| LEVITICUS |
| Explanatory Footnotes - page 2 |
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| 17:10 Kosher To this day many Jews avoid meat unless it has been carefully drained of blood. Blood, which represented the life of living creatures, was to make atonement for, or to "cover up," sins. Thus Jesus' blood, signifying his death, has special significance to Christians. It is the blood of the ultimate sacrifice for sin. The first Christians debated how much of the law should be required of non-Jews who became Christians (Acts 15). Of the four requirements they settled on, two were "kosher." 18:21 Child Sacrifice and Sex This warning against child sacrifice (repeated and expanded in 20:1-5) seems out of place in the middle of a chapter on rules about sex. Yet, for the Israelites, there was a connection. Their neighbors, who sacrificed their children as a part of their religion, also practiced temple prostitution as a way of worship. To them, sex was a way to get in touch with their gods. God's warnings against various sexual practices begin and end with warnings to behave differently from these neighbors (verses 3, 24). 19:9 A Form of Welfare God's law was persistently concerned with the welfare of the poor. Everyday farming was to be done in such a way that poor and foreign people could fend for themselves. The reasons for such care are given: we are to imitate the holy character of God (verse 1), who cares for the poor, and to love our neighbor as ourselves (verse 18). 22:19 The Very Best for God For the Israelite farmers, a farm animal represented a considerable contribution. It would have been tempting to cull out their weakest animals. Instead, they were commanded to give their very best. Similarly, at every harvest they were to bring their very first grain to the Lord |