Leviticus

1.       First Impressions

·         What do you see in this book that tells you about the original reader?

The book is written to all the Israelites in order that they may know what the laws and practices which God has given them are, especially concerning the priesthood. Due to the extensive details about sacrificing and information regarding the Levites and priests it is fair to say that this book would be really important information for Aaron, his sons and the people to follow them. These are the Israelites which have been led out of slavery in Egypt and have been learning more about God and His ways at Mount Sinai and God is now living among them in the Tabernacle which they built according to His specifications.

·         What do you see in this book that tells you about the author?

As a part of the Pentateuch, we believe that the author of Leviticus is Moses. There are many times when the text says that God told Moses… one can find examples of this in Leviticus 1:1; 4:1; 6:1, 24 and 8:1. According to ‘Nelson’s complete book of bible maps and charts’ it is stated that God imparted the laws to Moses fifty six times in the twenty seven chapters.

·         What are the main themes, and repeated ideas in this book, and what is a one sentence summary of the “main idea?”

The main theme of Leviticus is sanctification. Throughout the book God says that Israel is to be holy, because He their God is holy (Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2 and 20:8, 26).  All of the regulations given in Leviticus are to sanctify the Israelites so that they will be able to grow in closer relationship with The Holy God. In one sentence I would say you could summarize the main idea by saying: The rules given to the Israelites by The Holy God in order to sanctify them and make them holy and able to have relationship with God.

·         What is the primary reason this book was written?

The primary reason this book was written was for instruction. God wanted to give the Israelites instructions for their social and religious lives in order that they may be set apart as His holy people. In the Sourceview Bible it shows how in chapter 8:1 Moses sets the stage saying, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded us to do!” Throughout the book Moses writes of how God reveals His holiness and gives the Israelites guidelines of how to be holy as their God is holy in order to have close relationship with God.

2.       Theme Tracing

·         What does this book show about the character and nature of God?

Well, most clearly we see that God is holy (Leviticus 20:26; 21:8). Holiness is God’s nature, but it is also what he does.  He is just.  He SETS the standard and IS the standard therefore we see that holiness is the standard and yet we all fall short of it. . God requires His people, the Israelites and us under the New Covenant to be set apart for Him as holy. When one commits their life to God and  turns away from a sinful life having their sins washed away, he is not only justified, but also sanctified, i.e., made holy (1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:10, 14). The holiness of God is his perfection and wholeness and possibly on of the things He wants to reveal most about Himself not only through the book of Leviticus but though most of the Bible.

The second thing that stood out to me is that God is who He says He is; he is the God who gives identity. Over and over the phrases “I am the Lord” and “I am the Lord your God” is repeated.  (Lev 18:2, 4, 5, 6, 30; 19:2, 3, 4, 10,….) In chapters 18 and 19 I counted it 22 times! He is God and that fact alone speaks much! I also realized again the extent of God’s righteous anger towards sin. We see His wrath go out against Nadab and Abihu, His selected priests, in Leviticus 10:1-3 for their disobedience. Mostly though I am in awe of the holiness of God and the sacrifice needed to obtain the freedom we have to be in His presence today. That is love!

·         What does this book show about God’s redemptive plan for mankind?

There is so much symbolize in this book which points to Jesus. The text explains the sacrifices required to be in right standing with God.  God explains in much detail what is required of the Israelites in order to become holy and fellowship with God and through giving them all these instructions. He is redeeming them through sanctification. The sacrifices are not enough to permanently redeem all mankind but God takes the Israelites on a path where they can begin to understand the importance of holiness and this all works together in God’s overall plan to redeem mankind through the perfect sacrifice. There is prophetic significance to each of the 5 different types of sacrifices described in Leviticus (Burnt, grain, peace, sin and guilt offerings). For example with the sin offering (Lev 4:1- 5:13; 6:24- 30) we see in 2 Corinthians 5:21 how Christ was made sin for us.  

Not only do we see the prediction of Jesus in the Sacrifices but also in all the celebrations and festivals of the Israelites. The Passover is a symbol of Christ’s blood, shed in His crucifixion. In 1 Corinthians 15:20 there is reference to Christ being the first of the harvest of the Church, this references the Festival of First Fruits we are introduced to in Leviticus. Most of the festivals have New Testament significance as the sacrifices do. Through all of this we see how God’s redemptive plan plays out from the very beginning all the way through Leviticus to when Christ has come and much after that He continues to bring mankind back into relationship with Himself.

3.       Application questions

·         Personal application: The biggest things I have learnt and want to apply to my life center around identity and holiness. I mentioned before about the verses saying “I am the Lord your God” (Lev 18:2, 4, 5, 6, 30; 19:2, 3 , 4, 10). That statement carries so much power and I want to make that a part of my identity more than before. God is God; He is my God…end of story. I am a daughter of the Lord God. This means that whenever I feel small and insignificant I find my identity in my very LARGE God.

  God made His home among the Israelites in the tabernacle, in my life however He lives inside me. That is astounding to me; I am to be holy to honor the Holy God. The ‘bigness’ of the sacrifice needed to atone for all my sins is highlighted throughout Leviticus and brings so much thankfulness and joy to me in seeing what Jesus did.   

Then the final thing I realized in Leviticus is something so closely linked with God’s holiness and that is the fear of God. The fear of the Lord is the hatred of all evil. I think there are many times in my life where I compromise and thus do not fully hate evil and in the process I am not aware of the holiness of our great God. I can change this area by changing the small areas in my life where I compromise.

·         Point of Passion:

As we see God emphasize His holiness in Leviticus a specific principle started to stand out to me. As God is teaching the Israelites to be holy as He is holy, He is enforcing the “Do first then teach” principle. Doing things gives authority to our words when we teach them and increases the understanding of the specific thing being taught. This is an education principle which we see God displaying not only in Leviticus but throughout His Word.