This series of articles will offer insights on Leviticus, on the Tabernacle, and on the relationships between the two. It will highlight patterns in these inspired texts, including detailed links between the literary structure of Leviticus and the layout of the Tabernacle, as well as relationships to other parts of Scripture. The primary texts of interest will be Exodus 25-40 and all of Leviticus. Unfortunately, people sometimes find these chapters difficult. I will do my best to make them interesting, because they are important.
Enjoying the Boring Parts of the Bible
I have known people who set out to read the Bible cover to cover, only to founder on the second “half” of Exodus and Leviticus. They turn off because they find these chapters dry, repetitive, difficult to understand, foreign, and tedious. In short, they find them boring. Philip Rosenbaum addresses this issue head on in an interesting book called How to Enjoy the Boring Parts of the Bible (Wolgemuth & Hyatt: Brentwood, Tennessee, 1991). He rightly points out, “We cannot fully understand the work of Christ unless we know the Law and the Prophets. He came to fulfill them. How can we know them, if we always skip the boring parts?” (p. ix). He writes, “Some people dismiss the boring parts as irrelevant sections of the Old Testament. I wonder how they account for the beginning of the New Testament, for the first twelve verses of Matthew are taken directly from Old Testament genealogies. Evidently God values every portion of His Word, even as Christ values every member of His body” (p. 1).
Rosenbaum states his purpose in this way: “This is a guidebook to that much-avoided desert, the boring parts of the Bible. It will help you to know the desert, to learn how to live in it, to enjoy its beauty, and to find its treasures… One purpose of this book is to bestow greater honor on certain parts of the Bible which have long been without honor. If we can enjoy ourselves in the process, so much the better” (pp. ix, 2). Although we would not agree with every detail of his expositions, there is no doubt his motives are good, his methods fruitful, and many of his specific suggestions worth considering.
It is my hope that this series of articles will fulfill the same goal, making Leviticus and the Tabernacle more enjoyable.
Leviticus in the New Testament
The importance of Leviticus is clear from its frequent citation in the New Testament.
Love thy neighbor. Perhaps the best known example is Jesus’ reference to “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Lev 19:18) as the second commandment. When combined with the first and greatest commandment, “Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deut 6:4, 5), Jesus says: “There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31); “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matt 22:40); “This do, and thou shalt live” (Luke 10:28). If there were no other example, this one alone would make Leviticus worth studying.
Be holy as I am holy. Peter challenges us with an exhortation based on the primary theme of Leviticus. The Spirit through him says, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1Pet 1:15, 16). Leviticus repeats this lesson several times (Lev 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; cf. 21:8). Again, Leviticus is the source for understanding the character of our Heavenly Father, our relationship to Him, and its implications for our behavior.
The man that doeth them shall live by them. Twice (Gal 3:12; Rom 10:5) Paul quotes Leviticus 18:5 in his arguments for including Gentiles into the family of God. The original context is the key to understanding its use by Paul:
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God. After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do: neither shall ye walk in their ordinances. Ye shall do my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the LORD your God. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD” (Lev 18:1-5).
The contrast is between the doings and ordinances of the land of Egypt and of the land of Canaan, which the children of Israel were not to do, and the LORD’s judgments, ordinances, and statutes, in which they were to walk. The principle is extended beyond Israel with the phrase, “which if a man do, he shall live in them”, where the reference to “a man” (anthropos, Greek) includes Gentiles as well as Jews. Gentiles, like Jews, must give up the ways of the Gentiles, and keep the ways of God. If they do, then they will live.
That this is the proper understanding of the passage is confirmed by the contexts of the quotations: “And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed… That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:8, 14). “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him” (Rom 10:10-12).
The Day of Atonement. The argument in Hebrews 9-10 draws detailed exhortations from the specific laws concerning the Day of Atonement described in Leviticus 16. As the high priest entered the most holy place every year through the blood of bulls and goats, which was a pattern of things to come, Jesus entered into heaven itself through his own blood. And by his blood we are sanctified, just as the tabernacle and its furnishings were cleansed by the shedding of blood, especially on the Day of Atonement.
Many more. It has been said that Leviticus is the seventh most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament. If we did nothing but look up these passages when they are referred to, we would do well. But to get a full understanding we need to understand them in their original contexts.
These examples show the key role that Leviticus plays in our understanding of fundamental principles. It is God’s book of ABCs to instruct us on His holiness and the principles of sacrifice essential to our approach to Him.
Christadelphian Books
Christadelphians have always been interested in Leviticus and the Law of Moses more generally. Here is a brief list of some of the literature we have on these topics:
- Robert Roberts, The Law of Moses, The Christadelphian: Birmingham, 1979 (first printed 1899).
- W.F. Barling, Law and Grace: A Devotional Study of the Law of Moses, The Christadelphian: Birmingham, 1981 (first printed 1952).
- H.P. Mansfield, “Leviticus” in The Christadelphian Expositor, Logos Publications: South Australia, 1978-1980.
- John Martin, The Schoolmaster: An Exposition of the Book of Leviticus, Christadelphian Scripture Study Service: South Australia, 2005.
- Michael Ashton, The Beauty of Holiness: God’s Call in Leviticus, The Christadelphian: Birmingham, 2007.
