Leviticus

The book of Exodus contains the first of God's laws for the Jews. The laws are about their worship. And the book of Leviticus deals with the same important subject. But it gives us more details about worship.

Leviticus describes sacrifices or offerings. There was a whole system of sacrifices. The book also gives ‘types’. Another word for type is ‘sign’. A sign points to something. So, the Jews’ sacrifices were types. They pointed to Christ. His death was a sacrifice. But it is much better than the Old Testament sacrifices. Christ's sacrifice (death) is sufficient. It is enough for everyone. And its effects remain forever.

The title of the book comes from ‘Levi’. This was the name of Jacob's third son. The people of this family were always priests. They had a name. They were called ‘Levitical priests’. Their job was special. They cared for the Tabernacle. In later years, they would care for the temple.

Offerings (Chapters 1-7)

[Note: An offering is something that a person gives to God. It can be anything (Psalm 51:17). In Old Testament times, it was usually an animal or a bird. The person might want to say ‘Sorry’ or ‘Thank-you’ to God. A sacrifice is another word for an offering.]

Leviticus begins with a demand. A person must give himself or herself entirely to God.

‘Burnt’ offering (1). This means the sacrifice that people burned. Sometimes, the priests would keep part of an offering (2:3). But the ‘burnt’ offering was different. All of it was for God only.

Grain offering (2). This offering was to show that all work should be for God. It also showed that all service should be for God. (These things should be true about us today too.)

Peace offering (3). This offering was about relationships with other people. It ended with a special meal. It was a covenant meal. A person ate it with his or her friends (7:13-15). It expressed grateful thanks to God (7:12). Someone might also make a special promise to God. Then that person did the thing that he or she had promised. And this offering marked that moment (7:16).

Sin offering (4). This made God's people certain about something wonderful. It was this. They could be sure that God would forgive their sin. This offering was for wrong actions against God. Perhaps they did something wrong. But they did not realize that it was wrong. And this offering showed that God forgave that sin. But sin is a serious matter. Someone might know that something was a sin. He might still choose to do it. But he would know that he was doing wrong (Numbers 15:30). And the Jews did not have a sacrifice for this kind of sin.

Trespass (guilty man) offering (5). This brought pardon for sins against people. Here are some examples. There was an argument. Someone might refuse to be a witness. Therefore, he did not speak for what was right. So he was guilty (5:1). There were financial sins. Someone might steal money. He might lie about it. He might cheat someone (6:2, 3). When any of these things happened, he must act. He must return the total. He must pay the full price. Then he must also pay an extra amount (6:5). There was no easy way to avoid punishment. A Jew's religion was very practical.

[Note: ‘He’ refers to men and women.]

There are more details about these five offerings or sacrifices. They are in 6:8-7:38.

Priests (Chapters 8-10)

The book of Leviticus now deals with the people who offered sacrifices. Moses appointed the priests. He did this in front of the people (8:4-35). So now, everyone knew the group of priests. The people recognized that the priests’ job was holy. (Read 2 Chronicles 26:18.) After this, the priests dressed in their special clothes. And Moses put oil on them (8:5-13). Oil showed that they had special work to do.

At this time, something else happened. Moses put blood on three places. It went on each priest. It went on his right ear and his right big finger. It also went on his right big toe. Blood was a sign. The sign was about a person becoming clean. This was not about cleaning from ordinary dirt. It was about becoming clean from sin.

There is a message here for every Christian. This is because every Christian is a priest. Each one is a priest for God's kingdom. Read 1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6 and Isaiah 61:6.

We can be clean from sin. Christ's death makes this possible. And this fact should affect:

  • What we hear. The priest is a teacher (10:11. Read Deuteronomy 24:8 and Malachi 2:7 too.) So, he concentrates on good things. He listens to good things from God. He does not concentrate on bad things from man.
  • How we work. This is important. It is about the service of our hands. Our work can be a sacrifice to God. Remember 3:17 and Chapters 23-24.
  • Where we walk. This is about our daily lives. We know that God forgives us. And there is a prayer that we should pray. We should pray that he will keep us in his way. (Read Psalm 1:1 and Psalm 37:23-24.)

Notice something important. The priest must put his own friendship with God first. Then he can give proper care to other people. (9:7 says, ‘for yourself and the people’.) First, a priest fills his hand with gifts for God (9:17). Then, he can lift up his hand and bless the people (9:22).

The story in chapter 10 is a serious one. It warns about a danger. It is about a way that someone might serve God. Someone might be proud. He might think that he knows best. So his service for God is what he wants. It is not what God wants. Nadab and Abihu were like this (10:1).

Some people have an idea. There is a command about alcohol (10:8-9). This may suggest something about these two careless men. Perhaps they were drunk when they sinned. This idea is possible. We do not know if it is true. But there is something definite. It is this. Priests’ moral lives must be different from other peoples’ moral lives. That is the only way that they can be good teachers. ‘There are things that are holy. There are things that are not holy. And you must make a clear difference between them… You must teach’ (10:10-11).

Rules (Chapters 11-27)

These chapters have rules. They are about many different matters. And they contain detailed instructions. There are religious things. There are moral things. There are social things. And these chapters discuss them all. Jews believe that there is a connection between all these things. So, Jews believe that people should not separate them.

Food and health (11-15). There are laws about what to eat (11). Rules about birth follow (12). There are rules about skin diseases too (13-15). The priest was a public health officer. And this was normal in Hebrew (Jewish) society. (Compare Leviticus 14:2, 33-57 and Luke 17:14.)

Right sacrifice and wrong sacrifice (16-17). Chapter 16 speaks about a very special day. It was the Day of Atonement. The chapter describes why it was so special. And it still has importance today. The special day shows something wonderful. God and man can come together. The ceremony used two goats. And each goat was a sign. One of the goats was for a sin offering. And the priest sent the other goat into the desert. This was a sign to the people. Their sin was gone. (16:8-10, 21-22. Compare John 1:29 and 1 Peter 2:24.)

The next chapter warns about wrong sacrifices (17:3-4). There is a reason for this. It was to prevent a danger. And the danger was this. The people might sacrifice to other gods (17:7).

Wrong sex and generous giving (18-20). There are rules against wrong sex. (One example is 18:20.) But notice what is next to them. It is something very practical. It is about care for those who need help. (Read 19:9, 13, 14 and 33. There are other verses about this too.)

Priests and feasts (21-24). These chapters describe the main rules for priests. There are details about the Sabbath. They also give rules for four feasts. There are the feasts of Passover and Pentecost. And there are the feasts of Atonement and Tabernacles. Read these chapters. And you will discover the meaning of each feast.

To have property and to be poor (25). There are rules about the Sabbath. There are rules about Jubilee too. After 50 years, there was a special year. The name for this year is Jubilee. These rules brought benefits. There were benefits for the land. And there were benefits for the people too. God shows special care for poor people (25:25, 35, 39).

Guarantees and promises (26-27). There are some main words here. They are: ‘If you…I will…’ (26:3-4, plus other verses). Also, there is: ‘But if you will not…then I will…’ (26:14-16). There are serious warnings in these final chapters.

We should be willing to let God change us (26:23-24).

Why should we read Leviticus?

  • It describes our holy God (11:44-45; 19:2; 20:26; 21:8).
  • It displays God's kindness (25:25, plus other verses).
  • It declares that God is loyal and true (11:45; 26:2-12).