Torah portion: Leviticus 21:1-24:23
Emor (‘speak’)
‘Time’ is a dimension of life that we take for granted. The clock is always ticking and the pages of our diaries and calendars are always being turned. There are often occasions when time seems to ‘fly’, yet we know that it is actually effectively constant and regular in its passing. So we should not be surprised to read in this week’s Torah portion of the Lord God giving instructions to Moses regarding regular, annual fixtures to be included on the Hebrew calendar: “my appointed festivals” (moedim, lit. ‘appointed times’).
God even seems to underline the element of ‘time’: “These are the LORD’s appointed festivals, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed time” (Lev 23:4, emphasis mine). They were to be celebrated at specified points on the calendar: Passover at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month, the Festival of Unleavened Bread on the fifteenth day of that month, and so on.
This specific concern for ‘time’ was incorporated by God into each of the annual Hebrew festivals. But ‘time’ was also intrinsic to other instructions laid down in this section of the Torah. Those concerning the priesthood were to be applied “For generations to come” (Lev 21:16; 22:3). Newly-born calves, lambs and goats were to remain with their mothers “for seven days” (22:27). Thank-offering sacrifices were to be eaten “the same day” (22:30). Lamps in the Tent of Meeting were to be tended “from evening til morning, continually” (24:3) and bread was to be set out before the LORD “Sabbath after Sabbath” (24:8).
A Question
This ‘time’ factor may not seem unusual to us because we are used to time having a big ‘say’ in our lives. But those ongoing references by God to Moses should actually make us stop and think.
We know from Scripture that God Himself is eternal and everlasting - not restricted or bound by ‘time’. Jesus declared: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Rev 1:8).
In contrast, we live in a time-space continuum completely outside of our control. This raises a question: How does relationship with our timeless God, who holds our times in His hands (Ps 31:15), affect our time-bound lives?
Shared Humanity
These verses in Leviticus provide some answers. First, although existing outside of ‘time’, God is aware of its existence and constraints upon us. When God became Man, He stepped down into ‘time’: “he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself” (Phil 2:7-8).
This means that He was subjected to the pressures and limitations that we have to endure in respect of ‘time’. He even had to follow the requirements regarding those ‘times’ set out in Leviticus, which He Himself had instituted through Moses!
Godly Rhythms
Secondly, God knows our need to structure and mark the passage of ‘time’ with regular events of specific spiritual significance. ‘Time’ was not allowed to pass in ancient Israel without those occasions providing a sense of rhythm or ‘beat’ to life that helped people to re-focus on God.
As we follow God, it is still His requirement that we keep in step with His ‘timing’, regularly focusing on Him and His work in our own lives.
Important Reminders
Thirdly, those Festivals acted as powerful reminders of ‘times’ when God had clearly and wonderfully intervened in the past. Those interventions were not to be glossed over or ignored. The Festivals were to prompt God’s people on a regular basis to recall His gracious and ongoing dealings in their lives.
This week that lies ahead of us may seem to be just another period of seven days. But, perhaps, it is a good ‘time’ to pause and reflect on God’s work in our lives at specific times in the past. Are you also remembering that He continues to hold your future ‘times’ in His hands as well?
Author: Stephen Bishop has written several books, including on the subject of time from a biblical perspective. Click here and here for our reviews.