March 1 (Leviticus 21–22; Psalm 56; Luke 20)

Summary

Podcast Summary: Through the ESV Bible in a Year with Jackie Hill Perry Episode: March 1 (Leviticus 21–22; Psalm 56; Luke 20)
Release Date: March 1, 2025

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1. Leviticus 21–22: Upholding Holiness Among the Priests

The episode begins with a comprehensive reading from Leviticus 21–22, focusing on the stringent requirements placed upon the priests, the sons of Aaron. These chapters emphasize the necessity for priests to maintain absolute holiness, distinguishing them from the general populace to preserve the sanctity of their service to God.

Key Points:

• Holiness and Purity: Priests are instructed to avoid becoming ritually unclean, particularly in relation to death within their families. Only immediate relatives, such as parents, children, siblings, and virgin sisters, are permitted exceptions for becoming unclean (Leviticus 21:1-4).

• Physical Disqualifications: Any physical blemish disqualifies a priest from performing sacred duties. This includes conditions like leprosy, limb deformities, and other skin diseases. A priest with such defects may consume holy offerings but must abstain from approaching the altar to prevent profaning the sanctuary (Leviticus 21:16-23).

• Marital Regulations: Priests are prohibited from marrying women who are prostitutes, divorced, or otherwise defiled. Instead, they must marry virgins from their own community to ensure the sanctity of their offspring and avoid defilement (Leviticus 21:13-14).

Notable Quotes:

• "They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God." (00:45)
• "For the priest is holy to his God...he shall take a wife in her virginity." (01:50)

Insights: The meticulous regulations serve to underscore the profound responsibility priests bear in mediating between God and the people. Their personal holiness directly impacts the community's relationship with the divine, highlighting the interconnectedness of individual conduct and collective spiritual integrity.

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2. Psalm 56: Trust Amidst Adversity

Transitioning to Psalm 56, the episode delves into David's heartfelt prayer during a time of distress. This psalm is a poignant expression of trust in God despite relentless persecution and fear.

Key Points:

• Cry for Mercy: David earnestly pleads for God's mercy, reflecting his vulnerability and dependence on divine protection (Psalm 56:2-3).

• Acknowledgment of Enemies: The psalm vividly describes the intimidation and oppression faced by David, portraying his adversaries as relentless and unjust (Psalm 56:4-7).

• Unwavering Trust: Despite his circumstances, David's trust in God remains steadfast. He praises God's word and chooses not to fear the threats posed by his enemies (Psalm 56:11-12).

• Commitment to Vows: David reaffirms his dedication to fulfilling his vows and rendering thank offerings, demonstrating his unwavering faith and gratitude for God's deliverance (Psalm 56:14).

Notable Quotes:

• "I put my trust in you, in God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?" (07:35)
• "I will render thank offerings to you, for you have delivered my soul from death." (08:10)

Insights: Psalm 56 serves as a timeless testament to maintaining faith amidst trials. David's transparency in his struggles and his resolute trust in God offer profound lessons on resilience and steadfastness in one's spiritual journey.

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3. Luke 20: Jesus Confronts Religious Authorities

The episode concludes with an in-depth reading from Luke 20, capturing pivotal moments where Jesus engages with the religious leaders of His time. This chapter highlights Jesus' wisdom in addressing challenges to His authority and teachings.

Key Points:

• Questioning Jesus' Authority: The chief priests and scribes challenge Jesus, seeking to undermine His legitimacy. Jesus responds with astute questions that expose their motives, revealing their fear and hypocrisy (Luke 20:1-8).

• Parable of the Wicked Tenants: Jesus shares a parable illustrating the rejection and mistreatment of the prophets and ultimately Himself by the religious leaders. This story foretells the transfer of God's kingdom to others and serves as a critique of the leaders' failure to fruitfully steward God's vineyard (Luke 20:9-18).

• Payment to Caesar: Faced with a politically charged question about paying taxes, Jesus masterfully distinguishes between civic duties and spiritual obligations by stating, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." This response showcases His ability to navigate complex social and political tensions without compromising His principles (Luke 20:25-26).

• Resurrection and Marriage: When questioned about marriage in the resurrection, Jesus clarifies that earthly institutions do not apply in the afterlife. He emphasizes the eternal nature of God's kingdom and the resurrection, highlighting the transformative reality beyond mortal existence (Luke 20:34-36).

