Leviticus

What do you see in this book that tells you about the Original Reader?

      The Israelites during the time Leviticus would have been read to them didn't know how to worship God. They knew what nations around them did but this book explains for them how to worship God. They also learn how to approach God. They had never before been in the presence of God like this before and they didn't know how to dwell in His presence. God told them how, who, where to worship. God teaches them how to be set apart from what they knew to be normal. The original readers would have only known the customs of the people around them but Leviticus guides them into a new way of living. To be holy and set apart from everyone around them.

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

      We know the author of this book to be Moses. He was excited about all that God was sharing with His people. In Lev 8:5 Moses says, “This is what the Lord has commanded us to do!” Right after he said this he washed Aaron and his sons feet and put an official tunic on Aaron. He got right down to business and it seems to me he was excited about all that God was sharing. Reading over the places where Moses spoke I'm finding that he understood what God was doing. He understood that God was pushing for holiness in Lev 10:3. Lev 16:34 says that He was completely obedient to what God had asked. He also was not in shock when God punished those who did not do what God had commanded.

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

      There are a bunch of repeated ideas in Leviticus. Cleanliness is huge. Both ceremonially clean and unclean. Other things God mentions similar to that were defiled, purify, and holy. Holiness is huge for this book. God was teaching the Israelites how to be holy and how to be set apart. God was teaching them that He is holy and how they can be holy. He was teaching them about purification and atonement. Two repeated ideas in Leviticus. Do not are two words that show up all over as God is teaching His people how to be set apart from the other nations around. He continually tells the Israelites that He is the Lord and the Lord their God. He makes it clear that He is for them and with them. He also makes it clear that if they perform the sacrifices correctly and with the right heart they will be a pleasing aroma to Him. God would be satisfied with their sacrifices as a cover for their sin. It was pleasing to Him when the did what He commanded them to do.

Summary: Leviticus is about God revealing himself and teaching Israel how to worship God.

What is the primary reason this book is written

      The primary reason this book was written was to teach the Israelites how to come to God and how to worship Him. Most of the book is the words of God. He teaches them all that they need to do to meet with Him and make atonement for their sin. The process is intricate and God is very specific in what He asks, but it is all for the Israelites to know how to live with His presence. In the second half of the book God explains about the do's and don'ts of living as His chosen people. He teaches them about holiness and living lives different than what they knew before. The purpose of God being so detailed about all of this is so that they can live with the presence of God in their midst. God made it clear that it was a big deal that He lived among them. By giving such detailed instructions and having such high punishments for disobedience. God wanted to make it clear what He expected of His chosen people now that they were moving towards entering the promised land.

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

      Leviticus tells us that God is very serious about sin and disobedience. After He kills Aaron's sons Moses says in Lev 10:3, “This is what the Lord meant when he said, I will display my holiness through those who come near me, I will display my glory before all people.” Sadly for Aaron's sons, that meant the penalty of death for God to display His holiness. God distinguishes between what is sacred and what is common in Lev 10:10. God is holy and commands the Israelites to be holy by obeying His commands in Lev 11:44. God is serious about making a distinction between Him and the gods of the land. He wanted to be sure that His name was known to be greater than the gods in the land and didn't want any shame to be brought to His name in Lev 18:21 by the sacrificing of children to Molech. All of chapter 25 shows how God cares for the poor. He gives those who have lost their wealth a way to get it back by instituting the year of Jubilee. It's His way of making life work for the people of Israel so that the poor are not hopeless.

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

      I found quite a few things that hint at God's redemptive plan. One that I thought was cool that only gives a small picture of what is to come is the scapegoat talked about in Lev 16:22. The sin of the people was transferred to the goat and the goat ran off with it. I thought it somewhat resembled what Christ has done for us. He took on our sin and defeated death and hell. The difference with Jesus is He came back haven fully cleansed us from our sin. I thought it was interested how in Lev 17:11 God says that, “the life of the body is in its blood.” The blood of the animals is what covered sin and the blood of Jesus is what cleansed us from our sin. In Lev 21:17-23 we see that nothing with defect could be offered to God as a sacrifice for sin and Jesus died on the cross as a perfect, sinless man. God always demands a spotless animal to be sacrificed and the atonement for sin took a spotless man to take our sin for us. The first 16 chapters of Leviticus talk about the sacrifice for sin and all that it entailed. Chapters 16-27 show what it means to live a sanctified life. The process of sacrificing sin is a quick thing, but the process of becoming holy to the Lord is a lifetime thing that is only perfected in us once we enter into eternity.

Personal Application

      What I got most out of reading this book and listening to lecture was going through the answer of “Why Sacrifice?” It reveals God's character, it reveals God's detest for sin, it reveals God's desire to see man forgiven, and it reveals God's desire to win our hearts, not just our actions. I wouldn't have got this from this book on my own, but I find it very interesting. I asked that question myself. Why go through all of this? Why have so much sacrifices and procedures? Today I understood much more of the why. God didn't just put this in place to make life hard. He did it to give man a way of meeting with Him, of living with His presence. We sing songs like, “I love I love, I love your presence.” Well the Israelites lived with His presence, but it took a big process of being clean and holy before the Lord so that He could live with them. It just made me think and ask what I am doing to allow the presence of God to live with me. Of course things are different and I have the Holy Spirit in me, but am I living in a way that allows the Holy Spirit to work in me. Am I setting myself apart, am I clean and holy before the Lord. Just because times are different doesn't mean God is different. He still longs to be present where the pursuit of holiness is present. I have to ask myself if I am pursuing holiness or if I'm pursuing being better than the next guy. Am I longing to be set apart or am I okay with just being a little different. The people of Israel had to go to extreme lengths to be set apart and I think God would be please if I at least gave it some thought as to how I was living and how it honors or dishonors Him. I can at least give it a thought and some careful attention to see if God has something in store for us in this book. If God knew that we too would need to know what it meant to be set apart. In a culture where we are all supposed to except one another and be relevant, is God pleased? I guess my personal application is more of some questions to think about. Maybe its time for us as Christians and me as an individual to ask God what it means to be set apart. What His desire is for His people so that He can dwell with us and move in us unhindered.