HOW TO GET IT RIGHT!

Leviticus 17 to the End

Zombies are popular these days! It used to be vampires, but now it's zombies. I don't understand the attraction. But I'm pretty sure if I ever met a real one, I'd get a hair-raising experience. Which reminds me: Angels are neither zombies nor vampires, but whenever they show up, people get scared. In the Bible angel appearances almost always begin with “Don't be afraid!” As you stand there with chills going up your spine, you could be said to have a “numinous” experience.”

Numinous – a weird word you may not have met. If you stood by Moses at the bush that burned but wasn't consumed, you may have felt the hair on your arms and the back of your neck tingle. That's numinous. If you had gone to Belshazar's banquet and seen the handwriting appear on the wall, that same spine-tingling feeling might have grabbed you. That's numinous. And if you had been with the three disciples who saw Jesus glowing and transfigured, you might have felt an incredible awe! Who IS this Man? That's numinous.

You feel the numinous when you encounter the holy.

Some books last. A man named Rudolf Otto wrote “The Idea of the Holy” in 1929. He speaks of early humans coming across a place where lightning struck someone and felt awe. This feeling forms the core of religious experience. If you have a scholarly mind, you can buy the book, perhaps from the used books on Amazon. As theological works go, Otto is easy reading.

Another book if you're a reader and want to go deeper, try Worship by Evelyn Underhill.. As the title suggests, she explores the various ways of worship and helps us think through our own understanding of worship.

The central part and main thrust of Leviticus is The Holiness Code that begins in chapter 17 and continues through the end. But this code is different from what Otto and Underhill write about. This code focuses on doing things exactly right in the worship of God. It aims at perfect worship from an imperfect people in an imperfect world.

Of major importance is the concept of clean and unclean. These words mean ritually clean and unclean, fit to enter the temple, offer sacrifice, and worship. This is the path to forgiveness of sin and proper worship. Just from reading the rules for the priests and for sacrifices, we can see how meticulous the worshiper had to be. A side effect of the holiness system is keeping the priesthood of central importance in Israel.

The system was limited, however, as the prophets saw. Jeremiah called for a New Covenant written on the heart that would change behavior as well as purify all their rituals. Eventually, Christ died to extend God's forgiveness to the world.