Torah Portion: Leviticus 16:1-20:27

Acharei Mot (‘After the death…’) / Kedoshim (‘Holy ones’)

Have you tried to visualise an object simply by analysing its shadow? It’s generally possible to get a rough idea of what you’re looking at. If given a series of alternative possible objects, the shadow can be critical for identifying the genuine object you are looking for.

When talking about Jewish festivals, the Apostle Paul says in Colossians 2:17, “These are a shadow of things that are coming.” The author of Hebrews also says, “For the Torah has in it a shadow of the good things to come…” (Heb 10:1).

Leviticus 16 contains such a shadow: the Day of Atonement. In brief, God’s instructions for it are:

• It is a day for both Israelites and believing immigrant Gentiles, who are to rest and fast. The festival itself is centred on the Tabernacle.
• Through a series of washings and sacrifices with the sprinkling of blood, the sins are removed from those involved in the festival, cleansing them and reuniting them with God.
• The High Priest is to enter the Holy of Holies, the very presence of God, taking a panful of glowing coals scooped from the altar of burnt offering. With incense added, this results in a cloud covering the Mercy Seat where God resides.
• Then God will forgive them and answer their prayers again.

Now let’s jump to the Revelation of John. Here I see as part of his visions within chapters 4-8 a future Day of Atonement which the Leviticus picture foreshadows:

• The heavenly Tabernacle is central, with Father God on His actual throne.
• The Lamb looking as if it has been slaughtered, namely our Lord Yeshua, has paid the ultimate sacrifice for sin, for all who will put their trust in Him. These redeemed people are sealed and washed by His atoning blood.
• Yeshua our High Priest is the only one who is able to enter the presence of Father God, and to take and open the scroll held in His Father’s right hand, representing all of mankind who have put their trust in Him.
• Once the scroll has been opened, an angel mixes incense with the penitent prayers of the saints and offers them up on the golden incense altar before the throne. Then smoke and prayers rise up before Father God, with mind-blowing results.

This is a time we are awaiting and so it is important for us, by means of its shadow in the Torah scriptures and the earthly Feast of Atonement, to seek understanding in readiness for it.

Promised Restoration

The Haftarah (Prophets) reading for this week is Amos 9:7-15. The sages, who chose to link these end-of-age prophetic verses to this week’s Torah portion, evidently also saw the connection of the Day of Atonement to the end-of-age time foreseen in Amos’s vision. Severe condemnation and punishment of Israel moves to a promise of restoration and a future golden age:

“I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities; they will plant vineyards and drink their wine, cultivate gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant them on their own soil, no more to be uprooted from their land, which I gave them,” says Adonai your God. (Amos 9:14-15)

Amen?

Author: John Quinlan

Torah Portion: Leviticus 12:1-15:33

Tazriah / Metsora

The main theme of the portion this week is the terrible disease of leprosy. Modern medicines are able to deal with this, by the grace of God, but in both Moses' day and Yeshua's day, only God could intervene to cleanse the leper.

One needs to go back to the Fall of Adam and Eve to begin to understand why such diseases exist. In this fallen world God has allowed such things so that we might seek Him who alone can answer our deepest needs. The healing of the man born blind in John 9 shows that God brings about circumstances to show our need of Him, and to glorify Himself and His Son, Yeshua.

Revealing the Messiah

In Moses' day, a leper had to ‘self-isolate’ (in modern terminology!) and warn others by declaring himself unclean. If he was healed by God, the priests made careful checks before declaring him clean and able to re-join the community of Israel.

It was the same for the lepers whom God led to Yeshua for healing, such as is recorded in Matthew 8:1-4. Yeshua healed by the power of God and told the cleansed leper to do what Moses had instructed by going to the priests.

Just as in the healing of the man born blind, so it was for the lepers. Their healing confirmed that Yeshua was the Messiah, the Son of God, doing only what God could do. He confirmed this when John the Baptist sent messengers to question Him as to whether He was the Messiah. Yeshua answered by referring to the Messianic signs: “The blind see, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them” (Matt 11:1-5).

Plagues are Invitations

These passages seem especially relevant today as the entire world is beset by a plague that presently has no cure. Just as with leprosy, modern medicine may soon step in with an antidote (whether we realise that this will be by God's grace or not). Meanwhile, surely, God is inviting us to seek Him. Whether by miracle or by the wisdom to produce a vaccine, He is inviting the world to know Him through our Saviour, Yeshua HaMashiach, as the one who alone can fulfil what is humanly impossible.

Those who seek God for help in the present crisis will not only learn about the cleansing of lepers and other such illnesses, but find the path of repentance and forgiveness, leading to the inward cleansing of the heart and to eternal life. Moses paved the way for the revelation of Yeshua, whose call to a needful world continues to our day. Let this be our prompt for prayer this Shabbat.

Author: Dr Clifford Denton