Leviticus (Chapter 20)

This video is about Leviticus 20

Transcript

Mission And Leviticus 20 Setup

Phil Porter 0:00

You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast. Our mission is to help the people of God understand the Word of God. Join us each Monday and Thursday for new episode releases. Listen to our full library of content at teachmethebible.com or by downloading the Teach Me the Bible app from any app store. You're listening to Teach Me the Bible Podcast. Well, hey everybody, welcome back to Teach Me the Bible Podcast. I'm Phil Porter alongside Dr. David Klingler. And today we're going to be jumping into Leviticus chapter 20. But before we do that, um every one now and then we we have a point where we get to an episode or we get further down the trail and then there's some important questions that come up. And uh your wife Katie actually brought this up. And I thought it was we thought it was necessary to bring it up today. So the question is we've gotten to the point where in Leviticus now we have said, well, obviously this doesn't apply to us. Like this is um uh not directly applied to us, it's talking about Israel. At least some of it. Some of it, yeah. And now we're getting to where we got into chapters recently where it's moral law, and now this is starting to feel like, oh well, all of this does kind of apply to us, correct?

Dr. David Klingler 1:20

Yeah. So when do we know? Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And um yeah, how do we know what applies to us, what doesn't? Correct. And um yeah, and so that's that's a great question. And we're gonna run into another question that's going to uh complicate it even more. And so how about let's just make it worse before it gets better, and then we'll make it better, right? So so we'll we'll jump into chapter 20. Okay. It will get worse, and then we're gonna make it better. Better, right? And we're gonna explain why certain approaches to scripture just don't work. Um, and and probably you've heard about a lot of the types of things that that discussion is gonna bring. So let's jump into chapter 20. Let's see if we can't make some uh some sense of it. Let's just kind of track through it, let's read through it, and and then let's make some problems

What Applies Today And Why?

Dr. David Klingler 2:10

worse and let's see if we can't fix it. Okay, so so then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, You shall say to the sons of Israel, any man from the sons of Israel or from the aliens living with Israel, so journing in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to mail uh to Melech or Molech. Now, um any of his seed, he shall not give from his seed uh to Molech. Uh he will surely die. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. Um there's all kinds of questions here about uh what's going on. Uh we learn in uh later in the in the story in the the book of uh kings, uh we um this is with Solomon. Solomon built a high place for Kemish, uh the detestable idol of Moab, on uh and uh on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Moloch, the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. So we know kind of what this is referring to. This is building idols, um high places, uh shrines, that type of thing, to uh uh to Moloch.

Phil Porter 3:18

Um which are not supposed to do.

Dr. David Klingler 3:20

Yeah, you're not you're not to go after other gods, any gods of the nations around you. We talked about this last time. You don't dress like them, you don't eat like them, you don't plant your crops like them, uh, you don't do anything like them. Yeah, because the Lord is separate from the gods of the nations, just uh and so you are to be a uh holy for I am holy. You're to be set apart from the nations, Israel, because I am set apart uh from the other gods. Uh and so um so what uh this kind of creates is okay, well, when do you know what to follow? Even in Israel, when do you know what to follow, what not to follow, right? Uh is it just a list of rules? And if it's not listed, can you do it or not, right? Are there things that aren't on the list that would fall under, you know, um, you know, the prohibition? You don't do this. Uh, and so there have been many uh studies, articles, books, uh in in Old Testament studies. You have the Ten Commands, right? And so you've got to Exodus chapter 20, Deuteronomy chapter 5. Uh, and uh, you know, you shall not uh go after other gods, for example. Uh okay, well, give me an example of that. Well, there's all kinds of case law. Um, but can you go after gods other than Moloch? Um, no, right? Well, why not? Well, we're gonna return back to that that discussion a little bit later because it's all gonna tie in together. The what gods can you go after? How am I supposed to know this? Is it moral law? Is it just for Israel? Is it for us today? All of these questions uh are often um talked about, uh, and try they try to solve these questions in a whole lot of different ways. So we'll by the end of this episode, I think it'll make sense.

