Conversation on Leviticus 21:16-23

It has been a while since I have last posted. This time I wish to post a conversation that I have had on the Web with some persons about some verses of the Scriptures and about G-d. The names have been removed to preserve anonymity. A little editing was applied to correct the spelling of words to what the persons intended to say.

Someone posted in response to Leviticus 21:16-23, 'lol, God made people with defects but he finds them gross. hahah'

16 The LORD said to Moses, 17 “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. 18 No man who has any defect may come near: no man who is blind or lame, disfigured or deformed; 19 no man with a crippled foot or hand, 20 or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect is to come near to present the food offerings to the LORD. He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God. 22 He may eat the most holy food of his God, as well as the holy food; 23 yet because of his defect, he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary. I am the LORD, who makes them holy.

[comment by Person 1 removed]

Person 2: I can't stop laughing. A nice way around this would just be to cure them all, but oh well. Btw, shouldn't the altar have magical properties that could cure them?


Person 2: So I can't go to the altar until my knee gets better?


I responded to the discussion which seem to be about Scripture and the character of G-d.

Me: Interesting questions and issues. What is the reference for this scripture?

Person 2: I'll definitely have to look, but I don't think is very nice regardless.

Me: G-d usually uses phsyical things to teach symbollic and spiritual meaning. In the day that his tabernacle is on earth, there will b categories of ppl who will not b able to come near to him.


Me: Perhaps a prophetic lesson or symbol that parallels the text that no whoremonger, adulterer and spiritual unclean person will inherit the kingdom (Ephesians 5:5 http://bible.cc/ephesians/5-5.htm) plus others in the New Testament

Ephesians 5:5 "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater..."
www.bible.cc
New Living Translation (©2007)"You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy..."

Person 2: The passage Person 1 mentioned clearly states that only people who could be classified as gross aren't allowed in. They did not bring it upon themselves. A whoremonger, adulterer, etc chose to partake in actions that God asked them not to partake in. The others, God Himself made them that way. Thus, I still don't understand.
  12:58

Me: Found the verses in Leviticus 21 (New International Version).

Me: U r right Person 2. However, because of who is involved - the Levitical priesthood, which is a symbollic and ceremonial role, that parallels who G-d's ppl are, I believe G-d was teaching through the ceremonies a spiritual truth, just as he does with the other ceremonies and rituals in the "OT". Even though we do nothing as babies, we inherit SIN and what we inherit is still detestable to G-d. Likewise there is nothing that we can do to get rid of it, so it takes G-d's action to do so.

Person 2: So if you had one deformed child, in order to teach your other children a lesson, would you ban your deformed child from coming into the bedroom, telling him quite clearly that it's because he's too deformed to come near you?

Me: The deformed Levite ate G-d's holy bread. He was just excluded from the office of going into the temple/tabernacle to work on the altar/mercy seat. However I'll ponder your question some more.

Person 3: To this entire post - my point exactly

Person 2: Okay, Mark, while you ponder it, ponder it in terms of your deformed child having eaten the last slice of Christmas cake (closest thing I could think of to holy bread).

Me: Can't judge G-d by my/our personal standards. Have to evaluate him by his own standards and about what he says about himself. But I will still ponder your question in terms of the context/reference that you have posited.

Person 2: He DOES say He is merciful, so you can judge him by that and explain how the above is merciful.

Me: I'm still pondering, but I know that throughout the Bible G-d selected persons with defects to serve him. Moses was a bad speaker, perhaps with a stutter problem. Jeremiah also complained that he was not eloquent in speech and was young. David was not handsome (relative in comparison to his brothers). Jesus himself was describe as not handsome in Isaiah 53 [Jewish scholars may differ with me on this]. Israel was chosen by G-d as a nation, because it was smaller than any other and insignificant to world events. So it is a matter of pondering what are the differences that lead G-d to act differently in some parts of the same word.

Me: Jacob was chosen over Esau though Esau was more good looking and strong.

Me: I'll continue meditation on the subject and the questions. However I do know that G-d selects some people to be close to him and others, he does not select. He has that right. Not selecting someone to share special knowledge with does not mean that he loves them any less. He is like a CEO who selects the best persons for a job.
 
Me: Love the points and questions though, as they challenge my existing ideas and knowledge of G-d and who he is. Pushes me to search some more.

[END of conversation]

Now I want to find out what rabbinic literature has to say on the subject and would welcome input from Jewish literature on the subject, as contemporary Christian literature inadequately provides insight on such passages. Then perhaps this conversation is not at an end, but to be continued.

The Purpose of Torah

As I walked yesterday evening, a man with a bicycle was riding up the walkway. I was unsure which path he would take, whether he would swerve to the left or to the right. So I stood still in the middle until the cyclist swerved to my left and passed me. Then I reflected on this situation that had now passed.

