
After offering all the sacrifices, Aaron performed another
important function of the priesthood: he raised his hands
and pronounced a blessing over the people in the name of
the Lord (9:22; see Deut 10:8) . His words are not recorded
here, but he may have recited the priestly blessing given in
Numbers 6:24-26. The goal of all of the sacrifices was t o
receive God's blessing, which Aaron as God's representative
pronounced over them.
Then for the first time, Aaron went with Moses into the
tent of meeting (9:23). Previously, only Moses, the media-
tor between God and his people, had met with God there
(Exod 33:7-11) . Aaron's going in with Moses shows that
he had now been consecrated for that role as well (see Heb
2:17; 5:1-10). When Moses and Aaron came out, they again
blessed the people and the Lord's glory appeared as he said
it would.
The Lord's response to the sacrifices offered in obedi-
ence was fire that came out, presumably from the tent of
meeting, and burnt up all the sacrifices on the altar (9:24) .
Aaron had begun to burn these sacrifices. However, with the
sacrifice of a whole calf, ram and lamb as burnt offerings
and all the fat portions from the sin offerings and fellowship
offerings, there was a great quantity of flesh on the altar.
The Lord's fire consuming everything showed his accept -
ance of all the sacrifices and his forgiveness of his people's
sins, his acceptance of the tabernacle and the priest s, and
his presence with his people (see also 1 Kgs 18:38; 1 Chr
21:26; 2 Chr 7:1). When the people saw this acceptance and
evidence of the Lord's presence among them, they shouted
for joy andfellfacedown before him.
The Lord gave a definite and glorious response when his
people obeyed his commands. As the priest s began their
ministry and worshipped in the way he had prescribed
the Lord set his stamp of approval on t heir actions with
a powerful manifestation of his presence. Thus we see
that t?e detailed ~acrificial rituals that he gave to the
Is:aehtes w~re ?esi~ed to point to the most vital aspect of
fai_th: expenencmg his presence. The elaborate rituals, the
pnestly vestments and the ta?ernacle were meant to help
the ?eople understand the maJesty and holiness of God and
the importance of purity for a relationship with him.
. Jesus also expressed the importance of holiness to expe-
nence th~ presence of God: "Anyone who loves me will obey
my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to
them a:id ~ake our home with them" Gohn 14:23). When
we b_elieve m Jesus and obey him, there is no need for any
special duties or activities to "bring down" God's presence;
:ather we worship as a result of the presence of God that
is already with us (Matt 18:20; 28:20) . Yet although animal
sacrifices are no longer necessary, we still need to be like
the Israelites in faith and obedience.
1)2
Leviticus 10: 1-15
10:1-7 Deaths of Nadab and Abihu
During the ordinati?n and on the first day of ministry,
Moses, Aaron and his sons were faithful to follow all the
commands of the Lord. But then two of Aaron's sons Nadab
and Abihu, took their own censers or incense burn~rs and
offered God unauthorised fire, something he had not told
them to do (10:1). Earlier that day, fire came from the pres-
ence of the Lord to consume the sacrifices (9:24). The fire
that came out and consumed and killed these two men was
the fire of judgement (10:2; see Num 11:1; 16:35; 2 Kgs
1:10-12).
. What had the priests done wrong to receive this harsh
Judgement? Some scholars suggest they tried to enter the
Most Holy Place in the tent of meeting, which only the high
priest could do once a year (see 16:1-2). Others say that
they had attempted to incorporate an idolatrous ritual from
one of the neighbouring religions into worship of the Lord,
something he had strictly forbidden (see Exod 23:24; Deut
12:4, 31). Either act would receive harsh punishment, for
God is holy, and the Israelites were to worship him only in
the ways he commanded. Their worship was an important
way they would indicate that they were different. Worship-
ping God as others worship their gods dishonours him and
violates his holiness.
This event would have deeply shocked Moses, Aaron and
all the people! All that Moses could say to Aaron were the
words God had spoken to him, perhaps on Mount Sinai: "
'Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the
sight of all the people I will be honoured' " (10:3; see Exod
19:22; 24:2; 30:20-21; Num 1:51).
We are not told why Aaron remained silent. He may have
been stunned into silence at the sudden death of his sons. It
could be that he remembered God's harsh judgement at the
recent incident of the golden calf, and that he understood
God's holiness from other amazing experiences he had
(see Exod 24:9-11; 32:1-35). The Lord punishes those who
dishonour him, and Aaron accepted his judgement without
question.
Holiness is an important theme in Leviticus. Here the
words holy and honoured are presented together. God is to
be acknowledged as holy by the people who worship him
(see introduction). This acknowledgement requires honour-
ing him above everyone and everything. The act of the two
priests dishonoured God in the sight of all the people. The
priests were responsible for leading proper worship of God
and for teaching the people to honour him by obeying his
commands. If the priests departed from God's commands,
they would certainly cause his people t? go _astray. So for
the sake of the priests and the people m t~s early _sta?e
of their relationship with him, God harshly Judged this sm,
just as he harshly judged early sins in the church (see Acts
5:1-11).
