Gus Cameron

4 March 2025

Leviticus 22:1-16

Gus Cameron

4 March 2025

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell Aaron and his sons to treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name. I am the LORD.
3 Tell them that for the generations to come, if any of their descendants in a state of uncleanness approaches the sacred offerings that the Israelites consecrate to the LORD, that person must be cut off from My presence. I am the LORD.
4 If a descendant of Aaron has a skin disease or a discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is clean. Whoever touches anything defiled by a corpse or by a man who has an emission of semen, 5 or whoever touches a crawling creature or a person that makes him unclean, whatever the uncleanness may be— 6 the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening. He must not eat from the sacred offerings unless he has bathed himself with water.
7 When the sun has set, he will become clean, and then he may eat from the sacred offerings, for they are his food. 8 He must not eat anything found dead or torn by wild animals, which would make him unclean. I am the LORD. 9 The priests must keep My charge, lest they bear the guilt and die because they profane it. I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
10 No one outside a priest’s family may eat the sacred offering, nor may the guest of a priest or his hired hand eat it. 11 But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.
12 If the priest’s daughter is married to a man other than a priest, she is not to eat of the sacred contributions. 13 But if a priest’s daughter with no children becomes widowed or divorced and returns to her father’s house, she may share her father’s food as in her youth. But no outsider may share it.
14 If anyone eats a sacred offering in error, he must add a fifth to its value and give the sacred offering to the priest. 15 The priests must not profane the sacred offerings that the Israelites present to the LORD 16 by allowing the people to eat the sacred offerings and thus to bear the punishment for guilt. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.”

REFLECTIONS

On the one hand, I’m so glad I’m not a priest in the Old Testament, and that we don’t need to follow all these rules about being clean or unclean, because Jesus has come and provided true cleansing. On the other hand, I was thinking about verse 1, and the command to “treat with respect the sacred offerings that the Israelites have consecrated to Me, so that they do not profane My holy name.” We no longer bring grain offerings or fellowship offerings to the tabernacle, to be consecrated to the Lord. But that’s because by his grace, Jesus has consecrated our whole selves and our whole lives to God, and because of that, we are called to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1).

That means, I don’t want to be less concerned with consecrating myself to God than the Israelites were. I want everything in my life to look like Colossians 3:17: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Gus Cameron

3 March 2025

Leviticus 21

Gus Cameron

3 March 2025

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron’s sons, the priests, and tell them that a priest is not to defile himself for a dead person among his people, 2 except for his immediate family—his mother, father, son, daughter, or brother, 3 or his unmarried sister who is near to him, since she has no husband. 4 He is not to defile himself for those related to him by marriage, and so profane himself.
5 Priests must not make bald spots on their heads, shave off the edges of their beards, or make cuts in their bodies. 6 They must be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. Because they present to the LORD the offerings made by fire, the food of their God, they must be holy.
7 A priest must not marry a woman defiled by prostitution or divorced by her husband, for the priest is holy to his God. 8 You are to regard him as holy, since he presents the food of your God. He shall be holy to you, because I the LORD am holy—I who set you apart. 9 If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by prostituting herself, she profanes her father; she must be burned in the fire.
10 The priest who is highest among his brothers, who has had the anointing oil poured on his head and has been ordained to wear the priestly garments, must not let his hair hang loose or tear his garments. 11 He must not go near any dead body; he must not defile himself, even for his father or mother. 12 He must not leave or desecrate the sanctuary of his God, for the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the LORD.
13 The woman he marries must be a virgin. 14 He is not to marry a widow, a divorced woman, or one defiled by prostitution. He is to marry a virgin from his own people, 15 so that he does not defile his offspring among his people, for I am the LORD who sanctifies him.”
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, 17 “Say to Aaron, ‘For the generations to come, none of your descendants who has a physical defect may approach to offer the food of his God.
18 No man who has any defect may approach—no man who is blind, lame, disfigured, or deformed; 19 no man who has a broken foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or dwarf, or who has an eye defect, a festering rash, scabs, or a crushed testicle.
21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has a defect shall approach to present the offerings made by fire to the LORD. Since he has a defect, he is not to come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God as well as the holy food, 23 but because he has a defect, he must not go near the veil or approach the altar, so as not to desecrate My sanctuaries. For I am the LORD who sanctifies them.’”
24 Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.

REFLECTIONS

(Many apologies that today’s devotion is late!)

As I was reading today’s passage, what caught my eye was how vulnerable the priests under the old covenant were to being defiled – and what a contrast that is with Jesus, the true high priest who fulfilled their weak ministry.

That especially stood out with the repeated warnings that they would become unclean if they came into contact with death. It made me think of Mark 5, where Jesus is confronted by a wild, unhinged man who lived among the tombs of dead people and was controlled by a legion of “unclean spirits”! But Jesus doesn’t become contaminated or defiled – instead, he drives out the unclean spirits and makes the man clean and sane again.

Even during his earthly ministry, Jesus was the true priest who couldn’t be defiled, the victorious lord over evil and death. How much more now that he has literally risen in power from the grave? What a comfort to know that “when Christ appears, we will be like Him” (1 John 3:2).

Gus Cameron

1 March 2025

Leviticus 20

Gus Cameron

1 March 2025

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites, ‘Any Israelite or foreigner living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the land are to stone him. 3 And I will set My face against that man and cut him off from his people, because by giving his offspring to Molech, he has defiled My sanctuary and profaned My holy name.
4 And if the people of the land ever hide their eyes and fail to put to death the man who gives one of his children to Molech, 5 then I will set My face against that man and his family and cut off from among their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves with Molech.
6 Whoever turns to mediums or spiritists to prostitute himself with them, I will also set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.
7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. 8 And you shall keep My statutes and practice them. I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
9 If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother; his blood shall be upon him.
10 If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must surely be put to death.
11 If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both must surely be put to death. They have acted perversely; their blood is upon them.
13 If a man lies with a man as with a woman, they have both committed an abomination. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
14 If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is depraved. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that there will be no depravity among you.
15 If a man lies carnally with an animal, he must be put to death. And you are also to kill the animal.
16 If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you must kill both the woman and the animal. They must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
17 If a man marries his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he shall bear his iniquity.
18 If a man lies with a menstruating woman and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood. Both of them must be cut off from among their people.
19 You must not have sexual relations with the sister of your mother or your father, for it is exposing one’s own kin; both shall bear their iniquity.
20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered the nakedness of his uncle. They will bear their sin; they shall die childless.
21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of his brother; they shall be childless.
22 You are therefore to keep all My statutes and ordinances, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out. 23 You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.
24 But I have told you that you will inherit their land, since I will give it to you as an inheritance—a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the peoples.
25 You are therefore to distinguish between clean and unclean animals and birds. Do not become contaminated by any animal or bird, or by anything that crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.
27 A man or a woman who is a medium or spiritist must surely be put to death. They shall be stoned; their blood is upon them.’”