• Warning Against Scribes: Concluding the chapter, Jesus warns against the scribes' hypocrisy and greed, predicting their condemnation due to their exploitative practices and pretense of piety (Luke 20:46-47).

Notable Quotes:

• "I tell you by what authority I do these things." (08:35)
• "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (09:25)
• "Beware of the scribes...who devour widows' houses." (12:00)

Insights: Luke 20 encapsulates the tension between Jesus and the established religious order. Jesus' teachings and parables not only defend His authority but also reveal deeper spiritual truths about God's kingdom, justice, and the nature of true leadership. The interactions underscore the importance of integrity and the dangers of religious hypocrisy.

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Conclusion

This episode of Through the ESV Bible in a Year offers a profound exploration of biblical texts that underscore the themes of holiness, trust in adversity, and the confrontation between divine authority and human hypocrisy. By immersing listeners in the detailed readings of Leviticus, Psalm 56, and Luke 20, Jackie Hill Perry facilitates a deeper understanding of the Scriptures, encouraging personal reflection and spiritual growth.

Notable Overall Reflection: The episode intricately weaves together laws of holiness for the priests, David's unwavering trust in God amidst persecution, and Jesus' incisive challenges to religious authorities. This triad of readings offers a holistic view of maintaining faith and integrity in both personal and communal spheres.

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References:

• Leviticus 21–22
• Psalm 56
• Luke 20

Transcript

[Moses]

A reading from the book of Leviticus. And the Lord said to Moses, speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them, no one shall make himself unclean. For the dead among his people, except for his closest relatives, his mother, his father, his son, his daughter, his brother, or his virgin sister who is near to him because she has had no husband for her. He may make himself unclean. He shall not make himself unclean as a husband among his people and so profane himself. They shall not make bald patches on their heads, nor shave off the edges of their beards, nor make any cuts on their body. They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord's food, offerings, the bread of their God. Therefore they shall be holy. They shall not marry a prostitute or a woman who has been defiled. Neither shall they marry a woman divorced from her husband. For the priest is holy to his God. You shall sanctify him. For he offers the bread of your God. He shall be holy to you. For I, the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy and the daughter of any priest. If she profanes herself by whoring, profanes her father, she shall be burned with fire. The priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose, nor tear his clothes. He shall not go into any dead bodies, nor make himself unclean, even for his father or for his mother. He shall not go out of the sanctuary, lest he profane the sanctuary of his God. For the consecration of the anointing oil of his God is on him. I am the Lord. And he shall take a wife in her virginity, a widow, or a divorced woman, or a woman who has been defiled, or a prostitute. These he shall not marry, but he shall take as his wife a virgin of his own people, that he may not profane his offspring among his people. For I am the Lord who sanctifies him. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak to Aaron, saying, none of your offspring throughout their generations who has a blemish may approach to offer the bread of his God. For no one who has a blemish shall draw near a man blind or lame, or one who has a mutilated face or a limb too long, or a man who has an injured foot or an injured hand, or a hunchback, or a dwarf, or a man with a defect in his sight or an itching disease, or scabs, or Crushed testicles. No man of the offspring of Aaron.

[Aaron]

The priest who has a blemish shall.

[Moses]