In Jamaica, the first rule of the road is to keep left unless overtaking (Hylton 2003, p. 58). From this rule, all motorists can expect that when driving on the road, that their fellow motorists that use the road will keep left under most conditions. What this does is to create expectations and predictability about the other driver's behaviour. It eliminates the uncertainty that I felt when walking on the walk way and seeing the cyclist coming straight at me. (Usually, a cyclist would ride on the road and not on the walk way).

A very profound spiritual lesson emerged as I pondered this experience and even the rules of the road. God revealed to me through this situation that laws are necessary to ensure that human beings know what to expect and that there is some level of predictability in social and spiritual life.

For those of us familiar with Torah, many of the laws given outlined people's obligations to other people as well as their obligation to G-d. The scriptures are full of instruction about human obligation to society.

G-d wants human beings to know that they are obligated to others and must conduct themselves in a manner that will ensure that society or social relations do not disintegrate.

Marital laws for instance speak to a man and woman's obligation to each other and the offspring that result from their sexual relations. Marital laws make a man obligated to a woman that he has sexual relations with, so that he does not just use her like soap to fill his need and leave her. Rather it obligates him to treat the woman that he desires to have sex with in a special way, obligating that he stays with her until death, helping her through life in good times and bad. Marital laws mandate that the man also helps the woman to raise the offspring of their sexual relations.

Rules and laws were made to ensure that people know that they cannot just live to please themselves, but in order to live in society or community, they must live in consideration of the rights of others and their responsibility and obligations to maintain as much as possible peaceful relations in society, through ensuring that they consider other persons as they consider themselves.

The Law points out the Messiah

G-d has intended that his Laws will reveal who the Messiah is.

In Torah, he gave Moses the promise that he was going to a raise up a Jew to replace Moses Deuteronomy 18:15-22.

In Genesis 3:15. G-d uttered a prophecy and promise that he would send a seed from woman to overcome Satan, evil and sin.

In Leviticus 23, he institutes festivals and holy convocations to reveal his solution to man's problems. Day of Atonement he declared would be the time when he would forgive men of their sins. He would not hold men to be guilty for their sins, but shall find a scape goat to impute the sins on.

In Psalm 32:2, the scriptures implies that there is a time when men will be tried, and some will not be considered guilty.

The scriptures however have the purpose of identifying the times and seasons and when the prophecies of G-d will be fulfilled.

According to Apostle Paul, the Gentile missionary, the Law points to the revelation of the Messiah, his work and the (Galations 3:23-25). The Law also has the purpose of showing sin and declaring what wrong is, so that we can identify who is doing the will of G-d, from whom are not doing the will of G-d.

Because we know sin and the will of G-d via revelation through his word, we can identify the Messiah who comes in his name and is obedient to all his commands and fulfills his revealed criteria and requirements for qualification.

Thus the Law has not been done away with, but it reveals the one who will lead us into the new covenant with G-d; the one who will guide us into our destiny. The one that will lead humanity into the promise that G-d gave Abraham, even the rest in the Promised land.

The importance of natural and spiritual laws

In a discussion with my wife, who keep saying that logic cannot be used with the Word of G-d, I felt impressed to write these thoughts and share them.

G-d has created the world to operate under both spiritual and natural laws. These laws govern the way things are in the world. They make life predictable. They make man's existence predictable.

Once we discover the laws, we can count on them to operate on our behalf. For instance, we know that if we plant a seed of peas, according to natural law, when it sprouts and grows, at harvest time we should see and reap peas.

G-d has also made to operate in spiritual laws, for which there are consequences for the violation thereof. However he has also made provision for those who have violated those laws to get deliverance from the consequences thereof. For example, if someone murders another person for the first time, then their spirit is restless and they cannot have peace. However if that person calls on G-d (or the Messiah, Jesus) for forgiveness, then he may permit the person to receive peace.

Just like the queen or the governor in the British constitutional system and her commonwealth, G-d reserves the power under law to pardon those who breaks the law.

G-d therefore uses the Laws to reveal that he is predictable and change not (Malachi 3:6).

He uses the Law to teach that he is the same G-d yesterday, today and forever ( Hebrews 13:8).

He indicates that he is Present continuous - existing out of time, hence he does not change with time and is not limited by time (Exodus 3:14).


Thus, G-d wants us to base our faith on his predictable words, promises and provisions. He wants what he has revealed unto us to shape our expectations, aspirations or hope - especially our faith. Because of G-d's promises, we can expect certain outcomes. Becuase of G-d's revelation, we can expect certain outcomes.



Yet G-d reserve the right to change the outcomes based on conditions which he reveals. It is based on these conditions that G-d is able to suspend natural and even spiritual law.