REFLECTIONS

This is an intense chapter. The penalties set out here for serious sins don’t apply directly in the church – we aren’t a political nation under the Sinai law code like Israel was.

But here’s what most struck me reading it: It’s so easy for Christians to slowly and unwittingly shift towards the moral compass of the godless society we live in.

The Israelites were about to enter a land where the Canaanites practiced abominations, like child sacrifice and consulting the spirits of the dead. Surely the Israelites didn’t need to be told not to copy them, did they?

Apparently they did. Because unless we’re vigilant in sticking to God’s Word and encouraging each other in Jesus, we’ll be like frogs in a pot of water sitting on the stove: We won’t notice that the moral temperature is slowly changing.

Pray now that we will resolutely resist the influence of the world, so that we joyfully pursue holy living, for Jesus’ sake.

Gus Cameron

28 February 2025

Leviticus 19:19-37

Gus Cameron

28 February 2025

19 You are to keep My statutes. You shall not crossbreed two different kinds of livestock; you shall not sow your fields with two kinds of seed; and you shall not wear clothing made of two kinds of material.
20 If a man lies carnally with a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. But they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting as his guilt offering to the LORD. 22 The priest shall make atonement on his behalf before the LORD with the ram of the guilt offering for the sin he has committed, and he will be forgiven the sin he has committed.
23 When you enter the land and plant any kind of tree for food, you shall regard the fruit as forbidden. For three years it will be forbidden to you and must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit must be consecrated as a praise offering to the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit; thus your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God.
26 You must not eat anything with blood still in it.
You must not practice divination or sorcery.
27 You must not cut off the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.
28 You must not make any cuts in your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
29 You must not defile your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will be prostituted and filled with depravity.
30 You must keep My Sabbaths and have reverence for My sanctuary. I am the LORD.
31 You must not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out, or you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
32 You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
33 When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. 34 You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35 You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. 36 You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 You must keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and follow them. I am the LORD.”

REFLECTIONS

Today’s passage has such a diverse list of laws. But the bit that got stuck in my brain was the law about a man who sleeps with a slave girl who has been promised in marriage to another man (v 20-22). Did those verses make you at all uncomfortable?

Here’s what I think is most helpful for seeing how good this command is: It was designed to give Israel’s judges one key principle as they considered cases of sexual misconduct. That key principle was that every person has the same value in God’s eyes.

Female slaves were the lowest of the low on Israel’s social scale (that scale didn’t come from God, mind you!). The Law of Moses had already laid out protections for women, to stop men from exploiting them and then abandoning them. This law makes it clear that even female slaves were to receive those protections, and that the man who did this had to both seek God’s forgiveness and do everything possible to repair the damage he had caused. For example, the man in this case would probably have had to marry the slave girl to provide for her (that’s the most likely “due punishment” in verse 20).

I love that God cares for the poor and the foreigner, as we saw yesterday and today. I love that he has female slaves, along with everyone else, at the top of his social scale. And I love how Jesus wanted tax collectors and prostitutes to find life and salvation. That’s the king I want to follow.

Gus Cameron

27 February 2025

Leviticus 19:1-18

Gus Cameron

27 February 2025

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.
3 Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must keep My Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves molten gods. I am the LORD your God.
5 When you sacrifice a peace offering to the LORD, you shall offer it for your acceptance. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it, or on the next day; but what remains on the third day must be burned up. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is tainted and will not be accepted. 8 Whoever eats it will bear his iniquity, for he has profaned what is holy to the LORD. That person must be cut off from his people.
9 When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.
11 You must not steal. You must not lie or deceive one another.
12 You must not swear falsely by My name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
13 You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him.
You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.
14 You must not curse the deaf or place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God. I am the LORD.
15 You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.
16 You must not go about spreading slander among your people.
You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
17 You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him. 18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

REFLECTIONS

We spent lots of time last year thinking about what it means to be holy like God is holy (v. 2). We saw that holiness is a gift we receive through faith in Jesus. He devotes us to God by his death for us. But Jesus also frees us to live holy lives, lives that are devoted to God. We don’t just learn that from the New Testament, the Old Testament has so much to teach us about holy living. After all, verse 18 was Jesus’ second-favourite Bible verse: “love your neighbour as yourself” (see Matthew 22:37-40).

As I read Leviticus 19 today, it struck me how holiness involves both our actions and our attitudes – our hands and our hearts. For example, in verses 17-18, God tells us not to seek revenge (action), he also says not to harbour hatred against others in our hearts (attitude). I’m sure we could think about both our hands and our hearts with all the areas of life this passage covers – honouring our parents, not turning to idols, helping the poor and foreigners, not stealing or lying, and so on.

Pray for one aspect of your own holiness today, both for your actions and your attitude.

Gus Cameron

26 February 2025

Leviticus 18

Gus Cameron

26 February 2025

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God. 3 You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.
4 You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God. 5 Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am the LORD.
6 None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
7 You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
8 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.
9 You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
10 You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for that would shame your family.
11 You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12 You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
13 You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative.
14 You must not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations with her; she is your aunt.
15 You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her.
16 You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.
17 You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.
18 You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.
19 You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.
20 You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.
21 You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
22 You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination.
23 You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.
24 Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. 25 Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.
26 But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you. 27 For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled. 28 So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you.
29 Therefore anyone who commits any of these abominations must be cut off from among his people. 30 You must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.”