Molech Warnings And True Holiness

Dr. David Klingler 5:10

Um and so I will set my face against that man and we'll cut off, uh cut him off from his people because he has given uh uh some of his uh seed, uh he's given his seed or his offspring to Moloch so as to defile my sanctuary and to profane my holy name, right? To uh my name is holy, I am holy, I'm separate, you be separate. If the people of the land, however, uh should ever disregard that man when he gives any of his offspring to Moloch so as not to put him to death, then I myself will set my face against that man and against that family, and I will cut them off from the people, both him and all uh who play the harlot after him by playing the harlot after Moloch. And so if you don't cut them off, then I will cut you off. You know, that's basically the deal. If you um you you are not to go after other gods, uh, and if you if someone does, then you are to judge them. If you don't judge them, I will judge you. Right. And so this is starting to get uh worse. It's it's getting uh more complicated. As for the people uh who turn to mediums and despiritus to play the harlot after them, I will set my face uh against that person. I will cut off, uh cut him off from his people. Saul is going to do this with uh with uh Samuel is uh is died, and so Saul uh disguises himself and goes to a medium to try to summon Samuel from the dead. Well, here's a verse, okay? You shall set yourself apart, you shall consecrate yourself, therefore, uh and be holy, for I the Lord am holy. You shall keep my statutes and do them. Um I am the Lord uh who um uh uh who sanctifies you, who sets you apart. Um if there is anyone who curses his father or mother, he shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father and his mother, his blood guilt will be upon him. We're gonna come back to that verse to make it even more difficult. If there's a man who commits adultery, right, so it goes down through uh if you commit adultery with uh your uh your friend's wife, you're to be put to death. Uh if you lay with your father's wife, you're to be put to death. If you lay with your brother, you daughter-in-law, put to death. Uh, all of these judgments for incest, um, you know, with family members, uh laying with family marriage, uh with animals, uh, verse 16. Oh yeah. Um if there's any man who takes uh his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, uh he's to bear his own guilt. Um he's to be cut off from his people. So uh there's a whole list of these things um that uh that basically uh uh many cultures have said, okay, this is incest and kind of this is uh what the lines are. And so they apply this today. We see this in many laws and our even in uh in America and around the world, this types of uh uh these types of laws. Uh you are therefore to keep verse 22, all of my statutes, all my ordinances to do them, so that the land which I am bringing you into will not spew you out of it. Right? This is going back to um some judgments that we're going to uh um be warned about already. We're gonna be warned in great detail in Leviticus chapter 26, uh, and then later in the second generation in Deuteronomy chapter 28. Okay, and so we're we're starting to develop a picture of uh what's going to what's going to happen if you go into the land and you don't follow the Lord. Moreover, you shall not follow the customs of that nation, um, which I drive out before you, uh, for they did all of these things, uh, and therefore I have uh abhorred them, I have rejected them, hated them. Uh hence uh I have said to you, uh, you are to possess the land. I myself will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples, therefore you uh you are the to therefore make a distinction between the clean and the unclean animals, between the clean birds, the unclean birds, um, any of the detestable animals, any of that stuff, you are to be separated, uh, for they are unclean for you. Thus you are to be holy to me, for I am the Lord am holy. You are to be set apart from the peoples, and you are to be mine. Now a man or a woman who uh is a medium or a spiritus shall surely be put to death, they shall be stoned with stones, their blood guilt will be upon them. Let me show you a verse. This is uh let's go back, let's read this uh again.

