Leviticus 17-26

Review

Introduction and Laws of Sacrifice (Chapters 1-7)

The five main offerings

Priestly Ministry and Purity Laws (Chapters 8-15)

Public Worship at the Tabernacle Begins (Ch. 8-10)

Laws of purity and impurity (Ch. 11-15)

The meaning and details about The Day of Atonement - Chapter 16

Introduction

Letter to Dr. Laura:

In the current time and culture It’s necessary for a Christian to know how to respond to this

Holiness Code: The Holiness Code is a set of rules and guidelines found in the book of Leviticus, mainly in chapters 17-26. It's called the 'Holiness Code' because it's all about how the Israelites, God's chosen people, were supposed to be 'holy' or set apart.

Here are the key points to understand:

Being Different: God wanted the Israelites to be different from the other nations around them. The rules in the Holiness Code helped them stand out.

Everyday Life: These rules covered all parts of life - how to worship, what to eat, how to treat others, and even how to farm.

The Big Idea: The main message is in Leviticus 19:2 “2 Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.”

This means God wanted His people to reflect His character.

“be Holy” 41 times in the whole Bible; 25 of those occurs in Leviticus (20), Deuteronomy (4), and Numbers (1)

Practical Stuff: Some rules were practical, like being fair in business or respecting your parents. Others were about worship and staying 'clean' in God's eyes.

Helping Others: There were rules about being kind to the poor and to foreigners, showing that holiness isn't just about personal behavior but also about how we treat others.

Consequences: The code also talked about what would happen if people followed or didn't follow these rules.

BASIC PRINCIPLES ABOUT SACRIFICE AND FOOD (CH. 17)

Chapter 17 is a bridge. It connects the first part of Leviticus dealing mostly with holiness inside the sanctuary to the second part mainly concerned with holiness outside the sanctuary.

Shows us the sanctity of life gives us almost a one verse simple answer to why Jesus had to die:

Leviticus 17:11 “11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR (CH. 18)

This is one of the chapters of the Bible modern culture wants and tries to delete from the consciousness of humanity

Before the rules God tells them why it matters:

Leviticus 18:2 “2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the LORD your God.”

LORD in all caps is Yahweh, the covenant name of God the Father

By using His name, “He is reminding them of the great things he had done for them and the close, binding relationship they had entered into in the covenant. It was not a name that crushes them by the assertion of overwhelming authority but a name to uplift them by the recollection of overwhelming grace.” -Tidball

Leviticus 18:3 “3 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.”

They are not to do the things they saw around them in Egypt, full of immorality and idolatry

Forbidden sexual practices in the family (6-19): incest

Forbidden sexual practices outside the family (20-23): adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality

PRINCIPLES OF NEIGHBORLINESS (CH. 19)

Gives us how to love our neighbors as ourselves

By any measure one of the greatest ethical charters. Was the foundation for common law.

Structure:

Honor parents and the Sabbath Leviticus 19:3 “3 Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am the LORD your God.”

Refuse to accept idolatry Leviticus 19:4 “4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am the LORD your God.”

Respect the food eaten with God but don’t forget God’s people (poor) Leviticus 19:9–10 “9 And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest. 10 And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the LORD your God.”

doesn’t say “once you’ve harvested, “the government will” or even “the church will”

How to treat your neighbors (Leviticus 19:11-18)

Respect (Leviticus 19:19-37) for boundaries, people, nature, and respect for God

CAPITAL AND OTHER GRAVE CRIMES (CH. 20)

Gives a list of penal codes, or the list of rules that are against the law and the penalty for violating them.

Overlaps 18 a lot. There it was closeness of family out, here they are listed by severity of punishment.

Offences

Sacrificing children to Molech (20:1–5; cf. 18:21)

Necromancy (20:6, 27; cf. 19:31) (when someone tries to talk to the spirits of people who have died to get information or predict the future)

Cursing parents (20:9; cf. 19:3)

Adultery (20:10; cf. 18:20)

Incest (20:11–12, 17–21; cf. 18:6–18)

Active homosexuality (20:13; cf. 18:22)

Marriage to a woman and her mother (20:14; cf. 18:17)

Bestiality (20:15–16; cf. 18:23)

Sex with menstruants (20:18; cf. 18:19)

Marriage to sister-in-law (20:21; cf. 18:16)

Punishments

double sentence

death penalty

being cut off

childlesness

RULES FOR PRIESTS (CH. 21)

RULES ABOUT EATING SACRIFICES (CH. 22)

RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS (CH. 23)

Rules for the Sabbath Leviticus 23:3 “3 Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the sabbath of rest, an holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein: it is the sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.”