REFLECTIONS

Today marks an important shift in the book of Leviticus. The first 17 chapters have focused on the symbolic system of Israel’s ceremonies. But the next few chapters will focus on practical holiness of life. A key indication of that is in verse 3: “you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you.”

You might come across people who argue that, just as we’re now free to eat shellfish and pork, so we are now free to abandon the Bible’s commands about sex. That is such a deceptive and dangerous teaching – not because sexual sins are more evil than other sins, but because of how it undermines the Word of God. The New Testament tells us just as clearly not to follow the practices of the world, especially when it comes to sex and marriage (e.g. 1 Thess. 4:3-7).

That doesn’t mean it’s easy to ignore the voices around us. For today, pray that God will give you an unshakeable belief in the goodness of his instructions to us about sex, and a hope-filled expectation that they are the best thing for our flourishing.

Gus Cameron

25 February 2025

Leviticus 17

Gus Cameron

25 February 2025

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them this is what the LORD has commanded: 3 ‘Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before His tabernacle—that man shall incur bloodguilt. He has shed blood and must be cut off from among his people.
5 For this reason the Israelites will bring to the LORD the sacrifices they have been offering in the open fields. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and offer them as sacrifices of peace to the LORD. 6 The priest will then sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
7 They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons to which they have prostituted themselves. This will be a permanent statute for them for the generations to come.’
8 Tell them that if anyone from the house of Israel or any foreigner living among them offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9 but does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD, that man must be cut off from his people.
10 If anyone from the house of Israel or a foreigner living among them eats any blood, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from among his people. 11 For the life[C] of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, ‘None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner living among you eat blood.’
13 And if any Israelite or foreigner living among them hunts down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten, he must drain its blood and cover it with dirt. 14 For the life of all flesh is its blood. Therefore I have told the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any living thing, because the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.’
15 And any person, whether native or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, then he shall bear his iniquity.”

REFLECTIONS

This chapter is still talking about the symbolic system that God gave Israel to teach them about sin and holiness – and verse 11 is one of the keys to understanding the meaning of all the sacrifices in that system, and why almost all of them involved blood: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for your souls upon the altar; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” (verse 11)

That’s so helpful for understanding the death of Jesus on the cross. Why does the New Testament talk so much about the blood of Jesus shed on the cross? It’s because his blood was the visible sign of his life, and he willingly sacrificed his own life to save us from death and judgment. Peter says, “You were redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). That blood was precious, because the life of the Son of God was more precious to the Father than anything else. And he offered it over to death for you and me. What a saviour!

Gus Cameron

24 February 2025

Leviticus 16:20-34

Gus Cameron

24 February 2025

Today is the second half of God’s instructions to Aaron for the Day of Atonement ceremony.

Leviticus 16

20 When Aaron has finished purifying the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he is to bring forward the live goat. 21 Then he is to lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to put them on the goat’s head and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man appointed for the task. 22 The goat will carry on itself all their iniquities into a solitary place, and the man will release it into the wilderness.
23 Then Aaron is to enter the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen garments he put on before entering the Most Holy Place, and leave them there. 24 He is to bathe himself with water in a holy place and put on his own clothes. Then he must go out and sacrifice his burnt offering and the people’s burnt offering to make atonement for himself and for the people. 25 He is also to burn the fat of the sin offering on the altar.
26 The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.
27 The bull for the sin offering and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought into the Most Holy Place to make atonement, must be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung must be burned up. 28 The one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and afterward he may reenter the camp.
29 This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves and not do any work—whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you— 30 because on this day atonement will be made for you to cleanse you, and you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. 31 It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.
32 The priest who is anointed and ordained to succeed his father as high priest shall make atonement. He will put on the sacred linen garments 33 and make atonement for the Most Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, and for the priests and all the people of the assembly. 34 This is to be a permanent statute for you, to make atonement once a year for the Israelites because of all their sins.”
And all this was done as the LORD had commanded Moses.

REFLECTIONS

The New Testament takes every part of Israel’s Day of Atonement ceremony and tells us: Jesus is the fulfilment of all of them! He is both the sacrifice whose blood truly washes away sin, and he is the high priest who has entered the true sanctuary of God’s dwelling in heaven, where he constantly intercedes for us.

Even the fact that the remains of the sacrifices are burned outside the camp points to the cross of Jesus! Hebrews 13:11-14 is fascinating:

11 Although the high priest brings the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12 And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate, to sanctify the people by His own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace He bore. 14 For here we do not have a permanent city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.

I guess it was shameful to be the person who had to carry the stinking carcasses and dung outside the Israelite community to burn them. Being joined to Jesus in his death for us involves sharing his shame – but we count that a joy and a privilege, because we are headed for his eternal heavenly home.

Gus Cameron

22 February 2025

Leviticus 16:1-19

Gus Cameron

22 February 2025

After 5 chapters hearing about Israel’s uncleanness, today we reach the central chapter of the book of Leviticus. It describes the Day of Atonement – the one day in the year when the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle.

Leviticus 16

1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron’s sons when they approached the presence of the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter freely into the Most Holy Place behind the veil in front of the mercy seat on the ark, or else he will die, because I appear in the cloud above the mercy seat.
3 This is how Aaron is to enter the Holy Place: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. 4 He is to wear the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments. He must tie a linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are holy garments, and he must bathe himself with water before he wears them. 5 And he shall take from the congregation of Israel two male goats for a sin offering and one ram for a burnt offering.
6 Aaron is to present the bull for his sin offering and make atonement for himself and his household. 7 Then he shall take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
8 After Aaron casts lots for the two goats, one for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat, 9 he shall present the goat chosen by lot for the LORD and sacrifice it as a sin offering. 10 But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement by sending it into the wilderness as the scapegoat.
11 When Aaron presents the bull for his sin offering and makes atonement for himself and his household, he is to slaughter the bull for his own sin offering. 12 Then he must take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense, and take them inside the veil. 13 He is to put the incense on the fire before the LORD, and the cloud of incense will cover the mercy seat above the Testimony, so that he will not die. 14 And he is to take some of the bull’s blood and sprinkle it with his finger on the east side of the mercy seat; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the mercy seat.
15 Aaron shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and bring its blood behind the veil, and with its blood he must do as he did with the bull’s blood: He is to sprinkle it against the mercy seat and in front of it.
16 So he shall make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the impurities and rebellious acts of the Israelites in regard to all their sins. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting which abides among them, because it is surrounded by their impurities. 17 No one may be in the Tent of Meeting from the time Aaron goes in to make atonement in the Most Holy Place until he leaves, after he has made atonement for himself, his household, and the whole assembly of Israel.
18 Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it. He is to take some of the bull’s blood and some of the goat’s blood and put it on all the horns of the altar. 19 He is to sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times to cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleanness of the Israelites.

