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The Context and Color of the Bible
The Context and Color of the Bible
#183 - Leviticus and Ring Composition
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It's time to understand the book of Leviticus. The best way to see the structure of the book is to compare it the Tabernacle. Veronica lays the foundation of Leviticus in this episode and tells us what is to come as we study the book together.
Veronica refers to Mary Douglas' book "Leviticus as Literature" published by Oxford University Press and Douglas has her own picture of this on page 223.
If you want the handout that Veronica references, then head to our website. Under the "podcast" tab is a clickable "Leviticus" card and that will take you to the hand out.
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Music: Tabuk by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4453-tabukLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Do you ever want to dive deeper into the Bible, but you just don't know where to begin or struggle to feel like you even have the time? When you read the Bible, do you get frustrated? Because you know there's got to be so much more in there, you just have no clue how to get it out. Or maybe you just want to know the Bible better and you are looking for any resource to help. Well, then this is the podcast for you. Welcome to the context and color of the Bible podcast. We are two sisters. I'm Erica. I'm Veronica. We love to study the Bible and we love to help others understand it better. When it comes to our own study of scripture, we have found that in bringing back the context of scripture, it actually adds to our understanding. It adds color to the black and white pages of the text. Veronica. So I really owe you because I am sitting here so sore right now. I don't know if you could tell when I got up from the table, but I groaned and barely moved. Yes. In the last few weeks, Veronica has found workouts. Yes. Specifically designed for women over the age of 35.
SPEAKER_00Yes, which must mean we're both over 30.
SPEAKER_01We are both over 35. And so we've been doing them.
SPEAKER_00And they not together.
SPEAKER_01No, separately. But they're working muscles in ways I haven't worked before.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Or at least not pushed in this long of a time.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. And it's hard. It's very hard. And it's lightweights, which is driving me crazy. Chase laughs. He goes, What are you doing, mom? Five-pound weight.
SPEAKER_01You know what? Just pushing my arms together hurt.
SPEAKER_00I did that today.
SPEAKER_01Yes. So we are experiencing new workouts, stretching our muscles. Yep. But it feels good.
SPEAKER_00It does. It's actually exciting. Eric texts me, she's like, I hurt. I'm like, don't you love it?
SPEAKER_01Right. I love being stronger and I'm pushing myself and I'm growing. Veronica.
SPEAKER_00I'm so interested to see where you're going.
SPEAKER_01She's like, how are we doing this? That's what we're doing, especially right now in the context of color.
SPEAKER_00Context and color?
SPEAKER_01Context and color. We are stretching our muscles and our listeners' muscles through this next series.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Which they actually don't know what it is. No. Unless they follow us, unless they get our newsletter.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, because your newsletter tells what we're about to do. Because we understand that starting something when you're not used to your mental muscle is just like your physical muscle. That's so true. And when you're not used to thinking in a certain way or seeing something in a certain way, it really is hard. It stretches you and it takes time and effort, but it is so worth it.
SPEAKER_00And sometimes you put it down and you can pick it up again.
SPEAKER_01And that's okay. Or maybe you go really slow, or you go through really fast and then you come back and you go slow.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01We are gonna stretch some mental muscles.
SPEAKER_00Yes, because I've been stretching my mental muscles for a couple months now.
SPEAKER_01On this book.
SPEAKER_00My friend Laura has been stretching her mental muscles. Right. Because she's been the sounding board. She and Erica, my sounding board. And Laura, it's like we marco polo, and she's just sometimes we actually haven't Marco Polo in a couple days because she's like, I've got to go back and take notes and think about what you said to me.
SPEAKER_01Right. It's uh it takes.
SPEAKER_00It does, it does, but it's worth it. It is worth it. Because what we're trying to do, what I love is what we've done with Genesis and Exodus is I've taken it, we've taken it, and you go, oh, it fits. Yes, it fits into the storyline. I see how it fits into the rest of the Bible. Yes. And I love that Genesis is foundations, faith, and family. Yeah. Abraham's faith and family. Exodus was God redeems, God covenant, and God dwells all based on memory. Yeah. Which I told Erica, we kind of set ourselves up then to do Leviticus.
SPEAKER_01For this book, don't turn us on.
SPEAKER_00I know. Oh my god. Don't turn us off. I'm so excited. I actually dreamed two nights ago about what I'm gonna say today. Oh my word! I was talking to people in my dream explaining Exodus, and it's like, wait, I jumped ahead. I didn't want to start with that. Why so this has become all-consuming.
