Holy?

So it’s been a few days since I’ve posted but my encounter in Numbers is continuing. I’ve been thinking a lot about the priests, their helpers, and their involvement in the early history of Israel. Like the Christian today the priest in that time was to reflect God to the people and the people back to God. I’ve been thinking about this a great deal, (see earlier posts.) The life of the priest was intense and busy, the sacrifice, the inheritance, the duty, the privilege, it’s really a huge topic.

Today I’ve been dwelling on some of the dangers of the priesthood.

I have been focusing on a specific group of Levites. They are called the Kohathites. It seems that ole Levi had three sons, Gershon, Merari, and Kohath. By the time of Moses these three had become clans of Levites. Each of them had a specific job to do in relation to the tabernacle and the things of God. They were to be holy. They were to be set apart. They represented the redemption of all of the first born of Israel. These were heavy important duties. The Levites did get some help. In chapter seven of numbers we’re told that several carts and oxen were donated so that the Levites could carry the load of the Lord’s work. This was important since they were moving about the desert and there were lots of items to carry. Any how Moses gave these carts to the Levites.

So Moses took the carts and oxen and gave them to the Levites. He gave two carts and four oxen to the Gershonites, as their work required, and he gave four carts and eight oxen to the Merarites, as their work required. They were all under the direction of Ithamar son of Aaron, the priest. But Moses did not give any to the Kohathites, because they were to carry on their shoulders the holy things, for which they were responsible.

Numbers 7:6-9

Did you catch that? The Kohathites got nothing! No cart to ease the load. Now we could make a case for their items being less heavy. When you look at the duties of the clans the Gershonites and Merarites it just makes since that they should have carts but the scripture in several places points out that the Kohathites carry the holiest stuff – they carry it because it was holy. Special care had to be taken with these holy items. They had to carry them by hand without touching them. Check out the details listed on carrying the ark of the covenant to learn more. Or for a truly scary story go look at what happens when some folks screw this up in David’s time. (2 Samuel 6)

For now:

⁴ "This is the work of the Kohathites in the Tent of Meeting: the care of the most holy things. Numbers 4:4

So that had to be tricky. Tough stuff…big load, heavy responsibility this most holy stuff. Btw, the way the stuff got holy the way it received it’s holiness was from being up close with God. Israel was called to holiness, the Levites were called to holiness, the Kohathites were called to holiness, and the way they encountered holiness was by being up close to God.

The same is true today. God with us. Emmanuel. God up close. It is the only way to find this holiness that we are called to but it also comes with a bit of danger.

Sometimes folks can be tempted to think that because they are up close to this God they are better than others. The age old danger of self righteousness is all around us. When we deal with the divine, when we are called to be part of God sized work, it is easy to look down on others.

“You fish for fish buddy, I’ll fish for men. I carry the most holy things, you?”

This has been the case from the earliest days of people assembling for God. The world recognizes it and they know that it is one of our ugliest wounds.

In chapter 16 we see a Kohathite dude named Korah try to lead a rebellion against Moses and Aaron. He becomes sure that he’s “holier” than Moses and he accuses Moses and Aaron of being self-righteous, after all he’s up close to the holiest items. It doesn’t end well for Korah and his followers. That’s the sad truth, Korah had followers—a bunch of them. In one place Korah’s followers were called “well known community leaders” (Numbers 16:2) and yet they drove the religious train off track. Happens all the time; and I have to be willing to recognize the danger.

Being close to God rocks, it comes with special tasks, heavy loads, important duties, and scary responsibilities, but it doesn’t make me special. God is special, I’m a dough head.

Words

I’m still cruising in Numbers. Btw, Numbers is as much about words as it is about numbers. The first several chapters not only lay out the amounts of the various folks in their various tribes, but they also lay out some serious tasks for all of these folks. Everyone is working together in an effort to set this people apart in such a way that they reflect God back to the world. I’ll likely dwell more on that community aspect of Numbers in coming days but for now I’ve been halted by the Spirit here at the end of chapter 6 with these words in what has been called the priestly blessing.

The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

" ' "The LORD bless you
and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '

"So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."

Numbers 6:22-27

This whole priestly blessing thing is like spiritual dynamite—(read: “Dine – Oh – Might” with your best Jimmy Walker/J.J. Evans impression.)

I almost don’t want to think about it because it makes my brain hurt, it’s like every word explodes with meaning. Look at some of the short definitions of the origins of these words God had the priests say over the people.

LORD – The divine Name – “The existing one.”