REFLECTIONS

In Israel’s whole system of sacrifices, the Day of Atonement was the most solemn and profound ceremony for symbolically dealing with sin and uncleanness. We will think more deeply about it in church next Sunday.

But here’s what really struck me today as I read it: For sinners like us, the living God is both instant death, and mercy and hope. Entering God’s presence would mean death even to a priest like Aaron. And yet, God’s presence in the Most Holy Place was where the “mercy seat” was located – the cover of the ark of the covenant. That was the only place where Aaron could take the blood of the sacrifice that would wash away all Israel’s impurity.

The New Testament tells us that Jesus is that God’s mercy come to us. Is he your life and hope?

Gus Cameron

21 February 2025

Leviticus 15

Gus Cameron

21 February 2025

Today is the final chapter of regulations about clean and unclean things – and a heads up that there is an awful lot about bodily fluids in this chapter!

1 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘When any man has a bodily discharge, the discharge is unclean. 3 This uncleanness is from his discharge, whether his body allows the discharge to flow or blocks it. So his discharge will bring about uncleanness.
4 Any bed on which the man with the discharge lies will be unclean, and any furniture on which he sits will be unclean. 5 Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 6 Whoever sits on furniture on which the man with the discharge was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
7 Whoever touches the body of the man with a discharge must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 8 If the man with the discharge spits on one who is clean, that person must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
9 Any saddle on which the man with the discharge rides will be unclean. 10 Whoever touches anything that was under him will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries such things must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
11 If the man with the discharge touches anyone without first rinsing his hands with water, the one who was touched must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 12 Any clay pot that the man with the discharge touches must be broken, and any wooden utensil must be rinsed with water.
13 When the man has been cleansed from his discharge, he must count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe himself in fresh water, and he shall be clean. 14 On the eighth day he is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons, come before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and give them to the priest. 15 The priest is to sacrifice them, one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for the man before the LORD because of his discharge.
16 When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 17 Any clothing or leather on which there is an emission of semen must be washed with water, and it will remain unclean until evening. 18 If a man lies with a woman and there is an emission of semen, both must bathe with water, and they will remain unclean until evening.
19 When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening. 20 Anything on which she lies or sits during her menstruation will be unclean, 21 and anyone who touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
22 Whoever touches any furniture on which she was sitting must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening. 23 And whether it is a bed or furniture on which she was sitting, whoever touches it will be unclean until evening.
24 If a man lies with her and her menstrual flow touches him, he will be unclean for seven days, and any bed on which he lies will become unclean.
25 When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days at a time other than her menstrual period, or if it continues beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, just as she is during the days of her menstruation. 26 Any bed on which she lies or any furniture on which she sits during the days of her discharge will be unclean, like her bed during her menstrual period. 27 Anyone who touches these things will be unclean; he must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.
28 When a woman is cleansed of her discharge, she must count off seven days, and after that she will be ceremonially clean. 29 On the eighth day she is to take two turtledoves or two young pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 30 The priest is to sacrifice one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her before the LORD for her unclean discharge.
31 You must keep the children of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die by defiling My tabernacle, which is among them.
32 This is the law of him who has a discharge, of the man who has an emission of semen whereby he is unclean, 33 of a woman in her menstrual period, of any male or female who has a discharge, and of a man who lies with an unclean woman.’”

REFLECTIONS

You know, the last 5 chapters have got me wondering: How many of the Israelites were ritually clean at any one time? You must have spent most of your life unclean, or going through rituals, or paying for sacrifices for cleansing.

And the kicker is at the very end of chapter 15: If there was too much uncleanness among the people, it would contaminate the tabernacle itself, and if that happened, all of them would die (v 31).

How on earth was it possible for that not to happen? Stay tuned for the answer tomorrow.

Gus Cameron

20 February 2025

Leviticus 14:33-57

Gus Cameron

20 February 2025

33 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34 “When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a contamination of mildew into a house in that land, 35 the owner of the house shall come and tell the priest, ‘Something like mildew has appeared in my house.’
36 The priest must order that the house be cleared before he enters it to examine the mildew, so that nothing in the house will become unclean. After this, the priest shall go in to inspect the house.
37 He is to examine the house, and if the mildew on the walls consists of green or red depressions that appear to be beneath the surface of the wall, 38 the priest shall go outside the doorway of the house and close it up for seven days.
39 On the seventh day the priest is to return and inspect the house. If the mildew has spread on the walls, 40 he must order that the contaminated stones be pulled out and thrown into an unclean place outside the city. 41 And he shall have the inside of the house scraped completely and the plaster that is scraped off dumped into an unclean place outside the city.
42 So different stones must be obtained to replace the contaminated ones, as well as additional mortar to replaster the house.
43 If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house has been scraped and replastered, 44 the priest must come and inspect it.
If the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. 45 It must be torn down with its stones, its timbers, and all its plaster, and taken outside the city to an unclean place. 46 Anyone who enters the house during any of the days that it is closed up will be unclean until evening. 47 And anyone who sleeps in the house or eats in it must wash his clothes.
48 If, however, the priest comes and inspects it, and the mildew has not spread after the house has been replastered, he shall pronounce the house clean, because the mildew is gone.
49 He is to take two birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop to purify the house; 50 and he shall slaughter one of the birds over fresh water in a clay pot.
51 Then he shall take the cedar wood, the hyssop, the scarlet yarn, and the live bird, dip them in the blood of the slaughtered bird and the fresh water, and sprinkle the house seven times. 52 And he shall cleanse the house with the bird’s blood, the fresh water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop, and the scarlet yarn.
53 Finally, he is to release the live bird into the open fields outside the city. In this way he will make atonement for the house, and it will be clean.
54 This is the law for any infectious skin disease, for a scaly outbreak, 55 for mildew in clothing or in a house, 56 and for a swelling, rash, or spot, 57 to determine when something is clean or unclean. This is the law regarding skin diseases and mildew. ”

REFLECTIONS

Dealing properly with sin is always very costly. It cost the life of the Son of God to deal with the guilt and penalty of it. But today I was reminded that Jesus also calls us to count the cost of eradicating it from our lives. The Israelites were required to literally tear out contaminated stones from the walls of their houses and replace them with clean ones.