Aaron's other sons could not touch their brothers' dead
bodies because they would become unclean, and Aaron as
high priest could not go near any dead body, not even. that
of his own son (see 21:1-2, 10-12; Num S:2_- 3) · If th e pnests
became unclean, they had to follow a stn~t set 0 ~ regu)a.
tions to be clean again. During this cle~smg pe~o~, they
could not offer sacrifices at the altar. While later it is said
that priests could bury their close family membe~s (~1 :1-2),
only three priests were ordained in Israel at this time. So
Eleazar and Ithamar could not bury their brothers. Thus,
Moses gave Aaron's cousins the task of removing and bury.
ing Nadab and Abihu (10:4-5).
Aaron and his sons were also forbidden to show their
grief in the traditional ancient West Asian ways of not tend-
ing their hair and tearing their clothing, and they could not
leave the tabernacle to mourn (10:6- 7) . Note that later this
ban only applied to the office of the high priest (21: 10) . But
at this time, the command was given to Aaron's sons as well.
The reasons for this could be because they were on duty,
their clothing was sacred, and the sacrificial rituals were
officially being implemented in Israel for the first time. The
mourning would have hindered the proper establishment of
the rituals. However, the Lord showed compassion for the
priests' grief. While they could not mourn, he stated that all
their relatives and the people could mourn for Aaron's sons.
10:8-20 Further Instructions for Priests
After the tragic deaths of Nadab and Abihu, the Lord him-
self spoke to Aaron and commanded that priests were not to
drink any fermented or intoxicating drink when they were
serving in the tent of meeting, or you will die (10:8-9). They
needed a clear head to do their duties qf distinguishing
between the holy, common, clean and unclean and teach·
ing the ~rd's commands to his people (10:10-11 ; see Isa
28:7). This co_mmand may have been placed here because
Nadab and Abihu may possibly have been intoxicated when
they sinned. The comm~d stresses the importance of being
~ert ~d not_ under the mfluence of anything but the Spirit
m God s service (Eph 5: 18).
M?se~ then told Aaron and his sons to eat the grain
offe~mg 1~ _the sanctuary (10:12-13; see 2:10; 6:16-18).
Their f~es c~uld join them to eat their portions of the
fellowship offer_mgs, the breast and the right thigh in a
clean place o~tside 1:he tabernacle (10:14). These portions
were symbo_lically given to the Lord by waving them with
the fat po~ons th~t. were burnt, but the meat was given
as the Lo~d s provis10n for the priests' families (10:15).
Thus despite the sin of Nadab and Abihu, the rest of Aaron's
descendants were not removed from the priestly order and
could eat the offerings.
. A conflict ar~se on the first day of ministry when Moses
discovered that mstead of eating the goat sacrificed to atone
for the sins of the people (9:15) , Eleazar and IUiamar 11:irl

Leviticus 1 0: 1 6-20
burnt it (10:16). Moses took them to task for what appeared
to be disobedience to the Lord's command and wrong treat-
ment of so_mething holy (10 :17-18; see 6:25-30) .
Aaron interceded for the younger priests (10:19) . His
resp_onse may ~ean _that they had correctly offered the
sacrifices , but, in their shock and grief at the fate of their
brothers, they had made a mistake in regard to this offering.
Aaron may 8:1so h~ve ~ought God would not be pleased if he
ate the sacrific~ m his state of grief. Or as high priest and
head of the family, he may have felt responsible for the sin of
Nadab and Abihu. Because their sin had not yet been atoned
for (it happened after the sin offering) he may have felt that
his family was unclean. Therefore eating the holy sacrifice
would have been wrong and displeasing to the Lord.
Moses was satisfied with Aaron's response , and the Lord
did not punish anyone, which implies that he also accepted
Aaron's reasons (10:20) . God's mercy and graciousness to
the imperfect who in their hearts want to obey and please
him is clearly evident, in contrast to his judgement of Nadab
and Abihu who wilfully sinned.
RITUALS AND FESTIVALS
South Asian society is religiously pluralistic and rituals and
festivals are an integral part of commun ity life. Christians
have to decide whether to participate in these festivities and
how to respond to them. There is no easy solution, but it may
help us to move towards a better understanding if we begin
by defining our terms.
Rituals are ceremonies consisting of a series of actions
performe d in a prescribe d order by an individua l or a
commun ity. Although we generally associate them with
religious rites, there are also social rituals (for example, we
are taking part in a social ritual whenever we greet someone
by shaking hands with them). Any repeated action that has
symbolic meaning may be considered a rit~al. R!tuals _can
have physical, spiritual, social and psych_olog1cal d~mens1ons
and are common ly used in celebrati ons of births a_nd
ma rriages, at funerals, and when making oaths or seeking
purification.
Festivals on the other hand, are occasions of communal
feasting 0 / celebrati on, and often have religious, seasonal
and cultural significa nce. They may last for only one
day or for several days, and in the course of th~~ peo~le
will b serve certain rituals . Festivals meet specific social,
o I'd . .
psycholog ical or religious needs, and cre~te s~ 1 anty m 1a
communi ty or between families. Some festivals lrke Mother s
Day and Father's Day are purely cultural. O~h~rs celebrate
the changing seasons, as when agrarian soc1et1es cele~r~te
harvest festivals or the phases of the moon or the pos1t1on
of the sun. Religious festivals cele~rate speci!ically religi?us
events. For example, for Hindus, Sikhs and Ja1~s, the festival
of Diwali celebrate s t he victory of good over evil.
