Lesson#12

Related Articles

Leviticus

September 21, 2015

Introduction

May 13, 2010

Leviticus Lesson #02

May 13, 2010

RETURN TO THE LIST OF LESSONS

LEVITICUS 11
Lesson #12
HEALTH AND HOLINESS OF GOD’S PEOPLE

• Memory Verse: 1The 4:7

• In the book of Leviticus we have studied the various sacrifices that God demanded for the spiritual health of His people. We also studied God’s requirements of the priesthood and what happened when those requirements of holiness were violated. Therefore, we have progressed from God’s requirements of worship, to the priesthood requirements, and now to the requirements for the people.
• General Background:
  • In this chapter we will see God’s concern not for just the spiritual health of His people but also for the physical health of His people.
  • The Bible makes no difference between a person’s spiritual life and his secular life. One is not more important to God than the other.
    • In the world today, a great difference is made between the two, between the spiritual and the secular.
      • A person attends church on Sundays and assumes he has fulfilled his spiritual requirements before God.
      • He considers that the rest of the week belongs to him to do as he pleases, for he is just a layman with no formal religious responsibilities.
    • This idea of a formal line between those in the priesthood and the average layman began early in Christian church history. We can actually see it in the Bible in the early church.
      • Read Rev 2:6
      • Read Rev 2:15
    • The hated Nicolaitans
    • The word Nicolaitan is divided into two essential parts:
      • “NIKO” which means = to conquer.
      • “LAITY”which means = the people.
        • There arose in the early church a group who tried to separate laymen and a clergy of holy men for the purpose of power and control. They put all the power of ministry into the hands of a few chosen men and named them clergy.
        • These clergy claimed to be Christians but lived immoral, unclean lives believing that the body and spirit were separate and what you did to the body had no effect on the spirit.
          • What started as “deeds” in the church at Ephesus became “doctrine” in the church at Pergamus.
          • The church in Ephesus hated this separation of clergy and laymen, but the church at Pergamus accepted it.
      • What is wrong with this doctrine?
        • This doctrine destroys the Biblical concept of the “body” of Christ as a unit with each person using his spiritual gifts to minister to others.
        • We have already seen the New Testament scripture that the Christian is supposed to be the royal priesthood of this age of grace having a ministry of reconciliation, ministering to other people. (1Pet 2:9 2Cor 5:18-19)
  • Read Rom 12:1-2
    • This passage in the New Testament tells us that when we give our lives to Jesus Christ, we are to give him our physical bodies because that is part of our worship.
    • The phrase, “reasonable service” means “worship”.
  • Therefore, there is no difference between one’s spiritual life and one’s secular life. Our religious practice and our daily life are one and the same. We either worship God with our whole life or we do not worship Him at all.

• Read Lev 11:1-3 Land Animals
  • Biblical Background:
    • God began to make a difference between clean and unclean animals at the time of Noah’s flood. (Gen 7:2) For a complete list of unclean animals, see Deu 14:3-20.
    • Man was not permitted to eat meat until after the flood of Noah. In the covenant with Noah God permitted the eating of meat for the first time. (Gen 9:3-4)
    • With these rules and regulations, God draws the line between light and darkness, between right and wrong, between clean and unclean, between truth and error. Why?
      • God wants man to discern the truth by means of these principles that He places in His word.
      • Therefore, we should use these opposing elements to discern truth and gain wisdom. We should not make them legalistic rules of conduct that do not change man’s heart nor give wisdom.
      • Read 1Cor 8:8
      • Peter had to learn this lesson of wisdom.
        • Read Act 10:11-15
        • Through this vision God was saying to Peter that the age of keeping the Mosaic Law with all of its restrictions had ended at the cross. In the Age of Grace, Gentiles were not to be considered unclean.
        • In this age of grace, animals are not now considered clean or unclean.
        • Through Jesus Christ, Gentiles are now made acceptable to God.
    • With these clean and unclean restrictions, God’s desire was to keep the practices of His people separate and distinct from pagan religious practices that ate any kind of animal and drank the blood of any animal in their religious ceremonies.
  • The forbidden animals:
    • There is an extensive list of unclean animals if we would put together scriptures from Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
    • Scientific background:
      • Science has determined that these animals specified “unclean” by God are unclean because they are “feeders” of the filth of the earth and therefore are more likely to be susceptible to parasitic disease.
      • God created these “unclean animals” to clean the earth of dead bodies.
        • In the ocean there are “bottom feeders” that clean the ocean.
        • In the air, there are birds (vultures) that eat dead bodies.
          • The parasitic diseases are carried in the blood of unclean animals because of the polluted food they eat.
          • These parasitic diseases can be passed from animals to man by eating these animals, unless one first drains the blood from the animal before eating it.
  • The principle for the division of “clean” and “unclean” animals on land:

 

• ” Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.”

 

• Spiritual significance to give us wisdom: (2Tim 3:14-15)
  • The animal with a “parted hoof”:
    • The walk of the believer must make a difference between the two possible roads of life. He is not to try to walk the road to destruction and the road to eternal life at the same time, for it cannot be done. (Eph 5:2, 15) The believer must part the way with the world system.
    • Only through study of the Word of God can we know the difference between the right road and the wrong road.
  • The animal that “chews the cud”:
    • Only animals that eat vegetables chew the cud.
    • The believer is to mediate on the Word of God, but he is not to ingest the filth of the world system. (Psa 1:2)
    • Meditation on the Word of God makes it possible for us to walk the right path.
  • Lev 11:4-8 gives us the exceptions to the general rule. In other words, if an animal did not fulfill both the chewing of the cud and the parting of the hoof, he was considered “unclean”.
    • For the believer in Jesus Christ, he must fulfill both parts of the rule to walk successfully with God.
      • He must meditate and study the Word of God.
      • He must let the Word of God make a difference in how he lives the Christian life.
    • In the same way as the unacceptable animal that only chewed the cud, the believer in Christ is unacceptable if he only studies the Word of God but does not let it make a difference in his walk.
• The Israelite must not only refrain from eating “unclean” animals but he must also refrain from “touching” them.
  • The believer’s life is to be totally different from the non-believer’s life.
  • The believer must exhibit the holiness of Christ in every aspect of his life.
• Read Lev 11:9-10 Sea Animals
  • The principle for the division of “clean” and “unclean” animals in the sea:

 

• “These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.”

