Days 24-25: Leviticus 1-8

I've fallen behind on reading/posting, so I want to try to post some of the chapters I've read, and I'll post my Exodus Reflection later.

Summaries:
God gives Moses instructions for the Israelites on how things are to be done, including holocausts, which involve a bull, sheep, or goat without blemish (1), cereal offerings, which involve flour, oil, and frankincense (2), and peace offerings, which involve an animal without blemish (3). Then Moses is instructed about sin offerings for various situations in which someone sins unknowingly and comes to realize it. These situations include for priests, mostly cases of ritual uncleanliness, for the community, for princes, for private persons (4), for special cases, including touching something unclean unknowingly, and for guilt offerings (5). Then the Lord gives Moses the ritual instructions for the daily holocaust, for the daily cereal offering, for sin offerings (6), for guilt offerings, and for peace offerings. Also, the Israelites are not to eat animal fat or drink animal blood, and the portions of the offerings that are to be kept for the priests are described (7). Then the ceremony of ordination is described, including Aaron and his sons putting on the sacred vestments and being anointed with oil, followed by a sin offering and an ordination offering, and Aaron and his sons must remain in the meeting tent for seven days (8).

Reflections:
Since Leviticus is filled with sacrificial and ritual laws, it's not going to be easy to summarize, so I'm going to be vague. Otherwise, I'd just be re-writing what's already written.

Leviticus is often a difficult book for people to read, and I can't say it's been a breeze for me so far. While it is interesting to see the customs, not just of the people, but from God, it can be difficult for me to relate to this. So far, I just feel that there is great reverence associated with public worship AKA liturgy, and it tends to be thrown out the window these days for the sake of just doing church the way that looks/feels/sounds good. We'll see how the rest of the book goes.