Laws That Sound Shocking Today

Dr. David Klingler 10:05

Uh if uh you you know what how was this uh this uh Israelite to regard their father and mother? Verse 9. If there is anyone who curses his father and mother, he shall surely be put to death. Uh Exodus uh chapter uh chapter 5, let's go to Exodus chapter uh well let's go to uh yeah, Exodus chapter uh 20, the ten commands. Um verse 12 Honor your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God has given you. Okay, so uh here, chapter uh Exodus 20, verse 12, you're to honor your father and mother. Uh Leviticus, same thing. Uh uh Deuteronomy chapter 5. We're gonna get this repeated. This is uh so this uh is in Exodus chapter 20, these are the commands for the first generation, Deuteronomy chapter 5. These are gonna be the 10 commands to the second generation. They're going to say the same thing. Um, you are to honor your father and mother. This is uh verse 16. Honor your father and mother as the Lord has commanded you, that your ma's days may be prolonged, that it may go well with you in the land which the Lord your God has given you. Let's go to the New Testament. Ephesians chapter 6. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother. This is the first command with a promise, that it may go well with you, and you live long in the land or long on the earth, is how they're translating this now. Uh and so this is Paul writing to the Ephesians, Jews and Gentiles together. Uh now let's uh let's go to uh to Luke. Uh, and uh let's go to Luke chapter 16. Actually, let's let's jump down to Luke chapter 18. Okay, so so let's let's go to uh I believe this is in 18. Yeah, these men are trusting themselves, viewed others with contempt. Uh and a rich ruler, this is in 1818, says, uh good teacher talking to Jesus, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said, Why do you call me good? There's only one who's good. You know the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother. Saying the same thing. So this is Jesus talking here. And this isn't the only place that uh uh that he uh you know says these types of things recorded in the New Testament. But I want to go back to chapter 14. Uh and in chapter 14, Jesus is going to, after these several scenes, several discussions, specifically one scene in particular, um, verse 25, 14, 25, is now the large clouds were going, uh large crowds were going along with him, with Jesus, and he turned and said to them, If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Okay, now what are we doing here? Yeah, that yeah. How does this work? Right? And so you'll say, Well, um uh and I even have a note here. Um and so the the the my little study Bible here, New American Standard, they say, Well, compare by comparison of his love for me. So, in other words, it's you know relative. Um you you can't so so he's not really saying you're supposed to hate. What you know, what's going on here? Okay. Now, what do we do with all this? Um, do these things apply to us? Do they not apply to this? You're supposed to love your parents, love your mother and father, honor your father and mother, are you supposed to um hate your father and mother? Yes. Um, let me go back to Deuteronomy. Let's go to Deuteronomy chapter 13. This is uh if a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and tells you to go after other gods. Okay. Um if your brother, this is in verse 6, chapter 13 of Deuteronomy, verse 6, if your brother or your mother's son, or your son, or your daughter, or your wife, your cherish, or your friend who is as your own soul, secretly entice you, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, whom you nor your fathers have known, gods of the peoples around you, uh near you or far from you, from one end of the earth, the other, you shall not yield to him, you shall not listen to him, your eyes shall not pity him, nor shall you spare or conceal him. You shall surely kill him. Your hand shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterwards all the hands of the people. What if your father went after Molech? Then what do you do? Do you honor your father and mother? Do you love your father and mother? Now the law is against the law. On the one hand, you're supposed to honor your father and mother. On the other hand, if you don't judge this one who goes after Molech, then you'll be cut off. So what is it? The problem we have is that

When Commands Seem To Clash

Dr. David Klingler 15:20

we interpret the Bible with our systematic theology. We we have, and that's just fancy words to say, this is what we believe about God. This is the this is the rules, the the list of rules. Okay. You're allowed to do this, you're not allowed to do that. And then when we try to evaluate the Bible with our set system of interpretation, this is good, this is bad, this is right, this is wrong, this is what God's like, this is what he loves, this is what he hates. Uh, we lose the story. Um, and um, and the story becomes flat. Okay. Um here's another example. This isn't just an old testament into the New Testament problem. This is an old this is a New Testament problem as well. Are we supposed to take the gospel to the nations? You hear the Great Um Commission, Deuteronomy Matthew chapter 28. Um, you will be my witnesses, and you know, you're supposed to, you know, make disciples, baptizing them, um, you know, going into the nations. Uh, Matthew chapter 28. Right now, uh, but uh, but back earlier, um, you know, so so the so go therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptize them in the name of the Father's Son, teach them all a commitment. So you're supposed to go make disciples of all the nations. Earlier in this same gospel, chapter 10, Jesus tells his disciples, do not go to the Samaritans, do not go to the Gentiles, go only to the perishing sheep of the house of Israel. You're supposed to go to the Gentiles or not? Well, it's the same type of thing, right? Um, and so Israel was uh chosen to be a kingdom of priests. The story does not begin, though, in Exodus chapter 19 or Exodus chapter 20. So if if you're just jumped in here to Leviticus and you've heard us say this, I hope several times. And if not, we need to say it here. Go back to Genesis. Start at the beginning. Yes. You cannot understand

