Levitcus

     Many people each year dedicate themselves to reading through the Bible, only to bog down and stall when they reach the Old Testament book of Leviticus.
     While Genesis and Exodus, for the most part, contain historical information that is easy to follow, Leviticus is primarily the presentation of numerous sacrifices and ceremonies required under the Old Testament law.  Levi was the tribe of priests, so Leviticus explains the duties of this group.
     It is unfortunate that many attempts to read Leviticus end in frustration, since this book has much to teach us.
     For one thing, Leviticus, like the other books of the Old Testament, has something to teach us about Jesus.  We'll talk more about this a little later.
     Another thing that Leviticus does is help us appreciate what is, or is not, required of us under the New Covenant.  A careful reading of this book makes us grateful, indeed, for the all-sufficient sacrifice of Jesus.
     One of the purposes of the Old Testament sacrifices was to point out the horrible nature of sin.  Would our lives be any different if we had to watch an animal die every time we committed a sin?
     Teaching us about sin was, in fact, one of the purposes of the entire Old Law.
     "I would not have come to know sin except through the Law;" Paul explains in Romans 7:7, "for I would not have known about coveting if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.'"
     Leviticus also reveals to us some of the nature of God.
     Jehovah is holy, as we realize from the fact that the word is used some 87 times in the book.
     "And you shall not profane My holy name," God orders in Leviticus 22:32-33, "but I will be sanctified among the sons of Israel; I am the Lord who sanctified you, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord."
     Since God is holy, those who approach Him must be holy.  The words "sin" and "uncleanliness" are used 194 times in the book.
     "You shall consecrate yourselves and be holy," God commands in Leviticus 20:7-8, "for I am the Lord you God.  And you shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you."
     There were at least five types of sacrifices practiced under the Old Law: burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace or fellowship offerings, sin offerings and guilt or trespass offerings.
     Instructions for the burnt offerings are given in the first chapter.  This involved a bull, a ram or a turtledove or young pigeon.  Usually, the poorer people were provided with the opportunity of giving a bird instead of the more expensive bull or ram.  The burnt offering was given as a voluntary act of worship, as atonement for unintentional sin in general, or as an expression of devotion, commitment and complete surrender to God.  The burnt offering is also discussed in chapters 6, 8 and 16.
     The second chapter tells about grain offerings.  This was a voluntary act of worship in recognition of God's goodness and provision.  It involved grain, fine flour, olive oil, incense, baked bread and salt.  One restriction given in verse 11 is that no leaven or honey could be used.  Chapter six also talks about the grain offering.
     The fellowship or peace offering is described in chapter three.  This voluntary act of worship, thanksgiving and fellowship involved any animal without defect.  Chapter seven includes various breads, creating a kind of communal meal.
     Sin offerings are discussed in chapters 5, 6, 8 and 16.  These were mandatory sacrifices offered in atonement for specific unintentional sins.  A young bull was sacrificed for the anointed priest or for the congregation.  A leader was required to offer a male goat, while other individuals were to give a female goat or a lamb.  God made allowances for the poor, however, and permitted the substitution of two turtledoves or two pigeons.  The Lord went even further in allowing an offering of flour for those who could not afford the birds.
     The guilt offering, explained in chapters five, six and seven, required a ram or a lamb.  This provided mandatory atonement for unintentional sin requiring restitution.  That which was taken through robbery, deception or extortion was to be repaid along with an additional 20 percent.  There is an interesting comment made in relation to this sacrifice.
     "Now if a person sins and does any of the things which the Lord has commanded not to be done," Leviticus 5:17 instructs, "though he was unaware, still he is guilty, and shall bear his punishment."
     Does God accept ignorance as an excuse when someone sins?

     A number of feasts and other holy days are presented in the book of Leviticus.  Most are mentioned in chapters 23-26 as well as in other passages.  The most common of these was the Sabbath, mentioned in chapter 23.  God commanded that the seventh day, corresponding to our Saturday, be set aside as a day of rest for both people and animals.  Instructions were given by the Lord for observing the Sabbath, and, unfortunately, Jewish tradition added many more as time passed.  Jesus frequently ran into problems with Jewish leaders concerning His activities on the Sabbath.
     As every seventh day was to be dedicated to rest, so also every seventh year was set aside as a year of rest during which fields were to be left uncultivated.  Following seven sets of seven years, the fiftieth year was designated a year of jubilee during which debts were canceled, servants were released and land was returned to the original owners.
     One of the most important annual  feasts was the Passover.  This involved every household slaying and eating a lamb along with bitter herbs and unleavened bread.  This was instituted with the last plague on the night before the Israelites left Egypt.
     On the seven days following the Passover the Jews observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread during which they ate bread made without yeast, refrained from work, presented an offering and participated in two convocations.  This was also related to the liberation from Egypt.
     Along with Passover and Unleavened Bread, this period included the Feast of the Firstfruits in recognition of God bounty.
     Fifty days after the Passover was the Feast of Weeks, also known as the Feast of Harvest or Pentecost.  We know from Acts chapter two that the church was established on this day.
     The nation of Israel was presented before the Lord on the Feast of Trumpets, later known as Rosh Hashanah.
     A few days later was the Day of Atonement, a day of rest, fasting and sacrifices offered in atonement for the priests, the people, the tabernacle and the altar.  Today we know this observance as Yom Kippur.
     Shortly after the Day of Atonement was the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths.  This was a week of celebration in memory of the journey from Egypt to the Promised Land.  It was also a time of thanksgiving for the harvest.  The day following this week was set aside for a sacred assembly.
     There are at least two more Jewish feasts added after the time of Leviticus.  Purim was a day of thanksgiving added following the deliverance of the Israelites through Queen Esther.  Hanukkah, the Feast of Lights, commemorated the purification of the temple and altar in the Maccabean period between the Old and New Testaments.
     In addition to guidelines governing the feast days, the book of Leviticus contains instructions for different kinds of purification.  It also gives various laws and prohibitions.  Some of the final chapters contain penalties for disobedience.
     As was mentioned earlier, the book of Leviticus contains several passages that point to Christ.  In fact, each of the five types of sacrifices corresponds to some aspect of the offering of Jesus.  Some of the New Testament passages that compare Jesus with Old Testament sacrifices include Matthew 20:28, Romans 3:21-26, 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Ephesians 5:2, Colossians 1:20 and 2:13-14, and 1 John 1:7, 2:2 and 4:10.
     The book of Hebrews is full of associations between Jesus and elements of the sacrificial system.
     "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come," Hebrews 9:11-14 states, "He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
     "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
     "For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins," we learn from Hebrews 10:4.
     "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all," verse 10 explains.
     "For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified," verse 14 notes.
     "Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers," 1 Peter 1:18-19 points out, "but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ."
     "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world," John the Baptist acknowledges in John 1:29.
     There is one more thing that we must notice before leaving the book of Leviticus.  In chapter 10 we find the story of Nadab and Abihu, two sons of Aaron.  God has given specific instructions about everything, including the kind of fire that is to be used for burning incense.  But Nadab and Abihu decide to do things their way.  After all, God won't mind, will He?  As soon as they offer strange fire the Lord sends out fire to consume them.  We should be careful when we listen to people today who tell us that God doesn't care what we do or how we do it.
     Ask Nadab and Abihu.  This kind of attitude can be spiritually fatal.  The religious world offers all kinds of strange fire.  But only the truth will set us free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.lockman.org)