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Explain three applications of the Levitical laws for today.
jwdwwjd
10-03-2003, 07:19 AM
Explain three applications of the Levitical laws for today.
There are Leviticus laws that are applicable to today's laws. The laws of cleaniess can compare to our laws about medicine and disease. Also, the laws about childbirth can be applied to this.
The moral laws have not changed. Chapters 18 and 20 speak of moral laws covering incest, honesty, theivery, and idolatry. Our laws today cover these same laws. However, today our laws observe more religious freedom. The laws about religion are the main difference between today and the laws of the Leviticus days.
The same applies to blasphemy and murder. Today and Leviticus times, have laws that address these crimes. Murder is a punishable crime in almost all societies. Usually if one is charged with blasphemy they are either put to death or imprisoned.
1. The ten commandants are still in force today contrary to the practice of many. Of course, they are summarized later as "Love your Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strenght and love your neighbor as yourself.
2. While the letter of the law may not apply today, the spirit of the law remains in force. This applies to the distinction throughout Leviticus in particular between seperating the holy from the unholy.
3. There are many Levitical laws on the other hand that are still in force such as respecting the boundary lines of your neighbor's property, returning stray or lost animals or articles, not taking advantage of the poor, widow or orphan. The list could go on.
jwdwwjd touched on areas that I did not. I am in agreement that the moral laws still apply, health rules may not be practiced today as then, but the concept of cleanliness still applies.
Another good point is about freer religious liberty. In the Pentateuch, theocracy was the form of government which permitted the death penalty for certain sins. Christians to apply those rules today would find themselves on trial.
However, one can see the same application in religions as Islam where religious belief is tied to every area of life. It has the same fundamental idea as ancient Israel, where hands can be cut off etc for stealing. In more democratic governments rule, appliing the letter of the law for an individual would not be possible. The NT teaches respect for the powers that be.
1) Levitical laws must continue to be read and examined in the church not for their adherence per se, but for their role as the precursor and pointing to Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:17; c.f. the Book of Hebrews)
2) The moral laws, specifically the ten commandments, are still applicable today and serves as specific elaborations of the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:37)
3) Though ceremonial laws are no longer applicable to the Christian, certain civil laws still applies. However, there is an immediate tension for the believer since our society is not theocratic so we find believers in both camps of the capital punishment issue, for example. It is then left to the individual believer to determine the applicability of specific civil laws, by the studying of the Scripture, diligent prayers and personal convictions. We are to do this keeping ever mindful of Jesus? admonition of following the law and neglecting the obvious intent of the law and it?s priority (Matthew 23:23; c.f. Isaiah 1:11-17; Psalm 51:16-17)
Explain three applications of the Levitical laws for today.
There are Leviticus laws that are applicable to today's laws.
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Perhaps what needs to also be noted is the overall intent of the laws. In Leviticus 19:2, we read ?Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ?Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy." (NIV) The point of the law is to demonstrate God and Israel's holiness to the rest of the pagan world. The problem with this intent is that it is not represented in our modern civil codes where references to God are abhorred and entirely ignored. What then is the use of our civil laws? Though these laws may appear to make the environment ?safer? for us and our children, we must not be misled by this false assumption (there are laws that are not ?family friendly?, e.g. civil union rights). In the eyes of God, following the law is mute if our hearts are not right (c.f. Isaiah 1:11-17; Psalm 51:16-17). Therefore, it is the continued task of the believers to insist (and live their lives out) that the laws are based on something more fundamental and important - the recognition that God is holy and our response must follow accordingly.
leahc3
05-18-2007, 01:37 PM
Explain three applications of the Levitical laws for today.
Although many of the Levitical laws are unfitting for a society of separation between church and state, no part of God's word is invaluable to believers in understanding the heart of God.
1. The laws of incest are still applicable to day in order to maintain a family able to love without discomfort and tension due to sexual undertones.
2. The law of holiness or holiness code is still applicable to Christians as we are not to have any idols before the one true God.
3. The feasts are applicable (i.e. Passover and Yom Kippur) in that we can celebrate the fact that Jesus completed these sacrifices on our behalf as the Passover Lamb and our Atonement Sacrifice.
leahc3
05-18-2007, 01:41 PM
[quote=ITS]Explain three applications of the Levitical laws for today.
There are Leviticus laws that are applicable to today's laws. The laws of cleaniess can compare to our laws about medicine and disease. Also, the laws about childbirth can be applied to this.
God designed the laws of cleanliness to free His people from illness. They were then better able to travel to the Promised Land and conquer the areas that God instructed. Wellness also gave them a greater chance of survival while traveling in the desert. God still desires His people to be well enough to remain free from distractions in order to serve His kingdom in the world today. Illness does arise which God uses according to His plan, but he gives us guidelines in order to keep us better able to serve and worship Him with our whole self.
Jamba81
12-16-2007, 11:12 AM
Explain three applications of the Levitical laws for today.
One simple application is that God cares about the physical well being of his people as well as the spiritual well-being. One key component to these levitical laws is that they protected Israel from a whole host of physical diseases.
Another application of these laws is that we are to be distinct as God's people. Obviously, the church is not to be distinct in the same way as the nation of Israel was. We no longer have to keep the dietary laws, for instance. But the principle of being a people that are set apart (i.e. holy) for God still is true today for the church.
Also, the levitical laws on sexual purity remind us that God's plan for sexuality is the best plan. While most people today realize that having sexual relations with a family member is wrong, it is an important reminder that following God in this area is going to be the best for any individual. For instance, if everyone waited until marriage to enjoy sex, there would be no STD's, including AIDS/HIV. Can you imagine a world without those diseases? Yet God has provided a way to make that a reality; we as fallen people just want to follow our own way.
