18 July 2014

EJ&T: Leviticus 22: Eating holy things and killing animals for God

In the Every Jot and Tittle project, I am listing all of the Bible's commandments from Genesis to Revelation, in accordance with Jesus's words in Matthew 5:18-19. I have no idea how many commandments I'll find, but Jewish tradition claims there are 613. See here for a list of those that I've found so far.

  1. Priests must stay away from holy things when they are unclean.
  2. This one is a bit obscure, but it seems to be saying that a priest shouldn't touch holy things if he has an infected penis, or has recently ejaculated, or touched a bug or a dead person or a menstruating women, or whatnot. After the sun goes down and he is clean, he can eat the holy things.

    And the LORD spake unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name in those things which they hallow unto me. ... What man soever of the seed of Aaron is a leper, or hath a running issue; he shall not eat of the holy things, until he be clean. And whoso toucheth any thing that is unclean by the dead, or a man whose seed goeth from him; Or whosoever toucheth any creeping thing, whereby he may be made unclean, or a man of whom he may take uncleanness, whatsoever uncleanness he hath; And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food. Leviticus 22:1-7

  3. If a priest approaches the holy things while his uncleanness is upon him will be cut off from God's presence.
  4. Whosoever he be of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence. Leviticus 22:3

  5. No stranger, visitor, or hired servant shall eat of the holy thing.
  6. There shall no stranger eat of the holy thing: a sojourner of the priest, or an hired servant, shall not eat of the holy thing. Leviticus 22:10

    There shall be no stranger eat thereof. Leviticus 22:13b

  7. If a priest buys a slave, the slave and his family may eat the priest's meat.
  8. If the priest buy any soul with his money, he shall eat of it, and he that is born in his house: they shall eat of his meat. Leviticus 22:11

  9. If a priest's daughter marries a stranger, she may not eat holy things.
  10. If the priest's daughter also be married unto a stranger, she may not eat of an offering of the holy things. Leviticus 22:12

  11. If a priest's daughter returns to her father's house after she is divorced or widowed, she can eat of her father's meat, as long as she didn't have any children while she was married.
  12. But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's meat. Leviticus 22:13a

  13. If you eat the holy thing by mistake, you must pay the priest for it, plus a 20% fine.
  14. If a man eat of the holy thing unwittingly, then he shall put the fifth part thereof unto it, and shall give it unto the priest with the holy thing. Leviticus 22:14

  15. Don't profane the holy things or trespass while eating them.
  16. They shall not profane the holy things of the children of Israel, which they offer unto the LORD; 16 Or suffer them to bear the iniquity of trespass, when they eat their holy things. Leviticus 22:15-16

  17. Don't offer God any blemished animals. All animals that you kill for God must be perfect. (With the few exceptions noted below)
  18. This includes vow, peace, freewill, and burnt offerings. Here are the types of blemished, imperfect animals that God doesn't want killed for him (with the exceptions noted in #140, 143, and 291)

    • Blind, broken, maimed animals
    • Any animal with warts, scurvy, or scabs
    • Animals with extra or missing body parts (but see the exception for freewill offerings in #291 below)
    • Animals that are bruised, crushed, broken, or cut
    Speak unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children of Israel, and say unto them, Whatsoever he be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers in Israel, that will offer his oblation for all his vows, and for all his freewill offerings, which they will offer unto the LORD for a burnt offering; Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats. But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein. Blind, or broken, or maimed, or having a wen, or scurvy, or scabbed, ye shall not offer these unto the LORD, nor make an offering by fire of them upon the altar unto the LORD. Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. Ye shall not offer unto the LORD that which is bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut; neither shall ye make any offering thereof in your land. Leviticus 22:18-24

    If there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 15:21

    Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 17:1

  19. If you are making a freewill offering, you may kill a bullock or lamb that has extra or missing body parts. But not when you're making a vow.
  20. Either a bullock or a lamb that hath any thing superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayest thou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted. Leviticus 22:23

  21. Don't kill any animals for God that you get from strangers. Their animals are always blemished and corrupt, and God won't accept any of them.
  22. Neither from a stranger's hand shall ye offer the bread of your God of any of these; because their corruption is in them, and blemishes be in them: they shall not be accepted for you. Leviticus 22:25

  23. Wait until a bullock, sheep, or goat is eight days old before killing and burning its dead body for God.
  24. When a bullock, or a sheep, or a goat, is brought forth, then it shall be seven days under the dam; and from the eighth day and thenceforth it shall be accepted for an offering made by fire unto the LORD. Leviticus 22:27

  25. Don't kill a newborn animal and its mother on the same day.
  26. And whether it be cow, or ewe, ye shall not kill it and her young both in one day. Leviticus 22:28

1 comment:

Mplsmndude said...

Crazy stuff. there are some good things in the Bible too but the passages are few and far between.
Http://minnesotadude.weebly.com