Read Leviticus 25:1-26:2 at Bible Gateway.
lev 25:1-27:34, behar + bechukotai chiastic structure 2012 may 19
lev 24-25, the gospel of grace from leviticus 2011 feb 27
the teaching tools of scripture
The theme of this week’s parashah is the law of the Sabbaths (seventh year + Jubilee).
This week’s Hebrew paragraph divisions:
Lev 25:1-7 s The law of the seventh year Sabbath of the land
Lev 25:8-24 s The law of the 50th year of Jubilee
Lev 25:25-28 s the law of redemption/ release of land in the year of Jubilee
Lev 25:29-34 s The law of redemption/ release of houses in the year of Jubilee
Lev 25:35-38 s The law of lending to the poor of the children of Israel
Lev 25:39-46 s The law of redemption/ release of servants of the children of Israel in the year of Jubilee
Lev 25:47-26:2 p The law of the redemption price of the children of Israel
chiastic structure:
1a) Lev 25:1-55, The law of the Sabbaths (seventh year Sabbath of the land + Jubilee);
1a) Lev 25:1-16, The law of the seventh year Sabbath of the land + 50th year of Jubilee;
1) Lev 25:1-7 {s} The law of the seventh year Sabbath of the land;
2) Lev 25:8-16, The law of the 50th year of Jubilee;
central axis) Lev 25:17-19, “Therefore you shall not oppress one another, but you shall fear your God; for I am the Lord your God. So you shall observe My statutes and keep My judgments, and perform them; and you will dwell in the land in safety. Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill, and dwell there in safety;”
2a) Lev 25:20-55, Provision in the seventh year Sabbath of the land/ redemption + release in the Jubilee;
1) Lev 25:20-22, What the children of Israel shall eat in the seventh year Sabbath;
2) Lev 25:23-55, Redemption of land + houses + persons/ release in the year of Jubilee;
1a) Lev 25:23-24 {s} The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is YHVH’s/ you shall grant redemption;
1b) Lev 25:25-28 {s} If one of your brethren becomes poor, redemption/ release of his land;
central axis) Lev 25:29-34 {s} Redemption + release of houses/ redemption + release of Levites’ houses;
2b) Lev 25:35-38 {s} If one of your brethren becomes poor, you shall help him without interest;
2a) Lev 25:39-55, The children of Israel shall not be sold permanently, you shall grant redemption/ for they are YHVH’s servants;
central axis) Lev 26:1, “You shall not make idols for yourselves; neither a carved image nor a sacred pillar shall you rear up for yourselves; nor shall you set up an engraved stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am the Lord your God;”
2a) Lev 26:2 {p} You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.
It is interesting that the central axis of the section on redemption is the redemption of houses. I actually struggled mapping this structure and made it harder than it had to be for most of the week, because it didn’t make sense to human logic. But consider that in the Hebrew language, the bet, the pictograph for “house,” is also the pictograph for “family, household.” YHVH redeems individuals, of course, but I also think that when He saves one person from a household, that person often times acts as YHVH’s seed, for His plan is to redeem the entire household. Once again the central axis is a slightly veiled prophetic picture of the gospel of grace. Our Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus Christ, is our Elder Brother who pays the redemption price!
Then the central axis of behar is the commandment to worship YHVH alone and not bow down to false idols, for it is YHVH who is our God. Wrapping this repeat of The Commandment, the commandment of first importance, is the Law of the Sabbaths. If we have not realized it yet by now, Sabbath rest is not a flippant matter with YHVH, but if we love Him, then let us keep His commandments, as Jesus and the New Testament encourage us to do (Mat 5:17-18, Joh 14:15, Rom 3:31)!
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