BEMA Episode Link: 25: A Kingdom of What?
Episode Length: 40:28
Published Date: Thu, 30 Mar 2017 01:00:00 -0700
Session 1
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings give an overview of the book of Leviticus.

A Kingdom of What? Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 25

Leviticus: A Call to Priesthood (Sermon Series) — Real Life on the Palouse

Transcript for BEMA 25

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

The Tabernacle

  • The Tabernacle is effectively the Honeymoon Suite that we’ve discussed in the episode “Under The Chuppah”.
  • Leviticus is the Owner’s Manual for what to do with the tent of the Tabernacle.

A Kingdom of Priests

  • Exodus 19:5-6

    NOW IF YOU OBEY ME FULLY AND KEEP MY COVENANT, THEN OUT OF ALL NATIONS YOU WILL BE MY TREASURED POSSESSION. ALTHOUGH THE WHOLE EARTH IS MINE, YOU WILL BE FOR ME A KINGDOM OF PRIESTS AND A HOLY NATION.

  • What is a “Kingdom of Priests”?
    • Not a Kingdom WITH Priests…
  • Sections of Leviticus
    1. Atonement [Chapters 1-7]: You have a guilty conscience and we have to deal with that first. You ARE right with me. You and I are good and what we are about to do is not about making you good.
    2. Priesthood (The Priesthood Sandwich) [Chapters 8-10 and 21-22]:
      • What is a priest?
      • Priests put G-d on display.
        • When you see a priest, they look different.
        • If we are priests, we are to look different as well.
        • We are to be holy. Kadosh. Priest look and act different because they are holy because G-d is holy.
      • Priests help people navigate their atonement.
        • Every day, a goat is sacrificed morning and evening. A priest helps explain the process that helps clean your conscience.
      • Priests intercede on behalf of others.
        • They sit in the gap between G-d and Israel.
        • They help explain G-d’s perspective to the people.
        • They also help the people by standing before G-d on behalf of the world.
      • Priests distribute resources to those in need.
    3. How to live as a priest [Chapters 11-20]
      • Eating kosher. Why do Jews not eat pork? Because G-d wants them to be different
        • Many point out that there are practical reasons to eat kosher. Marty argues that he doesn’t think that was the primary purpose. G-d explains in [TODO: missing the verse] that G-d gives the laws of Leviticus to set them apart from those people around them.
    4. How to Party [Chapters 23-24]
      • If you don’t know how to take a break, I will destroy you.
      • Tent of Meeting aka Tent of Moad (season).
      • These are the seasons that I want you to follow and this is when you celebrate.
      • You must know when you indulge, to splurge, and party.
      • G-d says, ~”You must celebrate because if you don’t, you will lose the plot of the story and I will destroy you.”
    5. Caring for the oppressed [Chapters 25-27]
      • This is about the sabbath year or the year of jubilee when slaves are set free.
      • Many people show disgust for this section because G-d explains the value of one group over another.
      • What is not understood is that many of these groups were not valued as a society and that G-d is bringing humanity forward a step further than they were at the time. Women were not considered a part of humanity and they were considered as something apart of different than humanity. G-d says that everyone has value and are part of humanity.

Leviticus as a Chiasm

  • The Chiasm
    • Rituals of Redemption (Chapters 1–7): This is about MY atonement
      • Priesthood (Chapters 8–10): Who is a priest supposed to me?
        • Holiness Code (Chapters 11–15): How am I supposed to live for my own holiness?
          • Day of Atonement (Chapters 16): Right in the middle sits the day of atonement. This is about G-d taking my sin and getting rid of it. This holiday very weird to be found right in the middle of this book.
        • Holiness Code (Chapters 17–20): What does holiness look like in how I interact with other people.
      • Priesthood (Chapters 21–22): What happens when a priest messes up? How do we get them back?
    • Rituals of Redemption (Chapters 23–27): This is about other’s atonement
  • About the Chiasm
    • Paul Patterson points out that the front half it’s about me approaching G-d as an individual and the back half of the chiasm is about me helping OTHERS find their way back to G-d.
    • The entire chiasm points to this seemingly misplaced holiday in the center of the book, The Day of Atonement.
      • Every day when sacrifices are made, blood flows into the Tabernacle. Throughout the year, the Tabernacle “gets pretty full of sin.” However, on the day of atonement, the goat goes in first and then the blood flows OUT of the Tabernacle. The blood flows the opposite direction.
      • That blood is then put on a second goat, known as the scape goat (the az-za-zel in Hebrew), and that goat is take out into the wilderness never to be seen again.
      • Isaiah says later in their story, G-d separates your sin as far as the East is from the West.

Conclusion

  • Looking back at the list of things that makes someone a priest.
    • Put G-d on display.
      • Do we look different than those around us? Are we putting G-d and Christ on display or do we look exactly the same as those around us? Is there anything distinct about us?
    • Help people navigate their atonement.
      • Do we help people navigate their atonement and become right before G-d? Do we know how to do that?
    • Intercede on behalf of others.
      • Do we intercede on behalf of others or do we do everything we can to stand in the gap and block people from G-d’s presence. CFA example.
    • Distribute to those in need.
      • Do we distribute to those in need and examining our lives for things that we have in abundance and making sure that we’re sharing those things with those around us.
  • Are these things true of us as well?

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