Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 7:28-34

28 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

29 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that offereth the sacrifice of his peace offerings unto the Lord shall bring his oblation unto the Lord of the sacrifice of his peace offerings.

30 His own hands shall bring the offerings of the Lord made by fire, the fat with the breast, it shall he bring, that the breast may be waved for a wave offering before the Lord.

31 And the priest shall burn the fat upon the altar: but the breast shall be Aaron’s and his sons’.

32 And the right shoulder shall ye give unto the priest for an heave offering of the sacrifices of your peace offerings.

33 He among the sons of Aaron, that offereth the blood of the peace offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for his part.

34 For the wave breast and the heave shoulder have I taken of the children of Israel from off the sacrifices of their peace offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons by a statute for ever from among the children of Israel.

When the Lord says that He has “taken of the children of Israel” the “wave breast and the heave shoulder,” and “given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons,” it seems to suggest that he has taken their heart (breast) and their strength (shoulder) and assigned them to the tabernacle. That is where the people’s devotion and effort should be directed. Of course, they would have their own personal love and work in life, but even loving a child can be part of loving the ritual, and part of working for one’s livelihood can be part of working for the holy place. All of it could be directed through the personal towards the root covenant.

Of course, the priests and the tabernacle were not one and the same as God, but directing one’s devotion to them would be like having a signpost to follow, which would lead one to the actual destination. It would be like following a star, though the real target is the Messiah who lives beneath it. By giving their hearts and strength to the representatives that God had made accessible to them, the ancient Israelites would also be moving their spirits towards the unseen Father.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 7:22-27

22 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat.

24 And the fat of the beast that dieth of itself, and the fat of that which is torn with beasts, may be used in any other use: but ye shall in no wise eat of it.

25 For whosoever eateth the fat of the beast, of which men offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, even the soul that eateth it shall be cut off from his people.

26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.

27 Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

These verses repeat God’s commandment to not eat the blood or the fat of any animal. We have heard about this before, and I mentioned then that the blood and the fat seem symbolic of life and passion, and that these were forces too powerful for us to manage on our own, and which could only be properly managed when offered to God.

I’d like to expand that further by saying that eating blood and fat could be symbolically seen as consuming oneself. It is creating a loop of just one entity: the self. The self makes the demands of self-gratification, and the self devotes itself to that purpose, becoming both worshipped and worshipper in one. This is a self-terminating cycle that will bear no fruit and achieve no outside purpose.

This is, I would say, the greatest temptation that besets all mankind. Selfishness is the root of most every sin, and we all fall to it to some degree, even though we see that it is trended towards a quiet, lonely, grossly indulgent death.

God gave each of us tremendous gifts and it would be a waste to channel them back to the self, where no one else can ever see or benefit from them. That would be like taking a light and hiding it under a bushel.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 7:19-21

19 And the flesh that toucheth any unclean thing shall not be eaten; it shall be burnt with fire: and as for the flesh, all that be clean shall eat thereof.

20 But the soul that eateth of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, that pertain unto the Lord, having his uncleanness upon him, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

21 Moreover the soul that shall touch any unclean thing, as the uncleanness of man, or any unclean beast, or any abominable unclean thing, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which pertain unto the Lord, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

These verses emphasize the separation that there must be between unclean and clean. If part of an offering touches that which is unclean it is now also unclean and must be burned with the unclean parts. Given that different parts of the same animal were clean and unclean, one could easily see how this might happen on a fairly regular basis.

It is also made clear that sometimes people go through unclean periods. These will be spelled out more later, but symbolically it is observably true that we all go through times of guilt and shame, times where we have done things that we know we shouldn’t have, times where we feel out-of-place among the innocent and pure. Verses 20 and 21 make it clear that if we then did mingle ourselves with the pure, that would be living in a spiritually disingenuous way, and that is actually worse than the original uncleanness.

This brings up a theme that I have been noticing during this study of Leviticus. We are so often told that the Old Testament and the Mosaic Law are strict and demanding and cruel, oppressive laws that we are much better off to be rid of. But that isn’t what I’ve seen at all. What I’ve seen is a law that understands and accepts the fact that its people will sin, and which asks them to just be honest when they are in that condition, and to excuse themselves in those moments without shame. So long as an Israelite was honest about his failures, the law was perfectly willing to work with him, to allow him time to become clean and whole again.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 7:16-18

16 But if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or a voluntary offering, it shall be eaten the same day that he offereth his sacrifice: and on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten:

17 But the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burnt with fire.

18 And if any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, neither shall it be imputed unto him that offereth it: it shall be an abomination, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity.

Yesterday’s verses emphasized the necessity of the priest needing to eat his portion of sacrifices on the same day that the offering was made, but as we see today, there were special exceptions to that rule. If the offering was part of a vow, for example, it could be eaten on the same day, and an on the following day, but not any later than that.

Perhaps this is because a vow is forward-looking, whereas most other offering are looking backward. It specifies an action that you will do, not atonement for something you have already done. And that forward-looking element is represented in the priest being able to eat some of the food “tomorrow.” But this couldn’t be drawn out for too long, the ritual still needed to be coupled to the actual moment of the sacrifice, and so anything remaining on the third day had to be burned.

