The otherness (aka holiness) of the Kingdom of God can be a preservative for the world and an offense. Heaven’s messages and messengers can bring life-saving hope or abhorrent reminders of a life that’s being squandered. A key lesson from the Torah reading אָמַר Emor (“say,” Leviticus 21–24) is the ongoing and recurring work Heaven does through us by way of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ).
There’s a big difference between learning Torah on an intellectual level, through hearing lectures and reading books versus doing it in the real world.
In the Torah reading שמיני Shemini (“eighth,” Leviticus 9–11), ancient Israel high priest Aaron and his sons are taking what Moses has taught them about being their role in the Tabernacle and starting to step into the hands-on role. We have to do the same thing. It’s a good thing to read the Bible, listen to it being spoken, but then we have to actually do what it says before it can change us and make us who God wants us to be.
Amid all the instructions about “clean” and “unclean” foods in this passage, the underlying lesson is profound: It’s in God’s great mercy and love for mankind to lift us up from the mire we’re knowingly or unknowingly trapped in then set us apart to join Heaven in the restoration of the world (Eph. 2:10; 2Tim. 2:21).
Leviticus 19 is about God wanting us to be as holy as He is. If we couldn’t be holy as God is holy, God wouldn’t have told us to even try to be holy like Him. If it was utterly too difficult to do, He wouldn’t have told us to do it. This is not a random chapter, inserted out of the blue to dumbfound us. This isn’t merely a book of dos and don’ts.
Uncleanness is not a sin in and of itself. It’s a temporary state, not a permanent state. God shows here how to go from unclean to clean, not only of ourselves but of household items, clothing, etc. God is showing us how clean He is and how we are to become like him. This isn’t about “dos and don’ts” but because He wants us to be holy and to be His people.
Why is it that God specifically told Moses to write down these places? We may not have a complete picture of it but God did not ask Moses to write this down just for the sake of history. There’s a bigger picture to be found in the names of these places that Moses records and we endeavor to discover God’s picture.