Read Lev 9:1-11:47 at Bible Gateway.
lev 9:1-11:47, paragraph divisions + deaths of nadab and abihu 2012 apr 21
lev 9-10, strange fire and its hebrew root 2011 feb 20
lev 11-13, clean and unclean defined from scripture usage 2011 feb 21
lev 11, clean and unclean food and health 2009 aug 20
This is the fascinating chiastic structure formed by shemini:
Lev 9:1-11:47 {px3+s+s+p}
1a) Lev 9:1-10:11 {p+p} Consecration of priesthood/ regard the LORD as holy/ distinguish between clean + unclean:
–> 1) Lev 9:1-24, Consecration of the priesthood;
–> 2) Lev 10:1-7 {p} “By those who come near Me, I must be regarded as holy;”
–> 3) Lev 10:8-11 {p} Intoxication forbidden for priests that they may distinguish between clean + unclean;
1b) Lev 10:12-15, The goat of the sin offering to be eaten;
central axis) Lev 10:16-18, Its blood was not brought inside the holy place;
2b) Lev 10:19-20 {p} If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been accepted?;
2a) Lev 11:1-47 {s+s+p}, Clean + unclean animals/ “Consecrate yourselves + be holy + distinguish between unclean + clean:”
–> 1a) Lev 11:1-43, The law of clean/ unclean animals that may/ may not be eaten;
–> 1b) Lev 11:44a, “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves;”
–> 1c) Lev 11:44b-c, You shall be holy for I am holy + not defile yourselves with any creeping thing:”
—-> 1) Lev 11:44b, “And you shall be holy; for I am holy;”
—-> 2) Lev 11:44c, “Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth;”
–> central axis) Lev 11:45a, “For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God;”
–> 2c) Lev 11:45b-46, “You shall be holy for I am holy + know the law of the creatures of the earth:”
—-> 1) Lev 11:45b, “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy;”
—-> 2) Lev 11:46, “This is the law of animals + flying creatures + swimming creatures + creeping creatures;”
–> 2b) Lev 11:47a, “To distinguish between unclean/ clean;
–> 2a) Lev 11:47b, “Between the creatures that may/ may not be eaten.”
Not only was the priesthood consecrated to be holy before the Lord, for He Himself is holy; the people were consecrated to be holy before the LORD, for He Himself is holy. The priesthood was consecrated by the consecration ceremony of Lev 9; the people were consecrated by not defiling themselves with unclean animals. Since we are the living temples of the Holy Spirit which is in us, let us not pollute or profane our bodies with uncleanness.
The central axis of this chiastic structure is of Moses telling Aaron that since the blood of the goat was not brought into the Holy Place, the goat should have been eaten. We only find out in Lev 16, that the blood of the goat that Moses was talking about, was only brought into the Most Holy Place once per year, on the Day of Atonement. The central axis is about the Day of Atonement!
In fact, the law of the sacrifices had to be taught first, so that the proper sacrifice could be brought on the Day of Atonement. Aaron and his sons had to be consecrated first, so that the High Priest could be the one to bring the blood into the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. The laws to distinguish between clean and unclean had to be taught first, so that Israel would know what the LORD was talking about, when He said that the Day of Atonement was to make atonement for all of Israel’s uncleanness, as the LORD was in her midst. I think we will find as we go through Leviticus, that its recurring theme will be Atonement, just as the recurring theme of Exodus was Redemption!
Leave a Reply