The Passover

Feast of Unleavened Bread

The offering of firstfruits

Feast of Weeks

Feast of Trumpets

Day of Atonement

Feast of Tabernacles

RULES FOR THE TABERNACLE (24:1–9)

Safeguarding the sacred objects

The importance of unremarkable service (not just foundation shaking revival meetings, matters in the ordinary means of grace in word and sacrament

tending the lamps

replenishing the bread

A CASE OF BLASPHEMY (24:10–23)

Safeguarding the sacred name: The Name stood for the whole person, so to curse the name of God was to curse the sacred person of God himself

10-16 is the incident Leviticus 24:11 “11 And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)”

23 is the sentence Leviticus 24:23 “23 And Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.”

Leviticus 24:18–19 “18 And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast. 19 And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him;”

Lex talionis: life for life … fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth

SABBATICAL AND JUBILEE YEARS (CH. 25)

Economics according to God’s Word

Summed up Leviticus 25:23 “23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.”

Everything belongs to God and we are just allowed to use it to honor Him

The sabbath year for the people and the land to rest and replenish

The Jubilee year

Every 7th sabbath year in the 50th year

The entire year had the two ideas of liberty and return.

Freedom from labour and freedom from debt were to go hand in hand with restoring broken family ties and repossessing lost family property.

The hope of returning to one’s roots at the Jubilee would sustain many who had fallen on hard times.

Jubilee speaks about:

our relation to the environment: the need for rest and renewal;

our mission in the world: the need for liberty and Biblical justice;

our worship in the church: the need for authenticity and charity;

our relations in the family: the need for compassion and support;

our growth in the Spirit: the need for mercy and forgiveness;

our faith in the Saviour: the need to trust Jesus; and

our hope in the future: the need to look forward to his coming again.

EXHORTATION TO OBEY THE LAW: BLESSING AND CURSE (CH. 26)

Blessing and cursing is the language used

‘If you follow …’: the blessings of obedience (26:3–13)

The blessing of plenty (26:4–5)

The blessing of peace (26:6)

The blessing of victory (26:7–8)

The blessing of prosperity (26:9–10)

The blessing of presence (26:11–13)

‘If you will not listen …’: the curses of disobedience (26:14–29)

The curse of defeat (26:14–17)

The curse of drought (26:18–20)

The curse of wild beasts (26:21–22)

The curse of devastation (26:23–26)

The curse of total destruction (26:27–39)

‘If you confess …’: the possibility of restoration (26:40–46)

‘If my people …’ today

The table of blessings and curses needs to be applied with care. It neither promises us automatic material blessings in return for our obedience to God, nor gives us a weapon to wield against those who live in disobedience to God’s word. It does, however, have some timeless truths to teach.

The central message is that there is blessing in walking in harmony with God, and danger in alienating ourselves from God—a message that remains as true as ever.

REDEMPTION OF VOTIVE GIFTS (CH. 27)

God desires devotion from every individual and for every individual to give generously

The provision God makes (27:1–25)

The dedication of persons (27:2–8)

The dedication of animals (27:9–13)

The dedication of houses (27:14–15)

The dedication of land (27:16–25)

The restrictions God imposes (27:26–34)

Restrictions concerning the firstborn (27:26–27)

Restrictions concerning devoted things (27:28–29)

Restrictions concerning the tithe (27:30–33)

Conclusion

So what does all this have to do with us now?

The “thou shalt nots”, all the rules telling the Israelites (and us) all the things they cannot do, are not there to suppress freedom and life. They are designed by God to free us to live the way God intended for us to live! They are given to set us free from eternal punishment, free from sin,and free from the burden of the law.

Is the Law given for us today?

General Equity

Chapter 19 of the 1646 Westminster Confession of Faith titled “Of the Law of God”

Article 4: “To them also, as a body politic, he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any other, now, further than the general equity thereof may require.”

The laws given in the Holiness Code and the rest of the Pentateuch were specific in detail to Israel living at a specific time in history, place in geography.

As such, every detail of every application in every law does not apply to us today. The ceremonial Laws have been completely fulfilled in Christ. However, the moral principles at the foundation of the judicial laws remain valid and do apply.

Jesus quotes parts of Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19 in Matthew 22:37–40 “37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

It’s the application of those moral principles informing modern law and culture to all of life in all of society that most of us probably feel would lead our nation back to a position of being a Christian Nation in right standing with The Holy God

More importantly on a personal rather than cultural level, keeping the Law does not reconcile us to Yahweh God: Galatians 2:16 “16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

Romans 5:18 “18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”

When we have genuine faith in Christ’s work on Calvary’s cross, God the Father promises us justification by Him, sanctification in life, and glorification in eternity:

Romans 8:29–30 “29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”