Systematic Shortcuts That Break Reading

Dr. David Klingler 17:20

any scene in the middle of a movie if you haven't watched the beginning of the movie. So you have to watch the beginning first, then watch the plot development, the scenes of the movie in succession. They're going to develop the plot. Yes. And then what these characters are doing and saying makes sense. Okay. So what was the responsibility of the father and the mother? Well, they were to teach their sons and daughters. Teach them what? Teach them the law, teach them about the Lord, teach them the story. Uh, when in time when your sons ask, saying, Why do we do these commands? you tell them the story, right? You go back to the Exodus, you tell them the Exodus. And and why do we have the Exodus? Well, because the Exodus was the fulfillment of Genesis 15. Well, Genesis 15, you remember Abraham, who's Abram? Well, Abram was chosen by God in chapter 12. Chapter 12, you know, of course, these are all chapters that, you know, earlier in the story. Well, but why? Why was he chosen? Because he's the carrier of the promise to bless the nations. Well, what does that mean? Well, you have to go back to the creation, the setting in the garden, the fall, the promise of restoration through this promised seed singular that's coming through this uh this nation. We're gonna watch the, we're gonna track this development uh through Genesis 5 all the way down through 11, and it's going to come to Abram, and Abram is going to be the carrier of the seed. All the other nations are following Satan, they're following the serpent. The serpent is running the nations. But this man and his family, his descendant, his seed, were to be a kingdom of priests. They were to take this message of deliverance to the nations, but they were not to be deceived. And when they go into the land, if they intermarry with the nations, the peoples that are in the land, these pagans that are following all of these uh evil customs, they will be led astray. This is what the serpent has been doing from the beginning. And when the serpent deceives them, then the Lord will kill them. This is what's happened in the garden. This is Satan's plan over and over and over. So the fathers were to teach their sons about the Lord, and they were to walk faithfully according to the word of the Lord. They were to be separate and distinct from the nations. You don't you don't worship like they worship, you don't eat like they eat, you don't, you know, pray like you don't do anything like the nations. You are distinct, separate, set apart. Okay? And then they'll ask you, what are you doing? Then you tell them, all right, this is your chance to tell them. Now, what's gonna happen in this story is that the fathers are not gonna teach the sons, the sons are going to rebel, and the sons are going to go follow the gods of the nations. Right? Now, what's going to happen? Well, we're gonna, as this plot develops, as this story develops, and as we read Leviticus, and here in a couple chapters, when we get to chapter 26, this is gonna be the chapter of blessings and curses. If you're obedient, Israel, in the land, I will bless you. But if you're disobedient, I will curse you. Okay, now uh Israel's going to be disobedient. The first generation is going to be wiped off the map because they rebelled against the Lord. Uh, and so the second generation is going to be raised up. Moses is going to tell them

