The Lord always seems to have a lot more to say about how He will punish people and not how he will reward them.

Lev 26 has 11 verses about how nice the Lord will be to the people if they obey him. It also has 26 verses about the world of pain they will find if they disobey. He has five increasing levels of punishment, with the worst having the Lord stacking their dead bodies like cord wood while they are forced to become cannibals. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Favorite verse:

I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. (Lev 26:31)

As usual, it’s all about Him.

Leviticus 27 is a puzzlement. It appears that we have not just animal sacrifice, but human as well. You can redeem people promised for various amounts, depending on age and gender, and redeem animals and lands for various prices. But there are some promises for which there are no backsies, “but shall surely be put to death.” Why didn’t I learn about this in summer camp? Why don’t the rabbis and priests discuss this chapter more thoroughly? It’s like they don’t want people to know this is still a bronze age religion with bronze age morality.

Thus ends the Book of Leviticus. Tomorrow, we start with Numbers 1-2.