15 3
11:1-16:34 Unclean ness and Its Treatme nt
God set the Israelites apart as his chosen people who were
to demonst rate his holiness and be a t estimony of him to
the world. To this end, he gave the Israelit es laws about
what was clean for them and what was unclean and would
defile them. God addresse d this section to Moses and Aaron
because both the leaders and the priests were to lead his
people in discerning between the clean and unclean and the
holy and common. _ . .
What were God's critena for declanng some things clean
and others unclean? Several ideas have been suggest ed.
One possibility is that the laws showed that the Israe~ites
were different from the cultures around them. The things
declared unclean may have had cultural or religious signifi-
cance for others at that time. For example , pigs may have
been sacrificed and eaten in idolatrou s religious ceremo-
nies, so pigs were unclean for the Israelite s as they still ~e
for Muslims. However, it is impossible for us to go back rn
time and determine reasons from this perspect ive.
In a society where culture and religion are closely
intertwined, it can be difficult to distinguish the religious and
cultural elements in rituals and festivals. An obvious way to do
this would be to investigate their origins, but even that may
not clarify the issues. For example, eggs are universally used
as a symbol of new life, especially in relation to the festival of
Easter, but historically the roots of this symbolism are pagan .
Yet the church has seen no need to refuse to use the egg as
a powerful symbol.
Christian s are called to be sal t and light in t h e
communities they live in. The challenge before us is to adapt
rituals and festivities without compromising biblical teaching.
One way of doing this is contextu alisation, in which we
absorb the methods but not the content of these practices.
'!"e _will have a greater impact on our commun ity if we adopt
its r~tuals and festivals but fill them with new meanings than if
we isolate ourselves from our neighbou rs by refusing to share
in their lives.
~ustoms_ and practices that are clearly religious must be
pohtel~ avoided - for example, partaking of prasad offered
br a_ friend or colleague who has returned from a religious
pilgrimage, adorning oneself with a bindi (understood as the
third eye of Shiva), participating in ancestor worship and the
like. But customs and practices that are sufficient ly neutral,
religiously speaking, may be adapted and filled with Christian
meaning. Examples would be the use of yellow flower petals
in worship or of a thali necklace rather than a ring in a
marriage service. In a multi-religious context, we must strive
to be both authentic Christians and authentic South Asians.
Bal Krishna Sharma
154 Leviticus 11 :1-47
Many people think that these laws we.re given for health
.e'1sons. For e.xample . animals declared ~unclean~ are
unhygienic or unhealthy for humans to eat, and people with
J e:lling skin diseases like leprosy need to be separated to
.n"D:c tn.fecting others. This is m1e for some animals. for
c.:u :nric. the unclean birds that feed on animals or carrion
.illd C<trry disease. But it does not hold up for the entire
~:st vt 3lillllals. nor does it fit situations like the need for
punfication from uncleanness after childbirth.
A third idea is that these distinctions were made by
.he ill-knowing God who does not reveal everything to his
people. He had his own good reasons for deciding what was
d ean and unclean, perhaps including the reasons given
abon~. With our limited knowledge. we need to accept that
some oi Go<fs choices and his reasons for them will remain
mys teries to us.
Rather than discussing these issues at length, our focus
should be on learning what these laws teach us about the
principles of holiness and purity and how obeying God's
laws demonstrates our commitment to him.
We should also note. as pointed out at 5:2-3 , that there
is no biblical basis for the idea that an entire stratum of
society - for example. outcastes or Dalits - is inherently
unclean or defiled. All human beings are made in the image
and likeness of God and it is incorrect to regard anyone as
unclean by binh.
The laws on consuming animals move from the clean to
the unclean and from those that are acceptable for the
Israelites to eat to those that are not. The list begins with
land animals and gives two clear criteria for those that are
clean: all that chew the cud (grass eaters that bring up and
chew their food after they eat it) and have a hoof that is
split (11:1-3). God decreed that domestic versions of these
animals were the only kinds that were acceptable for sac-
rifice and worship (see comments on 1:2) . The text then
gi.es examples of animals that fit one criterion but not the
other (11:4-7) .
The prohibition against eating the meat of unclean
animals is followed by a prohibition against touching their
dead bodies (11:8). Either action will make those who do
it t:nclean. Thus defilement of God's holy people seems to
be the primary issue here. The unclean animals were off-
Emits to them. Although the reason they were defiling is
:iot given, obedience in this matter was clearly important to
God's relationship \vi th his people, for these are covenant
b\'\-s.
God also gives two criteria for animals that live in water:
ociy those with fins and scales were clean and could be
eat~n (11:9). All others were unclean (11:10-12). Inter-
estrngly for the category of flying animals, only unclean
: ::-cs and bats are listed, and all are hunters or scavengers
(1 1:13 -1 9). The unclean flying creatures include flying
insects, but those that hop were clean (11:20-23) .