SPEAKER_01This book of Leviticus.
SPEAKER_00The book of Leviticus, and oh my word, I am in love with this book. And not in a way, Laura, Laura and I have talked about this. She's like, I love that you're gonna bring color to Leviticus. I'm like, okay, don't think bright colors.
SPEAKER_01Don't mute it. Right.
SPEAKER_00It's more like Leviticus brings that black outline, but I'm not gonna get into that outline and all that until we start diving into the chapters. For right now, I want to set up the structure of the entire book.
SPEAKER_01So we're gonna look at the overview of the book of Leviticus, how to read it. Yes. And then we'll dive in.
SPEAKER_00Yep. So in saying that, Erica's saying overview of Leviticus, you need to right now pause this podcast. Yes. Go to www.thecondextandcolor of the Bible.com and download, look at our overview I'm gonna provide so you can walk through this seeing what I'm describing. If you can't, I know I'm gonna try to describe it.
SPEAKER_01If you can't, for some reason, like get a piece of paper and a pencil, because it will help so much.
SPEAKER_00And you kind of wanna You draw three trying uh box rectangles, rectangles or squares. The bottom one is gonna be the base, make that the biggest.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_00And then a smaller one on top, and then a smaller one on top of that. So three rectangles stacked on top of each other. Yep. And at the bottom, that bottom big rectangle, I'm gonna talk about it as a clock, though.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_00Just so we know. So the very bottom would be six o'clock. The top would be twelve o'clock, right? Directly across from it. Because what I'm gonna show you, and I'm totally stealing this from Mary Douglas's book, Leviticus's Literature. Right. But she came up with a foundational, extremely mind-blowing way of describing Leviticus and helping you see the structure of it.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Because what she says is Leviticus is written as a ring structure or ring composition, which doesn't make sense right off the bat, but let me explain it. Narrative writing has a plot that indicates the progress toward the anticipated ending. We're used to that. You're the story starts, you have conflict, and you have resolution. You know it's going to an end. Right.
SPEAKER_01And so when it ends, the story's done. Right.
SPEAKER_00Leviticus doesn't have that. Leviticus ring composition is different. And the best example that she gave that I can give you is your yearly seasonal cycle. Spring, summer, fall, winter.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Once winter comes, it's not done. You start over again spring, summer, fall, winter. Right. And it continues to go around. So you when you come to the end, you've actually returned to the beginning.
SPEAKER_01Which I did not understand completely what you meant, Veronica, the first time you told me that, until you took me through the structure.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01And showed it to me. So hang in there because then it made sense. And I went, oh, you're right. I see it. So if you can't download it for some reason, get that pen and paper and do your best to write notes and stick with us. Yep.
SPEAKER_00So what I'm going to do is we're going to start at the entrance to the courtyard, which would be that bottom rectangle.
SPEAKER_01So the six on a clock.
SPEAKER_00The six o'clock position. Right. At the bottom rectangle.
SPEAKER_01Right a one.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Is actually Leviticus 1-1. And Erica, do you want to read that?
SPEAKER_01The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said.
SPEAKER_00Alright. And so what we're going to do at that six o'clock position is chapter one. Then you're going to go to five o'clock, four o'clock, three o'clock, two o'clock. Right. And that's going to be chapters two through seven.
SPEAKER_01So we're working our way backwards clockwise. Right.
SPEAKER_00Starting at the six, going. Which are the sacrifices. And actually, if you think about it, the courtyard is actually where this takes place.
SPEAKER_01These sacrifices, yes.
SPEAKER_00And then at the 12 o'clock position would be the entrance to the actual tabernacle.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Which is your medium-sized box. Right. And as you get going, that entrance is going to be chapters eight, nine, and ten of Leviticus.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00Because when you think about it, it makes sense because that's those chapters have to deal with the consecration of the priests.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00And then the death of Aaron's two sons.
SPEAKER_01And the priests work in the tabernacle. Right. And there's a serious step up in the holiness factor when you move from the courtyard into the tabernacle. So you see, you feel that weight. There's been a death.
SPEAKER_00And you're going to see why how these priests have been set apart.
unknownRight.
SPEAKER_00Everything they go to to say, hey, you get to cross that barrier from the courtyard into the actual tabernacle.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00Now let's move to the 11 o'clock position.
