Moses records forbidden and permitted foods, introducing certain dietary regulations for Israel. Today, Torah- observant Jews eat kosher—a term known by Jews but seldom understood by most Gentiles, including Christians. The word kosher, or kashrut, means “fit” or “proper.” Kosher is not a style of food or a style of cooking, but it is actual food preparation that meets the requirements of Jewish dietary laws, including laws about food to be avoided altogether. God revealed these “kosher commandments” to Moses in the wilderness in Leviticus 11 and in Deuteronomy 14:1-21. The basic kosher requirements in the Law and those followed today are:
• Milk, meat, and eggs of certain species are permitted and others are forbidden
• Animals must be slaughtered in a certain manner and only certain parts are to be eaten
• Milk and meat are never combined, and separate utensils are used for each
• Most grains and vegetables are kosher but must be examined for insects prior to preparation
• Animals with split hooves and that chew the cud are kosher, such as cows, sheep, deer, and goats
• Most domestic birds (chicken, turkey, duck, and geese) are kosher
• Fish with scales and fins are permissible, such as salmon, tuna, flounder, pike, and herring
• Fish with no scales are not kosher and should be avoided
Removing Blood from Meat
God gave specific instructions about the slaughter of a kosher animal such as a cow, goat, or sheep. He told Noah not to eat its blood: “Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things. But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat” (Gen. 9:3-4). This requirement is also found in Leviticus 7:26: “Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings.” The Jewish manner of preparing kosher meat is to use a sharp knife and kill the animal with a quick stroke, making a deep cut to its throat. In a Jewish kitchen, all the blood must be drained from the animal and the meat soaked in water for half an hour. Afterwards, the meat is sprinkled with salt, left to stand for about an hour, then rinsed and cooked.
God gave a second instruction about meat: avoid eating the animal fat (see Lev. 7:23). The Almighty knew that when humans consume animal fats loaded with cholesterol, trans fats, and saturated fats, their health is at risk. Eating the fat increases a person’s chance of heart problems since the human body has difficulty processing trans fats that create cholesterol buildup in the arteries. Scientists have discovered biochemical differences between this fat and the fat permissible for consumption, the fat surrounding the muscles and skin. A Jewish butcher also removes the sciatic nerve and the fat surrounding an animal’s liver and vital organs (source Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws). Two parts of the animal are forbidden as food to be eaten: the blood and the fat (see Lev. 3:17).
Moses recorded another unusual dietary requirement: humans are not to consume meat and milk (or dairy) together (see Deut. 14:21). The Jewish mystics explain that milk represents life and meat represents death; thus, combining them creates a spiritual clash. Plants contain the right type of nutrients to keep people healthy, whereas the “red” meats can take hours to digest and can remain in the colon for an extended time. It is believed the Egyptians used to boil the animal in the mother’s milk; thus, God was separating his people from pagan Egyptian customs. When the Torah forbids the wearing of wool and linen together (see Deut. 22:11), it may be because pagan priests would mix the two fabrics in their garments and wear them during idol worship. In our contemporary society, some of these dietary requirements make little sense. However, in giving the Law, God was protecting His people by giving them knowledge of the animal kingdom that surpassed what they knew; He was separating His people from the “unclean,” and from creatures whose consumption could cause sickness.
In the English Bible, Genesis 1:1 reads, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” This ten-word statement consists of seven Hebrew words in the Hebrew text. Below is the verse with the Hebrew words above the English:
Bereshit barah Elohim Alef-Tav hashamayim vehat haeretz.
In the beginning created God the heaven and the (earth).
The King James Version (KJV) says “heaven,” but as we continue to read we discover that the “heavens” were formed, meaning that there are several levels of heaven. These include the “third heaven” identified in the Scriptures (see 2 Cor. 12:2). The same Hebrew word for heaven here is also translated in the plural form as “heavens” in the Old Testament (Gen. 2:1, 4, etc.).
Some suggest that this seven-word Hebrew phrase portrays an image of the ancient temple’s golden candlestick: the menorah. The temple menorah had seven branches, the center shaft called the “servant branch.” Notice that at the very center of this Hebrew phrase are the two Hebrew letters, Alef and Tav, which are left untranslated. These two letters, Alef and Tav, are found throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and are often pronounced “et.” These two letters are used in Hebrew grammar as a marker to point to the word that follows as the definite direct object. However, as recorded in Revelation 1:8, Jesus is standing in the midst of seven gold candlesticks (a menorah) and announcing, “I am Alpha and Omega,” which are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Hebrew, Christ would have said, “I am the Alef and the Tav,” the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. If we read Genesis 1:1 this way, “In the beginning God created the Alef-Tav,” then this phrase can be understood that God declared the beginning from the ending at the very beginning, and that Christ was with God in the very beginning.