Touching unclean animals did n_ot ~ ake a person
unclean, but touching their dead bodies d1~ (11 :24-25).
Accidental touching made people unclean until evening, but
picking up or carrying a dead bodr _also r~quire~ washing
one's clothing. The text then clanfies which animals and
their carcasses were unclean (11:26-28). In particular
animals that travel on the ground were unclean (11:29-31)'.
These are also the kinds of animals that get into houses.
Cleansing was required when they died and fell on house-
hold objects that then became unclean or defiled (11:32).
Items that can be thoroughly washed were to be placed
in water until evening. However, probably because clay is
porous and absorbs materials, clay pots and ovens could
no longer be used and had to be broken (11:33-35). Any
food or liquid stored in the pot or that had otherwise been
touched by the dead animal or by contaminated water also
had to be destroyed. An exception was made for a spring of
flowing water or a cistern that was used for holding water,
perhaps because of the large size of the container (11:36).
This water remained clean , but a person who touched the
dead animal while taking it out became unclean.
Dry seed remained clean even if it came into contact
with the corpse of an unclean animal (11:37). If the seed
was wet, it was considered unclean (11:38). No option for
its cleansing was prescribed. We may assume that the wet
seeds were in the process of being prepared for planting,
and perhaps when the seed was wet , impurities had a
chance to penetrate it.
The body of a clean animal that died of natural causes
also caused ceremonial uncleanness if it was touched, and
anyone who ate or moved it had to wash (11:39-40). Again,
creatures that travel on the ground were unclean, perhaps
because the ground is usually dirty (11:41-42).
The Israelites were not to defile themselves by eating or
touching any unclean animal because, as God's people, they
were to be holy because he is holy (11:43-44). They were
instead to consecrate or sanctify themselves, which means to
be cleansed from anything that defiles, to purify themselves
and to remain pure by avoiding things that defile (see Exod
19:10-11; Josh 7:13; 1 Cor 6:11; Heb 9:13-14). Their rela·
tionship with the holy God who redeemed them from slavery
in Egypt was to spur them on to a life of holiness (11:45).
The leaders and the priests in particular were to know the
law of God to be able to distinguish between the clean and the
unclean (11:46-47) . For cleanness is required to serve and
worship God (see comments on 5:2-3) .
When Jesus was criticised by the Jewish authorities for
not paying sufficient attention to traditions regarding what
constituted defilement, he made a very important obser:7a·
tion: "Nothing outside a person can defile them by going
into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that
 Leviticus 12: 1-13: 11
tk!1k -. them~ (Mark 7:15) . He thus shifted the focus from
:;f.W and unclean foods and the like to our charac ter and
•ur actions which reflect that charac ter.
12: 1-8 Purification after Childbirth
The previou s chapte r dealt with unclea nness caused by
acuons. The following chapters focus on physical conditions
that caused unclea nness. While these laws may have medi-
cal and hygienic benefits, they were not primarily intended
for these purpos es. What was import ant was that bleed-
ing and dischar ge caused uncleanness, which would defile
God's sanctu ary and worshi p. So God prescri bed proper
ways to remove the unclean ness so that people could again
be in his presen ce. These laws illustrate that every aspect
of life is connec ted to God's relationship with his people.
Childb irth caused a woman to becom e ceremo nially
unclean, so God gave Moses directio ns for the Israelit es
concerning this matter. If a son was born, the mother was
ceremonially unclean for seven days, just as she was during
her monthly period of menstr uation (12: 1-2; see 15: 19-24) .
The son born to her was to be circumcised on the eighth day
in accorda nce with the covena nt God made with Abraham
(12:3; see Gen 17:1-14 ) .
For thirty-t hree days more, making a total of forty, the
mother could not go near anything sacred or holy until she
was purified from bleedin g in childbirth, or she would cause
these things to be defiled by her uncleanness (12:4). Any
bodily dischar ge was unclean in God's sight (see 15:1-27) .
However, this regulat ion also allowed mothers to get much-
needed rest.
If a daught er was born, the mother was unclean for two
weeks instead of one and had to wait an extra thirty-three
days before purification (12:5). During these eighty days ,
she was under the same restrict ions as after giving birth
to a boy. It is unclea r why there was this difference in the
period of seclusi on. It is not that boys are more valuable
than girls, for the sacrific es for purification were the same
for both boys and girls (12:6-7) , and both are of equal value
in God's sight (Gal 3 :28) . The longer time th~ mother could
spend with her daught er may reflect something about hope
for the daught er's fertility or a desire to separa: e. the_ Isra-
elites from any connection to the idolatrous fertility ntuals
practised by the nations around them. . (discha rges were defilin g - see 12 :5 ; 15:2 , 19, 2 5); and
The mother was require d to give a burnt offenn g and
a small sin offerin g, which is perhap s more proper ly
understood as a purific ation offering, for the mother had
not sinned in giving birth. In fact , the Lord encouraged the
Israelites to multiply, and any birth is a cause for celebra-
tion. Again, the Lord made provision for the poo:. Those
who could not afford a lamb could bring a dove or pigeon for
the burnt offering (12:8; see Luke 2:2~-~4). Thus through
these sacrifi ces. the mother was punf1ed , ceremo mally
c1ean and able to join in worship.
l .S S
13:1-4 6 Defiling Skin Diaeu es
The Lord then gave Moses and Aaron d1rect1ons ahout
identifying skin disease s that would m~ke people who had
them ceremo nially unclea n and reqmre d 1solat10g t~em
from the community (1 3 :1-2). The pnests . who were given
th e r espons ibility to di scern lhe. cleanh from the unclea n.
were given th e task of determ inmg w ether a sk m .
issue
was defiling. . . .
