Lev 21:1-24
Hebrew paragraph divisions:
21:1-15 {s} Priests shall not defile themselves for the dead or with a defiled woman
21:16-24 {p} No man of the house of Aaron with a defect shall offer the bread of God
21:1-24 {s+p} Strong theme: The law of separation for priests who offer the bread of God
We learn that the family of priests must not only abstain from the same unnatural and invalid relations from which all Israel must abstain (Lev 18-20), but YHVH imposes a higher standard of purity upon them for those whom they take to wife. And even more, the descendants of the priests who bear any physical defect, cannot serve in offering sacrifices or bread. But is God prejudiced against the handicapped or the divorced? No!
All of these laws have to do with maintaining the purity of the seed, the biological descendants of Israel. Why? Because, Messiah who is to come is the Promised Seed. He will be born of a woman of Israel. God is keeping the gene pool as free of inherited mutations as possible, because Messiah is to be a male without spot or blemish.
Notice in how many ways, since we started studying Leviticus, that Messiah is pictured without spot or blemish. He is the acceptable Sacrifice without spot or blemish, in chapters 1-7. He is the Promised Seed without spot or blemish, in chapters 18-20. He is the High Priest of our confession, without spot or blemish, in chapter 21. In many diverse and multiple ways, Torah is prophesying of the spotless Messiah who is coming to take away the spots and blemishes of the world.
Lev 22:1-23:24
22:1-16 {p} Law of the separation of the holy things + offerings given to YHVH
22:17-25 {s} No sacrifice with a defect shall be offered as the bread of God;
22:26-33 {p} Sacrifices become acceptable on the eighth day/ YHVH sanctifies Israel
23:1-3 {p} Law of the Sabbath
23:4-8 {p} Law of Passover and Unleavened Bread
23:9-14 {s} Law of the Firstfruits of the Barley Harvest
23:15-22 {p} Law of the Firstfruits of the Wheat Harvest
23:23-25 {s} Law of Trumpets
23:26-32 {p} Law of Atonement
23:33-44 {p} Law of Tabernacles
And YHVH spoke unto Moses, saying, “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘Concerning the feasts of YHVH, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are My feasts.’” Lev 23:1-2
If we write out a table of the moedim or feast days of YHVH, we find an interesting pattern revealed:
—– THE SPRING FEASTS —–
1A) 23:4-5 Passover PRECEDES;
1B) 23:6-8 {p} The WEEK-LONG FEAST of Unleavened Bread;
1C) 23:7-14 {s} Firstfruits, when Yeshua rose from the dead, the firstfruits of the RESURRECTION (1 Cor 15:20-23);
—– THE CENTRAL FEAST BY ITSELF —–
CENTRAL AXIS) 23:15-22 {p} WEEKS (PENTECOST), ON WHICH THE TORAH AND THE SPIRIT WAS GIVEN (Exo 19-20, Act 2);
—– THE FALL FEASTS —–
2C) 23:23-32 {s+p} Trumpets announces Atonement, when will be the RESURRECTION of those who are His at His coming (1 Cor 15:52, 1 The 4:16);
2B) 23:33-44 {p} The WEEK-LONG FEAST of Tabernacles;
2A) 23:36b, 39b 8th Day of Assembly FOLLOWS.
The cycle of annual feasts not only forms a chiastic structure, but if the table was rotated counterclockwise 90 degrees and the As, Bs, and Cs matched with drawn lines, you would have an exact representation of a menorah! The menorah is the seven-branched candelabrum, which was to be kept lit continually in the Temple, in the Holy Place. Light in Scripture is often representative of truth, or witness.
Then Yeshua spoke again unto them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Joh 8:12
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.” Mat 5:14
Yeshua is the Light of the World, and we are to be lights in the world, shining forth like a city set on a hill, which can be seen from a distance. Our lives bear witness, and that witness shines like a light. Since the annual feast days form a picture of the menorah, a light shining as a witness, we can conclude that each day shines a light that bears witness.
Passover bears witness to the Passover Lamb, who was crucified on this day, and shed His blood for our sins, that the angel of death might pass over us.
Unleavened Bread bears witness that we have been forgiven of our sin by the blood of Messiah Yeshua. Therefore we cleanse our lives of sin, which yeast represents, and keep our lives free of sin.
Firstfruits bears witness of the resurrection from the dead of Yeshua Messiah, who was raised from the dead with new life on this day. All the spring feast days were fulfilled in Messiah Yeshua at His first advent.
Weeks or Pentecost bears witness that the Torah—i.e., God’s Word, who is Messiah Yeshua—and God’s Spirit, are one. YHVH spoke the Ten Words from Mt. Sinai on the exact day of the Feast of Weeks, and the Spirit came upon the Church on the exact day of the Feast of Weeks. We need the Spirit in order to walk in Torah, and we need the Torah in order to walk in the Spirit. By the Torah and the Spirit, we are to walk as we await the coming of Yeshua our Bridegroom.
