In Leviticus 10 two of Aaron’s sons offer unholy fire to the Lord. They do not follow the procedures set down by God. God sends a fire and consumes them. Moses warns Aaron’s other sons not to spend time mourning their brothers because they have been anointed by the Lord. Instead he gives them the instructions on how to make holy offerings to the Lord and how to treat the offerings after they have been burned.

In Leviticus 11 God gives instructions about which animals the people are allowed to eat. He makes the distinction between clean and unclean animals. Of land animals, they are those with divided hoofs, cleft feet and which chew their cud. If an animal doesn’t do even one of these things it is considered unclean. Fish with fins and scales are clean. Birds that do not eat flesh are clean. Insects that jump are clean. Anything else is unclean and not only should the people not eat them, but they should not touch them either. If an unclean thing touches clothing, wood, vessels, etc., it becomes unclean and if it cannot be cleaned it must be destroyed or is unusable.

The people are to remain holy because the Lord is holy

Leviticus 12 refers to childbirth and the feminine cycle, which makes a woman unclean. After a prescribed period of time after the child is born or the bleeding stops (the time of purification), the woman must offer a sin offering in order to be made clean.

Psalm 22 is quoted by Jesus on the cross (the first line) and contains a description similar to Christ’s experience on the cross. It is a psalm of lament complaining that God has forgotten the writer. It remembers those times when God blessed him, but now he is experiencing great tribulation.

He exhorts those who believe to praise God and repeats his praise recounting God’s greatness and deliverance of His people.

When we experience despair either as a result of our sin or as the result of others sin against us or difficult situations in life, we often feel that we are alone. We may even believe that God has left us to fend for ourselves. We must remember that even though the pain may be great, our God is greater. He is faithful and will see us through. As we read of time and time again when God delivered his people we can remember that God will deliver us also.