Michelle
This has been a very hard book to read. I don't understand today's reading. It talks of redeeming what is the Lord's. It talks of dedicating people, property, and animals to the lord and the the process of redeeming them and the cost involved. I'm not quite sure the meaning here. Why are we dedicating people and then redeeming them? This seems different from the sacrifices given for atonement of sin. I just couldn't wrap my head around this, so I went back and read the introduction to this section in my bible and it says this is a book focused on holiness. The book highlights the need for personal and moral purity of God's people and it describes the provisions to deal with the inevitable lack of purity. Sin is costly and was treated seriously, but that God provides a way for his people to return to him. I guess I did not understand all this while reading the passages. I then went back to the book that accompanies this reading plan and it gave more information that helps to understand the book of Leviticus as a whole. It says that the name of this book translates to "pertaining to the Levites", and that it is part of a larger narrative of the Pentateuch. While I don't know what that is, it does help me understand that there is more to this than what we have read so far. It goes on to say that this is where we are to learn what it means to be holy and the beginning of learning to love your neighbor as yourself, as there were Hebrews that accompanied the chosen people when they left Egypt for the promised land and chose to follow God and his people. It also talks of the sacrifices and gives more of an explanation. While in the passage it doesn't explain what they mean but more how to do them properly, the book explains them a little better. The covenantal nature of the sacrifices appears in 3 ways: First, the sacrifice is a gift from the worshipers to their covenant Lord; second, the sacrifices imply fellowship of the worshiper with God; third, sacrifice can sometimes function as a way of healing a broken relationship, atonement. It goes on to say that holiness is not just rituals and being clean but also is compassion for his people, which is connected to us living in his likeness, to be holy as he is holy, and to display his character in relation to your neighbors. This book is helpful in that it kind of translates the parts that are difficult to understand without proper context. I also went back thru my bible and read the devotionals that accompany Leviticus. These have been helpful in giving perspective on certain sections as well. There is one about guilt that references the guilt offering and that it required a blood sacrifice, which then talks of Jesus fulfilling that so that now when we are burdened by guilt, we can make offerings of gratitude, repentance, praise and service. The next one talks of the Holy Fire that took Aaron's sons when they didn't follow the protocols given. This one speaks of not always knowing or seeing the reason for God's requirements but that obedience is the key here. One talks of the Day of Atonement and the scapegoat. That this was the most solemn holy day as it was a way for sinful people to set things right with God and how Jesus became the scapegoat so that we didn't have to provide the sacrifice and scapegoat any longer. One about loving the foreigner which speaks of loving your neighbor as yourself. The last one is about the Sabbath and how this is meant to enter solitude and silence in order to reconnect yourself to God. Perhaps the next book will provide further information, I am not sure, but this extra stuff I read today has proved to be helpful in better understanding what we have gone thru in Leviticus.
I went back to the accompanying book and read about the book 2 psalms. It wasn't too helpful in understanding other than it did explain the different sections and that it was set during the Davidic dynasty and that Soloman was the son of King David. They were mostly prayers and praise. What did stand out in this explanation was the section of psalms 54-59 that stated, "what is common to these laments, namely, that they assume the king's presence in Jerusalem, that they assume Yahweh's presence in Jerusalem, that they are all complaints against enemies, and that the chief weapon of attacks is the mouth (slander, lies, etc.). This section was the one section that I actually understood in reading the psalms. Maybe because I was struggling with something related myself.
Today's psalm sounds like the person is struggling to understand why the wicked prosper and the righteous are afflicted. At the end the writer shows faith in the lord and promises to share of his goodness with others.
Julie
I agree that this was a hard book to read, but I like what you found and it really does help put it into perspective. Regarding today's reading, the explanation in my Bible for this chapter was that it was kind of like an addendum to the entire book because it doesn't necessarily fit with the theme of the book, but that is was put there to explain the funding of the sanctuary. I am not entirely sure that completely explains, but might show some context if nothing else.
Today's Psalm is basically that and praying for God to keep the righteous from falling into that same path as the wicked.
