Leviticus 15 continues to deal with issues of uncleanness. You may have noticed that these laws generally deal with health practices. God prescribes ways to keep disease from spreading throughout the community. The priest functions much like a physician to provide for disease control and eradication. God also prescribes policies for food safety encouraging the people to stay away from those foods which might contain food-borne diseases. As we look at these practices we see that they are not that unlike our current health and sanitation practices. God takes good care of His people.

In Leviticus 16 God teaches Aaron how to prepare himself and the tent of meeting to be clean enough for atonement. Everything must be prepared in order to the worship to be acceptable.

We all should prepare ourselves for worship. Our time of worship is our opportunity to come into God’s presence as a community of faith. It is meant to be a special time, different from all other days. Perhaps we can establish our own rituals of preparation in order to meet the Lord: choosing the clothes we will wear, allowing for adequate rest so that we will be alert, and making plans for the day that will honor the Lord.

One interesting preparation deals with the goat for Azazel or scapegoat. Aaron is to put his hands on the head of the goat and confess over the goat all of the sins of the people. The goat bears all of the iniquities of the people and removes them from their midst by being set free in the wilderness. This is to be done on the Day of Atonement. Once the goat removes the sins away from the people, they are able to atone for those sins.

We still practice the rituals of confession to prepare ourselves to hear God’s word. The process of confession is meant to put sins far away from us. Christ became our scapegoat to remove our sins as far away from us as the East is from the West. Our sins have been atoned and we are now free to sin no more.

Acts 9 returns to Saul. He receives orders from the high priest to go to Damascus to find and arrest Christians (followers of the Way) and bring them to Jerusalem. As he nears Damascus he is blinded by a bright light. He hears a voice asking Saul why he is persecuting him. Saul asks who is speaking and the voice replies that it is Jesus. He was told to go into the city and wait to be told what to do. Jesus then speaks in a dream to a believer named Ananais. Jesus tells Ananias to go to Saul and restore his sight. Ananias protests, reminding Jesus who Saul is. Jesus replies that Saul is the one he has chosen to bring the good news to Gentiles, kings and the people of Israel.

Ananais goes to Saul, restores his sight and prays for his to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately Saul is able to see. He is baptized. Saul begins to proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God. Those who hear him are confused since he has come to persecute the Christians and is now proclaiming Christ. The Jews plot to kill him but the disciples in Damascus help him escape.

Saul goes to Jerusalem to meet with the disciples. They are afraid of him and do not believe he has changed. Barnabas brings him to the apostles and tells them about his experience on the road to Damascus. Saul moves through Jerusalem proclaiming Christ. He angers yet more people who plot to kill him. The believers help him escape to Tarsus where he was born.

Meanwhile the church in Judea, Galilee and Samaria continues to grow. Peter travels around preaching and healing many in the name of Jesus. He is even able to raise someone who has died, a disciple named Tabitha or Dorcas. Through his works many believe in Jesus.