Is there some ungodly behaviour or habit for which you realise you need to do something costly to remove it? If so, talk to a Christian friend who will help you go through with the cost, and work out how you can replace the contaminated “stone” with something good and God-honouring.

Gus Cameron

19 February 2025

Leviticus 14:10-32

Gus Cameron

19 February 2025

Yesterday we started reading about the rituals needed to be cleansed from a skin disease. Today we will see the rest of the process.

10 On the eighth day he is to bring two unblemished male lambs, an unblemished ewe lamb a year old, a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil, and one log of olive oil. 11 The priest who performs the cleansing shall present the one to be cleansed, together with these offerings, before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
12 Then the priest is to take one of the male lambs and present it as a guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil; and he must wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. 13 Then he is to slaughter the lamb in the sanctuary area where the sin offering and burnt offering are slaughtered. Like the sin offering, the guilt offering belongs to the priest; it is most holy.
14 The priest is to take some of the blood from the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 15 Then the priest shall take some of the log of olive oil, pour it into his left palm, 16 dip his right forefinger into the oil in his left palm, and sprinkle some of the oil with his finger seven times before the LORD. 17 And the priest is to put some of the oil remaining in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.
18 The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 19 Then the priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. After that, the priest shall slaughter the burnt offering 20 and offer it on the altar, with the grain offering, to make atonement for him, and he will be clean.
21 If, however, the person is poor and cannot afford these offerings, he is to take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for him, along with a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log of olive oil, 22 and two turtledoves or two young pigeons, whichever he can afford, one to be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.
23 On the eighth day he is to bring them for his cleansing to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting before the LORD. 24 The priest shall take the lamb for the guilt offering, along with the log of olive oil, and wave them as a wave offering before the LORD.
25 And after he slaughters the lamb for the guilt offering, the priest is to take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 26 Then the priest is to pour some of the oil into his left palm 27 and sprinkle with his right forefinger some of the oil in his left palm seven times before the LORD. 28 The priest shall also put some of the oil in his palm on the right earlobe of the one to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot—on the same places as the blood of the guilt offering.
29 The rest of the oil in his palm, the priest is to put on the head of the one to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD. 30 Then he must sacrifice the turtledoves or young pigeons, whichever he can afford, 31 one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, together with the grain offering. In this way the priest will make atonement before the LORD for the one to be cleansed.
32 This is the law for someone who has a skin disease and cannot afford the cost of his cleansing.”

REFLECTIONS

More sacrifices! And to make it really obvious that we can only be spiritually cleansed through a sacrificial death, this time the blood of the sin offering is smeared not on the altar, but on the unclean person. But once again, Jesus tops that. If you’ve come to Jesus and given him your life, you are now dressed in spiritual robes that have been washed in Jesus’ blood … which means they are the purest white, forever (Revelation 7:14).

Gus Cameron

18 February 2025

Leviticus 13:47-14:9

Gus Cameron

18 February 2025

LEVITICUS 13

47 If any fabric is contaminated with mildew —any wool or linen garment, 48 any weave or knit of linen or wool, or any article of leather— 49 and if the mark in the fabric, leather, weave, knit, or leather article is green or red, then it is contaminated with mildew and must be shown to the priest. 50 And the priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the contaminated fabric for seven days.
51 On the seventh day the priest shall reexamine it, and if the mildew has spread in the fabric, weave, knit, or leather, then regardless of how it is used, it is a harmful mildew; the article is unclean. 52 He is to burn the fabric, weave, or knit, whether the contaminated item is wool or linen or leather. Since the mildew is harmful, the article must be burned up.
53 But when the priest reexamines it, if the mildew has not spread in the fabric, weave, knit, or leather article, 54 the priest is to order the contaminated article to be washed and isolated for another seven days. 55 After it has been washed, the priest is to reexamine it, and if the mildewed article has not changed in appearance, it is unclean. Even though the mildew has not spread, you must burn it, whether the rot is on the front or back.
56 If the priest examines it and the mildew has faded after it has been washed, he must cut the contaminated section out of the fabric, leather, weave, or knit. 57 But if it reappears in the fabric, weave, or knit, or on any leather article, it is spreading. You must burn the contaminated article.
58 If the mildew disappears from the fabric, weave, or knit, or any leather article after washing, then it is to be washed again, and it will be clean.
59 This is the law concerning a mildew contamination in wool or linen fabric, weave, or knit, or any leather article, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.”

LEVITICUS 14

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “This is the law for the one afflicted with a skin disease on the day of his cleansing, when he is brought to the priest. 3 The priest is to go outside the camp to examine him, and if the skin disease of the afflicted person has healed, 4 the priest shall order that two live clean birds, cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed.
5 Then the priest shall command that one of the birds be slaughtered over fresh water in a clay pot. 6 And he is to take the live bird together with the cedar wood, scarlet yarn, and hyssop, and dip them into the blood of the bird that was slaughtered over the fresh water. 7 Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the skin disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and release the live bird into the open field.
8 The one being cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; then he will be ceremonially clean. Afterward, he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days. 9 On the seventh day he must shave off all his hair—his head, his beard, his eyebrows, and the rest of his hair. He must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water, and he will be clean.

REFLECTIONS

Sin spreads. Just like infectious rashes spread over skin, just like mildew spreads through fabric, sin spreads and contaminates our hearts, our decisions, and our relationships. And given what the priest had to do for ritual cleansing, decontaminating a person from sin is beyond our own power. All we can do is come humbly to God, like king David did, and say: “Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. … Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51: 7, 10)

Gus Cameron

17 February 2025

Leviticus 13:24-46

Gus Cameron

17 February 2025

Today we are continuing the section on clean and unclean skin conditions under the old covenant.