Start In Genesis Follow The Plot

Dr. David Klingler 20:40

the exact same thing. They're going to act in the exact same way. And Moses is going to tell them the story. This is what's going to happen to you, Israel. Uh, and this is in Deuteronomy 28 through 32. If you're obedient, you'll be blessed. If you're disobedient, you'll be cursed. When you're cursed, when you're scattered among the nations, you when you repent and return, uh, then the Lord will restore you to the land, he will have compassion upon you, and you will be a kingdom of priests again. Um, so this is the story that's developing. Um, now back to the moral law and all this stuff. The moral law, the sacrificial system, the be separate, for I am separate. Uh, I was asked um this last week. Um, I was uh in a foreign country and I was asked by uh um uh actually he's a been to seminary, he says, Um, are we supposed to follow these rules or not? Are we allowed, you know, are we allowed to eat certain things or not? And I said, Are you an Israelite? Well, no. Are you in the old testament? No. Well, and they they were just looking at me with this blank stare. Like, okay, what does that have to do with anything? They're trying to solve all these problems with their systematic theology, and so it's not gonna work. If you know the story, you know what Israel was to be, why they had the sacrificial system. This was a placeholder, a covering for sin, uh, because there was a payment. This goes back to Genesis chapter three. They were the only nation that had provision for sin that the creator God would recognize. And it was a forerunner, a placeholder for the promised one that this creator would provide, who would take away the sins not only of Israel, but the sins of all the world. But if you go after the foreign gods, gods in whom there is no salvation, uh, then and intermarry with them, um, then the Lord your God will wipe you out. Okay. And so Satan has always been in the business of deceiving Israel to get them to follow other gods and getting them to intermarry. And we see this all the way through the story again and again and again. Uh and so the law was given to Israel uh to keep them separate. Don't dress like they dress, don't eat like they drink, keep you stay separate from the nations. And when you go into that land, you tear down all the things that they worship, you don't intermarry with them, you utterly destroy them, you don't give your sons to their daughters, nor take their daughters for your sons. You are to absolutely be separate. Because if you follow uh the other gods and turn away from me, there's no hope, no salvation, no eternal life. There's no good end to this story. Okay. Now, Israel goes and they follow the nations. Uh, and now the sons are teaching their son, the fathers are teaching their sons how to be evil, right? This is what's going to be foretold in Deuteronomy 32. Hosea, um, sons I have reared, but they've rebelled against me. Hosea is told to go marry a harlot because Israel's played the harlot. Exactly what uh was warned here in chapter 20. You don't go play the harlot. You don't go attach yourself to other gods, for I am the Lord your God am separate. Well, they do. Uh, and so uh Hosea is told you go marry other, uh go marry a harlot and have children with her and one of the sons, uh you name him uh Loami, not my people, for you are not my people, and I am not your God. But the story is looking forward to a time when Israel returns. This is in Deuter, end of the Old Testament. Behold, I'm going to send my messenger, and he will clear the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come into his temple. And the messenger of the covenant, in whom I delight, behold, he is coming. Uh, and who can endure his uh his day? He's he's going to refine Israel. Uh for I, the Lord's do not change. Therefore, you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you. But you say, How will we return? Um This is in uh in Malachi chapter three, Malachi chapter four, Elijah the prophet is going to appear. Behold, I am going to send you Elijah Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord, and he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their sons and the hearts of the sons to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse. Israel has rebelled, gone after the gods of the nations. The Pharisees have rebelled, they become adulteresses, uh, they have attached themselves to money, uh, to idolatry. This is going to be Israel's problem in the whole Old Testament. This is Israel's problem in Malachi. Um, and so they will not come to the Lord. They are relying upon their genealogy, uh, their friends, their rich neighbors, their rich relatives. And Jesus says, No, uh, you are to be against what God is against and be for what God is for. You've aligned yourself with the wrong side. Uh, if you don't hate the gods of the nations, if you don't hate idolatry, if you don't hate what the Lord hates, and your fathers, your sons, your daughters. In Luke, Luke says, records Jesus is saying, I have come to separate families. Be a household of five and three against two, and separate sons and daughters, and all this. Uh, a father is from sons and mother is from daughter-in-laws. What's going on here? Um, and so Jesus is not saying anything new. If you follow the story, uh, Israel has gone and joined the wrong side. And the sons are following their fathers.

