Seder 95: Questions about Leviticus 22:28

 Leviticus 22:28 states, "But you shall not kill an ox and a sheep and her young in one day."  Since this commandment appears in the middle of a section of rules on sacrifices, one question that has been raised about it is whether it applies to all slaughter of animals, or just to animals that are sacrificed.  Jewish halakhic tradition says it is the former. (b. Hullin 78a).   

Another question has to do with the rationale for this rule, which appears right after the stipulation that a sacrificial animal must be at least eight days old (verse 27).  One proposal to explain both verse 27 and verse 28 is that the love of a mother animal for her offspring is one of the highest and "most human" aspects of the life of an animal, and that human use of animals should honor this aspect and not blot it out.  An animal sacrifice should not disrespect the animal's self-sacrifice for her offspring.  

In general, the Bible teaches kindness toward animals.  In Proverbs 12:10 we read, "Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel."  Midrash Tanchuma  sees in Proverbs 12:10 a contrast between God's mercy in Leviticus 22:28 and the cruelty of the wicked as exemplified by the Assyrian Empire.  Hosea 10:14 states that  "mothers were dashed in pieces with their children" by Assyrian military forces.  We are to imitate God and not the cruel Assyrian monarchs.  

Provisions like those in Leviticus 22:28 and Deuteronomy 22:6 may also have sustainability in mind.  If some kind of animal is overharvested, there is danger of its becoming extinct.  This is not just a trendy concern of the present moment.  Such concerns were raised, for example, by Ramban (Nachmanides) in the thirteenth century AD.  This is all part of man's "working and keeping" the Garden (Ge 2:!5).

Seder 2: Lessons from Genesis 2-3

 In Genesis 2:7 God forms a man from the ground, a human from humus.  Commentator Dru Johnson refers to him as the "dirtling."  God places the dirtling in Eden. With the geographical references in vv 10-14, the text emphasizes that this is a real place in the world.

The garden is wonderful, with lots of fruit available. But things are not yet optimal, God explains.  "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him" (Ge 2:!8).  Genesis 2:!8 stands in contrast with chapter 1, where various aspects of creation are described as "good" or "very good."Here we learn that a "just me and God" situation is not ideal.  Humans are meant to be in community.  

Through the exercise of naming other dirt-formed creatures, Adam learns that none of them is the companion that God intends for him.  But God has a solution to this problem.  He creates Adam's companion from his side.  

Genesis 2 ends with the observation that "the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed" (verse 25).  Johnson notes that later in the Bible, nakedness connotes  a lack of resources or protection---for example, it is the state of captives being taken into exile (Eze 23:29)---while "shame" means outward public shame rather than an inner sense of embarrassment.  There may be an implied "yet" at the end of verse 25.

The beginning of chapter 3 describes the serpent's efforts to deceive the man and the woman.  To the woman he asks a question implying that God is deliberately depriving them of things that are good.  That draws her into the conversation, as she clarifies what God had actually said.

Her reply in vv 2-3 includes a bit of new information not mentioned in Genesis 2:16-17.  God had not only instructed them not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree; he had also told them not to touch the fruit.  Biblical scholar Jeffrey Niehaus has argued convincingly that the best inference from the biblical data is that Eve here did not add to what God had originally said---otherwise, she would already have been sinning before the serpent deceived her.  

The serpent tells Eve that if she eats the forbidden fruit, 

• she will not die.
• her eyes will be opened.
• she will be like God, knowing good and evil.

Technically speaking, Johnson observes, all of these statements are true (sse verses 7, 22).  He highlights a lesson from Genesis 3:  Just because someone has authoritative knowledge, that does not mean that we should listen to that person.  

The man and woman learn this lesson the hard way.  Genesis 3:6 states that "she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate."  The language "took and gave" is repeated at other points in the Bible, generally with negative connotations---see Genesis 16:3; 27:14-17; 1 Samuel 8:14-15.

After the man and woman ate the fruit, "the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked" (verse 7).  The wording in this verse is also referenced later, in a kind of reversal in Luke 24:31.  When the disciples on the road to Emmaus broke bread with Jesus, "their eyes were opened, and they recognized him."  

