At first glance, it is tempting to skip Leviticus when reading the
Bible. It does not have riveting narrative like Genesis or Joshua, nor does it
give lofty inspiration like the Psalms or Ephesians.
Skip Leviticus? Don’t do it! The third book of Moses is an indispensable
part of the Bible: for starters, it is God’s inspired Word and profitable (II
Timothy 3:16). It is a revered book of the Scriptures, known as the Pentateuch
(Greek) or Torah (Hebrew), the five books of Moses. Furthermore, it gives some outstanding
typology of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Ultimately, it shows us the only way to have access to God. Therefore, it
behooves us to make it part of our study of Scripture.
NAME
The original Hebrew calls this book va-yeech-krah, meaning ‘And
he called.’ These happen to be the first three words of Leviticus in the
Hebrew Bible. The Talmud refers to this book as the ‘Law of the Priests and
Offerings.’ The ancient Greek translation of Scripture, the Septuagint (LXX)
calls it Leuitikon, meaning ‘pertaining to the Levites.’ The Latin
Vulgate gave us the name Leviticus. In reality, it speaks about only
part of the tribe of Levi, the House of Aaron, who held the priesthood.
AUTHOR
Moses. No less than 56 times in Leviticus does it refer to the law given
to Moses (e.g. 1:1; 4:1; 6:1,24). Jesus Christ speaks of Moses as the author of
the Torah (Matthew 8:2-4 cf. Leviticus 14:1-4; Matthew 12:4 cf. Leviticus 24:9)
and for believers His endorsement should settle the issue.
TIME
Israel stood at the foot of Mount Sinai. The first passover (Exodus
12:2) was the first month of the first year of the new calendar. The tabernacle
was finished one year later (Exodus 40:17). Leviticus commences in the first
month of the second year and Numbers begins the following month.
There is a logical progression leading to Leviticus.
Genesis: Man sins and falls.
Exodus: Man is redeemed and delivered.
Leviticus: Man is instructed about the only
worship that give access to the presence of God.
THEME
What is the only access to God?
Worship through holiness.
Leviticus teaches how a redeemed people are to worship and serve God. He
is holy and His people must be likewise. This holiness is undergirded by
sacrifice, a motif that appears regularly in Leviticus.
KEY POINTS OF LEVITICUS
What become obvious as you study Leviticus is:
God’s Presence: God wants to dwell
among His people;
Holiness: Only by being holy can people be
close to God.
Sacrifice for sin makes holiness possible:
without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:20)
Covenant: We do not have a de facto relationship
but de jure (according to law). Covenant, which means a binding
agreement between two or more parties, brings great benefits when the terms are
met; great disaster if violated.
Holiness is mentioned 152 times in Leviticus, which is 20% of all
occurrences in the Old Testament. Sacrifice, which makes holiness possible, is
mentioned 40 times; atonement 45 times, blood 85 times, and priest 190 times.
The emphasis here is unmistakable: God demands holiness as the price of
entering His presence and dwelling with Him forever. Without holiness no man
can see the LORD (Hebrew 12:14).
KEY VERSES
Leviticus 17:11 ‘For the life of
the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make
atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the
soul.’
Leviticus 20:7-8 ‘Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be
holy, for I am the LORD your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform
them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you.'
PORTRAIT OF CHRIST
In summary, you can find wonderful typology of Christ in the five
offerings, seven feasts, and the role of the high priest.
CHRIST IN THE FIVE OFFERINGS
Burnt offering: Where the sacrifice
is purged of sin. For Christ, the burning represents the unspeakable and
excruciatingly painful suffering He experienced at His passion, culminating at
the the cross.
Meal offering: This speaks of Christ’s
sinless person and work, a portion thereof was thrown in the fire.
Peace offering: This speaks of
reconciliation between a holy God and sinful humanity (Romans 5:1). This was
the offering between Laban and Jacob.
Sin-offering: Known also as the
guilt offering, this speaks of the Atonement that Christ procured for us. He is
our sin-bearer.
Trespass Offering: Christ atoning death
totally satisfies God’s righteous requirements. It restores the relationship
with God that was severed by Adam’s sin.
CHRIST IN THE FEASTS
Passover: This is clear enough. The
passover lamb was young, without blemish, and burnt after the sacrifice. Christ
is called our passover lamb: He was young, sinless, and His passion was like
fire. Yet because of His atoning death and shed blood, the death angel ‘passes
over’ all who believe.
Feast of Unleavened Bread: Israel’s
departure from Egypt was so quick, they did not have time to let the dough rise
in the bowl. ‘Leaven,’ though necessary for good quality bread, represents
pride and sin. During this feast, Israel eats only unleavened bread, known also
as matzo. This feast represents the holy walk that Christ modelled and God
calls us to.
Feast of First Fruits: This represents the
first evidence of harvest from the crops; once you see this, you know the rest
of the harvest is coming. Likewise, Christ is called the ‘first-fruits’ from
the dead (I Corinthians 15:20-23). His resurrection guarantees our own.
Pentecost: Known also as ‘Feast
of Weeks,’ this is an agricultural festival that also commemorates Moses
receiving the law on Mount Sinai. Likewise, this feast has a glorious New
Testament counterpart: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the followers of
Jesus in Acts 2. This is considered the birthday of the Christian Church. So as
the law given on Sinai brought bondage, the Holy Spirit poured out on Pentecost
in Zion gave power and liberty.
Trumpets: This is New Year’s Day and it is
ushered in by the sounding of the trumpets. It is also an autumn feast and
forecasts the final ingathering from exile of the children of Israel (Zechariah
14).
Day of Atonement: This is the most
solemn day of the year, the only authorised fast in the calendar (even though
Leviticus does not specifically mention fasting - it speaks merely of
afflicting one’s soul). This was the only day of the year that the high priest
could enter into the most sacred place on earth: the holy of holies. Christ,
our perfect atonement, has given all of us 24/7 access to the throne of grace
(Hebrews 4:16).
Tabernacles: This autumn feast
remembers when Israel dwelt in booths in the wilderness. Though not fulfilled
in the New Testament, it most likely will culminate at the second coming of
Christ.
High Priest: The line of Aaron,
brother of Moses, from the tribe of Levi, held the priestly office. Aaron was a
faithful but flawed figure. He contributed to the corruption of the golden calf
incident while Moses tarried on Mount Sinai. Furthermore, his sons, Nadab and
Abihu, offered unauthorised, strange fire before the LORD and were immediately
slain by God’s holy presence. Understandably, the surviving sons Eleazar and
Ithamar were reluctant to eat of the sin offering that followed for fear of
suffering the same fate (Chapter 10). They, and their father, were not totally
free from sin in order to eat the sin offering. Christ, who is high priest
after the imperishable order of Melchizedek, a higher lineage than Levi, offers
a perfect, righteous priesthood that ever lives to make intercession for us and
affords complete access to the throne of God.
OUTLINE
Part One: Access to God by Sacrifice
I.
Laws on how to approach
God (5 offerings) 1:1-7:38
II. Laws of the Priest (incl. strange fire 10) 8:1-10:20
III. Laws of Purity (food, childbirth, leprosy) 11:1-15:33
IV. Laws of Atonement (national, reverence for blood) 16:1-17:16
Part Two: Walk with God by Sanctification
I.
Laws of Sanctification
People 18:1-20:27
II. Laws of Sanctification Priest 21:1-22:3
III. Laws of Sanctification in Worship (feasts/priestly duties/blasphemy
dealt with) 23:1-24:23
IV. Laws of Sanctification in Promised Land (sabbatic year, Jubilee)
25:1=26:46
V. Laws of Sanctification though Vows 27:134
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