SPEAKER_01So we're still working in that the big first box.
SPEAKER_00Right. The 11 o'clock position.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00And 11 all the way back down to the 6 o'clock position are going to be chapters 12 through 17. So basically, you're going to start at the bottom of the box and you're going to go counterclockwise and you're going to number 1 through 8, 8 and 10 at the very top.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00And then 11 through 17. And 17 matches up with chapter 1.
SPEAKER_01So it takes you back to chapter 1.
SPEAKER_00Because what you see is chapters 1 through 7 and 11 through 17 are complementary in theme. And they should be read together.
SPEAKER_011 through 7 and 11 through 17. Yes. Okay.
SPEAKER_00Because 1 through 7 is how people bring gifts to the altar. Right. And how sin and defilement need atonement. And we'll go it, we'll get into sacrifices and we'll talk all about this more.
SPEAKER_01We'll go more in depth. She'll hit on these. We're just giving you the overview. Yep.
SPEAKER_00Then chapters 11 through 15 are examples of defilement.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Here are things that defile you.
SPEAKER_01That make me need those sacrifices.
SPEAKER_00That make me need those sacrifices.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00And then chapter 16 is all the reminder, it's all about the day of atonement.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Even with these sacrifices, life is still constantly happening. Happening. Yes. Contamination. Right. Just occurs. The Hollow World continually, yearly needs to be atoned for. Right. And then chapter 17 completes the ring.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00So Eric, if you want to read. What did you open to? Chapter 1 or Chapter 17?
SPEAKER_01Uh I've got both. I can do either one.
SPEAKER_00How about you do 17? All right, 17 verses 3 and 4. But I'm going to read chapter 1, verses 2 and 3. Speak to the Israelites and say to them, When you bring any offering, when you bring an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting, so that it will be acceptable to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01So this is chapter 17, verses three and four. Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp or outside of it, instead of bringing it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, that man shall be considered guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood and must be cut off from his people.
SPEAKER_00Because ultimately what they're saying is this is not just sacrificing animal's teeth. This is sacrificing. Chapter 17 is sacrificing an animal to worship the Lord. You must do it at this location.
SPEAKER_01And the tent of meeting is another way to describe the tabernacle.
SPEAKER_00And ultimately, you're doing it at this location because the blood belongs to the Lord. The life is in the blood, and all lives belong to God. Okay. Man or beast. They all belong to God. So He has the right to say when you're going to sacrifice to me and you're going to take that life, you're going to do it where I tell you to do it. Right. So that's the first ring.
SPEAKER_01So 17 and 1 match back up together. To remind you of that.
SPEAKER_00Of what you're doing, why you're coming into this. Right. And here, this is essentially that big box is the courtyard. Right. Okay. Where the basin and the altar are. And we'll get into that later. Right. Now, let's go back to that curtain. We had chapters eight, nine, and ten. At the twelve size. At the 12 o'clock position. Inside the big box, you have eight, nine, and ten inside the big box. Right. Right above it, inside the medium-sized box, you then have chapters eighteen, nineteen, and twenty. So essentially, this is moving into the holy place.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00And 18, 19, and 20, these chapters are about justice and how to live justly and rightly as God's people. These, which is the center of a way, of this religion, according to Mary Douglas, but according to everything we do, we are to live rightly because we're in covenant with God.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00In 18, 19, and 20, we'll get into it later, help you see how to do that. And they're also then in the center of the tabernacle. You've crossed that screen and walked into God's presence started to walk into God's presence.
SPEAKER_01Because now you're in the holy place.
SPEAKER_00Right.
SPEAKER_01You're in the tabernacle.
SPEAKER_00Right. And as you look throughout the scripture, you will see God is the judge who will do right. Right. He makes justice the line and righteousness the plumb line. So here's how to live and act rightly.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00So now you're going to take a step away from that screen and you're in the middle of that medium box. Okay. So we're going straight up. Straight up. You're in the middle of the sanctuary of the holy place. And this is now chapters 21 and 22. Okay. And chapters 21 and 22 are all about the priesthood.
SPEAKER_01Because this is where the priests do a lot of their duties.
SPEAKER_00This is where they're working. This is why they've been chosen so they can come into this room and do this. Then take another step up, and you get chapters 23 to 24, verse 9. And as you look at chapter 23 and 24 to verse 9, it's about the feasts.
