A Journey through the Bible with Tiglath

20. Leviticus Chapter 8 to 16.

Chapter 8. This chapter is of great interest. You will recall that in Chapter

29 of Exodus God gives detailed instructions on

how priests should be consecrated. Now, in this

Chapter 8 these instructions are carried out by

Moses as he inducts Aaron and his Sons into the

priestly office. Do, please, read the chapter with

great care. When present day priests are sometimes

criticized for wearing vestments it is interesting to

see that God made this a priestly requirement at a

very early date in Biblical history. Some of these

vestments need describing. A priest wore two

tunics. The shorter one was called an ephod and a

girdle was tied round it. The larger tunic was

probably coloured blue and on its fringes were

pomegranates and bells. There was a breastplate set with twelve precious

stones. These represented the twelve tribes of

Israel. Also, on the breastplate. were two objects

called Urim and Thummim. (Wikipedia gives a

range of meanings for these from revelation and

truth. To questions that can be answered by

‘yes’ and no’. In the Book of Numbers we are

informed that Aaron carried an almond rod.

Chapter 8 tells us, in great detail, how the consecration was carried

out. In Chapter 9 Aaron offers sacrifices and, following this, in Chapter 10

trouble breaks out. Two of Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, presented fire with

incense on it before the Lord. This they had not been commanded to do. Fire

came from the Lord and killed them. Now, it seems, Aaron had only two sons

remaining Eleazar and Ithamar. From verse 8 onwards the Lord lays down the

strict laws concerning priests.

This very interesting part of out journey now continues in Chapter 11 where we

discover the laws concerning which creatures the Israelites could or could not

eat. These laws are kept by Jewish people to this day. They could eat, verses 3

— 8 tell us, animals which have cloven hoofs and chew the cud. For example,

they could not eat camel meat because this animal, although it chews its cud,

has not got a cloven hoof. Verses 9-12 tell us that they could eat creatures from the sea with scales and fins Verse 22 states this — ‘All teeming winged creatures that go on four legs shall be vermin to you, except those which have legs jointed above their feet for leaping on the ground.’ Four kinds of locusts could be eaten but they couldn’t eat meat-eating, that is carnivorous, animals because the climate of Palestine can

be very warm and these animals may have eaten rotted flesh. Pork, which goes

off quickly, certainly could not be eaten. No shellfish could be consumed.

Measures are set out in verses 32-40 to make sure that the water supply is

kept pure.

Chapters 12 and 13 deal with purification after childbirth and ritual

uncleanness. It reads as an instruction manual for priests who have to deal with

leprosy and unclean homes and garments. You will recall that when Jesus

healed a leper he instructed him to ‘go and show yourself to a priest’.

I pass over Chapter 15 as this is a family magazine and we will continue next

month in Chapter 16 where we find the origin of one of the great Jewish

festivals — The Day of Atonement.