The Tabernacle
Exodus 25-40 divides into three major sections: (a) Plan for the Tabernacle (Exod 25-31); (b) The Golden Calf (Exod 32-34); (c) Building the Tabernacle (Exod 35-40).
The importance of the Tabernacle is emphasized from the outset: “Let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them” (Exod 25:8). The Tabernacle was to be God’s dwelling place in the midst of the children of Israel; He would “tabernacle” among them. More precisely, following the plans for the ark, mercy seat, and cherubim, the LORD tells Moses, “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel” (Exod 25:22).
Apparently, Moses had to wait till Numbers 7 for this to become a reality. That long, 89-verse chapter, with its twelve-fold repetition of the detailed list of offerings from each of the tribes for the dedication of the altar, concludes, “And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him” (Num 7:89).
Why the Detailed Repetitions?
The detailed plan given in Exodus 25-31 is repeated nearly verbatim in the description of the execution of the plan in Exodus 35-40. In The Law of Moses, Bro. Roberts summarizes the situation:
“Besides being shown the pattern on the Mount, Moses received very full specifications, which are twice set forth, first in a ‘thou shalt make’ series, and then in an ‘and he made’ series. He was fully informed by word of mouth of what was to be done in the construction, erection, and dedication of the tabernacle. And these detailed specifications occupy seven long chapters (Exod 25-31). They are so full and complete, in the first instance, that one would naturally have supposed that it would have been unnecessary afterward, to do more in the way of record than the addition of a brief statement to the effect that the work was performed according to all these directions. Instead of this, a very particular account is given in chapters 36-39 of every step in the execution of the work—almost corresponding item by item with the specifications. The two accounts are in many particulars nearly identical. The difference is chiefly in the tense of the verb. The one reads, ‘thou shalt make’ this, that, and the other; and the other, ‘and he made’ this, that, and the other” (p. 98).
From our modern ideas of literary style this is odd. Why does God repeat all these details? Here are three answers to this question.
God’s way of providing assurance. Bro. Roberts writes:
“Pondering whether there can be anything in this apparently needless duplication of details, we may note the Divine interpretation of doubling a matter in the case of Pharaoh’s dreams: ‘For that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass’ (Gen 41:32). We have already seen that the tabernacle was ‘a figure for the time then present’, ‘a shadow of good things to come’—therefore a prophecy in enigmatical form. It had a reference to something that ‘God will shortly bring to pass’. Therefore the thing, as a matter of record was ‘established’ in being doubled” (The Law of Moses, p. 98).
God’s pattern of purpose first, then realization. Bro. Roberts continues:
“There is also an observable analogy in the two sets of specifications to the two phases in which all Divine procedure towards man appears: first plan, then fulfillment; first command, then obedience; first prophecy, then history; first the Divine purpose unfolded in the Gospel and illustrated in the prophetic Scriptures; and then its realization in the setting up of the kingdom in due time, when there will probably be as deliberate an execution of the programme and as complete a rehearsal of the facts achieved as there was in the building of the tabernacle in harmony with the fully-recorded preliminary specifications” (p. 99).
Following the style of the day. Umberto Cassuto argues persuasively that such repetition was common practice in that time and place:
“The theme of the founding and building of a shrine was a stereotyped literary category in the early writings of the Eastern countries; and it was usual for such passages to record first the divine utterance describing the plan of the sanctuary in minutest detail, and thereafter to give an account of the construction, which repeated in identical or similar phrasing the description given in the divine communication. This is, indeed, only a specific facet of the general technique of repetition, which was dearly beloved of the writers of the ancient East. The literary tradition of the land of Canaan, which is continued in Biblical writings, is also fond of this practice. It will suffice to cite here one example from the Canaanite works found at Ugarit…[After giving the details, he continues]…precisely what we find in the present section of the Book of Exodus. In light of this style of composition, our section is not only not to be regarded as a later addition, but is required where it is, and, were it not here, we should have to assume that it was missing from the text” (A Commentary on the Book of Exodus, p. 453).
A Memory Device
A fourth reason may be the most important. Repeating the details is a wonderful way to help listeners remember what they have heard. It becomes etched in their memories. This is all the more likely because, in the case of Exodus 25-40, besides the details being repeated in the “thou shalt make” and the “and he/they made” sections, there are five further summaries of the tabernacle’s structure, making a total of seven!
- “Thou shalt make” (Exod 25-30): the detailed plan is given.
- “I have called Bezaleel…Aholiab…all the wise hearted…that they may make all that I have commanded thee” (Exod 31:1-11): the workers are provided and the plan summarized.
- “And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the Lord hath commanded” (Exod 35:1-19): after the episode of the Golden Calf, the summary is repeated.
- “And he/they made” (Exod 35:20-39:32): they execute the plan, building all the elements, with all the details repeated.
- “They brought the tabernacle to Moses” (Exod 39:33-43): the completed tabernacle is brought to Moses, with a repetition of the list of all the elements.
- “Thou shalt set up the tabernacle” (Exod 40:1-16): God tells Moses to erect the tabernacle, repeating the list again.
- “And Moses reared up the tabernacle” (Exod 40:17-33): finally, Moses rears up the tabernacle, repeating the summary given in the instructions.
Seven times we are told the elements, three times in the last chapter and a half. The intent is clear: we are expected to remember the components of the tabernacle and their relationships to each other. They are significant and we need to know them.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One