In addressing what had happened, God first deals with the serpent, who has no more to say in the narrative.  There would be ongoing conflict between the offspring of the woman and that of the serpent---verse 15.  This verse is traditionally seen as the Bible's first presentation of the Gospel.  The Messiah, a descendant of Eve, ultimately would crush the serpent and all forces of evil.

God tells the woman that the pain and danger of childbirth will increase---verse 16.  He adds, "Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you" (NIV).  Johnson points out that another possible translation of this sentence is that "it"---the woman's desire"---would rule over her, rather than her husband ruling over her.  This possibility is suggested by the parallel language in Gen 4:7, where God tells Cain that sin "desires to have you, but you must rule over it."  There are certainly examples in Genesis where a woman's desires lead her to questionable actions---think of Sarai in Genesis 16, Rebekah in Genesis 27, and Rachel in Genesis 29-30.  

One major biblical theme originating in Genesis 3 is the question, "To whom are you listening?"  Instead of listening to God, who had commanded Adam to steer clear of one tree in the garden, he listened to Eve who had listened to the serpent.  Outside the garden, Adam would experience pain in producing food.

Instead of listening to the serpent, we should listen to the trustworthy voice of God (Dt 28:1; John 10).

Recommended resource:  Logos Mobile Ed Course OT304:  Human Discovery in Genesis 2-3.  

At Church of the Messiah on October 21, 2023, Kyle Kettering spoke on the effects of sin on the world and the coming of the Second Adam to solve the problem of human sin (Rom 5:12-21).  

Seder 145: Deuteronomy 14---Invitation to God's Table

 At the start of Deuteronomy 14, Moses reminded the Israelites of who they were:  "the sons of the Lord your God" (v 1); "a people holy to the Lord your God"; "his treasured possession" (v. 2).  So they were to represent God well in all areas of life, being sure to "pursue righteousness" (16:20).  That included their choice of meat to eat.  

It was assumed throughout the Ancient Near East that the gods approved of some foods and disapproved of others.  In the "Prayer to Every God," the supplicant confesses, "In ignorance I have eaten that forbidden of my god."  Suffering, but not knowing what he has done wrong, he assumes he may have violated some taboo of which he was not aware.  He would have appreciated the boundaries that God graciously gave to Israel.

In Deuteronomy 12 and 14-16, there is an emphasis on the blessing and bounty that Israel would enjoy in the Promised Land.  In laying out the dietary requirements of 14:3-21, Moses emphasized all of the kinds of meat available to them (vv 4, 6, 9, 11, 20).  The emphasis was similar in Genesis 2:16-17, where there was only one restriction  We should not make the mistake of Adam and Eve and fixate on the restrictions.

God was inviting his chosen people, his adopted children, to a "family meal."  Certain things would set this group of people apart from others.  They would not practice pagan mourning rituals---14:1---and they would not eat "any abomination"--verse 3.

The Bible does not give an underlying rationale for its choices of which animals can be eaten and which are not to be.  Commentator Daniel Block says his best guess is that the unclean animals tend to have some connection with filth and death.

Verse 21 repeats the cryptic instruction of Ex. 23:19; 34:26:  "You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk."  In discussing possible meanings of this directive, Block notes an explanation proposed by Heath Dewrell in 2012.

In all three cases, this instruction appears in the context of discussion of firstfruits.  Dewrell proposes that this cryptic saying is a restatement of the principle of firstfruits.  

The best of the firstfruits of a harvest should be offered to God in gratitude.  We should not consume it ourselves. Similarly, we should not take a kid from its mother.  The milk consumed by the kid is like the firstfruits of the "harvest" of the goat's milk.  We can enjoy the goat's milk--the rest of the harvest--but should show gratitude to the mother goat by allowing the mother to enjoy her kid and allowing the kid to drink the milk, the firstfruits of that harvest.

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on May 20, 2023, Kyle Kettering reflected on what it means to be adopted children of God.  

Seder 75: Exodus 39-40---Completing the Work of the Tabernacle

 Exodus 39:32 begins, "Thus all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was finished...."  

We are reminded of Gen 2:1:  "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished...."  

