Acharei Mot “After Death”
Leviticus 16:1 - 18:30
I have to wonder, why on this earth in 2025, would I want to continue to read about sacrifices, the ancient priesthood of Judaism, sprinkling of blood, what denotes clean and unclean for a woman, etc, etc. But then, then, I have to ask the Holy Spirit, why did God want all of this recorded? I believe He sees yesterday, today and tomorrow. I also believe He wants us to read, believe and follow His instruction. He shows us how to live and be blessed! Today, many of us decide to buy our blessings. What so many, that do just that, don’t understand is, there are curses that can also creep into their lives, because they aren’t following God’s plan. Especially when it comes to marriage and raising kids (that is a blog for another day). You ever wonder why the same thing keeps happening to “the Jones”. Generation after generation, poverty, sickness, divorce, brokenness?? Well, sometimes, we get more than just our “daddy’s eyes” passed down.
So, let’s dig into this weeks reading together! “After Death”, God tells Moses after the death of Aaron’s two sons, who remember were killed because they were not following God’s directions in the Holy Temple. God tells Moses and Aaron the procedures for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The main purpose of this day was and is to purify the soul and renew one’s relationship with God. “Atonement” is where we reconcile with God from our sin. Today, we have Jesus Christ whom atoned for our sins on the cross. But, we have to do something to receive that free gift He offers to us. We must confess & repent of our sins to be able to benefit from all that salvation is. For the Israelites in the time of Moses, God gave specific instructions for them to follow to atone for their sins. And it was the Priest job to do just this for the people. Reading through this, I have come to an understanding that the Lord wants to be honored and everything is to be done to the letter. Hence, the death of Aaron’s two sons…we don’t specifically know what the sin was, but we do know, they were not following His specific instruction, when coming into the presence of the Great I Am. And the cost was deadly. Our God is a loving and caring God, but just like us that are parents, we want our children to obey us. When our children earn the responsibility of staying home by themselves or driving with friends to a movie, we give them specific instructions to follow…what to do and what not to do. We understand when they take their own free will and make a decision that skirts around what rule we laid down, it can possibly have a deadly consequence. Especially when it comes to driving and going places they aren’t allowed to go. Now, maybe they “get away with it” in their eyes, when they do something that goes against what we said, but we as parents, know what happened. We then, expect they come to us and repent and ask for forgiveness. We understand today, we don’t have to wait for (1) day in a year to have atonement for our sins. Today, we have the birth, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that we can turn to anytime we want. And He is there with opened arms waiting to embrace us. Just as the sacrificial blood of animals during the Israelites beginning atoned for their sin, we today, have the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus and His blood that washes us clean, it doesn’t just cover up our sin.
A couple years ago, Tim and I spent the entire day of atonement in prayer. We prayed separately & we came together in prayer. It was truly an amazing day spent with the Lord. Once again, the principal is there. It is beautiful when you begin to understand God’s appointed times in the Bible and how they apply to us today. Setting apart that “bracket of time”, is something that the majority of time I have been a Christ follower, I never learned. Sure, churches can set aside a day of prayer, a night of prayer, but when you discover following God’s appointed times and days, it truly brings a more powerful spiritual meaning in your life.
Blood is life, and God is clear about eating blood. We could argue that some enjoy a rare cut of beef. But I am not here to argue about that. God’s word clearly states, “For the life of every creature is its blood: its blood is its life. Therefore, I have said to the people of Israel, you shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever, eats it shall be cut off.” Lev. 17:14
The Israelite people were brought up with lots of bad influences, before God delivered them. They learned about immoral sexual relations and God would speak to them and help them understand it had been wrong. The bottom line is, close relatives are not to have sexual relations with each other. There are many reasons for this, in my opinion, the fact is, it’s just gross. Also the impureness in our DNA today, can cause major health defects in children that are born between close relatives. Also, just plain and simple modesty is always best. We know what happened in Sodom & Gomorrah, because of their wickedness. Along with sexual immorality was arrogance, pride and corruption. God’s plan is clear about sexual intimacy between a man and a woman. He isn’t against it, as long as it is between a man and a woman that have vowed in marriage to become one. It is a beautiful union that is meant to strengthen the marriage bond, provide pleasure and reflect the covenant relationship between husband and wife. It is a sacred gift from God, meant to be enjoyed and cherished.
As we close for the week, I find it interesting that some people believe, “the Old Testament was for a different time and place” or “that doesn’t relate to me in 2025” or “I am not Jewish”….and on and on…well, for the many marriages that fail due to sexual promiscuity, maybe they should have paid more attention to what God’s plan was and is to this day. Oh and in case you are wondering…. His plan didn’t start with the birth of Jesus…just saying!
Have a blessed week! No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, don’t stop believing, don’t stop reading and digging into God’s word. I am not perfect, yes I am saved by grace and thank God everyday for the mercy He gives me. I am grateful for this journey. I am also grateful that my hubby answered when God called him out of his everyday world of work and into doing God’s work full-time.
Blessings & Shalom ~ Deena
