Leviticus Pt 2

 

  *

Rites of Ordination, 

the Priesthood is Downsized,

Don't Eat that Ostrich,

and

Mothers of the World, Atone!

I know we've been starting these installments lately with observations that are a bit on the peripheral side, but today we're going to get right down to it.

    The first seven chapters of Leviticus were all about offerings, but now we're going to branch out a bit. Don't worry though, there will still be flesh going up in smoke.

    Chapter 8 is all about the initiation ceremonies that will officially install Aaron and Sons as the Priests of the Tabernacle. I think the program can be summed up fairly well in a bulleted format.

• Aaron and the boys wash up.
• They put on their priest costumes.
• Oil gets distributed around the Tent of Meeting.
• They kill a bull.
• They kill a ram.
• They kill another ram.
• Aaron and Sons get familiar with the innards of the above animals.
• Blood and oil is sprinkled, dabbed, and smeared on Aaron and Sons in very specific ways.
• They have to stay in the tent for seven days. If they go outside God has promised to kill them, so even though they probably are anxious to take a nice shower after all of the sprinkling, dabbing, and handling of internal organs, they have sufficient motivation to stick it out.

    The eighth day is covered in Chapter 9 and it is a busy one.

• They kill a bull calf.
• They kill a ram.
• They kill a male goat.
• They kill a calf, a lamb, some yearlings (we're not told what the animals are, just that they are a year old), an ox, and another ram.
• For variety they offer up some choice grain and a tablespoon or so of nice oil.
• The fat, which as we recall belongs to God, is turned into smoke on the altar. 
• God makes an appearance in verses 23-24.
• "and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces."
• I bet they did. I mean that must have been darned impressive not to mention scary as all get out.

    There is a bit of a hiccup in the ordination process in Chapter 10 when two of Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, take it upon themselves to deviate from the schedule by introducing a bit of incense burning the Lord had not signed off on.

    2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord meant when he said,

'Through those who are near me

I will show myself holy,

and before all the people

I will be glorified.'"

    And Aaron was silent.

    I bet he was. The poor man was grieving for his sons and at the same time trying to figure out how the above quote from the Lord could have been understood to mean "don't mess with the incense until I tell you it's okay or else I'll hit you with the Lord's Own Flamethrower." And let's face it, somewhere in the back, or even front, of his mind he's got to be hoping the statute of limitations has run its course in regards to that whole golden calf snafu back in Exodus. But just to be clear, all we're told here is "And Aaron was silent." so the rest of it is just me speculating.

    Moses keeps his cool and has a couple of Nadab and Abihu's cousins haul their smoking bodies "to a place outside the camp" and that's the last we hear of them. Nadab and Abihu and the cousins that is.

    Aaron still has two other sons in Eleazar and Ithamar and, although you'd think it would go without saying, Moses makes sure he warns them against doing anything rash. Things are going smoothly again, at least for a while, but then Eleazar and Ithamar get the sequence of things turned around in the goat offering process by not eating the bits they were supposed to eat when they were supposed to eat them. Considering what just happened to their brothers I'll bet they thought it was their turn to be put under the broiler, but leniency prevails. All that happens is Moses gets stern with them, Aaron takes a bit of responsibility, and evidently the Lord realizes he can only downsize the workforce so much before productivity suffers.

    Next up in Chapter 11, the Lord tells Moses and Aaron that he has some dietary guidelines he wants them to pass on to the Israelites. I'll try to sum things up, once again in bulleted fashion.

• Good to eat: Animals with divided hoofs that are also cleft-footed and chew cud.
• So no camels. They don't have divided hoofs.
• No hares.
• No pigs. No cud chewing.
• Nothing with paws. I kinda like that one.
• Good to eat amongst the creatures of the sea: Anything with fins and/or scales.
• No fins? No scales? Keep it off the dinner menu.
• Good to eat amongst the birdies: He doesn't really say.
• However, these are the ones to steer clear of:
• Eagles
• Vultures
• Ospreys
• Buzzards
• Kites
• Ravens
• Ostriches 
• I shall notify the local attraction Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch and Petting Zoo that they must cease offering ostrich eggs and jerky post haste.
• Nighthawks
• Sea gulls
• Hawks
• Little owls (and great owls)
• Cormorants
• Water hens
• Carrion vultures
• Storks
• Herons
• Hoopoes
• and...bats (I know, not really a bird, but they're listed)

    I hope you're writing all this down.

• If insects are a part of your complete and balanced breakfast, please restrict yourself to those with "jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the ground." In other words...
• Locusts
• Crickets
• Grasshoppers

    Chapter 11 wraps things up with a bunch of warnings about carcasses and gives us a listing of the sorts of dead animals you want to steer clear of. Once again, bullet points.

• Weasels
• Mice
• Big lizards
• Regular sized lizards
• Sand lizards (I have no idea)
• Crocodiles (somebody tell the folks in Louisiana and Florida)
• Geckos (too cute, I guess)
• Chameleons

    Oh, and don't touch anything that has come in contact with a dead reptile. If you do you'll be persona non grata until the evening. The "until evening" thing is repeated a number of times in Leviticus when it comes to dealing with unclean situations. The sun going down seems to have a cleansing effect.

    Oh, I almost forgot, don't eat any snakes or centipedes. I hope I got that info to you in time.

    We will wrap up today's installment with Chapter 12, where the Lord spells out the rules and regulations that apply to women who have just given birth. Brand new mommies! They need to keep in mind that for a period of time after the birth they are, unfortunately, unclean. Even if they've had a nice shower or two. The length of time they are unclean and therefore ineligible to drop by the tabernacle and show off the newest member of the family depends on the gender of the infant.

• Just have a baby boy? Mom, you are ceremonially unclean for seven days and you need to wait thirty-three days for your blood to purify.
• But if the blessed arrival is a girl, the Lord would appreciate it if you would double both of those time periods. Just 'cause.

    In either case, the final step before mom is cleared to rejoin the Ladies Bible Study Coffee Club involves bringing a lamb along with a pigeon or a turtledove for the priest to offer to the Lord for atonement. What she's atoning for isn't mentioned. 

*The photo is of the White Tower at the Tower of London. Originally built by order of William the Conqueror in 1066 it has had a number of This Old House episodes over the centuries resulting in the striking edifice you can see today. It has been used as a royal residence, a storage facility, a chapel, and, of course, a place the king or queen could stash persons he or she wanted out of the way for a period of time.