 

• Spiritual significance to give us wisdom:
  • If an animal had fins and scales, it was considered “clean”.
  • The two identifying marks of a believer compared to a non-believer:
    • The fins = moved and guided by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom 8:9)
    • The scales = clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ. (Phil 3:9)
• The believer in Jesus Christ that has the indwelling Holy Spirit and is clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ is born again and saved for all eternity.
• Read Lev 11:13 Animals in the Air

• There is no general principle for the division of “clean” and “unclean” birds of the air.
• From the list of birds in the Law of Moses, those that eat the dead flesh of animals and man are considered “unclean”.
  • The spiritual significance that gives us wisdom:
    • The believer in Jesus Christ must treat others with love.
    • We are not to prey on others so as to take advantage of them.
  • The believer guided by God to live a life of holiness will climb to the heavens to fly close in his relationship with God.
• Read Lev 11:22 Creeping Animals (Insects)

• There is no general principle for the division of “clean” and “unclean” creeping insects.
• Instead there were four types of locust the Israelites could eat.
• John the Baptist ate a diet of locust and honey.
• Read Lev 11:24, 31 Touching Unclean Dead Animals

• There are two very important principles regarding “clean” and “unclean” that we need to understand because they operate in all areas of life.
• These two principles are found in the book of Haggai:
  • =1= “If one bear holy flesh in the skirt of his garment, and with his skirt do touch bread, or pottage, or wine, or oil, or any meat, shall it be holy?” (Hag 2:12) The priests answered no.
    • An ordinary thing is not made holy by contact with a holy thing. Holiness is not transferred by physical contact.
    • In other words, a good apple placed into a basket of decaying apples does not change those rotting apples into a good apple.
  • =2= “If one that is unclean by a dead body touch any of these, shall it be unclean? And the priests answered and said, It shall be unclean.” (Hag 2:13)
    • A holy person is polluted by contact with decaying things.
    • In other words, the rotting apple in a basket of good apples will eventually pollute the good apples.
• It is God that makes things holy through the blood of Christ and determines if things are not holy.
  • God has determined what things are sinful and cause man to become spiritually “unclean” and unacceptable to a Holy God.
    • Sin is a corrupting influence no matter how strong the believer thinks he is. (1Cor 10:12)
    • The New Testament constantly tells us to beware of contamination by all types of sin.
  • God has determined that only the blood of Christ is sufficient to make a sinner clean, holy, and acceptable to God.
    • Because one cannot bring holiness out of uncleanness, man’s good works do not make man holy.
    • Man’s efforts by his own strength and wisdom produce only uncleanness.
• Even the smallest dead body of a creeping insect was enough to make an Israelite unclean for a whole day. (31)
  • Because we live in a fallen world, even the smallest thing can corrupt our walk with the Lord.
  • Therefore, we need to ask God for cleansing even of the smallest of sins frequently.
• Read Lev 11:32 Cleanliness and holiness

• God makes sure that His people keep their vessels clean that prepare food.
• God’s protection of His people is found in every detail to keep His people from sickness and disease that comes from physical contamination. In the same way, God warns the believer of those things that contaminate us spiritually.
• Read Lev 11:39 The Dead Clean Animal

• Even the clean animal became unclean once it was dead.
• God did not want his people to eat animals that died from sickness or even a natural death. He wanted them to eat healthy animals that had been slaughtered.
• The spiritual principle:
  • Death came upon the entire world because of Adam’s sin. The wages of sin is death. (Rom 6:23)
  • Man lives daily with the principle of death and its corruption.
    • Physical death which is the process of age that corrupts and destroys the body through illness.
    • Spiritual death that man is born into and that destroys the spirit and soul of man for eternity.
• Read Lev 11:44-47 God’s Purpose

• God’s purpose for demonstrating the difference between clean and unclean animals:
  • We are part of God’s creation and He makes the rules.
  • God is a Holy God and He wants His redeemed people to be holy like Him.
• God used the Israelites to physically demonstrate all of these spiritual truths.

• Application:
  • There are some things we must remember:
    • =1= God is concerned about every little thing in our lives because He loves us. Is God concerned about what we eat? Yes and no.
      • He wants us to take care of our bodies.
      • He wants us to understand the spiritual principles over and above the physical legalisms.
    • God wants us to trust Him with everything in our lives.
    • We are not legalistically bound by the Law of Moses in regards to keeping these dietary restrictions:
      • Read Rom 14:14
      • Read 1Cor 6:13
      • Read 1Cor 10:31
  • God wants the New Testament believer to live in wisdom and self-control so that we demonstrate the blessedness of freely serving a loving God.
  • The believer must be careful not to reclassify sin as something good and acceptable so as to justify disobedience.

HOMEWORK
Leviticus 12
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Lev 11
  • In what ways can you make holiness a greater part of your life?

 

• Preparation for Lev 12
• Read Lev 12:1-8
  • Why do you think a woman is considered by God to be unclean after childbirth?

 

• Why do you think there is a difference made when the child is a boy and when the child is a girl?

 

• Memory Verse: Rom 5:12