The Hebrew for these skin disease s 1s someti.mes trans-
lated as Mleprosy". However, a range of ,ski? disease s are
meant here, not just leprosy (or Hansen s disease_), so t~e
phras e "defiling skin disease" is a better transla
. d'
tion . This
phrase also communicates that not all skin 1seases were
defiling . Numerous attemp ts hav~ b~en made to c~nne~t
specifi c diseas es with the descnp t10ns ~ere , which_ flt
several. But Leviticus is not concer ned with the medica l
diagnosis, and the priests did not_make ?iagno ses or rec -
ommend treatme nt. While separa ting afflicted people from
the community can help to avoid the spread of_disease , the
focus here is on unclean ness relative to the holines s of God.
To live in his presen ce in relatio nship with ?im, the c~m-
munity of Israel had to be holy, which require d removm g
anything or anyone who was unclean (see 10:S; 14:40-4 1 ;
24:14; Num 5:2; 31 :19; Deut 23 :10-12) . Theref ore, all who
were unclean were to go outside the camp or the commu -
nity until they were declared clean .
The instructions on skin disease s follow a similar pat-
tern. First, there is a description of the symptom and what
the priest was to look for in his examin ation (13:3) . This
is followed by an evaluation of cleann ess or unclea nness,
which sometimes involved seven-day waiting periods during
which the person was temporarily unclean and in isolatio n,
probably in an area outside the community, and additio nal
examinations (13:4-5 ). Finally, the priest would pronou nce
the verdict. If the priest determ ined that a person had a
non-defiling skin disease, the person was only require d to
wash before returni ng to the commu nity (13:6-7 ) . If the
priest determined that the person had a defiling skin dis-
ease, the person was declared unclea n (13:8) .
The priests were to look for three sympto ms that would
determine whethe r a disease was defiling: swellin g of the
skin; raw flesh or scabbing indicating bleeding or discharge
white skin and hair or a shiny appear ance that is more than
skin deep. In situatio ns requiring isolation. the priest also
had to watch to see whethe r the spot spread .
Afflicted people would natural ly be reluctant to be exam-
ined, so they must be brought to the priest by their family or
the community, for everyone in Israel was responsible for
doing their part to mainta in the purity of the commu nity
(13:9). If the skin disease case include d all three symp·
toms, no waiting period was required (13: 10- 11).
 156 Leviticus 13:12-1 4:7
T~~se_gen~ral ~nstru~ti ons are followed by details on
specific situation s 1.Dclucling full-body affliction (13:12-13),
the presenc e of raw flesh which indicate d a defiling dis -
charge (13 :14-15) , and sores that healed to white scars
(13:16- 17). The common afflictio ns of boils that did not
properly heal (13:18- 23) and burns that became infected
are a lso covered (13 :24-28) . Detailed examina tions of
sores on the head that required isolation and further test-
ing follow (13:29- 37) . White spots (13:38-39) and issues
associat ed with baldnes s conclud e the section (13:40-44).
T~e ~ount of detail and care the priests were to take in
discerm ng cleanne ss or unclean ness indicate both the seri-
ousness of defilem ent and the importa nce of not making
a wrong judgem ent, for the consequ ences to the afflicted
person were severe.
When the priest determi ned that a skin conditio n was
defiling , he declare d the person unclean . Unclean people
were to wear torn clothes, not tend their hair, cover their
lips and cry out "unclea n" to all who came near them
(13:45) . This warning was to keep others away so they did
not become defiled by touching the unclean person. Further,
an unclean person had to live alone .. . outside the camp or
commun ity until healed (13:46).
Going about in torn clothes and with untidy hair were
ancient West Asian practice s of mournin g for the dead.
And these people were indeed like the dead, cut off from
their previou s lives. Aaron 's respons e to Miriam's leprosy
vividly illustrat es this, for he compare d her to "a stillborn
infant" (see Num 12:12) . The story of Adam and Eve also
illustrat es this principl e of living death. When they sinned,
they died a spiritua l death and had to be evicted from Eden.
They continue d to live, but were driven from God's presenc e
and a close relation ship with him (Gen 3). Those who were
expelled from the camp due to a defiling skin disease suf-
fered a similar fate. Their afflictio n was not necessa rily a
consequ ence of sin, but they had to live outside the camp
of God's people because God's holiness could not dwell
with their unclean ness. Living outside the camp also kept
them from defiling others and helped to prevent epidemics,
t hough this was not the primary purpose . This si!uatio ~
would be extreme ly difficult for the afflicted and their fami-
lies. It illustrat es the seriousn ess of anythin g that defiles
and separate s people from the holy God.