And He said unto them, “Truly, I say unto you, that there are some that stand here who shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.” Mar 9:1
Then Mark 9 vs. 2-7 describes the Transfiguration. The vision of the transfiguration is the vision of the kingdom of God come with power. In the vision, Yeshua’s appearance becomes shining with brilliant white light, that is, His glory as Messiah, as the Living Word, becomes outwardly evident. Moses and Elijah appear with Him. Moses represents the Torah, the Word, and Elijah, the Spirit. Of all the prophets in the Hebrew Scripture, Elijah operated in the power of the Spirit. Moses represents Judah, and Elijah represents Ephraim, as he was of the tribe of Ephraim, prophesying to the northern kingdom, the kingdom of Israel (Ephraim). Moses represents Jews, and Elijah Christians. The Jews were returned to their land following their captivity, and kept the Torah. Ephraim as representative of the northern kingdom, was not returned to his land following his captivity, and was dispersed to the four corners of the earth, becoming indistinguishable from the Gentiles in whose lands they dwelt. It is primarily Gentiles who have become Christians in the past two thousand years. When the two are united in Israel’s Messiah, then the kingdom of God will come with power. Another way to put it: when the Torah and the Spirit are joined in His people, Messiah Yeshua will be revealed in glory!
Trumpets which announces Atonement proclaims prophetically that Yeshua is returning, and that we will likewise be raised from the dead as He was, at His coming.
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Yeshua died and rose again, even so those also who sleep in Yeshua, God will bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Messiah shall rise first. Then we who are alive and re-main shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall ever be with the Lord. 1 The 4:13-17
The angel will blow the trumpet blast, the announcement to the body of believers that the Bridegroom is returning. Remember the parable of the ten virgins (Mat 25:1-13) where the virgins sleep, waiting, until the announcement is heard, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom is coming?’ Yeshua told this parable in the same discourse in which He taught “of that day and hour no one knows,” the Hebrew idiom for the appearing of the new moon. The fall feasts, beginning with the new moon of Trumpets on the first day of the seventh month, proclaim the second advent of Messiah Yeshua.
Tabernacles bears witness prophetically that Yeshua is returning as a Bridegroom for His Bride. Wedding feasts in ancient Hebrew culture were seven-day affairs. It is no coincidence that in the prophecy of the return of the Lamb, the angel says,
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor unto Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints. Rev 19:7-8
At His return, Immanuel will dwell, or tabernacle, with us, and we with Him (The fall feasts and the second coming).
The Eighth Day of Assembly proclaims prophetically that we will spend eternity with God.
Look at it this way. Hebraicly, the parable of the seven-day week, that we work for six days and rest on the seventh, is a mini picture of God’s timetable. If the history from Genesis is accurate (it is) then for 6000 years, from 4004 BC at the Creation, through 2004 AD, or roughly our present day, the earth has labored under sin. But, it has been revealed, that the earth will enjoy a rest in the seventh millennium under the kingship of Messiah. We are on its doorstep! The Eighth Day, then, is a picture of the millennium beyond the Millennial Reign. That is, after spending the Messianic Age with us, the Lord desires that we remain behind for another day; it is His invitation to us to remain with Him forever.
Feasts of the Lord index of studies (lots more here).
Lev 24:1-23
24:1-4 {p} Law of tending the menorah
24:5-9 {s} Law of tending the showbread
24:10-12 {p} The Egyptian’s son who blasphemed YHVH
24:13-23 {p} Law of the death penalty
There is a mini chiastic structure found within the story of the man who blasphemed YHVH.
1A) 24:10-12 The son of THE EGYPTIAN WHO BLASPHEMED YHVH; {p}
CENTRAL AXIS) 24:13-22 THE LAW OF THE DEATH PENALTY;
2A) 24:23 The death of HIM WHO BLASPHEMED YHVH. {p}
Notice that the one who blasphemed had an Israelite mother but an Egyptian father. Why is this detail in Scripture? It is Scripture’s way of pointing out that this man was not of the children of Israel but of Egypt. Leaving aside for now the importance of fathers in passing the spiritual legacy and heritage to the next generation, let us remember that Israel is a type of the family and children of God, the kingdom of heaven, while Egypt is a type of the children of the world and the kingdom of darkness. It was the son of an Egyptian who blasphemed YHVH and incurred death.
Leviticus is preaching the Gospel of grace, through the shed blood of Messiah Yeshua, in Torah’s unique way. Those who remain in their nature as Egyptians, i.e., as children of darkness, of the world, as unconverted, do not enter the kingdom of heaven and do not receive resurrection life by grace through faith, but they remain in their death because of their sins.
LEVITICUS 21:1-24:23 ANNUAL EMOR “SPEAK” OUTLINE | LEVITICUS in CHIASTIC STRUCTURE
FINDING MESSIAH in TORAH: A MESSIANIC DISCOVERY THROUGH the TORAH PORTIONS
THE LAW of LOVE: THE GOSPEL of GRACE REVEALED in the COMMANDMENTS OF GOD
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