Respect for the ritual was very important, so much so that verse 18 warns that eating anything on the third day or after would not only be of no value to the offeror, but would be abominable and qualify as iniquity! We cannot have more good than what God gives to us, for then it ceases to be good.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 7:12-15

12 If he offer it for a thanksgiving, then he shall offer with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and cakes mingled with oil, of fine flour, fried.

13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings.

14 And of it he shall offer one out of the whole oblation for an heave offering unto the Lord, and it shall be the priest’s that sprinkleth the blood of the peace offerings.

15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offerings for thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is offered; he shall not leave any of it until the morning.

Today’s verses further reinforce the idea of fundamental sacrifices inside of larger ones, as we see that the meat offering was a part of the thanksgiving/peace offerings. Wherever the meat offering appears, it gives to an attribute of praise and thankfulness.

Today’s verses also give a new requirement for the priest’s portion of a sacrifice. In verse 15 it makes it clear that the portion had to be consumed on the same day that the offering was made. This requirement would certainly help ensure that this remained a part of the ritual itself, preventing it from becoming long term storage, eaten amidst other portions, with no remembrance for which sacrifice each bite belonged to.

Our solemn observations are meant to be deliberate, intentional, and specific. It would not do to vaguely wish good on others, to abstractly give thanks, to ask for forgiveness in general. That would make God and His mercy also vague, abstract, and general. But He is real, His commandments are directed, and His mercy is unique, and so we must approach Him on those terms.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 7:7-11

7 As the sin offering is, so is the trespass offering: there is one law for them: the priest that maketh atonement therewith shall have it.

8 And the priest that offereth any man’s burnt offering, even the priest shall have to himself the skin of the burnt offering which he hath offered.

9 And all the meat offering that is baken in the oven, and all that is dressed in the fryingpan, and in the pan, shall be the priest’s that offereth it.

10 And every meat offering, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as much as another.

11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he shall offer unto the Lord.

These verses repeat that the priests would eat their portion as part of the sin and meat offerings. It is new information at this point that the priests would also take part of the burnt offering, specifically the skin. While we do make food from the skin of some animals today, it does not seem likely that the priests would eat this portion. Notice that it says the priest is to “have it to himself,” suggesting that it became a possession. The skins would likely have been made into leather and crafted, or sold for money.

It does seem strange that we are finding out details of each sacrifice in such a piecemeal fashion. Why not hear everything about a burnt offering in one set of instructions, rather than getting one part here and one part there? Personally, I think it doubtful that the original instructions were so fractured. We have already seen elsewhere that the books of Moses seem to be composited together from multiple separate accounts, and I assume that that is what is happening here also.

That being said, the fractured form that we see in the Bible today is not a bad analogy for the experience of anyone seeking truth. Typically, principles and doctrine are not appreciable in their entirety all at once. We have to learn progressively, “line upon line; here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). From many sources and lessons, we accumulate a coherent model of God and His truths, rather than receiving it whole at once. Again, I don’t necessarily think this was an intended symbol, but it is fitting, nonetheless.

Burnt offeringGiving our life to God’s purposes
Ram, BullockMale, without blemishGive our very best
Hands placed on head, slaughteredAnimal takes the place of us
Slaughtered on the NorthRecommitment on the side of our journey
Blood sprinkled around altarOur life is sprinkled over God’s work
Cut in pieces, and washedEach part of us measured and made clean
Skin given to priestsOuter behavior that supports the mission of God
Pigeon, TurtledoveCrop pulled off, torn nearly in halfEach inner part of us exposed to God’s purifying fire
The whole thing burned on the altarOur lives consumed in service to God
Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Leviticus 7:1-6

1 Likewise this is the law of the trespass offering: it is most holy.

2 In the place where they kill the burnt offering shall they kill the trespass offering: and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle round about upon the altar.

3 And he shall offer of it all the fat thereof; the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards,

4 And the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the caul that is above the liver, with the kidneys, it shall he take away:

5 And the priest shall burn them upon the altar for an offering made by fire unto the Lord: it is a trespass offering.

6 Every male among the priests shall eat thereof: it shall be eaten in the holy place: it is most holy.

We heard about the trespass offering in the past two chapters, but there were limited descriptions on how the ritual was actually carried out. The assumption was that the sacrificed animal was handled much the same as other offerings. Today we get those fuller details, and the assumption is proven correct.

Importantly, this offering matches the burnt offering in how the blood was to be sprinkled around the altar, but matches the sin offering in how the fat, kidneys, and other minor parts were burned on the altar. It also matches the sin offering in how a portion of the meat was to be eaten by the priests.

These details make perfect sense, given what we noted earlier. The trespass offering was really two offerings in one: the burnt offering and the sin offering. Thus, some offerings were more fundamental (sin and burnt offering), and more complex offerings were composed of them (trespass offering). Not only this, but those fundamental offerings were themselves composed of specific ritualistic expressions (sprinkling of blood, burning of fat, priests eating of meat, etc.). From this we see that there was a grammar to the Hebrew sacrifices, and by becoming literate in the basic parts, we can use them to spell out more complex expressions.

