Leviticus 17-19 I am Eternal your God

Chapter 17: The word, blood is being mentioned 15 times in this chapter of The Voice Edition. It emphasizes that blood represents life. And God wanted Israelites to honor that and not to take it lightly. In another sense it is like tell them not to shed blood. Also blood represent atonement and which Jesus did through losing his life-blood on the cross. 

Chapter 18: This chapter is about boundary concerning sexual relations. Humans are sexual beings. And God knows it well that it brings joy and pleasant but also destruction if done in a wrong circumstance. Therefore His instructed what not to do when it comes to sex. However, the verse, You are not to have sexual relation with a man in the same way you do with a woman; such a thing is detestable. (Leviticus 18:22) is homophobic. I discusses with a friend and he said that the original text was talking about rape rather than sex between two men. 

There are lots to talk about for chapter 19. And some of the good reminders in the following verses. 

I want all of you to honor your mothers and fathers and keep My Sabbaths, for I am the Eternal your God. (Leviticus 19:3)

This helps me to remind myself to change my attitude when interacting with my parents. 

Likewise do not strip the vines bare in your vineyard or gather the fallen grapes. Leave the fallen fruit and some grapes on the vine for the poor and strangers living among you; for I am the Eternal your God. (Leviticus 19:10)

This verse is a good reminder that we are called to help the poor and those who need help. 

Do not take what is not yours or conduct business dishonestly or lie to each other. (Leviticus 19:11)

This reminds me to always have integrity in works or anything I do. 

Do not harbor a deep hatred for any of your relatives (Leviticus 19:17)

Sometimes I have this strange annoyance toward my aunt and also some anger and frustration toward my brothers. This is a good reminder to forgive them and not to hold grudge. 

Do not seek revenge or hold a grudge against any of your people. Instead, love your neighbor as you love yourself, for I am the Eternal One. (Leviticus 19:18)

We are called to love and not to hate. It is normal to feel angry and wants a vindication. But we shall trust God and do what is right instead of planning a revenge that is to harm the other person. I don't think revenge is always wrong. If we try to live a better and more fulfilled life, then I would call that a sweet revenge. It also has nothing to do with legal matters. Sometimes it is necessary to go through legal process to do what is justly right. 

Do not consume any meat while blood is still in it.

(Leviticus 19:26)

I understand it as that God wants people to respect life and which is represented by blood. Thus God ordered the Israelites not to consume blood. And blood was also use in rituals. So it was sacred in that sense. But nowadays, there are food that cooked with blood in them. I don't see it as a wrongdoing for consuming it even though personally I don't eat meat anymore.  

Do not make cuts into your body for the dead or make yourselves with tattoos. I am the Eternal One. 

(Leviticus 19:28)

Tattoos back then probably were associated with idols or the dead. Just like decades ago, tattoos are associated with criminals. Thus God ordered them not to get tattoos like that. But now things have changed that tattoos is one kind of art form. So I don't find it anything wrong to get one. 

Do not turn to mediums or consult with those who communicate with the spirit of the dead. DO not go near them or else you will defile yourselves. I am the Eternal your God. (Leviticus 19:31)

I have always found myself feeling uncomfortable concerning divination or those who speak with ghosts even before I was a Christian. I believe there is a reason why God ordered the Israelites not to do so. And it applies to us now. Because you never know what kind of energy or dark force you try to deal with. God wants to protect us from those dark matters. Even after deconstructing my faith, I am still not a fan of fortunate-telling and divination. Trying out tarot cards or reading about astrological signs for fun is one thing, but to actually consulting mediums is another. 

Don't take advantage of any stranger who lives in your land. You must treat the outsider as one of your native-born people as a full citizen-and you are to love him in the same way you love yourself; for remember, you were once strangers living in Egypt. I am the Eternal One, your God. (Leviticus 19:33)

This verse should be carved into the every wall of the evangelical church to remind them that we are called to love and to treat outsiders right. There are way too many so-called "Christians" who are racists. They completely forget to love others. I don't believe that borders should be wide open either but there must be things could be done to accept those who really need help. And sometimes it is their own fellow citizens that are being mistreated just because they are of a different race than them. It is sad to see that people get harrassed or even killed just because of their race. No wonder this verse is included in the bible, because God knew things like this would have happened often. 

Besides all the verses mentioned above, the phrase, I am the Eternal your God is used 16 times in this chapter. God proclaimed who He was to the Israelites. He reminded them again and again why He gave them these directives and He wanted to establish a relationship with them. He wanted them to know He was the one true God.