24 When there is a burn on someone’s skin and the raw area of the burn becomes reddish-white or white, 25 the priest must examine it. If the hair in the spot has turned white and the spot appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection.
26 But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot, and it is not beneath the skin but has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days. 27 On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine him, and if it has spread further on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection. 28 But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread on the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest is to pronounce him clean; for it is only the scar from the burn.
29 If a man or woman has an infection on the head or chin, 30 the priest shall examine the infection, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is a scaly outbreak, an infectious disease of the head or chin.
31 But if the priest examines the scaly infection and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days. 32 On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine the infection, and if the scaly outbreak has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it, and it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, 33 then the person must shave himself except for the scaly area. Then the priest shall isolate him for another seven days. 34 On the seventh day the priest shall examine the scaly outbreak, and if it has not spread on the skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, the priest is to pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean.
35 If, however, the scaly outbreak spreads further on the skin after his cleansing, 36 the priest is to examine him, and if the scaly outbreak has spread on the skin, the priest need not look for yellow hair; the person is unclean.
37 If, however, in his sight the scaly outbreak is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, then it has healed. He is clean, and the priest is to pronounce him clean.
38 When a man or a woman has white spots on the skin, 39 the priest shall examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; the person is clean.
40 Now if a man loses his hair and is bald, he is still clean. 41 Or if his hairline recedes and he is bald on his forehead, he is still clean. 42 But if there is a reddish-white sore on the bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on it. 43 The priest is to examine him, and if the swelling of the infection on his bald head or forehead is reddish-white like a skin disease, 44 the man is diseased; he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean because of the infection on his head.
45 A diseased person must wear torn clothes and let his hair hang loose,[B] and he must cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean!’ 46 As long as he has the infection, he remains unclean. He must live alone in a place outside the camp.

REFLECTIONS

Of all the laws about uncleanness, I think the ones about skin diseases are the most heartbreaking picture of what sin does – how it condemns us to shame and aloneness. As the lepers in Luke 17 approached Jesus, we’re told they kept their distance. I’m sure they called out “Unclean, unclean.” But they also cried out for mercy – and got so much more than that.

We were all spiritual lepers, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, we have been brought near (Ephesians 2:12-13).

Gus Cameron

15 February 2025

Leviticus 13:1-23

Gus Cameron

15 February 2025

1 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 2 “When someone has a swelling or rash or bright spot on his skin that could become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest.
3 The priest is to examine the infection on his skin, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a skin disease. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean.
4 If, however, the spot on his skin is white and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days. 5 On the seventh day the priest is to reexamine him, and if he sees that the infection is unchanged and has not spread on the skin, the priest must isolate him for another seven days. 6 The priest will examine him again on the seventh day, and if the sore has faded and has not spread on the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is a rash. The person must wash his clothes and be clean.
7 But if the rash spreads further on his skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he must present himself again to the priest. 8 The priest will reexamine him, and if the rash has spread on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; he has a skin disease.
9 When anyone develops a skin disease, he must be brought to the priest. 10 The priest will examine him, and if there is a white swelling on the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling, 11 it is a chronic skin disease and the priest must pronounce him unclean. He need not isolate him, for he is unclean.
12 But if the skin disease breaks out all over his skin so that it covers all the skin of the infected person from head to foot, as far as the priest can see, 13 the priest shall examine him, and if the disease has covered his entire body, he is to pronounce the infected person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean.
14 But whenever raw flesh appears on someone, he will be unclean. 15 When the priest sees the raw flesh, he must pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; it is a skin disease. 16 But if the raw flesh changes and turns white, he must go to the priest. 17 The priest will reexamine him, and if the infection has turned white, the priest is to pronounce the infected person clean; then he is clean.
18 When a boil appears on someone’s skin and it heals, 19 and a white swelling or a reddish-white spot develops where the boil was, he must present himself to the priest. 20 The priest shall examine it, and if it appears to be beneath the skin and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a diseased infection that has broken out in the boil.
21 But when the priest examines it, if there is no white hair in it, and it is not beneath the skin and has faded, the priest shall isolate him for seven days. 22 If it spreads any further on the skin, the priest must pronounce him unclean; it is an infection. 23 But if the spot remains unchanged and does not spread, it is only the scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

REFLECTIONS

Before I read this, I never appreciated how much time priests in Israel must have spent examining rashes, boils, and discoloured hair. But this passage helped me understand one bit in the Gospels. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus sees ten lepers, and he tells them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” The reason is … Leviticus 13. But it also must have been a very strange command for these lepers, because they were still obviously unclean. Luke tells us that they were cleansed as they were on their way to the priests. I love imagining how surprised they must have been.

Have you ever been surprised that Jesus could make you completely clean from your spiritual disease?

Gus Cameron

14 February 2025

Leviticus 11:29–12:8

Gus Cameron

14 February 2025

Yesterday we read about which land animals, sea creatures, birds, and flying insects the Israelites were to consider clean or unclean. Today we continue with creatures that crawl on the ground.

Leviticus 11
29 The following creatures that move along the ground are unclean for you: the mole, the mouse, any kind of great lizard, 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the common lizard, the skink, and the chameleon.
31 These animals are unclean for you among all the crawling creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. 32 When one of them dies and falls on something, that article becomes unclean; any article of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth, or any implement used for work must be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. 33 If any of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean; you must break the pot. 34 Any food coming into contact with water from that pot will be unclean, and any drink in such a container will be unclean.
35 Anything upon which one of their carcasses falls will be unclean. If it is an oven or cooking pot, it must be smashed; it is unclean and will remain unclean for you. 36 Nevertheless, a spring or cistern containing water will remain clean, but one who touches a carcass in it will be unclean. 37 If a carcass falls on any seed for sowing, the seed is clean; 38 but if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
39 If an animal that you may eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean until evening. 40 Whoever eats from the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening, and anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.
41 Every creature that moves along the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42 Do not eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it crawls on its belly or walks on four or more feet; for such creatures are detestable.
43 Do not defile yourselves by any crawling creature; do not become unclean or defiled by them. 44 For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy.[E] You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground. 45 For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
46 This is the law regarding animals, birds, all living creatures that move in the water, and all creatures that crawl along the ground. 47 You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.’”