Building the tabernacle was a kind of creation.  Humans are made in the image of God, and God has given us the ability to do some creating. 

When the work was done, Moses inspected the finished product.  Verse 43 says, "And Moses saw all the work, and behold, they had done it.  As the Lord had commanded, so had they done it."  Moses "saw that it was good" so to speak, reminding us of Gen 1:31.

Chapter 39 concludes by mentioning that "Moses blessed them."  According to the medieval Jewish commentator Rashi, the blessing Moses gave was the one in Ps 90:17:  "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!"

In his Exodus commentary, Dennis Prager cites a saying that "a mitzvah is attributed to the one who completes it."  Lots of people begin projects, but projects are often left unfinished.  This was a project that was completed in fine style and in a timely manner.

Everything was finished, in fact, by the first day of the first month of year 2 of the Exodus (Ex 40:2), so the work of constructing the tabernacle had required about 6 months.  

God put his stamp of approval on the constructed by filling the tabernacle with his glory (v. 34).  Israel had been completely forgiven after the sin of the golden calf.  The Exodus could proceed as planned.

In a sermon on Seder 75 at Church of the Messiah on Oct 16, 2021, Kyle Kettering highlighted a motif that carries forward from Torah to Prophets to Gospels:

• When the work on the tabernacle was finished, the Israelites brought their work to Moses for inspection.  The tabernacle was made of treasures contributed by Egyptians.
• The treasures of the nations are brought to God's sanctuary in the prophecy of Isa 60---see vv 13-14.
• People in need of healing (another kind of treasure) were brought to Jesus during his Galilean ministry--Luke 4:40-41.

These readings from the Torah and prophets are another candidate for the readings on the day that Jesus preached in the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4).

Seder 4: Psalm 139---God of the "Omnis"

Psalm 139 is an important Psalm from a theological standpoint.  In any biblical study of God's omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, this Psalm will be central to the discussion.

The traditional heading labels this as "a Psalm of David."  It begins, "O Lord, you have searched me and known me." Different forms of the word "know", connoting intimate knowledge, appear frequently in this Psalm.  

A midrash observes that Adam could just as well have said these words.  God's knowledge of Adam was evident when he said that it was not good for the man to be alone (Gen 2:18).  God is our Creator and has complete knowledge of his handiwork.

David marvels at the extent of God's knowledge of him.  "You know when I sit down and when I rise up" (v. 2).  In other words, God knows everything he does.  "Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether" (v. 4).  

Today we worry about the extent of the knowledge that large corporations have about us.  This can seem very intrusive and even a little creepy.  I remember a story about a young husband who picks up the mail one day, which includes personalized coupons from a supermarket.  He sees a coupon for disposable diapers and asks his wife what is going on.  She says that she has just found out that she is pregnant and has been waiting for a good time to tell him.  

God's knowledge of us goes way beyond that of the corporations, but this is not a threat to us.  David is comforted by the fact that God uses the knowledge to protect him.  "You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me"(v. 5).  Commentator Willem Van Gemeren (Expositor's Bible Commentary) says that God's "hand" connotes protection and blessing.  Think of God's hand covering Moses in the cleft of the rock (Exod 33:22).  

The completeness of God's knowledge is unique.  David declares that it is beyond his comprehension (v. 6).

Verses 7-12 picture God's omnipresence.  Yahweh is not just some minor territorial deity.  God can protect David wherever he is, in any location, day or night (v 10).  God's light overcomes the darkness (v. 12).      

The next verses emphasize God's detailed involvement with each of us as individuals.  "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb" (v. 13).  David's response to these great works of God is praise (v 14).   

David again pictures the extent of God's foreknowledge.  "In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, where as yet there was none of them" (v. 16).  I wonder how many zettabytes of information are in that book!  David marvels at the vastness of this database (vv 17-18).

David next abruptly turns to problems he is facing with those who oppose him and falsely accuse him.  Given God's power and goodness, David wants to know what purpose is served by the continued existence of those who oppose God or him (vv 19-20).  David affirms whose side he is on and invites God's scrutiny and guidance in his life (vv. 21-24).