Looking at it again in the form of the menorah, the center is the Alef-Tav, or the same place of the “servant branch” (the center shaft) on a menorah. The oil of the anointing flows from Christ who promised to send the Holy Spirit to all believers.
Josephus wrote about a dream Pharaoh supposedly had, which explains why he wanted the Hebrew infants killed. Pharaoh slept, and saw in his sleep a balance, and behold the whole land of Egypt stood in one scale, and a lamb in the other; the scale in which the lamb was, outweighed that in which was the land of Egypt. Immediately he sent and called all the chief magicians and told them his dream. And Janes and Jambres (see 2 Tim. 3:8) who were chiefs of the magicians, opened their mouths and said to Pharaoh, “A child is shortly to be born in the congregation of the Israelites whose hand shall destroy the whole land of Egypt.” Therefore, Pharaoh spake to the midwives . . .
“One of those sacred Scribes (said to be Jannes or Jambres in the Targum of Jonathan) who are very sagacious in foretelling future events truly, told the king, that about this time there would be a child born to the Israelites, who if he were reared, would bring Egyptian domain low, and would raise the Israelites: that he would excel all men in virtue, and obtain a glory that would be remembered through the ages . . . which thing was so feared by the king, that according to this man’s opinion, he commanded that they should cast every male child which was born to the Israelites, into the river and destroy it . . . that if any parents should disobey him and venture to save their male children alive, they and their families should be destroyed.” (Josephus, Antiquities, Book 2, chapter 9)
Esau married three wives, including Bashmeath, the daughter of Ishmael (v. 3). Esau settled in Mount Seir, the area of modern-day Jordan. Today, the Jordan River is the boundary between Israel and Jordan. The area where Esau lived included the land of Moab, which was populated by tribal people called the Moabites. Throughout Israel’s history, the Moabites were enemies of the Jews.
Esau’s son, Eliphaz, had a son named Amalek (v. 12). Amalek’s sons became the Amalekites, who attacked Israel when Moses was leading the nation through the wilderness and out of Egypt (see Exod. 17). Ishmael’s sons settled predominantly in the current Gulf States and Arabia. Esau’s sons lived in the desert areas includ- ing Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon.
Rabbis identify the end-time prophetic battles involving Israel with Amalek, and they identify this name with the nations that emerged from ancient Rome.
According to rabbinical sources, this priestly benediction—consisting of fifteen Hebrew words—was to be prayed only by the high priest, following the evening and morning daily offerings. The high priest raised both hands above his head and over the people, joining his hands at the thumbs in the shape of the Hebrew letter shin, a letter repre- senting the name of God. He then pronounced seven different blessings over the people:
1. The Lord bless you: The English word bless is barak in Hebrew and refers to complete blessing from God.
2. The Lord keep you: The Hebrew word for keep is shamar and means “to hedge a person in, guarding and protecting him.”
3. The Lord make His face shine upon you: This word paniym is the common Hebrew word for the face. However, it alludes to giving light and illuminating the people.
4. The Lord be gracious unto you: Gracious in Hebrew is chanan, meaning “to bend in kindness to an inferior.”
5. The Lord lift His countenance upon you: The word again is paniym, the Hebrew word for face. The prayer asks for God to let His face be seen, which is an idiom for special favor being granted on behalf of the people.
6. The Lord give you peace: The Hebrew word for peace here is shalom. It encompasses more than mental peace; it is a word that means “prosperity of the body, soul and spirit.”
7. The priest then spoke the name of the Lord over the people. God’s name is significant; He leads the people who exalt His name.
For centuries, the image of Aaron the high priest standing between the living and the dead swinging his smoking censer had been considered a type of Christ, whose hands were stretched out on the cross, placed between two dying thieves. One man died in unbelief and the other man sought redemption, receiving eternal life (see Luke 23:39-43). Some Hebrews died of the plague and others lived because of the intercession of the high priest. The cross became the eternal bridge that brings life to those dying with the plague of sin.