The Israelite s no doubt provide d for these people and
treated their diseases as best they could. Cleansin g rituals
are given for their return to the commun ity after healing
(14:1-32) .
There are many people in South Asia who suffer from
skin diseases and other disease s such as HIV/AIDS that
cause them to be rejected by society. They may not have
done anything to deserve this condition. How should we as
Christian s help them?
13:47-5 9 Defiling Moulds
The same Hebrew word translate d "defiling " with skin disease
is used here for defiling moulds (13:47-48). Certain mould
caused items made of fabric or leather to be unclean in Go<1•:
sight, and the defiled items had to be removed from the com-
munity. These moulds appear to be kinds that spread and
destroy, so any community would want to get rid of them.
The instructi ons regardin g mould are similar to those for
defiling skin diseases and involved the same three steps.
First, any item showing traces of a green or red mould
was to be brought to the priest for examina tion (13:49).
Secondly, a seven-day waiting period was used to detennine
whethe r the item was contami nated with mould or just
soiled (13:50-51). Thirdly, the priest would judge whether
the item had to be burnt to destroy it and the mould (13:52).
The general directio ns are followed by what to do in
specific cases, includin g addition al waiting periods, wash-
ing, re-examining and destroyi ng part or all of the material
depending on the results of the tests (13:53-59).
These laws about skin diseases and defiling moulds had
practica l importan ce in the daily lives of God's people and
also illustrat e the holiness of God. Anything that defiles the
holiness of the community in his eyes must be removed or
destroyed.
14:1-32 Cleansing from Defiling Skin Disease s
When people with defiling skin diseases were healed, two
complex rituals filled with symbolism were to be performed
to cleanse them and bring them back into the community
and the presence of God. It is importa nt to identify the role
of priests in these chapter s that deal with defiling skin
diseases . They did not cure the sick person. God had that
role. The priests were responsi ble only for discerning that
the person had been healed and perform ing the necessary
rituals (14:1-2).
The priest was to go outside the camp t o where the
unclean person was living and determi ne by examination
whether the person was in fact healed (14:3) . Then he was
to begin an eight-da y cleansin g ceremon y that parallels the
days of creation and is full of re-creat ion symbolism that
shows the afflicted person was crossing over from living
death to life in God's presenc e (see commen ts on 13:45-46).
On the first day, the priest was to perform the first part
of the ritual outside the camp with symboli c material s
(14:4). Two live birds were brought, and one was killed and
its blood mixed with literally "living" water from a stream
or spring in a clay vessel (14:5). The priest was to dip the
live bird, cedar wood, scarlet yarn and a hyssop branch
in the blood and water, sprinkle the healed person seven
times, and declare the person clean (14:6-7) . Then he was
to release the live bird.
Cedar is an expensi ve, aromati c wood that symbolised
enduran ce. Scarlet yarn was used to mark things that were
 Leviticus
important (see Gen 38:28-30; Josh 2 .
absorbe~t p~ant that was also used.18 in, 21 )- Hys~o? is _an
ceremomes, mcluding cleansing a p
a corpse (Num 19:6, 18; see Ps sr:~t 0 th
er purification
who had touched
the cedar and the yarn were red, whi~h s att 2_7:48)_. Both
victory over death (see Isa l :lB) . Rele ~bolised _life ~d
could have symbolised either Canyin ;sing the live brrd
(similar to the way the scapegoat c~ de defilement away
sin on the Day of Atonemen t_ . / ~way the people's
16 2 22
release from bondage to death. · or the person's
After the first ceremony, the person was t h . recognise the healed person's change of status and know
. b d b th
e o y, a e an d wash their clothes (14·8)
O s ave therr
entir . that he or she was to be accepted back into the community.
like this symb olised complete removal of . · . · Shaving
bled full examinatio n of their body Theruneaftpuntythand ena-
·
was c1ean and could enter the camp But b er eth person
· ecause e cer-
emony was not complete, they could not enter their home
for ~even days. On the seventh day, the person was to shave
agam, bathe and ready themselves to enter the tabernacle
the next day (14:9).
On the eighth day, the healed person was to bring a
huge sacrifice to the tabernacle (14:10). The same priest
was to present both the person and the sacrifices to the
Lord before the tent of meeting (14: 11) . The first male
lamb was to be sacrificed as a guilt offering with oil that
the priest symbolical ly gave to God by waving it before the
altar (14:1 Z-13; see 5: 14-19). There are several possible
reasons for the need to make this guilt offering. Disease is
sometimes judgemen t for sin (Num 12:1-11), so the offering
could have been made to atone for an unknown sin (see
5: 17). The sacrifice could have been offered as restitution
for the service or offerings the person did not give to God
while outside the camp. Or the guilt offering could have
been required because the defiling skin disease violated
God's holiness (see 5:16).
