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Portion 67

Golden Text: Leviticus 1-5
Readings for the week:

Day 1: Leviticus 1-3

Day 2: Leviticus 4-5

Day 3: Proverbs 21

Day 4: Isaiah 19

Day 5: Romans 1-3

Day 6: Hebrew 9

I- God’s call.

In this portion it speaks of a calling for love of the beloved, and who is that beloved, for everyone whose heart has been touched or stimulated with a spark of call for, and by, the love of God.

God’s call begins with a small spark in the heart of man, which produces more and more in desire to receive from Him. And what is received is precisely a commitment and a growing definition of that call. That is why it can be said that the call has several levels, not in the style of a mystic where people are elevated “spiritually” by degrees, but because it is simply a process where there are different levels of commitment, not to be better than others, but to serve others more.

II- The Korbanot.

The Hebrew word used for ‘offering’, ‘victim’, ‘present’ in connection with sacrifices is korban, but this is not exactly a sacrifice in the way it is understood in our culture. She comes from karov, which means ‘to draw near’, that is, to approach the divine presence in this case. Thus, korban is a mediation or a bridge to bring man closer to God.

It is good to understand and consider that all sacrifices did not exactly have to do with sin, so you cannot think that when sacrifices or burnt offerings are mentioned they always refer to this, you must see their context to understand what they refer to and point to as chukim.

To have an overview of this matter we must know that the korbanot (plural of korban) represent almost 30% of the 613 commandments, carrying the greatest burden. An interesting question here would be: Why, if they are the majority, are they not the most important in the law? Notice that they are not very common in the time before the Mosaic law, they do not appear in the Ten Debarim and are always put in the background by the prophets (Ezek 20:28). They are important, but not basic and indispensable.

Another interesting question would be: When the prophets said that it is better to obey than to offer sacrifice, wasn’t the sacrifice obeying? The problem with sacrifices is that Israel came to see them as so important that they believed that making them excellently was enough. But, if the goal of sacrifices is the relationship with God, it cannot be that sacrificing is more important than the relationship itself. That was Israel’s problem.

However, this leads us to another question: What was the problem with those who read the prophets after the Messiah? They did not understand that the prophet was not saying that at that time there was no need to make sacrifices, because they themselves did it. What God was saying through them was the same thing that He later said in person: “This was necessary to do, without ceasing to do that.”[1].

What they misinterpreted of the prophets is like, for example, saying: “If I am going to pray, but I do not feel it in my heart, then I do not pray”; Or: “If it’s my son’s birthday, but I’m not sorry to give him a gift from the heart, then I don’t give him a gift.”

The sacrifices in the time of the prophets were obligatory, but the people had become so focused on them that they had lost the center, the reason God had given them. So, it wasn’t that the prophets were giving the freedom not to do them, but that they were making us reflect on the responsibility and sincerity to do them.

III- God asks not because he needs to.

God gives everything to man, but when He asks for something, as in this case the animals for sacrifice, it is like a father who buys his son a packet of candy and after putting it in his hands says: Can you give me a candy?

One of God’s goals is going to go beyond simply taking a “candy” from His children, but He was creating a practical opportunity to teach His people that by sharing what He has given them, with God and with other their brethren, they will enjoy it.

IV- Sin and defilement, though they struggle, do not dominate the regenerate.

As stated in the first portions, adamah was contaminated by human sin[2]. That is why the korban was an animal, precisely to symbolize that at some point the last Adam (Jesus) would transform that sinful condition of man. So, the korban does not symbolize the removal of sinful flesh, but its inclusion in the relationship with God. Self-control is precisely the taking of control by the human spirit over that flesh, which will no longer do what it desires, but will be subjected to spiritual things[3].

Greek thought, which rejected everything material because it conceived it as full of corruption and without the possibility of repair, arrived at the Christian perspective through the paradigm of gnosis[4], making the Gentile Christian world believe that it was only necessary to “feel” spiritual things and the material was rather carnal, unnecessary and despicable. From there came some conclusions today, such as that you only need fidelity in the heart and nothing else (the latter refers to things such as being baptized or going to church). However, believing (in the spirit) and doing (in the material) are two wings of an airplane called faith[5].

Questions:

1.- Why do you think doing is as important as believing?

2.- Considering Jer 9:26 and Ezek 44:9, how do you think an Israelite standing in front of the temple should interpret this?

3.- If a young person tells you that he is feeling a call from God, but cannot define in which spe-cific area of Christian service, what would you recommend? 

_ Go to the seminary to prepare.

_ Throw lots.

_ Pray.

_ Talk to the pastor.

_ Go on missions.

_ If none of the above, expand your answer.

_ Do a fast

 

 

[1] Mt 23:23.

[2] Gn 3:17.

[3] Ro 6:19.

[4] On this topic see DAC Book 5: A Look Through the Challenge of Judaization, KDP (ISBN-13: 978-1687203243).

[5] See on this subject the book Life Before Death, by the author himself, KDP (ISBN-13: 979-8663797498).

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