SacrificeEligible oblationStepsExplanation
Trespass offeringFor minor offenses and mistakes
Lamb, young goatFat and kidneys burned on altarCleansing our behavior and desire
Blood sprinkled around altarOur life is sprinkled over God’s work
Portion given to priestsPriests share the burden of the sin
Two turtledoves, two pigeonsOne bird for a sin offering, one for a burnt offeringGiving up of offense and recommitment to the Lord
FlourSome of the grain for a sin offering, some for a meat offeringGiving up of offense and shared communion with the Lord
Posted on by Abe Austin

The Wisdom Inside

The fact that you can recognize wisdom in others, means that those same insights already exist within you. If they didn’t, you would have no reference to recognize it in others. All the realizations that we find by exploring the world can also be found by exploring within.

Posted on by Abe Austin

True Connection Through Vulnerability

True connection with another cannot come from surface-level interactions. To have a bosom friend requires knowing one another at the level of the soul. Real connection like that comes only through vulnerability, and vulnerability always involves risk. If there wasn’t risk, it would not, by definition, be vulnerable. This is why making true friends is not easy, it is a dangerous business. It means giving others ample opportunity to really hurt you and hate you, but trusting that they will honor you instead.

And, of course, some of the people that we are vulnerable with will let us down. They will betray our trust; they will wound us in our tender places. Being willing to still trust anyone after that is hard. It may go against our natural instincts. It is like being struck on one cheek and then turning the other. But, of course, that is exactly what we are called to do.

True connection with God is no different. It comes by going with Him into most vulnerable of places: our shames and our sins. By acknowledging and confessing these worst parts, we give Him every justification to hurt us and damn us, but we trust that He will forgive and heal us instead. Coming to God is a dangerous business, but it is the only way to become His true child.

Posted on by Abe Austin

The Unraveling of Trust

A System of Trust)

For a society to function properly, its people must cooperate with one another. They must share a ruleset. They must have mutually beneficial expectations, and those expectations must be honored. All of this is necessary, because the world is too large and too complex for each of us to handle all aspects of it on our own. The advantage of a well-functioning society is that certain people can dedicate themselves to understanding one particular system and then disseminate to everyone else the essential information without them having to repeat the work. Shared rules also allow us to take complex interactions and reduce them to simple predetermined actions.

From what movies we watch, to how we navigate the road, to how we prioritize world affairs, “trusting the experts” and following predefined rules is the optimal strategy. I do not have enough time to watch every film, so I read reviews to only watch the best ones. I trust the rules of the road, so I can navigate complex group operations, like two lanes merging into one. I listen to news reports so that I know which issues I want to help my society overcome. I have not personally verified all of this information, but I trust in those that have, and assume my life will be optimal as result.

Trust Exploited)

But implicit trust is the most valuable commodity in the entire world, and the exploitation of it can be very lucrative.

What if a movie studio realizes that it can buy falsely positive reviews? The trust of the people will lead to increased ticket sales.

What if a driver realizes that he can hurriedly follow the car in front of him during a zipper merge to advance a space in traffic? He gets to his destination faster.

What if a news agency realize that they can sensationalize the news and fabricate outrage? Their ratings and ad revenue increase.

In each case, trust is turned into advantage, and one party is progressed beyond what could be achieved by honest means. Perhaps the short-term gain is justified by the assurance that one infraction is not going to break the whole system. The general populace will still benefit by trusting the institutions, and this one dishonest gain will amount to little more than a rounding error in the ledgers of society.

But when trust is exploited by one party, others will realize what has happened, and some will want to tip the scales in their favor also. Experience has proven that when the bond of trust has been broken once, and successfully profited from, a mass of other bad actors will soon follow.

Trust Broken)

And what happens when trust is broken repeatedly? It dies.

I watch a string of bad movies that came highly recommended, and I stop going to the movies altogether.

I get cut off in traffic repeatedly, and I start competing with every other driver on the road.

I realize the causes I supported made me a pawn in some party’s power grab, and I stop listening to the news media entirely.

I do not “trust the experts” anymore. I do not engage in the systems and rules as designed. And I am not the only one becoming cynical. Once enough of us are bitter and disillusioned, the movie industry collapses, violence becomes rampant on the roads, and conspiracy theories abound. The society stops being a society, and becomes instead a mass of angry individuals, all distrusting of one another. Divisions and public violence increase, and eventually the entire nation faces its demise. Perhaps strangest of all, there might even still be a majority of people who want to be honest and want to engage with the systems as intended, but the risk of trust outweighs its benefits, and so separating, not uniting, becomes the new norm.

When one is raised in a cohesive society, it is easy to take its trust systems for granted, but in truth, they must be guarded most carefully. For when they are broken, everything is lost. I do not know how far things can go and still be repaired, but at some point, the death of the nation must become inevitable.