Deep Dive
Shownotes Transcript
Hey, Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for The Bible Recap. We've only got one day left in Leviticus, so let's make the most of it. Today, God is still giving Moses instructions on how the people should live in society together, since this is not only the first time they've had a chance to be free people, but also the first time they've really interacted with God. They've only known Him for about a year at this point, and they're still learning to trust Him. Maybe you can relate.
God's instructions today covered a lot of territory. The perpetual maintenance of the tabernacle, caring for the poor, Jubilee. We also see a specific instance where God tells Israel how to handle blasphemers. A man curses the name of God and God orders him to be stoned. The purpose of this illustration, since it involves a man who is half Egyptian, is to
was likely to point out that the same rules applied to those who were foreigners. And as far as the decision God established to stone him to death, remember, the Israelites are in a unique situation given that they're a nation-state set apart as God's people. And it's always important to remember that we all deserve death. This man got what he deserved. The rest of us are just living on mercy. The blasphemer's story is immediately followed with a verse that says, "'Whoever takes a human life shall surely be put to death.'"
This is an illustration of what we talked about with the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, about how killing is different than murder. Otherwise, the person who puts a murderer to death would be a murderer, and someone would have to murder him, and then the chain reaction would continue until all God's people were dead. God establishes killing and murder as two different things, and he puts the power to kill in the hands of the judges. At least, that's who most commentators believe these instructions are for.
in part because they're followed by the whole eye for an eye passage. The way this is delivered seems to indicate that it was guidance for judicial rulings. So a judge would order your offender to pay back what he stole from you. This is not saying you should go take it for yourself. God was outlining order and civility and setting up some deterrence to sinning against your neighbor. Then God continues with a new kind of Sabbath command.
to let their fields rest on the seventh year, just as he's commanded the people to rest on the seventh day. The number seven symbolizes completion and perfection, so we'll continue to see God reiterating that. And by the way, Leviticus itself is written in seven sections, and some of those sections have seven interior sections. All that to say, it's a thing. Then God sets out the plan for Jubilee. He says this will happen on the year after seven weeks of years.
Based on what we talked about yesterday, I bet you already knew what this meant. Seven weeks of years would mean seven times seven, which is 49. So the year after that is the 50th year, the year of Jubilee. This pattern mirrors exactly what we saw yesterday with the 50 days between the Feast of Passover and Pentecost.
The people also didn't work the land on this year, so it had two back-to-back years off, the Sabbath year and the Jubilee year. You really have to trust God for His provision to let the land rest for two years. Your food has to last until the third year's harvest comes in. Sabbath requires faith, but God promises He'll give an abundant harvest on the year before this break. Another really cool thing happened during the year of Jubilee. Debts were canceled, and the people who had sold themselves into service to pay off that debt were set free.
We've already established that Scripture's references to slavery most often reference a different kind of slavery than we typically think of. And this section makes that even clearer. In 2555, God reminds Israel that even though some people may need to sell themselves into temporary service, they're ultimately only supposed to be servants to Him. God sets out a lot of regulations here about how to be kind to those in need and to help others get on their feet.
Jubilee is a reminder that they are all God's servants and that He provides for them all. Maybe it was just me, but I saw a lot of joy and freedom in today's chapters. My God shot was the picture of Him as the one who defends the poor, provides for the needy, and calls the rich to be helpers by sharing and by redeeming others out of debt. You may recognize some of these laws as the ones that will eventually connect Ruth and Boaz. God has a heart for freedom, for rest, for provision, for the poor.
In 2538, he says, I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God. He's basically saying, hey, when I came to rescue you, you had nothing. And I'm the one who gave you everything you have. So just don't be stingy with it. That doesn't mirror my heart. All of this is bookended with reminders of his godness and his holiness. When I was reading this section, I couldn't help but smile and think of my friend Cocoa.
When someone tries to merge or cuts her off in traffic, her immediate response is to say, come on over, I'm a Christian. Now, I know that sounds cheesy, and I know they can't hear her, but God can hear her, and she can hear herself. She's preaching God's generosity. She's living open-handedly in a very practical everyday sense. She realizes that God has given her the inheritance of the whole earth, so she can gladly share 200 square feet of highway.
She knows God is still providing, even when it seems like someone's trying to take something from her. She knows having an empty highway lane all to yourself isn't where it's at. She knows He's where the joy is. So many good things come in fives. Five Guys Burgers and Fries, The Five Love Languages, Five Fingers on Each Hand, Five Senses, and Five Star Reviews.
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