Leviticus 21 and the disabled
chugging through 10 to 12 chapters of the Bible every day in order to have the whole thing read in 3 months. slogged through Leviticus last night. it can be really hard and confusing at times. like this in ch. 21
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, 17 “Give the following instructions to Aaron: In all future generations, none of your descendants who has any defect will qualify to offer food to his God. 18 No one who has a defect qualifies, whether he is blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, 19 or has a broken foot or arm, 20 or is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or has a defective eye, or skin sores or scabs, or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron who has a defect may approach the altar to present special gifts to the Lord. Since he has a defect, he may not approach the altar to offer food to his God. 22 However, he may eat from the food offered to God, including the holy offerings and the most holy offerings. 23 Yet because of his physical defect, he may not enter the room behind the inner curtain or approach the altar, for this would defile my holy places. I am the Lord who makes them holy.” (NLT)
this passage is so sad on so many different levels, especially if the reader falls into one of these categories. but i read it from with a parent's and an elder's eyes last night. a wonderful acquaintance with a great family just found out he has massive colon cancer. being a believer, a priest in the new covenant, didn't protect him from the evil in nature. likewise, Aaron and his descendants had no health guarantees either. his two older sons had already been killed by their acts of pride in the office of priests. there is so little guaranteed on this side of life. most of the guarantees are negative: death, taxes, pain, evil.
Jesus offers an extremely important positive promise this side of heaven, and in fact is necessary to enter into heaven, forgiveness.
as a parent i do like how the disabled were not excluded from their families, just the temple service and they still enjoyed the fringe benefits. God didn't despise them. he did care for them. he does care for us. experiencing pain does not change that fact.
update:
from tonight's reading at the dinner table...
Luke 14
3 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just....21b Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame. 22 And the servant said, Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room. 23 And the master said to the servant, Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. (ESV)
Heaven is not exclusive in regards to disability, just faith
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, 17 “Give the following instructions to Aaron: In all future generations, none of your descendants who has any defect will qualify to offer food to his God. 18 No one who has a defect qualifies, whether he is blind, lame, disfigured, deformed, 19 or has a broken foot or arm, 20 or is hunchbacked or dwarfed, or has a defective eye, or skin sores or scabs, or damaged testicles. 21 No descendant of Aaron who has a defect may approach the altar to present special gifts to the Lord. Since he has a defect, he may not approach the altar to offer food to his God. 22 However, he may eat from the food offered to God, including the holy offerings and the most holy offerings. 23 Yet because of his physical defect, he may not enter the room behind the inner curtain or approach the altar, for this would defile my holy places. I am the Lord who makes them holy.” (NLT)
this passage is so sad on so many different levels, especially if the reader falls into one of these categories. but i read it from with a parent's and an elder's eyes last night. a wonderful acquaintance with a great family just found out he has massive colon cancer. being a believer, a priest in the new covenant, didn't protect him from the evil in nature. likewise, Aaron and his descendants had no health guarantees either. his two older sons had already been killed by their acts of pride in the office of priests. there is so little guaranteed on this side of life. most of the guarantees are negative: death, taxes, pain, evil.
Jesus offers an extremely important positive promise this side of heaven, and in fact is necessary to enter into heaven, forgiveness.
as a parent i do like how the disabled were not excluded from their families, just the temple service and they still enjoyed the fringe benefits. God didn't despise them. he did care for them. he does care for us. experiencing pain does not change that fact.
update:
from tonight's reading at the dinner table...
Luke 14
3 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just....21b Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame. 22 And the servant said, Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room. 23 And the master said to the servant, Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. (ESV)
Heaven is not exclusive in regards to disability, just faith
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