Guilty before proven guilty. Leviticus 1 - 5.

I hate rules. They seem to kill the question "why", a word of which I am very fond (don't ask me why.......*ahem*........). So it was difficult to start Leviticus without thinking it's anything more than a trudge through tons of boring "Simon says" instructions. But to my surprise I have got something out already - the introduction by Eugene Peterson! You'd have to read it yourself, but “A detailed and meticulous preparation for living “holy” in a culture that hasn’t the faintest idea what “holy” is.” seems like a great start to understanding the context of this book.

And another thing - we tend to look at right and wrong as external things that we're simply measured against, but even in this book of rules it seems to me that intent is more important. If you don't realise you're breaking one of the commandments, you're not guilty even though you are (Chapter 5; 17-19). Or have I misunderstood?

Moses builds the temple: The last chapters of Exodus.

One short observation on the end of Exodus: The nature of the offerings the Israelites gave in order to build the temple. Firstly, the were voluntary (Exodus 35: 5 - 9) and secondly they were told to stop giving when there was enough to finish the task (Exodus 36: 6 - 7). I had a quiet chuckle wondering when I had last heard of a church that asked people to stop giving!

Next stop: Leviticus. Oh boy.