Leviticus 12

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘A woman who becomes pregnant and gives birth to a son will be unclean for seven days, as she is during the days of her menstruation. 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.

4 The woman shall continue in purification from her bleeding for thirty-three days. She must not touch anything sacred or go into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are complete.

5 If, however, she gives birth to a daughter, the woman will be unclean for two weeks as she is during her menstruation. Then she must continue in purification from her bleeding for sixty-six days.

6 When the days of her purification are complete, whether for a son or for a daughter, she is to bring to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting a year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. 7 And the priest will present them before the LORD and make atonement for her; and she shall be ceremonially cleansed from her flow of blood. This is the law for a woman giving birth, whether to a male or to a female.

8 But if she cannot afford a lamb, she shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering. Then the priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

REFLECTIONS

There are plenty of mysteries in these rules. For example, no one knows why the time of purification after giving birth to a girl is twice as long as for a boy baby. But isn’t it great that none of these rules apply anymore anyway, because Jesus has come! They were a way of showing how hard it is for people to consecrate themselves to God and be holy (11:44). But Jesus declared that all foods are now clean (Mark 7:19) – because he has come to bring true and permanent cleansing from sin to all who trust in him (John 15:3).

Gus Cameron

13 February 2025

Leviticus 11:1-28

Gus Cameron

13 February 2025

Today we’re starting the next major section of Leviticus. In Leviticus 10:10, God told Aaron he had to “distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean.” The next 5 chapters are devoted to explaining which things were clean and which were unclean for Israel under the old covenant.

Leviticus 11
1 The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron, telling them, 2 “Say to the Israelites, ‘Of all the beasts of the earth, these ones you may eat: 3 You may eat any animal that has a split hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.
4 But of those that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, you are not to eat the following:
The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
5 The rock badger, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
6 The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.
7 And the pig, though it has a split hoof completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
8 You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
9 Of all the creatures that live in the water, whether in the seas or in the streams, you may eat anything with fins and scales.
10 But the following among all the teeming life and creatures in the water are detestable to you: everything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales. 11 They shall be an abomination to you; you must not eat their meat, and you must detest their carcasses. 12 Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales shall be detestable to you.
13 Additionally, you are to detest the following birds, and they must not be eaten because they are detestable:
the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,
14 the kite, any kind of falcon,
15 any kind of raven,
16 the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,
17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,
18 the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,
19 the stork, any kind of heron,
the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 All flying insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. 21 However, you may eat the following kinds of flying insects that walk on all fours: those having jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground. 22 Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper. 23 All other flying insects that have four legs are detestable to you.
24 These creatures will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, 25 and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.
26 Every animal with hooves not completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you. Whoever touches any of them will be unclean.
27 All the four-footed animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, 28 and anyone who picks up a carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.

REFLECTIONS

It’s very hard to work out the reasoning behind this system, but it’s not about physical uncleanness or hygiene. It’s a symbolic system of ritual uncleanness. My best guess is that the unclean creatures have something about them that is a reminder of the fall in Genesis 3 – for example, animals that are a lot of contact with the dust, or animals that look corrupted in some way. But what’s clear is that these laws – like all the laws we’ll see in these chapters – would force the Israelites to keep separate from the Gentile peoples around them, as a nation holy to the Lord.

We’ll finish the list of creatures tomorrow.

Gus Cameron

12 February 2025

Leviticus 10

Gus Cameron

12 February 2025

1 Now Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense, and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to His command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died in the presence of the LORD.
3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said:
‘To those who come near Me
I will show My holiness,
and in the sight of all the people
I will reveal My glory.’”
But Aaron remained silent.
4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, “Come here; carry the bodies of your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.” 5 So they came forward and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses had directed.
6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not let your hair become disheveled and do not tear your garments, or else you will die, and the LORD will be angry with the whole congregation. But your brothers, the whole house of Israel, may mourn on account of the fire that the LORD has ignited. 7 You shall not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, or you will die, for the LORD’s anointing oil is on you.”
So they did as Moses instructed.
8 Then the LORD said to Aaron, 9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or strong drink when you enter the Tent of Meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute for the generations to come. 10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the clean and the unclean, 11 so that you may teach the Israelites all the statutes that the LORD has given them through Moses.”
12 And Moses said to Aaron and his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, “Take the grain offering that remains from the offerings made by fire to the LORD and eat it without leaven beside the altar, because it is most holy. 13 You shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your share and your sons’ share of the offerings made by fire to the LORD; for this is what I have been commanded.
14 And you and your sons and daughters may eat the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution in a ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the peace offerings of the sons of Israel. 15 They are to bring the thigh of the contribution and the breast of the wave offering, together with the fat portions of the offerings made by fire, to wave as a wave offering before the LORD. It will belong permanently to you and your children, as the LORD has commanded.”
16 Later, Moses searched carefully for the goat of the sin offering, and behold, it had been burned up. He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and asked, 17 “Why didn’t you eat the sin offering in the holy place? For it is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the congregation by making atonement for them before the LORD. 18 Since its blood was not brought inside the holy place, you should have eaten it in the sanctuary area, as I commanded.”
19 But Aaron replied to Moses, “Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD. Since these things have happened to me, if I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been acceptable in the sight of the LORD?”
20 And when Moses heard this explanation, he was satisfied.

REFLECTIONS

Things started so well yesterday for Aaron and his sons yesterday, didn’t they? Talk about going from hero to zero in about 5 seconds flat! Right from the start of the ministry of the Levitical priesthood under the old covenant, there are signs that these are not the priests who will open the way permanently to God. Aaron had already failed in the incident of the golden calf, and in Numbers 20 he will fail again, which is why he dies outside the Promised Land.

Hebrews 7:11-28 explains that perfection was never going to be possible through the Levitical priesthood. But Jesus gives us a better hope, because he became a priest “not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life” (v. 16).