These regulations and laws deal with sexual and moral practices. The Israelites would inherit a land that had been controlled by pagan, idolatrous tribes for hundreds of years. These tribal sins included offering children through the fire of Molech, star worshipping, adultery, fornication, and bestiality. God wanted to separate His people from the practices of the surrounding nations. Moses instructed:
• You are not to see the nakedness of a family member or relative (v. 6-18)
• You are not to commit adultery with your neighbor’s wife (v. 20)
• You shall not pass your children through the fire of Molech (v. 21)
• You shall not have sexual relations with people of your same gender (v. 22)
• You shall not have sexual relations with animals (v. 23)
For more information on this subject, see Leviticus in Depth, particularly the section “Judicial and Moral Code.” The name Molech is first mentioned in verse 21. Molech, which signifies “king,” was the idol of the Ammonites.
One must remember that in the time of the Israelites, there were few, if any, moral restraints among the pagan nations. God was attempting to separate His chosen people from the immoral practices of the surrounding nations, including the worship of Molech.
“Molech’s proper name was Chemosh. His Egyptian correspondent, or rather substitute, was Amun, or Amun-Ra [Molek (OT:4432)], ‘the king of the gods’ (Corbaux). According to scholars this idol was of brass, resting on a brass throne. His head resembled a calf adorned with a crown, and his arms were extended in the attitude of embracing those who approached him. His followers dedicated their children to him by heating the statue to a high pitch of intensity by a fire within; and then the infants were either shaken over the flames or passed through the ignited arms— a symbolical rite expressive of dedication or lustration to ensure the favor of the pretended deity. The fire-worshippers asserted that all children who did not undergo this purifying process would die in infancy; and the influence of this Zabian superstition was still so extensively prevalent in the days of Moses that the Divine Lawgiver judged it necessary to prohibit it by an express statute. This was the early form of the crime which afterward assumed a horrid and unnatural aspect (Lev. 20:2-4). A similar superstition prevailed among the ancient Indians (Sonnerat’s ‘Travels,’ vol i., p. 154).” (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database, copyright 1997 by Biblesoft.)
Strong Inhabitants of the Land: Seven tribes of Canaanites had become strongly rooted in the land while the Hebrews dwelt in Egypt. These tribes worshipped idols, and any inter-fellowship with them would be like a cancer, spreading the spirit of idolatry to God’s people. God says, if Israel does not drive them out, these enemies will become thorns in their sides and irritants in their eyes (see Num. 33:55). Naturally speaking, these seven nations were “greater and mightier” than Israel, but God promised He would deliver them to the Hebrews (see Deut. 7:1-2). In fact, God specifically says He will drive out the inhabitants by sending hornets over a period of several years and slowly force them out (see Exod. 23:28-30). Arabs have reported that hornets such as these can knock a horse off its feet.
Walled Cities: In ancient times, fortified city walls were made of stone and had large, impregnable gates. On their own, the Hebrews had no way to penetrate these strongly defended walls, but God promised He would place a great fear in the hearts of those living in the walled cities (see Exod. 23:27). This does occur forty years later at the city of Jericho when the two spies are told that men’s hearts fail them for fear after hearing what the Hebrews did to kings Og and Sihon (see Josh. 2:10-11).
Giants: Giants in the land adversely affect the imaginations of the Hebrews who see themselves as grasshoppers in comparison (v. 33). God promises to give the Hebrew men power to expel the giants from their land. Forty years later, Caleb—half the size of these giant men and eighty-five years old—runs off several giants from a mountain he has claimed (compare Num. 13:22 with Josh. 15:14).
OVERCOMING THREE STRONGHOLDS IN OUR LIVES
Believers today encounter these same strongholds as the Israelites long ago. We may not face walled cities or giant people, but we deal with similar barriers to spiritual victory. God has a plan to defeat every stronghold in our lives.
Strong Opposition: At some point in our lives, we will encounter individuals or experience hostile forces whose negative influences will become a thorn in our walk with God, or irritants to our spiritual vision and understanding. The book of Ephesians encourages us to let the eyes of our understanding be enlightened (1:18), that we may know the greatness of God’s mighty power “which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power . . .” (1:20-21).
Walled Cities: From a practical perspective these walled cities represent spiritual barriers that intend to keep blessings out and strongholds in. People often build strongholds within themselves by building interior walls of bitterness, unforgiveness, and strife. Just as the walls of Jericho fell when the Israelites marched in obedience to God’s direction to encircle the walls with the Ark of the Lord and to blow trumpets and shout, our internal walls can collapse when we focus on bringing the power of God into our lives and allowing the anointing to break the yoke of a stronghold (see Josh. 6:1-20; Isa. 10:27).
