July 28, 2018 - Day 111 - Leviticus 21
I am writing from my desk in Seattle, WA.
Leviticus 21:
The priests have rules too!
He must not make himself unclean for certain people. We are not told what unclean means in this particular context.
No buzz cuts!
No beard trimming!
No cutting of the body.
No profaning the name of God.
No marrying a woman who has been a prostitute or has been divorced.
HOLD UP.
Divorced? Thank God no one follows that one anymore. Keep in mind that reading this with a modern lens is USELESS. Women were PROPERTY. Sadly. Anyway.
If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she must be burned in a fire. This a command from God. The creator of the universe is telling Moses that if a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she must be roasted. Where's the grace? The mercy? This version of God is NOT LOVING, but instead, a psychotic monster that is not worthy of praise. AT ALL. If a human came up with that idea, we'd be appalled; but since it is in the Bible, we just "believe it."
That is only if you read this literally, which I don't recommend.
Digressing...
The priest has to fix his hair and make sure his clothes aren't torn. He may not enter a place where there is a dead body. No funerals I guess.
He can only marry a virgin. No widows, divorcees or prostitutes; only a virgin. Interesting that those are the four categories of placing a woman in. Perhaps a virgin in this context means never married? The virgin must be from his own people, too; so maybe get a little slice of incest in there.
There's also a list of people who cannot come near 'to offer the food of his God.' I'm not exactly sure what that means, but here's the people who are not invited: any man with a defect, blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, crippled foot or hand, hunchback, dwarf, eye defect, has festering, running sores, damaged testicles. HUH. Damaged testicles lol. Yep, that is in there.
The least of these. That's who wasn't invited. That's who was suppose to stay away.
As I read through the Old Testament, it is becoming clear to me that Jesus wasn't trying to start a religion, he was trying to challenge and dismantle this one.
Leviticus 21:
The priests have rules too!
He must not make himself unclean for certain people. We are not told what unclean means in this particular context.
No buzz cuts!
No beard trimming!
No cutting of the body.
No profaning the name of God.
No marrying a woman who has been a prostitute or has been divorced.
HOLD UP.
Divorced? Thank God no one follows that one anymore. Keep in mind that reading this with a modern lens is USELESS. Women were PROPERTY. Sadly. Anyway.
If a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she must be burned in a fire. This a command from God. The creator of the universe is telling Moses that if a priest's daughter becomes a prostitute, she must be roasted. Where's the grace? The mercy? This version of God is NOT LOVING, but instead, a psychotic monster that is not worthy of praise. AT ALL. If a human came up with that idea, we'd be appalled; but since it is in the Bible, we just "believe it."
That is only if you read this literally, which I don't recommend.
Digressing...
The priest has to fix his hair and make sure his clothes aren't torn. He may not enter a place where there is a dead body. No funerals I guess.
He can only marry a virgin. No widows, divorcees or prostitutes; only a virgin. Interesting that those are the four categories of placing a woman in. Perhaps a virgin in this context means never married? The virgin must be from his own people, too; so maybe get a little slice of incest in there.
There's also a list of people who cannot come near 'to offer the food of his God.' I'm not exactly sure what that means, but here's the people who are not invited: any man with a defect, blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, crippled foot or hand, hunchback, dwarf, eye defect, has festering, running sores, damaged testicles. HUH. Damaged testicles lol. Yep, that is in there.
The least of these. That's who wasn't invited. That's who was suppose to stay away.
As I read through the Old Testament, it is becoming clear to me that Jesus wasn't trying to start a religion, he was trying to challenge and dismantle this one.
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