As in the ordination ritual for priests, the priest was to
put blood from this sacrifice on the right ear, thumb ~d
big toe of the healed person (14:14; se~ 8:23-24). This
probably symbolise d the radical change m status of ~he
healed person who had crossed from unclean to clean, like
the priests had crossed from clean ~o holy (see 8 :23 -24~·
Th . t th prinkled oil seven times before the Lor '
e pnes en s f the healed person and
put some on the same body ~arts O These oil rituals could
poured the rest on the p~rson s head. t and God's blessing
all symbolise consecrati on, atonemen
upon the person (14: 15-18J·. . ffering of a ewe lamb,
Next was the sin or purificatio n° t and cleansing. This
which would bring furth~r atonemencover sins the person
offering may ha~e been ~nte nde~! (l :19; see 4:32-35) .
4
had committed smce leavmg the b p t offering and grain
This sacrifice was followed ty
offering, which probably sym O se
J ~:e person's complete
devotion to God (14:20; see l: 3).
14 :8-53
157
Ag~, th~ Lord made allowances for the poor to bring
clean birds mst~ad of lamb~ and l~ss grain, though the
male lamb and oil for the_guilt of~enng were still required
(14:21-32) . The ceremorues and ntuals for the poor are the
same and equally acceptable to God.
When the priest had offered all the sacrifices, the healed
person was fully returned to relationship with God, the
sanctuaiy and the covenant community. These public rituals
in the tabernacle were necessary so that everyone would
These must have been an extremely emotional time for the
afflicted people, who were in a sense brought back from the
dead into life with God and his people (see John 5:24; Rom
6:4, 23).
14:33-57 Cleansing from Defiling Moulds
The same Hebrew word translated defiling with skin
diseases is used with reference to any mould, fungus or
mildew that defiled a house that the Israelites would build
or take possession of after entering the promised land
(14:33-34; see 13:1). The statement that the Lord put
a spreading mould in the house does not mean the mould
was judgement for the sin of the owner or residents but
expresses his sovereignty over all events (see Job 2:10;
Isa 45:7). This defiling mould, which was unclean in God's
sight, was treated much like a defiling skin disease.
First, after all the contents were removed, the priest was
to be called to examine the house to look for the signs that
the mould was defiling, namely that it was a green or red
colour and was deeper than the surface (14:35-37). This
was followed by a seven-day waiting period, another inspec-
tion and a cleansing to remove the contaminated material
(14:38-42) . Again, the priest was to take great care to
ensure that he correctly discerned clean and unclean, for
the consequences of a mistake were serious: either having
a defiling house in the presence of God or tearing one down
unnecessarily. Finally, the priest was to give a verdict of
clean or unclean. If the house was unclean, it had to be tom
down and all the materials carried outside the city (14:43-
45). This was a great loss to the owner but was necessaiy
to maintain the holiness of the community. Further, anyone
who was in contact with the unclean house also became
unclean (14:46-47).
If the cleansing process "cured" the house of the mould.
the priest was to declare it clean and perform the same
ritual with the birds, water and symbolic articles as ~e
would do when declaring someone healed of a defiling skin
disease (14:48-53; see comments on 14:4:7). Howe~er,
with a building, there was no issue of restonng a relation-
ship with God, so the further sacrifices did ~ot hav~ to be
made. The ritual with the birds performed m public was
recognition enough that the dwelling was restored.
 158
Leviticus 14:5 4-15 :33
The se~u o~ conc lude s with a sum mar y
that grou ps can be d.iscrim..:.nator/. tne'/ ri0 a,_y, un : .,.,,~
d ~ skin disea ~es and moulds in the sam t ~~
e category and rest from theu never-end.mg retpo:?.~1..:)......L.';1_
agrun state s the pnes tly resp onsib ility of disc
erning wha t is The laws here are su:r:11.ar V1 t.L.<JS1; !..r;r CJ.a_'
clean and wha t is uncl ean (14:54-5 7) . ; ~..V..¼:..:zt':
that uncleanness was '..rar-...si;-~tte<: \I;., ?.!rf
ttl~ 1, : ~ :. , , . -.,.. •
15:1 -33 Discharges Causing Uncleanness wom an touc hed. Th.es,: tbng ~ aJ:') ;nr;;;..-:-
r.u. tr, ·;; ,.~•.,;,
Disc harg es relat ed to skin dise ases were disc and were unclean till 1;·:er.:~g '15: 2-0-2 3 1
I-. oz::, ·.2 ' ·
(see 13:8 . 14-15). but the next sect ion of Levi
~ at man y kind s of bodily disc harg es were
usse d earlier
ticus reveals
sexu al relat ions ..,.ith her d'.l~ g tb.15 ~
unclean. and this prac uce ·,:ah fom,,;:,:,_~ fl.5:
-,.ak; p__y,
24- ~ ,;, - ,
~!
uncl ean in the 20 :18). "' A,;, .. . ,,

sigh t of God . It give s laws rega rdin g norm

al and abnormal The fmal set of laws deal ·mtn abti<:in::v...i.
disc harg es from male and female sexu al orga f4;~ ,_ ,, ..
ns that made a char ge. Again, it is tre.a ted l.oo; male ~
man or wom an ceremonially unclean. is~- .:; ·;_:·"I
sacri ficin g a purification offer ing and a bnrm
Many scholars have att~m pted to determin ,,~f.~ - ~ ,{~
e why thes e the woman was heal ed of the div,...a&e thal
disc harg es wer e cons ider ed defil ing. An r ~ ~<;; '-'\.
