The People: Chapters 11-16 begin to teach us about God’s expectations for the Israelites and their foods, bodies, clothes, houses, contacts and them as a nation. God’s people must be a clean people.

Leviticus 11: Clean Foods

  • Verses 1-8: Land Animals
    • In verses 1-3 what was the rule on if you can eat a land animal or not?
    • In verses 4-8 describe the animals you could eat vs what was unclean?
    • With what you know about food today, why do you think these rules were made back then?
  • Verses 9-12: Sea Animals
    • What type of animals are clean and safe to eat?
    • What type of animals are unclean?
  • Verses 13-19: Birds
    • What birds are unclean?
    • What birds did you notice were not in the list?
  • Verses 20-25: Insects
    • What insects were unclean?
    • What insects were clean?
    • What happens if you touch a carcass of one of these?
  • Verse 26-46: Regulations for what is animals that die
    • What do you notice about these rules?
    • Do any of the rules seem outrageous to you? Why or why not?
    • With what you know about health and safety today, would you say these rules God gave made sense for back then?
    • What stood out to you in all these regulations?

Leviticus 12: Clean Bodies

  • Verses 1-4: Purification for woman after giving birth to a boy
    • What stands out to you in these verses?
  • Verse 5: Purification for a woman after giving birth to a girl
    • Contrast this to giving birth to a boy.
    • What do you think about or feel after seeing this difference.
      • Culturally it made sense back then, but today does it feel fair?
  • Verse 6-8: Purification sacrifice after giving birth to a boy or girl
    • What sacrifice is being brought to make her ceremonially clean?
    • Knowing what you know about this type of offering, what reason do you think this was the one chosen?
    • In verse 8 there was a provision made for a poor female, what was that provision?
    • What provision was made for us?

What have you learned about the characteristic of God in these chapters? Do you have a greater sense of who He is, or are you more confused by the types of laws they are given? What can you take away from today about how God wants you to live? What things is the Lord asking you to do in order to leave a clean and holy life before Him.

Today’s reflective question is: “When I am ready to confess in the presence of another person, do I know to whom I can go? If not, where can I find such a person?”