Jamba81
12-16-2007, 11:16 AM
The moral laws have not changed. Chapters 18 and 20 speak of moral laws covering incest, honesty, theivery, and idolatry. Our laws today cover these same laws. However, today our laws observe more religious freedom. The laws about religion are the main difference between today and the laws of the Leviticus days.
The same applies to blasphemy and murder. Today and Leviticus times, have laws that address these crimes. Murder is a punishable crime in almost all societies. Usually if one is charged with blasphemy they are either put to death or imprisoned.
This is important to note that we need to look for the moral law that is behind these ceremonial and civic laws that God gave to Israel as a theocracy ruled by Him. No other nation will enjoy that benefit, but the nations can enjoy the benefits and blessing in general that come from putting God's moral law into practice.
It is very important to draw a distinction between the difference between moral and civic laws. No nation can apply these OT laws directly to their nation as Israel did, because God has not promised to rule any other nation as a theocracy. Therefore, one must continue to look for the principle behind the laws and apply that to life today.
Jamba81
12-16-2007, 11:20 AM
1. The ten commandants are still in force today contrary to the practice of many. Of course, they are summarized later as "Love your Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strenght and love your neighbor as yourself.
2. While the letter of the law may not apply today, the spirit of the law remains in force. This applies to the distinction throughout Leviticus in particular between seperating the holy from the unholy.
3. There are many Levitical laws on the other hand that are still in force such as respecting the boundary lines of your neighbor's property, returning stray or lost animals or articles, not taking advantage of the poor, widow or orphan. The list could go on.
Yes, this is an important reminder again of the necessity to find the ongoing moral principle behind these laws and see how it applies today. Obvious life was very different for the nation of Israel and required specified directions that would not make sense or be useful for nations later on.
At the same time, if one does the work of proper exegesis to cull the moral principles behind these laws, one can apply several principles that will act for the good of the person or nation that puts them into practice.
Jamba81
12-16-2007, 11:26 AM
1) Levitical laws must continue to be read and examined in the church not for their adherence per se, but for their role as the precursor and pointing to Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:17; c.f. the Book of Hebrews)
We are to do this keeping ever mindful of Jesus? admonition of following the law and neglecting the obvious intent of the law and it?s priority (Matthew 23:23; c.f. Isaiah 1:11-17; Psalm 51:16-17)
This is an important point that Paul highlights in Romans, that the law shows us that we are unable to keep it all and that we have sin. Therefore, the law is like a tutor that leads us to our need for Christ.
Many people today follow pop culture advice or try all sorts of things to improve their life and deal with the issues that they face. Yet there is no ultimate hope apart from Christ, because only when we come to the cross and accept him does God's Spirit dwell within us and give us the power to truly change our lives. It is so easy for us to fall back into a pattern of just trying to be a good person. But to be a "good" person and not have the right spirit in that leads to legalism and not the abundant life Jesus promises (John 10:10).
Jamba81
12-16-2007, 11:32 AM
Although many of the Levitical laws are unfitting for a society of separation between church and state, no part of God's word is invaluable to believers in understanding the heart of God.
1. The laws of incest are still applicable to day in order to maintain a family able to love without discomfort and tension due to sexual undertones.
2. The law of holiness or holiness code is still applicable to Christians as we are not to have any idols before the one true God.
3. The feasts are applicable (i.e. Passover and Yom Kippur) in that we can celebrate the fact that Jesus completed these sacrifices on our behalf as the Passover Lamb and our Atonement Sacrifice.
Points two and three above are so central to how we are to understand these laws and how they apply to the believer today. These things were often types, or foreshadowings, to help us understand more clearly who Christ was. For instance, the passover and Day of Atonement are deep and meaningful pictures of the deep need for substitution for our sin and the height of sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf.
Also, the reminder about idolatry is key. Certainly some of these laws was to protect Israel from the idolatrous practices of the nations around them. We are no less apt to adopt the practices and priorities of the nations around us. How many people take their kids to soccer games on Sunday over church? How many people only give one or two percent of their income to God? This is not meant to be a legalistic finger pointing thing, but a reminder that we are to have a completely different mindset and set of priorities than the world around us, and we often don't. And we wonder why we seem to have such little impact on our culture and world at large...
breannaw
12-14-2008, 04:01 PM
Explain three applications of the Levitical laws for today.
I believe that there are many laws that still have valid applications for our lives today. Laws against murder, incest, and thievery are still enforced in our society. Although we do not have as strict of a set of rules as the Israelites had, we still follow the general commands that these are not acceptable. The second Levitical law that we still follow are the civil laws mentioned. As Christians, we do not celebrate the ceremonial laws, although some Jews celebrate them in memoriam, but the civil laws that are mentioned in Leviticus are still a part of our society. Finally, the call for the Israelites to be holy still applies to Christians. We are called to live a holy life with the model of Christ before us.
breannaw
12-14-2008, 04:57 PM
The same applies to blasphemy and murder. Today and Leviticus times, have laws that address these crimes. Murder is a punishable crime in almost all societies. Usually if one is charged with blasphemy they are either put to death or imprisoned.
I do not agree that blasphemy is punished as severely now as it was in the times of Leviticus. We do not see people being put to death or imprisoned because they committed this crime. If we were to be honest, many people commit blasphemy on a daily basis and we see that they are not held accountable let alone punished for it. One example of this is the fact that many people who take the pulpit feel as though they can say what they want without Scriptural backing or take Scripture out of context and make it what they want it to be.
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