Giants: Giants represent problems that form negative mental images in our minds and appear too large for us to conquer. We must cast down “imaginations and every high thing” that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bring into captivity “every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).
Moses establishes the laws of making a vow. The Bible clearly states that a vow is a very serious thing and is not to be taken lightly (see Eccl. 5:4-6).
“When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?” (Eccl. 5:4-6)
The Vow: Neder or Issar?
A vow in the biblical sense is a pledge or promise made to God. The first biblical reference to a vow involves Jacob, who dreamed of a ladder stretching from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending upon it. Jacob understood that this vision indicated God’s favor upon the place he was sleeping, and he named the site “Bethel,” meaning “House of God.” Jacob also made a vow to God that if the Lord would bless him, he would return the tithe (the tenth) back to the Lord (see Gen. 28:10-22).
There are two types of Hebrew vows. One is called a neder and the other issar. The neder vow is when a man vows a vow unto God. The issar vow is when a man swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond. We would say that tithing is a neder vow and marriage between a man and a woman is an issar vow.
One of the strongest vows in the Bible was the Nazarite vow. A Nazarite vow could be a voluntary vow or a commanded vow. For example, two men in the Bible were to be Nazarites from their mother’s womb—Samson and Samuel (see Judg. 13:1-7; 1 Sam. 1:11). According to Numbers 6, a Nazarite vow consisted of three parts.
1. A Nazarite was never to drink wine or strong drink (Num. 6:3)
2. A Nazarite was never to use a razor to shave his hair (Num. 6:5)
3. A Nazarite was never to touch a dead body, human or animal (Num. 6:6)
Samson is a prime example of someone who broke a Nazarite vow. He attended a seven-day feast (believed to be a wedding feast) where no doubt people were drinking wine. Yet he arose and accomplished a great feat through the anointing of the Spirit (see Judg. 14:10-20). He had touched the carcass of a lion (see Judg. 14:8-9) and the jawbone of a donkey (see Judg. 15:15-17). Touching a dead body was forbidden in the vow, yet the Spirit of God touched him again. Finally, he rested in Delilah’s lap and under pressure revealed the final aspect of his vow to God (never to shave his hair). Delilah subsequently cut his hair, breaking the third part of the vow (see Judg. 16:1-19). When Samson awoke, he assumed the Lord would continue to anoint him; however, the Spirit departed from him (see Judg. 16:20). God had extended His mercy through two acts of vow breaking, but when the third and final commandment of the vow was broken, God was no longer obligated to anoint Samson.
Foolish Vows
The most foolish vow in the Old Testament took place when a judge named Jephthah vowed that if God would help him defeat the descendants of Ammon in battle, the first thing to come out of his house following the conflict would become a burnt offering unto the Lord (see Judg. 11:30-31). After a great victory, Jephthah returned home and his only child, a daughter, met him. She was dancing with a tambourine because of her father’s victory. Then, the judge remembered his foolish vow. Jephthah knew the power of the vow. He said, “I have opened my mouth unto the Lord and I cannot go back” (Judg. 11:35). The reason this vow was so serious is that he made a neder vow to God.
The most foolish vow in the New Testament took place when a renegade band of forty men with a hateful agenda “bound themselves with an oath” that they would not eat or drink until they killed the apostle Paul (Acts 23:21). The conspiracy was exposed, and Paul was secretly escorted out of the city (see Acts 23:20-35). Did these forty men eventually starve to death? Probably not. When they realized that Paul was in safe hands, away from their reach, almost certainly they went back to eating and drinking. Their death vow was made in the heat of the moment. This foolish vow was not made to God, but was made among forty men who bound their souls together. This is an issar vow; a foolish vow made to men, which is not bound by the Holy Spirit, can be repented of. Vows made directly to God, however, are serious and should never be treated lightly.
Vowing to God
Many people make vows to God in times of trouble. For example, when a child is ill or in an accident, parents may tell God, “Let my child live, and we will serve you and attend church.” Others may have a companion dying and will cry out, “God, heal my companion. I can’t live without this person. If you do, I will follow you!” Some end up in prison and tell the Lord, “Get me out and I will minister to others.” A businessman about to go bankrupt may promise God, “If you will save and prosper my business, I will tithe and support your work.”