argu men t could charge (15:25-3 0 ).
be mad e on the basi s of hygiene and avoi
ding the spre ad The sect ion conc lude s with a sum m.ar ; to;n
of dise ase. but we mus t be satisfied with the r~r.:_7':...~
holy and wise male and fema le defi ling disc harg es inv,
God 's declarat ion on the issu es. ,:,n,; r,,;..:J:-7,,...,
Th e first set of laws deal with abnormal male
(15:32-3 3).
disc harg e Even the mos t com mon and mun dane ~rr.
that can be caus ed by a varie ty of diso rder
s and dise ases , .<. ,! •...:.<; 1

incl udin g sexu ally tran smit ted dise ases Isra elite s' lives were to be vie,1ed frQID th.t
(15 :1-3 ). The ~ --,': ,_4
uncl eann ess was tran smit ted to anyo ne thei r relat ionship with Go<L The purp ose of
or anyt hing the a!'. •J:'='Y: .z ,.-•.
on uncl eann ess is clea rly given: "'' You TTlll..6t P.ee/J
man touc hed and to anyone who touc hed wha
t he touc hed tht we.~~
(15:4-11 ). Washing and a period of time were separate from things that mak e them unclean, :w
requ ired to they •.rul r.r,"
die in their uncleanness for defil ing my du;el
clea nse all item s and peop le. Clay pots had ling place ~r.Jti:
to be brok en is among them "' (15:31). The defiling nn
beca use they are poro us and abso rb imp c~ --s <rl ~
uriti es (15:12). bodies, even thou gh not nece ssar ily caus ed
Avoiding cont act and was hing prev ented and b-J sin. hl!_':1'.i:." L
clea nsed cer- thei r relat ions hip with the holy God and defil
emonial uncleanness and also helped to prev ed bis d-r.<;...._~
ent the spre ad plac e. So the Lord provided w;r.1s for his peop
of wha teve r disease the man had. le v., tr. v=.:-
Like thos e heal ed of defiling skin dise ases fied and mad e clea n agai n. He a1SQ provided
a 71<£] fo: :::.!
, the man sanc tuar y to be mad e clea n agai n (see the
heal ed of his dis char ge ha d t o wait s even ne-Lt chapler,.
days , was h We und erst and the imp orta nce of hygi
hims elf with fresh or "living" water and was ene to a·:~'!i
h his cloth ing spre adin g dise ase to individuals and the entir
(15: 13; see com men ts on 14:8-10). On the eigh
th day, he e COtiic·::::·::•
However, man y area s in our coun tries are
was to sacrifice two bird s before the LoRD at
the sanc tuar y to less than cl.ez::
aton e for his disc harg e, one as a purification and hygi enic . Our chur ches wou ld do well
or sin offering to prvrr'w:
and the othe r as a burn t offering (15:14-1 prop er train ing and to help develop hygi enic
5). conditim:s 2:.!"..
The seco nd set of laws deal with norm al male prac tices so that the enti re com mun ity can
disc harges expe riecr e '.:,;:
of sem en , whic h requ ired was hing and mad ter heal th.
e the man cer-
emo niall y uncl ean unti l even ing (15:16).
He and anyt hing 16:1 -34 The Day of Atonement
his sem en touc hed had to be washed, and
both the man and The Day of Aton eme nt has been the holi est
the wom an with whom he had sexu al relat
ions had to was h day of thf ·;ez:
afte rwa rds (15:17-1 8). This law does not for the Hebrew peop le from the time of Mos
impl y that sexu al es until ~ ·-
rela tion s between a husb and and wife are The laws rega rdin g it are given in chap ter
sinful, nor was 16, at the cen..:re
it mea nt to disc ourage beha viou r that wou of Levi ticus . This chap ter deal s with th.e
need to cl.eacst
ld incr ease the the sanc tuar y from both unin tent iona l
num ber of Isra elite s . Instead, it was rela sin and defiling
ted to the holi- uncl eann ess, the topi cs of the book to this
ness of God and the importance of puri ty
whe n living in his
point, and fro:::
inte ntio nal rebe llion and wick edne ss, whic
pres ence . h are the topics
of the rest of the book.
The third set of laws deal with the norm
al fema le dis- The cons eque nces of sin are deat h and sepa
char ge asso ciat ed with mon thly men stru ratio n fro::i
atio n (15: 19). In the holy God . In the OT, the prim ary way
som e resp ects , thes e laws are simi lar to to avoid these
som e Sou th Asian conseque nces , rece ive forg iven ess and be
idea s abou t the uncl eann ess of men stru atin reco nciled to~
g wom en, who was to sacr ifice anot her livin g crea ture in
cann ot ente r the temple or touc h a mem the pl.ace of ~
ber of the fami ly sinn er, spec ifica lly pour ing out the blood,
and mus t use sepa rate bedd ing and uten which is the lilf
sils beca use they (see 17 :11) . A bull was the requ ired offering
are rega rded as uncl ean that wee k. Whi le for the prieSts,
such regu latio ns and lamb s , goa ts or bird s for the peop le
(4:1-35 ; 5:7-SJ-