Leviticus 21:1, “And THE LORD said to Moses, Say to the Priests the sons of Aaron and Say to them (Tell them) no one of you shall defile himself for the dead.” [OWENS translation, modified with emphasis]
When a statement in the Bible is doubled, as here, “Say and Say” (also translated as “Say and Tell” [Hebrew EMOR and VE’AMARTA]), it produces the effect of a Hebrew Infinitive Absolute—an EMPHATIC statement [such as in Genesis 2:16, “In the day you eat thereof you shall SURELY DIE”—HEBREW, MOT TA’MUT, “Dying you shall Die”]. When God tells Moses to SAY AND TELL the Priests that they are to avoid contamination by contact with the dead, he does so ABSOLUTELY—EMPHATICALLY. In doing so, God utterly and perpetually separates the people of Israel (by means of the Priests) from the culture of Egypt which was a cult of Death.
The world in which we live today is a cult of death. It loves death.^ The enthrallment with abortion on demand and the drive toward euthanasia are symptoms of thanotopic obsession.
But God’s people focus on life. And herein is the principle that cleaves contemporary society in two: those who are secular at their core are at diametrical poles—death and life—from those who are Biblical at their core. This sheds light on the Horse of Death with Hell following in Revelation 6:8, “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.^ And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”
This spirit infects humanity on numerous fronts. We can see its haunts even in grand-scale attempts to control human population. Therefore, when you see death at work in society, seek the Lord to deliver you from its influence.* For the practice of Death produces the living Hell of impoverishment and social chaos. [^Isaiah 28:18 with context; *Deuteronomy 30:19 with John 14:6]
Furthermore, I have good news for you. All attempts to wreak havoc in the world by people who have believed the lie that was sown in the Garden, the lie that produced Death in the human condition in the first place, the lie that we are our own god, the lie that sought to displace the Creator Who actually is God, all such attempts will end as every other one has ended. It will end in the trash heap of foiled plots to destroy what God has created and made in his own image and likeness. It will end in the disposal system of Divine Judgment while the People of God will move forward into the glorious realization of God’s love and provision. How do I know? Because “Death has been swallowed up in victory” with the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus! (1 Corinthians 15)
Therefore, look up! Our Father in Heaven intends that His People live and flourish in the world of His making, free from the contaminating influences of death. The Earth and all that is in it is God’s possession and He will not give it to a stranger. It is His Vineyard and He will not leave it to unfaithful stewards who abuse their privilege. Keep this in mind as you walk out the steps of your days. And let the Blessed Holy Spirit guide you, for he will always lead you into “The Way, The Truth, and THE LIFE.”
