OT Study: Leviticus Pt. 1

Leviticus

Authorship and Setting

Leviticus is the 3rd book of what is called the Pentateuch. Remember that the Pentateuch as a whole (the first 5 books of the Bible) was likely composed throughout the wilderness wanderings and then given to the people of Israel around 1400 BC on the Plains of Moab (see ) before the people enter the promised land. Similar to the final section in Exodus, the Law found in Leviticus was given to the first generation of Israelites in the wilderness at, or shortly after, Sinai. Moses is the author of these books and for more information on proof of his authorship see introduction to Genesis and Exodus. 

In Genesis we learned of how God establishes His supremacy in Creation. We also saw God begin His plan for redemption of Creation and mankind after sin entered the world at the Fall. This plan progressed from Adam and Eve to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whom God raised up to begin a nation who was to carry out God’s plan to restore creation back to the Eden/Sabbath rest. In Exodus we saw God officially establish this nation that came from these men. God demonstrated His supremacy and power over all other false gods as He delivered His nation from the first world superpower, Egypt. We also learned that God delivered His nation so that they would be His most prized possession and that He would dwell amongst them in His tabernacle. However, the people of Israel rejected God, broke the commandments of their covenant and worshiped a golden calf instead. At the end of Exodus we learned that God is a God who forgives His people’s sin AND restores His relationship with them. However, we are left asking how a just God, who does not let the guilty go unpunished, is able to do this with to sinful people without compromising His justice? We know, through the intercession of Moses, that there is a mediator required to make atonement for sin and restore the relationship between God and His people. However, Exodus does not tell us how this atonement and restoration works relative to God’s wrath, justice and holiness. 

In Exodus we also learned of the purpose of the Law. We learned that it is a teacher that both demonstrates Israel’s wickedness in their inability to obey God and that it points forward to Israel’s salvation. In Leviticus we have the sacrificial system added to the Law. Leviticus points to Israel’s salvation by modeling God’s just forgiveness of sins. It demonstrates how God’s wrath for His people’s sins is placed on another, so that the sacrifice dies and theylive. Ultimately this system acts as a model of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross. It points forward to what He will do 1400 years later. Therefore, those in the Old Testament who adhere to this model AND trust in the future sacrifice of Christ that it points to were justified in Christ. Participating in this model does not save someone. Having faith in what this model points to is what saved an Old Testament saint.  With that being said, Leviticus is crucial in establishing the foundations for the theology of salvation. 

Theological Theme: 

The theological theme of the book of Leviticus is that God demands holiness from His people. 

Relevance to the Original Hearers

For the original hearers, performing the ceremonies and following the stipulations laid out in Leviticus would have created a visible difference between their way of life and the cultures of their surrounding nations. Because of this, Israel’s neighbors would understand the actions of God’s Law as different than that of their religions. By obeying the Laws found in Leviticus, Israel was to demonstrate the holiness, orderliness and cleanliness required for a relationship with God. Also, the sacrificial system established in Leviticus demonstrated to the people and to the surrounding nations God’s justice and wrath against sin and how He can forgive sin and continue to dwell with His people. 

Relevance to Today

Leviticus is relevant today for it teaches us about God’s holiness. It demonstrates the nature of how God desires to be worshipped and how His chosen people are to be holy. Lastly, it establishes the soteriology (theology of salvation) of substitutionary atonement, justification and reconciliation. Simply put, Leviticus is essential to understanding how God saves you. 

Structure

The overall structure of the book of Leviticus is as follows: 

Sacrifices and Offerings ()

Ceremonial Cleanliness ()

Day of Atonement ()

Sanctity of Blood ()

Personal Morality Regulation ()

Priestly Regulations ()

Ceremonial Regulations ()

Societal Regulations ()

Blessings and Curses ()

Redeeming what has been Set Aside ()

I. Sacrifices and Offerings ()

Main Point and Background

The main point of this section in Leviticus is to show that the way you become holy must be holy. It is important to see that there is a type of theological language with each sacrifice. There are 5 major sacrifices and they each have their own theological significance. However, as we will see later in Leviticus, there will be combinations of these 5 sacrifices that communicate another layer of theology. An analogy to this would be a menu at a fast food restaurant. You can order a desert, a drink or a side. But you could also order a combination of these individual items to make a combo-meal. 

It is also important to recognize that 3 out of the 5 major sacrifices are for worship. There are only 2 sacrifices that deal with sin. What we can learn from this is that life with God is more than dealing with sin, it is about worship. Holiness is not just about not doing what is wrong, it is also about honoring God. This theology of sacrifice as worship is exactly what Paul is teaching in , “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Sacrificing our bodies whether that be in martyrdom or in holy conduct does not atone for our sins. It is an act of spiritual worship.

Structure 

This main point can be seen in the following structure: 

Whole Burnt Offering ()

Grain Offerings ()

Peace Offerings ()

Sin Offerings ()

Guilt Offerings ()

Priests’ Regulations in Offerings ()

The Holiness of the Priest ()

Exposition

1. Whole Burnt Offering ()

3 “If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. 4 He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. 5 Then he shall kill the bull before the Lord, and Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and throw the blood against the sides of the altar that is at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 8 And Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head, and the fat, on the wood that is on the fire on the altar; 9 but its entrails and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall burn all of it on the altar, as a burnt offering, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord.