Bless – to kneel, praise, adore, or cause to kneel

Keep – watch over, protect, wait for, guard, restrain

Face – presence, person

Shine – to kindle, give light, make bright, illuminate

Gracious – show favor, mercy, pity

Turn – lift up, support, aid, bear

Give – put or lay upon, appoint, ordain

Peace – completeness, soundness, friendship, wholeness

Put – Same Hebrew word as “give” above. Put or lay upon, appoint…

Name – reputation, fame, glory

What would happen if we were to pray this prayer today?

Every time we would pray this blessing it would be a call to adore this ever existing God who dares to stoop down to our level. We might recognize that God can protect, guard and restrain us when we need it. We’d know that his very illuminating presence is available in every place. We’d grasp that the divine one who always was and always will be shows us favor and bears our load, providing support and aid, even as he appoints wholeness and friendship into our lives. We might even understand that he does all of these things for his own glory.

Does that fame cause me to bow before him? To humble myself? To recognize that even the blessings of God are not really about me?

Lord, let it be true daily.

1, 2, 3...

Surprise, surprise, the first chapter of Numbers is all about numbers. The people are tallied. We are given a direct count of nearly every male of fighting age of every tribe of Israel. (The total’s 603,550 if you’re interested.) I wonder if as many people were up in arms about this ancient census as there are concerned about our current one!

Either way, the first chapter of this book that is all about the numbers ends with this:

The families of the tribe of Levi, however, were not counted along with the others. The LORD had said to Moses: "You must not count the tribe of Levi or include them in the census of the other Israelites. Instead, appoint the Levites to be in charge of the tabernacle of the Testimony—over all its furnishings and everything belonging to it. They are to carry the tabernacle and all its furnishings; they are to take care of it and encamp around it. Whenever the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who goes near it shall be put to death. The Israelites are to set up their tents by divisions, each man in his own camp under his own standard. The Levites, however, are to set up their tents around the tabernacle of the Testimony so that wrath will not fall on the Israelite community. The Levites are to be responsible for the care of the tabernacle of the Testimony."

The Israelites did all this just as the LORD commanded Moses.

Numbers 1:47-54

The Levites were the priests. So how many priests were there at this point? In the first chapter here it’s hard to come up with a number for the Levites so I don’t know. Later in Numbers we’re given an amount (See Numbers 3:43, 26:62) but here we are told that they were not counted along with the others. They weren’t to be numbered along with folks doing the common stuff. Instead they did the things of God. They tended to the God stuff. They acted as a go between for the rest of the Israelites and their Holy God. They represented God to the people and the people to God. It was important work. They didn’t have the same rights as the rest of the folks; the Levites were not only “not counted among the Israelites” when it came to the fighting men and common stuff but also when it came to land allotments, instead the Lord was their inheritance (see Deuteronomy 10:9.)

Now I can’t pretend that it is exactly the same today for the Christian as it was for the Levite Priests of the Hebrew Scriptures but shouldn’t there be some similarities?

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

1 Peter 2:9-10

Pete’s talking to believers here. Today the followers of Christ are a royal priesthood. We talk about “the priesthood of believers” often (at least in protestant circles) when it comes to theology. We like to point at this verse and celebrate the fact that Christ made it possible for all to have access to the Father. Good deal, theology is important, but I wonder do we live out the call to be priests?

Do we set aside our rights or do we fight for every bit of ground we can get?

Do we reflect God to the people we encounter or do we try to win theological arguments?

Do we carry the needs of these folks that Christ loves into the very presence of our king?

Do we consider God to be enough for us and call others to do the same?

Do we sacrifice for those that are far from our holy God?

It seems to me that it is still hard to number the priests.

Who smells that?

The journey continues and it continues to be a bit odd. Leviticus is great! Also, Leviticus is weird with a capitol “W.”

There’s no question that the over all call of Leviticus is one to holiness. Be holy as I am holy is repeated over and over again. There are all sorts of great things within the last few chapters I’ve read but there are also a pile of things that seem strange to my modern mind.

Not that these things are not important they’re just a bit odd. They cause me to chuckle a bit. I feel a little like Bevis when I read some of these things. Here are couple examples:

" 'If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal.

Leviticus 20:15

Do you think the animal was ever like…

“Dude, I didn’t ask for this! That guy snuck up on me!”

The LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron: 'For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect may come near to offer the food of his God. No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; no man with a crippled foot or hand, or who is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.

Leviticus 21:16-20

Who checks the testicles? How would you like that job?

The animals brought for sacrifices had to be checked too!

You must not offer to the LORD an animal whose testicles are bruised, crushed, torn or cut. You must not do this in your own land, and you must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God.

Leviticus 22:24-25

After awhile I stop being as immature.