Come near to offer the Lord's food offerings. Since he has a blemish, he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God. He may eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy and of the holy things. But he shall not go through the veil or approach the altar because he has a blemish. That he may not profane my sanctuaries, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them. So Moses spoke to Aaron and to his sons, and to all the people of Israel. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak to Aaron and his sons so that they abstain from the holy things of the people of Israel which they dedicate to me, so that they do not profane my holy name. I am the Lord. Say to them, if any one of all your offspring throughout your generations approaches the holy things that the people of Israel dedicate to the Lord while he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from my presence. I am the Lord. None of the offspring of Aaron who has a leprous disease or a discharge may eat of the holy things until he is clean. Whoever touches anything that is unclean through contact with the dead, or a man who has had an emission of semen, and whoever touches a swarming thing by which he may be made unclean, or a person from whom he may take uncleanness. Whatever his uncleanness may be, the person who touches such a thing shall be unclean until the evening. And shall not eat of the holy things unless he has bathed his body in water. When the sun goes down, he shall be clean. And afterward he may eat of the holy things, which, because they are his food, he shall not eat what dies of itself or is torn by beasts, and so make himself unclean by it. I am the Lord. They shall therefore keep my charge, lest they bear sin for it and die thereby when they profane it. I am the Lord who sanctifies them. A layperson shall not eat of a holy thing. No foreign guest of the priest or hired worker shall eat of a holy thing. But if a priest buys a slave as his property for money, the slave may eat of it, and anyone born in his house may eat of his food. If a priest's daughter marries a layman, she shall not eat of the contribution of the holy things. But if a priest's daughter is widowed or divorced and has no child and returns to her father's house as in her youth, she may eat of her father's food, yet no lay person shall eat of it. And if anyone eats of a holy thing unintentionally, he shall add the fifth of its value to it, and give the holy thing to the priests. They shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, which they contribute to the Lord, and so cause them to bear iniquity and guilt by eating their holy things, for I am the Lord who sanctifies them. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel, and say to them, when anyone of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the Lord, if it is to be accepted for you, it shall be a male without blemish of the bulls or the sheep or the goats. You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow, or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted, it must be perfect. There shall be no blemish in it. Animals blind or disabled or mutilated, or having a discharge or an itch or scabs, you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering. On the altar you may present a bull or a lamb that has a part too long or too short for a freewill offering. But for a vow offering, it cannot be accepted. Any animal that has its testicles bruised or crushed or torn or cut, you shall not offer to the Lord. You shall not do it within your land. Neither shall you offer as the bread of your God any such animals gotten from a foreigner, since there is a blemish in them because of their mutilation, they will not be accepted for you. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, when an ox or sheep or goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on, it shall be acceptable as a food offering to the Lord. But you shall not kill an ox or a sheep and her young in one day. And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Lord, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. It shall be eaten on the same day. You shall leave none of it until morning. I am the Lord, so you shall keep my commandments and do them. I am the Lord, and you shall not profane my holy name that I may be sanctified among the people of Israel, I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord. A reading from the book of Psalms to the choirmaster According to the dove of far off terebints, a mictim of David, when the Philistines seized him in gath. Be gracious to me, O God, for.

[Aaron]

Man tramples on me all day long. An attacker oppresses me my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly when I am afraid. I put my trust in you, in God, whose word I praise, in God I trust I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? All day long they injure my cause, all their thoughts are against me for evil they stir up strife, they lurk. They watch my steps as they have waited for my life. For their crime will they escape in wrath? Cast down the peoples, O God. You have kept count of my tossings. Put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back in the day. When I call this, I know that God is for me. In God whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise, in God I trust I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God. I will render thank offerings to you, for you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life.

[Moses]

A Reading of the Gospel According to.

[Aaron]

Luke One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the Gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority? He answered them, I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? And they discussed it with one another, saying, if we say from heaven, he will say, why did you not believe him? But if we say from man, all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet. So they answered that they did not know where it came from. And Jesus said to them, neither will.

[Moses]

I tell you by what authority I do these things.

[Aaron]

And he began to tell the people this parable. A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants, and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away. Empty handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, what shall I do? I will send my beloved son. Perhaps they will respect him. But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, this is the air. Let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours. And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others. When they heard this, they said, surely not. But he looked directly at them and said, what then is this that is written? The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces. And when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour.

[Moses]

For they perceived that he had told.

[Aaron]

This parable against them. But they feared the people. So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be sincere that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. So they asked him, teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or not? But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have? They said, caesar's. He said to them, then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they were not able in the presence of the people, to catch him in what he said. But, marveling at his answer, they became silent. There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife and died without children. And the second and the third took her. And likewise all seven left no children and died afterward. The woman also died in the resurrection. Therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife. And Jesus said to them, the sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. For they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised. Even Moses showed in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the.

[Moses]

Dead, but of the living, for all live to him.

[Aaron]

Then some of the scribes answered, teacher, you have spoken well, for they no longer dare to ask him any question. But he said to them, how can they say that the Christ is David's son? For David himself says in the book of Psalms, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. David thus calls him Lord, so how is he his son? And in the hearing of all the people, he said to his disciples, beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.