We’re nearing the end of Leviticus (only five more chapters to go!), and things are starting to look very similar. Many of these later chapters are repeats of earlier commands, but they build on previous concepts to explain the heart of the Law.
Deuteronomy will do this, too. That book is basically Moses’ last sermon to the people, but since it’s given forty years after the Law at Mt. Sinai and most people are familiar with the Law at that point, Moses explains some deeper components they might have missed.
That’s why we’re reading passages in Leviticus 22 about sacrifices, even though we’ve already read dozens of verses on the subject already. Tucked inside these passages are some verses that we might have overlooked if we’re not careful.
Like this one in Leviticus 22:28. There, Moses gives a prohibition against sacrificing the mother and the child on the same day. On the surface, that seems like a Law designed to prevent a very specific form of cruelty. Maybe even a testament to the love that God has for His creation (and we should have as a byproduct).
I’ve even read people explain this verse by saying that wiping away two generations in a single day prevents an entire family line from being wiped out. On that point though, notice that the Law doesn’t prevent sacrificing both, but sacrificing both on the same day. You can, however, sacrifice them in subsequent days.
Isolated by itself, this verse is part of a smattering of other verses that describe a powerful sense of compassion for the vulnerable. The Hebrew word for this is rahamim, and is seen as a natural counterweight to raw justice. Whereas someone could take or act according to what the Law says, rahamim forces the person to show mercy.
Think about this verse through the eyes of rahamim. Technically speaking, there is nothing wrong with sacrificing a mother and her child in the same day. Only this single verse prohibits it.
So why does God prevent it? Could it be that He understands the unique pain that can come from dying alongside your child? And—here’s the important part—could this verse be injected into the Law to teach His people the kind of compassion that He has for His creation, and that we should learn to have for each other?
Other verses demonstrate this same specific mindset as well. Deuteronomy 22:6-7 describe not taking the mother bird with her eggs if you come across a nest. You can take the eggs, but if you do, don’t take the mom, too. Other verses like “not boiling a goat in its mother’s milk” (Exodus 23:19) demonstrate this same principle.
As humans, we have complete dominion over the animals (Genesis 1:26). But that dominion comes with responsibility—not just to rule, but to love. To serve. To care for.
It’s the same type of responsibility that’s given to elders, parents, or anyone else that has a charge. You are in power, but you are to exercise that care with a compassion for people under you. This single verse in Leviticus, which most of us would overlook, teaches that.
