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I have been wrestling with the question of what the LORD requires of us.
I came across this verse in Genesis 1:28 and it hit me, How many ways are we as a culture trying to fight against this Command?
Then I looked closer and saw that it is not a command, per se, but rather it is a blessing and a calling for all of Humanity.
Or at least it was.
Then the world was broken because of our sin, and death entered, and then we had a problem.
Then I saw a connection between this passage and this week’s Torah portion.
So, I will try to piece this all together and hopefully leave you with some action items.
Made in God’s Image
Let’s start by reading Gen. 1:26-30
This passage encapsulates our perfect calling as humanity.
We were called:
To reflect the image of Adonai
To rule over the created creatures
To reproduce and fill the land
We were supposed to bring glory to Adonai through everything we put our hands to.
Just as the creation was a beautiful picture of peace and prosperity, so we were to reflect that in all that we did.
Adonai had entrusted humanity with the management of all that He had created.
We were not the owner, but were entrusted with the responsibility of management.
David said in Ps. 24:1-2
And finally we were called to have lots of children and to populate the Earth.
From this passage, we see that Adonai treats this as a great blessing.
Solomon wrote in Ps. 127:3-5
These three areas still reflect the original calling and blessing that is over all of humanity.
Unfortunately, all three of these areas of our calling were marred and defiled by sin.
Adonai’s Judgement of Adam
When we come to the judgements that Adonai meters out in Gen. 3 we find that, while the calling has not changed, it has now been made much more difficult.
Adonai dealt with each of areas of our calling and addressed it in reverse order.
In Gen. 3:16
Now the calling to reproduce would be painful.
Not only this, but instead of men and women co-ruling the world, as a result of sin, men would now dominate women.
Please understand that this is not the way it was supposed to be, but simply the way it was because of sin.
Next we see that the ruling over the created world would be a burden as it says in Gen. 3:17-19
Have you ever dreaded to go to work?
Work has become known as a four letter word, a necessary evil and something that is dreaded.
Maybe this is part of the reason why 20% more suicides occur on Mondays than on any other day of the week.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/aug/26/health.medicineandhealth1
Again, work was our calling, and was supposed to be the foundation of a fulfilling life.
Managing the planet, tending the garden, looking after the animals; these things were supposed to be a joy.
But now because of sin, the management had now becomes painful and burdensome.
The final judgement that Adonai placed on both Adam and Eve is explained in Gen. 3:22-24
Humanity was called to reflect the glory of Adonai, but reflect God’s glory we need to be close to Him, the source of life, love and light.
Now, because of sin, we were removed from the presence of Adonai.
And the further we are from Him, the worse it is, and the less fulfilled we feel.
We find ourselves walking in darkness, attempting to light our path by ourselves.
We attempt to love, but are so far from the source of love that we get in our own way and end up loving ourselves more than others.
We attempt to make a life for ourselves, but find that our lives become meaning less and unfulfilled.
So this is the problem of brokenness and misery produced by sin, that brings us to this week’s Torah Portion.
Substitutionary Atonement
There was one verse that I skipped over in Gen. 3:21 that is actually very important.
It represents the beginning of death in the world, and life-for-life substitution.
An innocent animal died, and literally covered Adam and Eve.
The word for covering in Hebrew is Kippur.
It is the meaning of atonement, to be covered.
The sin of Adam and Eve was covered by the death of an innocent life.
This week’s Torah Portion is Achrei Mot which means “after death”.
It starts in Lev.
16:1 where the passage starts, “Then Adonai spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, when they approached the presence of Adonai and died.”
The passage in Lev.
16 goes on to describe in detail the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur.
This was the one day in the year when Adonai would “cover” the sins of the nation through the substitutionary sacrifice of an innocent animal.
Adonai explains in great detail how the High Priest must offer a bull for his own sin, and then place the sin of the nation on 2 goats.
Lev.
16:5-10
Now the Rabbis of today would like to say that blood sacrifice is no longer required, but they can not point to a single passage of scripture where all of these commandments were done away with.
In fact the last verse of Lev.
16:34 says the following about Yom Kippur.
But the Torah Portion does not stop there.
Adonai goes on to describe some general commandments around offering blood sacrifices throughout the year.
Adonai then states an absolute principle of the need for blood to cover sin.
Lev.
17:11
This statement is central to the entire sacrificial system.
Blood makes atonement because of the life.
Life-for-life.
Sin must be dealt with, and when we break Adonai’s commandments, the penalty is death.
Death is separation from the source of life, love and light; separation from God.
And just like Gen. 1 dealt with humanity’s calling to reproduce, the Torah Portion in Lev.
18 goes on to describe may sexual relationships that are forbidden.
These forbidden relationships include: incest with your primary family, adultery, bestiality, homosexuality, marital relations with your wife when she is on her period, and child sacrifice.
Adonai then says this, Lev.
18: 27-30
So just like the land was cursed because of the sin of Adam, the Promised Land would become defiled because of all these sins, and would vomit Beni Yisrael out.
Now before we get to high and mighty, are we as a nation guilty of the same sins?
Deep down we know that these things are wrong, which is why we rename all of these sins and try to play a war or words.
We call it an Affair instead of Adultery, we say that someone is Gay (a word that used to mean happy) instead of calling the actions Homosexuality.
We say call it a “termination of a pregnancy” instead of saying that it is child sacrifice.
We allow the destruction of the world for the sake of economic progress.
There are even political parties that are running on the platform that every family should have 1 less child, because children are considered a burden.
No longer is Motherhood or Fatherhood considered as the most honourable calling that a person can have.
We are just as sinful today, as at any other time in history.
Even the war in Ukraine is just another example Cain killing Abel, brother killing brother.
In once sense, every war is a civil war between different family members.
Need for a Greater Sacrifice
Year after year the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of an innocent sacrifice to cover the sins of the people from the previous year.
And year after year the people of Israel would fall back into sin.
The story repeated itself almost every generation, from Egypt to the Wilderness, from the Prophets to the Kings.
This is why many of the prophets longed for a greater atonement, a greater cleansing of peoples hearts.
The prophets echoed the heart of Adonai who called for a greater cleansing.
Adonai spoke through Jeremiah saying, Jer.
31:30-33
The covenant had to be written on our hearts, but this covenant had to include a blood sacrifice that would cover all the sins of the people, not just once a year.
This is why Adonai speaks through Isaiah saying Isa.
53:1-12
We desperately needed a greater blood sacrifice, but there was no one who was perfect, and therefore there was no one who was qualified to pay our sin debt.
Mankind had sinned against God, therefore we were responsible to pay the penalty, but all of us, like the High Priest in Lev.
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