Sometimes the child recovers, the loved one is healed, the prisoner is released, and the business is saved, but within a few months, the people forget the vow that they had made to the Lord. People do not realize that the Holy Spirit takes the promises they make very seriously.
Your promises are not mere words but are equal to a sacrifice laid on the altar for transgression under the Old Covenant.
Four times in Leviticus 26 the Almighty indicated that if Israel refused to obey His commandments, they would be punished “seven times” (v. 18, 21, 24, 28). Scholars debate how these seven-time punishments have been fulfilled in Israel’s history. Two suggestions are: 1) seven nations of biblical prophecy would impact Israel throughout its history (see Rev. 12:3; 13:1; 17:3, 7, 9); and 2) the Holocaust lasted seven years (1938 to 1945) and the Tribulation is seven years in length (see Dan. 9:27).
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the English word times is sheba’ and by implication is a period of seven. For example, in Genesis, Laban asked Jacob to “fulfill her [Rachel’s] week” and Jacob worked an additional seven years. This word week (see Gen. 29:27, 28) is shabuwa and was a week of years and not of days. The leading passage that alludes to the final seven-year Tribulation is Daniel 9:27, where it is written, “And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.” This word week is also shabuwa, and alludes to seven years of time.
Since the ancient calendar and the future prophetic calendar in Revelation centers on a 360-day year, scholars have multiplied the seven-time punishment with 360 days, totaling 2,520. Using a scriptural principle that exchanges the days for years (see Num. 14:34 and Ezek. 4:4-6), these 2,520 days are said to allude to 2,520 years that the Gentile nations and powers would have over the Jewish people. If we use a possible date of Nebuchadnezzar’s inva- sion of Judea, 606 BC, and move it forward 2,520 years, we come to AD 1914, the beginning of World War I. However, Gentile dominion over the Jewish people did not conclude until after Israel was reformed as a nation in 1948.
By custom in ancient times, every man had a staff—a large, straight stick used for traveling, walking, and recording information. Often, information could be carved on the sides of the staff from top to bottom. Abraham would have passed his staff to Isaac, and Isaac to Jacob. In Genesis 32:10, Jacob says, “With my staff I passed over this Jordan . . .” On this staff would have been etched the family history, including the covenant promises. Later when Jacob was dying in Egypt, he leaned on the top of his staff and worshipped God (see Heb. 11:21). Jacob’s family staff would normally pass to the firstborn, Reuben. However, because Rueben defiled his father, it went to the fourth son, Judah (see Gen. 49:10).
Later in Scripture, when the son of the Shunammite woman dies, Elisha instructs his servant, Gehazi, “Lay my staff upon the face of the child” (2 Kings 4:29). Since all great personal events could be recorded on the staff, Elijah would have recorded the miraculous birth of this child (see 2 Kings 4:12-17).
When David fights Goliath, he takes his sling, five stones, and his staff (see 1 Sam. 17:40). David is prepared to record on his wooden staff his defeat of Goliath. When penning the twenty-third Psalm, David, the shepherd, writes, “Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4). This could allude to the Word of God that was given to him prophetically or to the fact that God’s promises to him are etched upon David’s wooden staff, ensuring him that God is with him.
Today, believers quote the written Word of God and activate the blessing of the Almighty by remind- ing the Lord of His covenant promise (see Isa. 43:25-26).
These chapters deal with Moses’ ordination of Aaron and his sons. Notice that Moses became the mediator of the Law and the one who ordained the priests. Earlier, God had given Moses instructions for sin offerings (see Lev. 4:1-35; 6:24-30), but this was the first place the sin offering was performed. The altar was anointed by oil and blood, indicating the need for the anointing of the Spirit and the cleansing power of blood to deliver mankind from bondage and sin. The blood placed on the right ear, thumb, and toe of the priests came from the peace offering, indicating that the priests would walk and work in God’s peace and have the ear to hear God’s voice. The ritual concluded with the oil and blood being sprinkled on the garments of the priests, indicating these men of God must carry the Holy Spirit’s anointing and bear the burden of ministry when dealing with the sins of the people.
In chapter 9, the consecration concluded the eighth day. The fire of God fell from heaven as an indication of God’s approval (v. 23-24). This supernatural miracle of fire also occurred in the time of Gideon (see Judg. 6:21), with Manoah and his wife (see Judg. 13:19-23), when David dedicated the threshing floor (see 1 Chron. 21), when Solomon dedicated the temple (see 2 Chron. 7:1), and when Elijah confronted the false prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (see 1 Kings 18:38).
