Leviticus

Contents of Leviticus

Chapters 1-5: The main offerings (burnt, meal, peace, sin and trespass) are detailed along with appropriate instructions for the priests and the of­ferer.

Chapters 6-9: Specific details of other offerings are described, followed by a summary of the ceremony in which Aaron and his sons were installed as priests.

Chapter 10: Nadab and Abihu are slain for offering strange fire.

Chapters 11-25: Many religious, moral and social laws are recorded. In the midst of this section, the day of atonement is described.

Chapters 26-27: Blessings for obedience, cursings for disobedience and regulations concerning vowed offerings complete the book.

Be holy as God is holy

Holiness is the major theme of Leviticus and the Hebrew root for “holy” is mentioned over 150 times. The essential idea of “holy” is to be set apart or to be separate.

God is “holy” in that His majesty and might set Him apart from all other “gods.” Clearly, He is a God we should worship, “For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God…”

Besides being holy Himself, God demands that those who serve Him be holy: “Ye shall be holy for I am holy” (11:44,45; 19:2; 20:26). God initiated the separation of the nation of Israel by removing them from Egypt. As He explains: “…Ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine” (20:26). When we begin to worship God in holiness, we must separate ourselves from the false worship or evil habits that are repulsive to the Lord. Paul exhorts us: “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (II Cor. 6:17).

After the Exodus, God charged the children of Israel to become “a king­dom of priests, and an holy nation” (Ex. 19:6). In the New Testament, the apostle Peter applies this quotation to the saints. He refers to them as “a royal priesthood, an holy nation” (I Pet. 2:9). The lessons found in Leviticus are especially valuable for us. By worshiping God and obeying His commandments, the separation (holiness) He has demanded will eventually be ours.

A nation of priests

Many of the laws of sanctification presented in Leviticus provide instruction so all Israelites could fulfill their priestly call. While her national neighbors were steeped in idolatry and selfish living, God desired Israel to rise high above this low standard. If the Israelites were to instruct other na­tions in righteousness, the teachers had to be holy themselves. All the people, whether members of the tribe of Levi or of any other tribe, were expected to know and to keep the laws of the Lord. If they did so, they would become a holy nation capable of reforming one nation after another, unto the ends of the earth.

As we know, this did not happen.

Iniquity was emphasized

The various offerings described in the opening chapters underscore that our personal transgressions are not a trivial matter to God. The children of Israel were instructed to avoid iniquity. In some cases, when they failed, an offering could be made. The nature of the sacrifices, however, pointed forward to the better sacrifice that was to be provided by God through His Son (Heb. 9:23,26).

While forgiveness is possible, we should never forget the exhortation to holiness contained in Leviticus. As Paul says, it is only our “reasonable service” to “present our bodies a living sacrifice” (Rom. 12:1).

Israel’s neighbors, like many of today’s society, were largely unconcerned with their sins. The very “worship” that the Canaanites offered their gods involved the worshipers in sinful acts. For an Israelite to practice the Canaanite religion would serve only to increase his sins. At a Canaanite shrine, the motivation for giving an offering was merely to receive a material favor such as more abundant crops or victory over an enemy. Sometimes these vile gods were even offered a human sacrifice to induce their favor (Lev. 18:21).

Forsaking lasciviousness

The social laws presented in Leviticus show that the Lord is a loving and merciful God. While the Canaanites were steeped in indiscriminate sex, God’s desire was to restrain Israel from falling into such depravity. Their long sojourn in Egypt had exposed the people to many wicked practices which was demonstrated by how quickly many defiled themselves (18:3; Ex. 32:4-6; Acts 7:39-43; I Cor. 10:7,8).

God’s prohibitions give an indication of the extent of the breakdown in Canaanite society (18:22, 23, 28). It seems that even close family ties were no longer a barrier to casual sexual encounters. If Israel was to be holy, they could not participate in such actions, nor can we.

Setting a high standard

In addition to prohibitions, Leviticus sets forth many statutes designed to elevate Israel’s family and social life. While the Egyptian and Canaanites allowed the passions of an individual to cheapen family ties (Lev. 18:7-­16), God commanded the Israelite to respect his parents and all the elderly among his associations. Even foreigners, who were susceptible to being abused because of being in a strange setting, were to be treated well (19:3,32). In fact, the commandment, “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’ comes from Leviticus (19:18).

God’s concern for the disadvantaged is shown repeatedly in the benevolence of His laws. Edges of a field were not reaped and vineyards were not gleaned so the poor and the stranger could obtain food and maintain their independence. The graciousness of God is reflected in His laws; by obeying them, we thus become more like our Heavenly Father and are set apart from the cruelty and selfishness that can dominate human society. Of course we must now discover and practice the modern equivalent to these ancient agricultural provisions if we are to help the poor and needy of our time. Paul writes: “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Eph. 4:28).