Gus Cameron

11 February 2025

Leviticus 9

Gus Cameron

11 February 2025

1 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2 He said to Aaron, “Take for yourself a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without blemish, and present them before the LORD. 3 Then speak to the Israelites and say, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, a calf and a lamb—both a year old and without blemish—for a burnt offering, 4 an ox[A] and a ram for a peace offering to sacrifice before the LORD, and a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the LORD will appear to you.’”
5 So they took what Moses had commanded to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the whole congregation drew near and stood before the LORD. 6 And Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the LORD may appear to you.”
7 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Approach the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering to make atonement for yourself and for the people. And sacrifice the people’s offering to make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded.”
8 So Aaron approached the altar and slaughtered the calf as a sin offering for himself. 9 The sons of Aaron brought the blood to him, and he dipped his finger in the blood and applied it to the horns of the altar. And he poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. 10 On the altar he burned the fat, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver from the sin offering, as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11 But he burned up the flesh and the hide outside the camp.
12 Then Aaron slaughtered the burnt offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar. 13 They brought him the burnt offering piece by piece, including the head, and he burned them on the altar. 14 He washed the entrails and the legs and burned them atop the burnt offering on the altar.
15 Aaron then presented the people’s offering. He took the male goat for the people’s sin offering, slaughtered it, and offered it for sin like the first one.
16 He presented the burnt offering and offered it according to the ordinance.
17 Next he presented the grain offering, took a handful of it, and burned it on the altar in addition to the morning’s burnt offering.
18 Then he slaughtered the ox and the ram as the people’s peace offering. His sons brought him the blood, and he sprinkled it on all sides of the altar.
19 They also brought the fat portions from the ox and the ram—the fat tail, the fat covering the entrails, the kidneys, and the lobe of the liver— 20 and placed these on the breasts. Aaron burned the fat portions on the altar, 21 but he waved the breasts and the right thigh as a wave offering before the LORD, as Moses had commanded.
22 Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having made the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering, he stepped down.
23 Moses and Aaron then entered the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people, and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.

REFLECTIONS

Yesterday we heard how Aaron and his sons were consecrated and ordained to be priests. Today they have their first go at interceding and offering sacrifices for the people. They do everything, to the last detail, as the Lord had commanded, and the result is blessing for the people and the glory of the Lord appearing to them (v. 23).

For a time, God allowed his glory to be shown through the priests in Aaron’s line (though tomorrow we’ll see how flaky that connection was). But Jesus is the true expression and revelation of God’s glory. Paul says that is why he and the other apostle continue to preach Jesus Christ as Lord: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Gus Cameron

10 February 2025

Leviticus 8

Gus Cameron

10 February 2025

Last week we finished all the regulations for offering the 5 types of sacrifice under the Sinai covenant: the burnt offering, grain offering, fellowship offering, sin offering, and guilt offering. Today we will read about how God put the whole system into action, by preparing Aaron and his sons as priests.

Leviticus 8

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “Take Aaron and his sons, their garments, the anointing oil, the bull of the sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread, 3 and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”
4 So Moses did as the LORD had commanded him, and the assembly gathered at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 5 And Moses said to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded to be done.”
6 Then Moses presented Aaron and his sons and washed them with water. 7 He put the tunic on Aaron, tied the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He tied the woven band of the ephod around him and fastened it to him. 8 Then he put the breastpiece on him and placed the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece. 9 Moses also put the turban on Aaron’s head and set the gold plate, the holy diadem, on the front of the turban, as the LORD had commanded him.
10 Next, Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and everything in it; and so he consecrated them. 11 He sprinkled some of the oil on the altar seven times, anointing the altar and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand, to consecrate them.
12 He also poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him. 13 Then Moses presented Aaron’s sons, put tunics on them, wrapped sashes around them, and tied headbands on them, just as the LORD had commanded him.
14 Moses then brought the bull near for the sin offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 15 Moses slaughtered the bull, took some of the blood, and applied it with his finger to all four horns of the altar, purifying the altar. He poured out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar and consecrated it so that atonement could be made on it.
16 Moses also took all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys and their fat, and burned it all on the altar. 17 But the bull with its hide, flesh, and dung he burned outside the camp, as the LORD had commanded him.
18 Then Moses presented the ram for the burnt offering, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 19 Moses slaughtered the ram and sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar. 20 He cut the ram into pieces and burned the head, the pieces, and the fat. 21 He washed the entrails and legs with water and burned the entire ram on the altar as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.
22 After that, Moses presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on its head. 23 Moses slaughtered the ram and took some of its blood and put it on Aaron’s right earlobe, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 Moses also presented Aaron’s sons and put some of the blood on their right earlobes, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then he sprinkled the blood on all sides of the altar.
25 And Moses took the fat—the fat tail, all the fat that was on the entrails, the lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with their fat—as well as the right thigh. 26 And from the basket of unleavened bread that was before the LORD, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread made with oil, and one wafer, and he placed them on the fat portions and on the right thigh. 27 He put all these in the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved them before the LORD as a wave offering.
28 Then Moses took these from their hands and burned them on the altar with the burnt offering. This was an ordination offering, a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the LORD. 29 He also took the breast—Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination—and waved it before the LORD as a wave offering, as the LORD had commanded him.
30 Next, Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his garments, and on his sons and their garments. So he consecrated Aaron and his garments, as well as Aaron’s sons and their garments.
31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the meat at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I commanded, saying, ‘Aaron and his sons are to eat it.’ 32 Then you must burn up the remainder of the meat and bread.
33 You must not go outside the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are complete; for it will take seven days to ordain you. 34 What has been done today has been commanded by the LORD in order to make atonement on your behalf. 35 You must remain at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting day and night for seven days and keep the LORD’s charge so that you will not die, for this is what I have been commanded.”
36 So Aaron and his sons did everything the LORD had commanded through Moses.

REFLECTIONS

Moses carries out 4 of the 5 types of sacrifice from chapters 1-7 for Aaron and his sons. But what struck me is that the first one was a sin offering of a bull – which was a very serious sacrifice needed if an anointed priest had sinned.

What that means is: Aaron and his sons, the priests, are sinners like the rest, whose own sin needs to be atoned for. Just from that, it seems almost obvious that they must be shadows of the true high priest to come. Jesus is that true high priest – one who is holy and innocent, who does not need to offer any sacrifice for his own sin. That’s why his sacrifice is perfect (see Hebrews 7:26-27).

How good is it to have Jesus interceding for us!