I end up hitting this verse:

On the day you wave the sheaf, you must sacrifice as a burnt offering to the LORD a lamb a year old without defect, together with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering made to the LORD by fire, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter of a hin of wine. Leviticus 23:12-13

The bit about the aroma being pleasing to the LORD reminds me of Paul’s words…

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 2:15

I start zeroing in on the principles behind all of this and I’m reminded that Leviticus is about setting a people apart and filling them up in such a way that they can reflect God back to the world. Build the aroma and then share it. It looks a little different today but God still practices this principle. He always had…just then I smell something that my wife did (no I’m not going grade school on you again, no fart jokes here.) Sheri has cut several lilac flowers from our yard and placed them around the house. I’m not sure if you’ve smelled lilacs but if you have you almost certainly know that it’s an easy thing to turn that scent into praise for God.

Father, thank you for setting us apart, make us a pleasing aroma to the world.

Goat Demons

Goat Demons - Dan QT 4.21.2010 – Lev 17:7

So I’ve been on this journey again through the Old Testament. It’s been fun. I’ve an accountability partner and everything! As usual, I burned through Genesis, and Exodus went quickly as well, I love the Moses story. But the truth is anyone who has spent a great deal of time with the Hebrew Scriptures will tell you that it’s easy to get bogged down in certain places. I just read several chapters about mildew, menstruation, and leprosy, all God’s word, all important and loaded with insight but also all potential places of lethargy. As is always the case when we keep on keeping on in God’s word something will come alive. When I hit chapters 16 and 17 that experience occurred.

I’ve always loved chapter 16 with the fascinating story of the Day of Atonement. Every year the nation of Israel would symbolically lay their sins on a goat and release it into the desert (it’s the scapegoat.) There are all sorts of great connections that can be made between this goat and Jesus. Read it. It’s good stuff.

But what I had not made a connection with before was this story and Lev 17:7

They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.'

Lev 17:7

There are many Hebrew words translated as goat but the same word is used for the goat(s) used in the Day of Atonement mentioned in chapter 16 and the goat idol (sometimes translated as demon or goat demon.) here in 17:7.

Is there a connection? Maybe, maybe not, but this command comes in the midst of God trying to direct his people to stay focused on what he has asked them to do. Apparently the people were taking goats out into the wilderness and sacrificing them willy-nilly rather than doing things the way God had commanded.

Really it wasn’t a new thing. People are always quick to jump on the cheap substitute. Back in Exodus after Moses had been up the mountain for a bit the people worshiped the Golden Calf – not because he was a different God in their eyes but because he was an easier representation of the One True God. Go check it out (EX 32) and you’ll see that they have a festival to the LORD (all caps in the NIV) which is the way the translators choose to transliterate the divine name YHWH as opposed to Lord (capital “L” lowercase “ord.” which is the way they translate the word Adonai (master, sir, etc) In order to fully dig into this we’d have to discuss Hebrew plurals and the connection between calves and the word God a bit as well and I won’t take the time to do that here. The point is the people celebrated this statue as the God (gods) who brought them out of Egypt and they celebrated that statue as YHWH. There was no mistaking what God made their exodus possible, they weren’t in their minds looking for a new God, just an easier way to imagine/serve/worship the God they felt that they already knew.

Maybe our Israelite friends from Leviticus 17 were falling into the same trap? The one true religion involves goats so why not make it a little easier? Why not just use the goats here and there and everywhere and call it cool? It's got something to do with goats right?

God calls that prostitution. Idolatry. It’s true when it’s a calf, a goat, and what about Jesus?

In what ways do we worship our own set of goat idols?

When we define holiness only by the things we avoid simply because God would have us avoid certain things I think we are worshiping a goat idol. It might look religious; it might sound godly, but is it or is it a reduction of biblical holiness?

When we define course language as our own particular list of curse words are we worshiping the one true God or are we reducing his command to something easier and more manageable, maybe even less important?

We do this in a million ways. We recreate Jesus in our own image, we reduce him, because doing the things that he did and calls us to do scares us a little too much. It's easier to serve a reduced representation of Jesus. A Jesus fish on my car, a cross on my neck, a spiritual tattoo.

If I can avoid taking God’s name in vain by simply not saying G_D D_mn it then I might feel good about myself but am I worshiping the One True God or some reduced image of him. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think we should run around shouting GD here GD there here a GD there a GD but isn’t God’s name far bigger than that word? Aren’t we taking his name in vain anytime we misrepresent him? Christian is a big name, dare we carry it?

Do we reduce it?

Stupid Golden Calf.

Freakin’ Goat Idols.

Dang cheap substitutes.

I don’t want to serve an Imaginary Jesus even if he looks a lot like the real Jesus.

Lord, LORD, help us to know the difference.

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