Sacrifice Fulfilled In Christ For All

Dr. David Klingler 26:30

Well, you better reject your fathers and you better get back on the right side. That's what Jesus is saying in uh Luke chapter 14. And so, if you know the story, all of these verses make perfect sense. Um, the character of God does not change. A man was created to be an image bearer. There's only one image bearer that comes onto this scene. Is God, you know, we just read it in Malachi. Does God change? No, he doesn't change. His character doesn't change, he is unchanging. Uh, but the story is changing because Israel's rebellion. He he keeps his side of the deal, but Israel won't keep their side of the deal. The sacrificial system was a placeholder waiting for this one to come and make the once for all payment for sin. So, of course, if you know the story, the sacrificial system has gone away. The sins have been paid for, the sin has been not covered but taken away. The blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin, but Jesus' death burial sacrifice does. It takes away sin. Uh, and so we understand that no one is able to, because there's no temple in Jerusalem, uh, nor would want to offer sacrifices today. Um well, what about Israel? Has the church become Israel? No, we're Gentiles, right? Uh we uh this and if you know the story, the gospel has come to the Gentiles because Israel has rejected. And so the Lord is bringing the people of the nations to himself and to the Messiah that was promised to Israel that they rejected. They rejected the Lord, rejected uh the um the rock of his salvation. John says it this way. He came to his own and his own did not receive him. Uh and so the gospel goes to the Gentiles and they've been brought near. And they are not becoming uh uh Israelites, circumcised lawkeepers, to attach themselves to the Lord. They're attaching themselves to the Lord through Christ, which is the way it was always supposed to be. They were attaching themselves to the blessing of Abram in the Old Testament. If you wanted to attach yourself to the blessing of Abram, the the promised blessing of Abram had not yet come, and so you had to partake, participate in the sacrificial system until that one did come. Yes. Uh did come. Okay. But you're not Israel. So you don't dress like you know, Old Testament Israel. You don't uh you are still uh sons of God through faith, sons of Abraham through faith. Uh this is uh Philippians chapter two. Uh the church now is the light of the world because Israel's rejected. And so if you know the story, all of these verses make sense and there's no contradiction. What happens if you just rely on your systematic theology? Uh you say, well, you know, categorize moral law applies, and you're trying to figure out well, how does it apply? Why does it apply? Uh well, it just does because it's repeated in the New Testament. No, it's not applied, it doesn't apply to us because it's repeated in the New Testament. It's repeated in the New Testament because it still applies to us. Well, what does that mean? Read the story. God's character doesn't change. Uh, are you to love your neighbor? Yes. Uh, do you um if if you've experienced the love of God, do you show that to others? Yes. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and love your brother as yourself. In the Old Testament, uh, the brother, the neighbor, the fellow Israelite, if he goes and worships the gods of the nations and become the enemy of God, and you're one of the believing remnant, do you pray for the restoration of your brother? Yes. So you've heard it said, hate your enemies. I say pray for them. Right? This is what Jesus is talking about. This is what Paul's ministry is. He's taking the gospel to the Gentiles so that uh his fellow countrymen might be saved. Yes. The story answers all of these questions. Systematic theology will not. Church history will not. What will happen is uh you'll just have the camps, the theological camps, and one camp says, Well, um, you know, we uh interpret the clear verses with the unclear verses. And then their opponents who believe the exact opposite, whatever it is, they say, Well, that's what we do. We interpret the clear verses with the or the unclear verses with the clear verses. The only difference is their list of clear and unclear. What's clear for one group is unclear for the other. And they just argue over what the clear verses are and what the unclear verses are, right? Yes. This is nonsense. And so the reason why, teach me the Bible, we go through the story, is so that all this makes sense. Israel was to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation set apart for a purpose, for a reason. And as we watch this story unfold, you're gonna see they're not gonna do it. They're not going to follow the Lord, uh, they're not going to uh fulfill his created purpose for them, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. They're going to go follow the gods of the nations. And so we're going to run into chapter 26 here in a few podcasts coming. Uh we're we're going to see the consequences of this and it's going to play out. So if you know uh the Old Testament, you know the story. If you don't know the Old Testament, you don't know the story. And you're interpreting the Bible with your systematic theology. And then uh you can't reconcile how Jesus is saying, hate your father, mother, brother, sister, um, and honor your father and mother. Well, depends on what your father and mother's doing, right? Yes. And this is consistent throughout the whole Old Testament story. So hopefully this is making some more sense as we're going through these passages next time. We'll uh chapter 21, we'll turn

Simple Study Habits And Closing

Dr. David Klingler 32:15

our uh attention back to the priest, where chapter 20 was more general uh in nature for Israel.

Phil Porter 32:21

Well, there was a lot in today. And so, yeah, started with a question, now we've applied it, and now it gives a uh yeah, even a greater hope of of the New Testament is just saying what the old testament said. Yep, it's just saying, Well, told you so. But there is, I mean, Christ obviously, yes, he's he's the difference, he's the promise. But what they're saying is the same thing. Yeah. That's that's the thing that that I think is encouraging to see throughout when you do study it according to the story, and not just say, I'm a new believer, I'm gonna just read John first.