SPEAKER_01The seven biblical feasts.
SPEAKER_00And then the oil and the bread, because that's also in that location. But the seven yearly feasts, these are the offerings, the sacrifices commanded and ordained by God to come into his presence. Right. And they're come this is the ones for sure the priest will be working. Right. So it fits it's in this grouping because, hey, priests, these are the times you will for sure be needed to be working. But chapters one through seven, that's more voluntary. Right. That's more the people coming at their own schedule routine. Right. But then just in case you don't come, God says, hey, chapter 23, you are gonna come for these. Right. And the priests, you need to know what's gonna happen and be expected of you.
SPEAKER_01Because during the seven feasts for each one, they had sacrifices that they had to fulfill.
SPEAKER_00Correct. So now you're standing right in front of the screen, the top of that box, that medium box, that separates the holy place from the most holy place.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00And right there you have chapter 24, verses that 10 through 22.
SPEAKER_0124, 10 through 22. So only chapter 24 is right.
SPEAKER_00Because this is a here we get a couple little stories. You get a story about Aaron's two sons and how they died. Right. And now we get another story. You get a story of a blasphemer.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00And he's stoned. Right. And the idea is you're about to walk into the holy of holies, into God's presence. Right. You don't do that casually, you don't do that lightly. Because even using his name wrong brought about death.
SPEAKER_01You can appreciate why during the time of Jesus they didn't say God's name. Right. I can appreciate that.
SPEAKER_00So both of these stories have death, somebody dying, doing something wrong. But if you look at it, it's a next level up into God's presence. Right. So if you're coming into God's presence, you don't come in any old way.
SPEAKER_01Lightly or unprepared.
SPEAKER_00Because if you do, here's what happens. You die. Yes. This is serious. Right there at the screen at the screen between the two is this story, chapter 24, verses 10 through 22. Now you walk into the Holy of Holies.
SPEAKER_01Okay. So you're in that top third rectangle.
SPEAKER_00The tiny one because this is the most, the smallest part. Right. And it's God's abode on earth. And so this is now chapters 25, 26, and 27. That's what you would write in that little because if you look at these chapters, 25 is about a Sabbath year. Right. The year of Jubilee. Hey, just a reminder: it's all God's. Right. Chapter 25, the land is all God's. In fact, to the point, God's the one that got to pick which tribe got which piece of land. Back. How much land they got.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And God said, Oh yeah. And by the way, in case something happens and you have to shift land around, you might trade, you might lose it, you gotta give it back to who I gave it to in the first place. Because ultimately it's mine and I gave it to them, and you can't take it from them. And then 26 is all about, I mean, if you look for repetition, 26 is all about I will do this, you will do that. When you listen to me, or when you disobey me, here's what I'm gonna do. Right. So 26 is all about here's God saying, here's what I want you to do. The blessings and the curses, depending on what you choose to do.
SPEAKER_01Because now we are in God's presence. Yes, you're in God's presence.
SPEAKER_00He gets to tell you how to live. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. You made it in this far, you're gonna do exactly what he says. Right. And then 27 is all about if you want to what does it say? Redeem. If a man dedicates to the Lord, if a man dedicates to the Lord, look for that repetition. 27 is all about if you want to give something to God, whether it's your land or part of your house or an animal, here's how you do it. Because again, it all belongs to God. So when you're giving it back to him, when you're giving him a portion of it, how do I do that?
SPEAKER_01How do I do that?
SPEAKER_00And then if you look at the end of 27, verse 34.
SPEAKER_01Right, you want me to read that? Yes, please. These are the commands the Lord gave Moses on Mount Sinai for the Israelites.
SPEAKER_00And if you go back to the very beginning, Leviticus 1, as I'm turning there.
SPEAKER_01The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, basically, it takes us right back.
SPEAKER_00It takes you right back. The story, it's not a story that ends. You come to the end and you're right back at the beginning. You could, in essence, take that ending and start right back over and go through all those chapters again.
SPEAKER_01And maybe we're supposed to.
