Be Holy; For I Am Holy: Leviticus

Introduction:

For most Bible readers, the Book of Leviticus is “as barren and unknown as the dry, trackless wilderness” of its setting.

Most readers prefer to skip quickly from the Ten Commandments in to Deuteronomy, or even to Joshua, once they discover how it is written.

Why should we both with ancient laws, tabernacle, sacrifices, priesthood, and dietary laws?

After all, the church does not function in the way that ancient Israel did.

And so, to spend time reading this section seems to be an unprofitable exercise.

Accordingly, modern “Christians” do not give must attention to Leviticus, but no us…we will discover the important truths of the book.

Discussion:

The Purpose of the Book:

God’s Purpose in Leviticus:

To show that God is holy and that man is marred by sin. Therefore, man must continually return to God for cleansing and forgiveness.

To show how sinful man can approach a holy God.

To provide the law of approach to God in acceptable worship.

To keep Israel a holy nation.

Making Israel a Holy Nation:

“It has been said that it too God only one night to get Israel out of Egypt, but it took forty years to get Egypt out of Israel.”

Leviticus served as a handbook for the Levitical priesthood, giving diving instructions and regulation for the cleansing of the priest and of the people and for their worship and service.

Ultimate Aim: , , , .

All the events of Leviticus point to Christ, our redeemer, sacrifice for our sins, and author of the perfect law of liberty, the way to everlasting salvation for all who obey Him.

One, aim of the book is to reveal Christ as the ultimate sin-bearer. Over and over again, the book talks sacrifices that are offered to God, yet...

John the Baptist said of Christ, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” ().

In , the writer said that Christ “has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

In addition, he wrote, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” ().

Another aim of the book is to reveal Christ as the great high priest by whom we gain access to God. When studying the book of Leviticus, the text puts a lot of emphasis on the priesthood.

In , the word of God says, “ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Consider , “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”

Understanding the Book:

The Connection with Genesis & Exodus:

In Genesis, man is left in ruin because of his sin, yet left with the promised “Seed,” Jesus Christ the redeemer (, , ).

In Exodus, the people are delivered from bondage by the sprinkling of the blood of the lamb and by God’s leading them through the Red Sea to Mount Sinai, and it closes with the tabernacle completed and dedicated.

Now Leviticus gives the laws which governed the tabernacle worship and various offerings by which they gained access to God.

The Israelites had been led out from the bondage in Exodus and led into the sanctuary of God in Leviticus.

In Genesis, we see man’s sin; in Exodus, the foreshadow of redemption, and in Leviticus, the basis of true worship.

In Exodus, God spoke from the mountain, but in Leviticus, God spoke from the tabernacle.

Exodus tells of God’s approach to His people, but in Leviticus, it gives directions fro their approach to the Holy God.

The Name: Leviticus is the name given in the Septuagint because the book has to do with the service of sacrifice and worship administered by the Levites, the Jewish priesthood.

The Key Word & Theme is Holiness:

Holiness is found 87 times in Leviticus, which reveals that it is very important to the book.

God is holy. therefore, the question is, “How can a sinful man approach a holy God?” God alone can determine how.

This books shows that man can gain access to God only on the basis of sacrifice through the shedding of blood.

Consider the words of , “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’”

In the Christian age, sinners are also cleansed by blood, the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God.

According to , it says “according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Therefore, he goes on to say in verse 28, “so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many...”

The Key Chapter is Chapter 16, The Day of Atonement: Leviticus 16:30

It is the most important and solemn day in the Hebrew calendar, when the high priest entered the holy of holies to make atonement for the sins of the Israelite nation.

He alone could lawfully enter the holy place, and that only once a year, to “make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD” ().

The Key Verses: , , .

Consider , “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

When God reminded His people of what He had done for them, He is also reminding them of their privileges and obligations to follow so that He will continue to bless and preserve them as His holy nation.

By obeying God’s laws, Israel reflected God’s holiness.

Consider , ““Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.”

Here is the message of the whole book. It is an exhortation for the nation to follow its sacred calling to be a “holy nation” ().

The standard for them is God’s holy nature: they were suppose to imitate the attributes of God.

Consider , “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”

In contrast to the corrupt pagan religious practices all around them, the Israelites were called to a pure faith.

By requiring the proper spiritual instructions for true worship and the life of obedience, the people sanctified the Lord; but those who did not obey Him did not sanctify Him in their hearts. Therefore, they were no better than the pagans.

Christ Revealed in the Book: An Analysis.

The Method of approach to God for the Jews was typical of God’s plan for man’s atonement through Christ:

No other book in the Bible contains more direct messages from God.

First, By Dedication: the law of sacrifices ().

Fifty-six times in the twenty-seven chapters of Leviticus it is stated that God gave these laws to Moses: “The Lord spoke,”

First, the burnt offering. It required the need for perfect consecration and spotless life. In the New Testament, Christ offered Himself without spot to God for our sins.

In the New Testament, Christ offered Himself without spot to God for our sins.

Secondly,

In the second chapter, the meal offering. It required the fruits of their labor and perfect service. In the New Testament, Christ is the bread of His people.

In the third chapter, the peace offering. It represented the fellowship between God and man. Christ is our peace, giving us communion with God.

In the fourth chapter, the sin offering. It refers to the sins against God. Christ gives Himself for the sins of the world.

In chapter 5 through 6:7, the trespass offering. It represents trespasses against men are trespasses against God.

Second, By Meditation: the law of the priests ().

Third, By Separation: the law of purity ().

The people must be God governed, with no other gods, and God manifested, wholly and separate from all unclean people and unholy things.

Today, Christians must be people of pure body, heart, and souls.

Fourth, By Consecration: the law of feasts, fasts, and years ().

Finally, Special Laws: Obedience and Disobedience, vows and tithes ()

Lesson’s from the Book:

Great Messages of Leviticus: ; ; ; ; .

First, a leading though of Leviticus is the supreme importance and necessity of acceptable worship. Man must worship God “in spirit and truth” ().

Second, sin results in man’s separation from God and his loss of fellowship with God ().

Next lesson, man can gain access to God, with the privilege of communion and worship, only by the basis of sacrifice through the shedding of blood ().

Last, God’s love and mercy are seen in His plan of atonement, in which the sacrifices of the law were typically of the one perfect sacrifice for all, Jesus Christ (, ).

The Sacrificial System: , , , , , , .

According to the law of Moses, the approach of sinful man to a holy God was through the divinely appointed system of sacrificial offerings.

Today, there remains “no more sacrifices for sins” (), since Christ put away sin for every man by the sacrifice of Himself ().

However, God does require real sacrifices of Christ, even as He provided a typical sacrificial system in the previous dispensation. The sacrifices that God is well pleased with are....

In the burnt offerings, the animal was to be wholly burned, signifying entire dedication to God. In many offerings, the fat was burned and flesh given to the priest, to be eaten.

A broken and contrite heart ().

The smoke of their offerings was “an odor of sweet smell to God,” even as Christ’s sacrifice of Himself and of our sacrifice to God.

Sacrifices of faith ().

Sacrifices of benevolence ().

Sacrifices of praise ().

Sacrifices of good deeds ().

And above all, our bodies as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” ().

Conclusion: