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Hey Reading Community,
If you're on track with the reading plan, yesterday you read about an important ritual festival for the Ancient Israelites, the Day of Atonement—the focus of our blog this week. As you read on, you'll continue exploring the new way of life for the Israelites as they live near God's presence with confident purity. You'll end the week diving into Numbers, which has some of the most interesting (and disturbing) stories in the Old Testament. Before you finish Leviticus, pause and appreciate what a strange and beautiful book it was, and how it says so much about God's love for his people. We look forward to all the wonderful connections that both the prophets and Jesus himself will draw from these sacred pages.
Onwards!
Jon, Tim, & The Bible Project Crew
P.S. Want to dive deeper? Check out our blog on biblical theology. This week we explore Old Rituals & New Realities. |
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Chapter 4
The Covenant at Mt. Sinai |
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Chapter 5
The Wilderness |
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Week 6
Summary |
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| You'll likely find the second half of Leviticus less weird. You'll read about all the different festivals Israel was to observe as a reminder of what God has done in their lives, as well as moral purity laws that are intended to set Israel and its priests apart from surrounding nations. Keep in mind, even though these laws aren't as bloody as the sacrificial rituals, they are still exploring the same core ideas that you find in the first half of Leviticus. Chapters 1-16 lay out the rituals and symbols of God's love and forgiveness for sin and defilement, while chapters 17-27 explore the new
way of life the Israelites are to embrace (either turning away from sin, or avoiding it in the first place). These laws call Israel to a high degree of moral purity and social justice that were major steps forward in comparison to their Canaanite neighbors. As we jump into Numbers, we will begin with a great census as the Israelites mobilize for movement out from the shadow of Mt. Sinai. |
| Want a Different Pace? |
| Visit the Read Scripture website and download the app to read at your own pace and keep track on all your devices. Or, download the good ol' paper copy! |
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| Thank you! |
| Whether you gave us a one-time gift, are a monthly supporter, a full-time prayer warrior, a Bible Project advocate, or just an eager participant in the Read Scripture community, we are so grateful for you because this project wouldn't be possible without you. |
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