SPEAKER_00Right. But that's so that's ring composition. Right. That's how Leviticus is laid out in three boxes, right? Correlating to the courtyard, the holy place, and the holy of holies.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00And all of them continue to ring back and come back to where you started. So one of the things as you're reading, look for repetition. The Lord said, the Lord spoke. Um what else did I see? Oh, Mount Sinai. Pay attention to how much Mount Sinai gets repeated and where it gets repeated, and ask yourself, okay, as I'm coming back to complete, especially that one through 17 ring, see what connections you can make between chapter one and chapter 17. Oh, because you will see repeated words closing that ring.
SPEAKER_01Can you do that between all of them, like two and six?
SPEAKER_00Mostly one through seventeen.
SPEAKER_01Okay, because it's the end of the that ring. Okay. Gotcha.
SPEAKER_00But one to twenty-seven then is the giant ring that says his start again.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00So I don't know. To me, to look at Leviticus this way and go, okay, hopefully that gets you excited. I really, really do feel like Leviticus is foundational to the rest of scripture. Because if you don't understand Levitic, if you don't truly get Leviticus, you're missing out on the prophets. And you don't understand completely what's going on in the gospels then. Right.
SPEAKER_01Well, I think you need to break down that with the prophets a little bit more because we've talked about this. So I know exactly what you mean.
SPEAKER_00Because the prophets keep coming back to your sacrifices and your feasts and what you're doing, why the alt, why the Tabernacle's gone. Why the temple's gone?
SPEAKER_01You're not doing what God set up in Leviticus. So until you understand the heart and what Leviticus says, when the prophets come along and say, You're not doing it right. Right.
SPEAKER_00And we'll get into that more because I've got an amazing illustration. You're not okay. I'm not going to go there.
SPEAKER_01Never mind. Keep waiting. She's got some great.
SPEAKER_00Because truthfully, at the end, we're going to go through all of Leviticus. And then at the end, I'm going to make those connections to the prophets and the gospels and the book of Hebrews.
SPEAKER_01That's a hook to keep you listening all the way to the end. Just so you wonder. Yes.
SPEAKER_00This is all written out. I know exactly where we're going. And so, but what I to me, I just go, Leviticus is it's not a truthfully, it's not a book filled with, ooh, I can't wait to read some more.
SPEAKER_01I'm glad you said that because I think our readers need to understand our listeners. It's okay to not be excited, like, yay! Right.
SPEAKER_00It's not, it's not exciting in that sense of I want to read the next chapter, what's happening. It's not a it's not a narrative. It's not a narrative. It's not even books, it's not even gonna be the book you go to. Let me find comfort, let me find what I need to soothe my hurting soul today. Right. It's not Leviticus. Right. It's okay. It's not going to be. It's not supposed to be.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Leviticus is meant to, we'll get into that next week. Okay. But Leviticus is here, it is the outline. It is that black line that's going to bring color and highlight everything else in the rest of the Bible. That's what Leviticus, I think, is supposed to do. It's supposed to be the edge that defines everything, but it doesn't bring the color. It doesn't bring the excitement.
SPEAKER_01But it helps you understand it so the color can be brought. Yes. Is it the outline around the color? It is.
SPEAKER_00It's the outline around the color.
SPEAKER_01Is that too much of an analogy? I don't know.
SPEAKER_00I don't know. But to me, Leviticus, you're never going to sit here and go, Oh, I've got the perfect verse to help my hurting friend. It's in Leviticus. It's not.
SPEAKER_01And it's okay to say that.
SPEAKER_00Yes. But there's still a lot to this book. There's so much more. So next week we're going to come back. I'm going to lay out Leviticus. We're going to get into Leviticus is the book about separations and holiness. Right. But for now, we wanted you to have here's the outline, here's the structure of it. Right. Next week we'll talk about holiness, purity, common, uncommon, and then we'll get into sacrifices and then we'll start going chapter by chapter. Alrighty. How does that sound? Sounds good. All right. And don't forget, go to www.thecontextandcolor of the Bible.com. What you're going to do is you're going to go to podcasts, then scroll down till you find the white tab that says Leviticus. Click on Leviticus, and that will take you to all of the podcasts for Leviticus as they come out and the handouts. That you need. That you're going to need. That's where. Or sign up for our newsletter and I'll email it to you before the podcast. Oh no, I guess the podcast comes out first than the newsletter.
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah, it comes out on Monday.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Yes. You can sign up for our newsletter on our website, but those of you who sign up will get the handout. You get some help directly sent to you. Always a plus. Yes. So, all right. Thanks for joining us, and we'll talk to you next week. Bye bye.