Dr. David Klingler 32:58

Yeah. Maybe a way to think, yeah, definitely, yeah. Start in Genesis, don't start in John. Um in the garden, uh the Lord says to the serpent, I will put enmity between you and the woman and your seed and her seed. There's two sides the woman and the serpent, the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Um, Israel was created to be a kingdom of priests. They were to be, they were the they were the woman. They were to be the believers out of whom would come the Messiah. You track the promise from the singular woman to this nation. Uh, all the while Satan, uh the serpent, is trying to deceive her children to follow him. And he does, right? And so there's the woman and there's the serpent. The problem is the woman plays the harlot and goes and attaches herself to the gods of the serpent. Yeah. Um, and in response, the Lord brings the peoples of the serpent to himself to make the woman jealous. Jealous. To move her to anger. Right. Uh, and so there's only two sides. And the question, you know, and Israel was supposed to be on it so that the Gentiles would join, but Israel rejected, and through their rejection, the the message is gone out to the Gentiles. And so amazing story. Uh, Paul's going to summarize exactly what I said uh in Romans chapters nine through eleven. Uh and so we're not coming up with anything new, right? Uh I love this. Uh uh, this uh we were in a class one day, and one of my former students I love this, yeah. Uh yeah, he uh I think it was an epistles class, and he kind of he had already graduated, he was auditing the course, uh he's already pastoring a church, he was just trying to figure out how this all works. It was and he slams the desk, you know, he slams the desk and he leans back, he says, Oh, Klingler's not smart, he's just reading it. And then he realized he said it out loud in a classroom of like 25 students, and his face turned bright red. And I just smiled because he got it, right? Now he got it. And I said, uh Todd, tell me why you said that. And he said, Well, you're just reading it. I'm going, exactly, right? We're not trying to crack some code with some system that we've created, and then, you know, and then our system doesn't work, and so we just beat the puzzle pieces in place. Yeah. Don't do that, right? Yeah, just read it and let the Bible do what it does. It'll tell you uh the greatest story ever told. It's his story, and it's playing out in uh Dr. Merrill used to say that this is his story playing out in history. That's why it's his story. And uh, and so that's it. We'll just keep plugging along as we go uh next week with uh with Leviticus chapter 21.

Phil Porter 35:45

Yeah, a lot more lessons to be learned up ahead, and obviously we are getting uh near the end of this book, towards the end. Yeah. Um, and so it's gonna be some great uh learning lessons and then also applying again, all while remembering why did Moses write this. Yep. So we have to remember that in that in the entire study of Leviticus, because it's gonna continue into numbers. It doesn't stop. It just you know, so these simple things help us understand even a little bit more. And and uh the thing I can encourage our listeners from even just the time that I've known you, is just it it can't just simplify it. Stop thinking so like uh you know, Da Vinci Code type like this, like it's something mist mysterious you have to just come along to, and and eventually it's just like, oh, that makes sense. Yep, you know, and just like the uh the best example I can say is the major and minor prophets. You know, I I thought, okay, well, there's something special about these major people, yeah. But they just had more to say. Yeah. And that was the answer. And I thought, oh my gosh, are you kidding me? You know, the same thing with Paul's books. Well, it's that he says a lot, and then the ones he doesn't say, it goes from biggest to smallest. I'm like, how are you kidding me? Like these things I keep thinking are some happen like mysterious, like there's a purpose, and this is why it's always done this way. And I'm like, oh no, actually, it's just not. It just there's a story. And and to follow the story.

Dr. David Klingler 37:14

My favorite one was someone said, you know, do you know the middle chapter in the Bible, the middle verse in the middle chapter says this? And I said, Do you realize that the Bible wasn't written with chapters and verses? So you're just making stuff up. And they looked at me like, oh no, what am I? We're just trying to find a way to make the Bible say something to us and say, Well, it and that's good. We should. Absolutely. Uh, but it's a story, so read it as a story.

Phil Porter 37:42

And again, you if you're impacted by one singular verse, the greatest thing that you can do is figure out where that comes from. Yep, exactly. Not think of it applies to you automatically today. So, um, anyways, we'll go to chapter 21 uh next time. For more resources, visit teachmethebible.com or download our app from any app store. You can partner with Teach Me the Bible in helping the people of God understand the Word of God by subscribing and sharing with others. Thank you for listening to Teach Me the Bible Podcast.