What's Leviticus

Review

God made people to live with him

He gave us a choice to trust him or not, to do things his way our ours

Adam & Eve chose their own way and sin entered the word

Sin wrecks our relationship with God and with others and leads to death

God loves us so much he has a plan to win us back, to save us, to free us from sin

God starts his rescue plan with Abram who God promised that all the people of the world would be blessed through him.

Abraham > Isaac > Jacob (AKA Israel) > Joseph > Children of Israel who were in Egypt and became slaves

God led the people of Israel out of Egypt and has brought them to Mt. Sinai where he gives them many instructions

Ceremonial Laws: We aren’t expected to follow any of them, they are designed to point forward to future fulfillment in Christ. Sacrifices have been fulfilled in Christ, we don’t need priests because Christ is our mediator, we can eat unclean food because Christ makes us clean. All of those were good, but they pointed to a promise that God would fulfill through Jesus. Question: How is this law fulfilled in Jesus?

Civil Laws: We don’t have to follow any exactly, but we should maintain the principles which guide these laws by implementing appropriate civil laws in our context. We may have different interest rates than Israel, different dowry systems or how finances are managed in marriage, but we can see in both cases the importance of laws that protect people people from abusive interest and fair laws for dealing with assets in marriage. This underlying principal of the law can be described as the “general equity.” Question: What is the general equity of this law and how can I apply it today?

Moral Laws: We should follow. These are about avoiding sing: murder, sexual immorality, lying, stealing are all still morally wrong and Christians should avoid these things. These laws are also about doing what is right: like loving God, keeping our promises, treating people fairly etc. We may need to contextualize these morals in settings (for example computer pornography is a new medium for sexual sin but the moral laws on sexual immorality still apply). Often the New Testament spends more time explaining how these moral laws can be lived out within the church and the role of the Holy Spirit in this process. Question: How can I live out this moral principal today?

In What’s in the Bible they look at only two types of laws:

Ritual

Ethical

In Leviticus there are two types of laws:

1. Apodictic Law: Commands. Both positive (you must) and negative (you must not)

2. Caustic Law: Case laws using an example to what do in specific situations (if someone…)

Leviticus

Background

CSB Study Bible: Notes Circumstances of Writing

BACKGROUND: About one year passed from the time Israel arrived at Sinai until they departed (Ex 19:1; Nm 10:11). During that time, Moses received the covenant from the Lord, erected the tabernacle (Ex 40:17), and received all the instructions in Leviticus and in the early chapters of Numbers. This block of material is the continuous narrative extending from Exodus 19 through Leviticus to Numbers 10:11. Since these events occurred in just one year and yet received the largest amount of space in the books from Exodus through Deuteronomy, Moses showed the special importance of the Sinai revelation to the writing of the Pentateuch. The repeated expression “The LORD spoke to Moses” throughout Leviticus leaves no doubt that its instructions were of divine origin, not the creation of Moses (Lv 4:1; 27:1).

CSB Study Bible: Notes Introduction to Leviticus

The book’s name comes from the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament): “relating to the Levites.” This third section of the Pentateuch deals primarily with the duties of the priests and the service of the tabernacle, but it contains other laws as well. Leviticus gives regulations for worship, laws on ceremonial cleanness, moral laws, and holy days.

What type of Laws are these?

Regulation for worship

Laws on ceremonial cleanness

Moral laws

Holy days

Purpose

CSB Study Bible: Notes Message and Purpose

The message and purpose of Leviticus must be studied in the context of the redemption of Israel from Egypt (Ex 12), the covenant made with Israel (Ex 20–24), and the building of the tent of meeting, or the tabernacle (Ex 25–40). The Lord dwelt among Israel symbolically in the tent of meeting, which stood in the center of the camp’s tribal arrangement. In order for the Lord to reside with Israel, it was imperative that the people maintain a holy character and ethical behavior (Lv 11:44–45; 19:2; Dt 23:14; 1Pt 1:15–16). The decrees in Leviticus instructed the people in regulating this holy relationship through atonement and ritual cleansing. The sacrifices, the ordination of the holy priests, the purity laws, and the code for holy living made the benevolence of the Lord a reality through the forgiveness of sin and ceremonial purification. The purpose of Leviticus was to instruct Israel in holiness so that the Lord might abide among them and bless them. Five key words capture the message of Leviticus:

Holiness

Clean (A constant reminder of the inadequacy of the people to maintain their relationship with God apart from his provision”) -CSB Study Bible: Notes

Sacrifice

Atonement (“to reconcile two estranged parties)

Priest (Aaron and his sons were priests, the Levites were the priests assistants)

Holiness

What does “Holy” mean?

Answer: Dedicated to or set apart for God

Leviticus is fundamentally about Holiness and God calling Israel to be a Holy Nation set apart for God.

CSB Study Bible: Notes Message and Purpose

HOLINESS: The chief idea in Leviticus is the holiness of God. The priests were to teach the people to differentiate “between the holy and the common, and the clean and the unclean” (10:10). The term holy describes special persons (priests), places (tents), or things (offerings) that are captivated by or share in God’s holy presence. Thus the holiness of everything and everyone is contingent upon the Holy One who alone is inherently holy. Anything that compromises this exclusive relationship profanes (treats as common) the person or thing and thereby offends God, who is apart and “who sets … apart” (makes holy; 22:16).

Summary Scripture

Leviticus 20:22–26 CSB

22 “You are to keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out. 23 You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and I abhorred them. 24 And I promised you: You will inherit their land, since I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God who set you apart from the peoples. 25 Therefore you are to distinguish the clean animal from the unclean one, and the unclean bird from the clean one. Do not become contaminated by any land animal, bird, or whatever crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be mine.

Old Testament Holiness

In the OT were these works of holiness enough to make people Holy?

Amos 5:21–24 CSB

21 I hate, I despise, your feasts! I can’t stand the stench of your solemn assemblies. 22 Even if you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will have no regard for your fellowship offerings of fattened cattle. 23 Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. 24 But let justice flow like water, and righteousness, like an unfailing stream.

In giving the Law God makes clear that what the law is about is Loving God and Loving others. The law is about the heart.

What God is saying through Amos echoes this.

JUSTICE: is the outward action of loving others by treating all people fairly.

RIGHTEOUSNESS: Is the outward action of loving God by living in the way he call us to.

Ultimately it was through faith in God’s goodness and response of loving God and loving others that God calls for in the Old Testament NOT merely going through the motions of keeping the letter of the law.

Understanding Holiness Laws

When we read about holiness laws in Leviticus, what question should we ask?

Answer: How is this fulfilled by Jesus.

The Point of the Laws

Romans 7:7 CSB

7 What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But, I would not have known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet.

The law points us to our need to be made holy.

Being Made Holy

1 Corinthians 1:2 CSB

2 To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.

Saint = Holy people.

Sanctified = Made holy.

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION: I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.

All of the holiness laws are fulfilled through Jesus because he has made everyone who believes in him holy

All believers are made 100% holy, that is set apart for God.

This is the same language and same idea of Leviticus- but now ALL believers are given Israels true identity being God’s holy people set apart for God.

Our High Priest

Hebrews 4:14–16 CSB

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

The Tabernacle

The tabernacle was the tent in which God dwelled. The Hebrew word itself literally means tent. But THE tabernacle was the holy tent, the tent set apart for Gods presence.

John 1:14 CSB

14 The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

“Dwelt” here is from a Greek word which also means tent. This is saying that Jesus, is God tabernacling here with us.