Parasha Emor 5783

Me

This week we read Parasha Emor, Leviticus 21:1-24:23. Last week we read Parasha Kedoshim and what are called the Holiness Codes, these are commandments dealing with how the nation of Israel was to live their lives as righteous and holy, set apart from the nations around them. The reality is that the call to be holy was to serve as an example before the nations of what a godly life would look like.

In the same sense, Parasha Emor opens up with the Holiness Codes for the Kohanim. If the Tribes of Israel are called to be a light to the nations, as Isaiah proclaims, then the Kohanim would serve as the example for the Tribes of Israel. There is significant detail found throughout Leviticus 21 and 22 all about how the Priesthood would live their lives in order to remain righteous and holy to serve the nation of Israel.

Then, just after the chapters dealing with the priestly holiness codes we come across Leviticus 23, an entire chapter laying out the entire year’s worth of Moadim (appointed days). The passages begins with these words:

Leviticus 23:1–3 TLV

Then Adonai spoke to Moses saying: “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael, and tell them: These are the appointed moadim of Adonai, which you are to proclaim to be holy convocations—My moadim. “Work may be done for six days, but the seventh day is a Shabbat of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You are to do no work—it is a Shabbat to Adonai in all your dwellings.

The rest of the chapter discusses all of the Spring and Fall Moadim of Adonai—Passover, Bikkurim, Shavuot, Yom Teruah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot. Each of these Moadim come around once a year every single year. However, the entire chapter begins with the weekly Shabbat, which is the most important of all the Moadim.

Parasha Emor concludes with chapter 24 which opens with a discussion on the Ner Tamid and the Show Bread, followed by a discussion of the blasphemy of an individual within the camp of Israel and his death due to that blasphemy.

(Tell a story to setup the Sermon)

We

God

This Shabbat I want to focus on the tail end of the Parasha this week, particularly the discussion of the death of the guy that blasphemed the Name of God. As we dig into the text today I want us to keep this principle in mind:

Principle: As followers of Yeshua, we have received grace and mercy despite the eternal death we rightly deserve.

(Repeat)

Let’s dig into the text together this Shabbat.

Leviticus 24:10–12 TLV

Now the son of an Israelite woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among Bnei-Yisrael, and a fight broke out between the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man. The Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan. They put him in custody, until the will of Adonai could be declared to them.

(Expound)

In the Hebrew, the word translated as “blasphemed” is וָיִקֹּב Vayikov and is from the root word נָקַב Nakav which means to puncture, to pierce, or to perforate with violence. Aside from blaspheme, it may also be translated as bore or curse.

I want to note that I do not believe the sin this dude is guilty of is profanity, at least not in the sense that he was running around saying G D or something of the sort… His actions were in fact profane… But this idea of blaspheme here is way more than just a slur or cuss word… He cursed God… What exactly was said or what exactly he did, we do not know and the Torah does not clarify it… But, his words and/or actions cursed God, and in the essence of the Hebrew wording used here, he did or said something that came across as attempting to pierce or puncture the image of who God is.

Let’s continue—

Leviticus 24:13–16 TLV

Then Adonai spoke to Moses, saying: “Bring the one who cursed, out of the camp, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and have the entire congregation stone him. “Then you will speak to Bnei-Yisrael, saying: Whoever curses his God will bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the Name of Adonai must surely be put to death. The whole congregation must stone him. The outsider as well as the native-born, when he blasphemes the Name, is to be put to death.

(Expound)

Then this conversation on justice and restitution continues…

Leviticus 24:17–23 TLV

“Whoever mortally strikes down any man must surely be put to death. Whoever mortally strikes down an animal is to make restitution—life for life. If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done, the same is to be done to him: fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Just as he has injured someone, so it shall it be done to him. “Whoever kills an animal is to make restitution, but the one who kills a man is to be put to death. You are to have one standard of justice for the outsider as well as the native-born, for I am Adonai your God.” So Moses spoke to Bnei-Yisrael, and they led the one who had cursed out of the camp, then stoned him with rocks. Thus Bnei-Yisrael did as Adonai commanded Moses.

(Expound)

I want you to catch verse 22 again…

Leviticus 24:22 TLV

You are to have one standard of justice for the outsider as well as the native-born, for I am Adonai your God.”

(Expound)

I am going to simplify this discussion on blaspheme against God a little bit here… Because I think we often take for granted the many things we may do on a regular basis that could be concluded as blaspheme, at least in God’s eyes…

—Sin is anything we do that damages the image and likeness of God in which we were created, and as followers of Yeshua in which we’ve been recreated.—

And the root word Nakav directly translating as “to pierce or to puncture” is so vitally important for us to grasp, especially in considering my core definition of sin as mentioned a moment ago. Think about what we read in Isaiah 53:4-7

Isaiah 53:4–7 TLV

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our pains. Yet we esteemed Him stricken, struck by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our transgressions, crushed because of our iniquities. The chastisement for our shalom was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. We all like sheep have gone astray. Each of us turned to his own way. So Adonai has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted yet He did not open His mouth. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, like a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

(Expound)

Principle: As followers of Yeshua, we have received grace and mercy despite the eternal death we rightly deserve.

(Expound)

John 8:2–7 TLV

At dawn, He came again into the Temple. All the people were coming to Him, and He sat down and began to teach them. The Torah scholars and Pharisees bring in a woman who had been caught in adultery. After putting her in the middle, they say to Yeshua, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of committing adultery. In the Torah, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?” Now they were saying this to trap Him, so that they would have grounds to accuse Him. But Yeshua knelt down and started writing in the dirt with His finger. When they kept asking Him, He stood up and said, “The sinless one among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

(Expound)

Principle: As followers of Yeshua, we have received grace and mercy despite the eternal death we rightly deserve.

(Expound)

Ephesians 2:1–10 TLV

You were dead in your trespasses and sins. At that time, you walked in the way of this world, in conformity to the ruler of the domain of the air—the ruler of the spirit who is now operating in the sons of disobedience. We too all lived among them in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind. By nature we were children of wrath, just like the others. But God was rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Messiah. (By grace you have been saved!) And He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua— to show in the olam ha-ba the measureless richness of His grace in kindness toward us in Messiah Yeshua. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not from yourselves—it is the gift of God. It is not based on deeds, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship—created in Messiah Yeshua for good deeds, which God prepared beforehand so we might walk in them.

(Expound)

Romans 6:15–22 TLV

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that to whatever you yield yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves to what you obey—whether to sin resulting in death, or to obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching under which you were placed; and after you were set free from sin, you became enslaved to righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you yielded your body parts as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness, so now yield your body parts as slaves to righteousness, resulting in holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free with regard to righteousness. So then, what outcome did you have that you are now ashamed of? For the end of those things is death. But now, having been set free from sin and having become enslaved to God, you have your fruit resulting in holiness. And the outcome is eternal life.

(Expound)

Principle: As followers of Yeshua, we have received grace and mercy despite the eternal death we rightly deserve.

(Expound)

Micah 7:18–19 TLV

Who is a God like You pardoning iniquity, overlooking transgression, for the remnant of His heritage? He will not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion on us. He will subdue our iniquities, and You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

(Expound)

You

We

If our worship team will make their way back up to the stage.