The first of the major sacrifices is the burnt offering. In this sacrifice the animal was to be cut in specific pieces, its blood thrown on the altar and then all the pieces of the animal were to be burned on the altar. It is important to note that even though the word atonement is used in this offering, there is no mention of atonement being made for sin. Atonement also carries the idea of consecrating or making a thing holy unto the Lord. The theological message of this offering is that just as the total animal is burnt, God requires His people to be totally dedicated to Him . 

2. Grain Offerings ()

1 “When anyone brings a grain offering as an offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. He shall pour oil on it and put frankincense on it 2 and bring it to Aaron's sons the priests. And he shall take from it a handful of the fine flour and oil, with all of its frankincense, and the priest shall burn this as its memorial portion on the altar, a food offering with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 3 But the rest of the grain offering shall be for Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the Lord's food offerings.

The second of the major sacrifices is the grain offering. This was an offering of thanksgiving where grain or a baked loaf of bread is offered on the altar. A portion of the offering was to be burned and a portion was to be given to the priests to eat. Israel was to be an agricultural people who relied on God’s provision of good growing weather for their crops. This offering celebrated God’s provision and in performing this sacrifice one would become an agent of God’s provision of food for the priests.  The theological message of this offering is that God desires His people to be filled with thanksgiving for His provision as well as recognize both their daily need for His divine intervention and His faithfulness to care for them. 

3. Peace Offerings ()

“1 If his offering is a sacrifice of peace offering, if he offers an animal from the herd, male or female, he shall offer it without blemish before the Lord. 2 And he shall lay his hand on the head of his offering and kill it at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and Aaron's sons the priests shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar. 3 And from the sacrifice of the peace offering, as a food offering to the Lord, he shall offer the fat covering the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails,

16 And the priest shall burn them on the altar as a food offering with a pleasing aroma. All fat is the Lord's. 17 It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places, that you eat neither fat nor blood.”

The third of the major offerings is the peace offering. The presentation of this offering is similar to that of the burnt offering. However, unlike the whole burnt offering, not all of the animal is be burned. In reading this chapter you will notice that the fatty parts of the animal are what is sacrificed on the altar. In that time and even now, the fattier parts of the meat are considered the best and most flavorful cuts and that is what is offered to the Lord. The remaining pieces of the animal were to be eaten between the offeror and the priest as a fellowship meal. Notice that in verse 17 the two things that the priest and the offeror were not allowed to partake of were the fat and the blood. This meal and this offering celebrated the relationship and fellowship with God and with the priest who mediated between the people and God. The theological message of this offering is that God desires His people to have a real relationship with Him. 

From these three offerings of worship we see that God desires a worship that is filled with total dedication to Him, thanksgiving and recognition of His provision, and a celebration of the peace of fellowship that His people can have with Him. Furthermore in this we see that these sacrifices are of animals and grain that are unblemished - they were to sacrifice the best of the best of what they had. 

4. Sin Offerings ()

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If anyone sins unintentionally in any of the Lord's commandments about things not to be done, and does any one of them, 3 if it is the anointed priest who sins, thus bringing guilt on the people, then he shall offer for the sin that he has committed a bull from the herd without blemish to the Lord for a sin offering.

13 “If the whole congregation of Israel sins unintentionally and the thing is hidden from the eyes of the assembly, and they do any one of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, and they realize their guilt, 14 when the sin which they have committed becomes known, the assembly shall offer a bull from the herd for a sin offering and bring it in front of the tent of meeting.15 And the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and the bull shall be killed before the Lord.

20 Thus shall he do with the bull. As he did with the bull of the sin offering, so shall he do with this. And the priest shall make atonement for them, and they shall be forgiven.21 And he shall carry the bull outside the camp and burn it up as he burned the first bull; it is the sin offering for the assembly. 22 “When a leader sins, doing unintentionally any one of all the things that by the commandments of the Lord his God ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt,23 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring as his offering a goat, a male without blemish, 24 and shall lay his hand on the head of the goat and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt offering before the Lord; it is a sin offering. 25 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt offering. 26 And all its fat he shall burn on the altar, like the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. So the priest shall make atonement for him for his sin, and he shall be forgiven. 27 “If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, 28 or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. 29 And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering.

And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 32 “If he brings a lamb as his offering for a sin offering, he shall bring a female without blemish 33 and lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill it for a sin offering in the place where they kill the burnt offering. 34 Then the priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 35 And all its fat he shall remove as the fat of the lamb is removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar, on top of the Lord's food offerings. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin which he has committed, and he shall be forgiven.

7 “But if he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation for the sin that he has committed two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. 8 He shall bring them to the priest, who shall offer first the one for the sin offering. He shall wring its head from its neck but shall not sever it completely, 9 and he shall sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar, while the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar; it is a sin offering. 10 Then he shall offer the second for a burnt offering according to the rule. And the priest shall make atonement for him for the sin that he has committed, and he shall be forgiven. 11 “But if he cannot afford two turtledoves or two pigeons, then he shall bring as his offering for the sin that he has committed a tenth of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering. He shall put no oil on it and shall put no frankincense on it, for it is a sin offering.

The fourth of the major offerings is the sin offering. Notice that this offering is done to atone only for sins that are done unintentionally. Also see how there are different sacrifices required for different classes of people. The poor people were to offer two turtle doves, or if even that was unaffordable they were to offer grain. Remember that Jesus’ parents offered turtle doves showing that he was born into the poorest class of people in the nation. The common people were to sacrifice a female goat or lamb. The leader of a tribe was to sacrifice a male goat. If the whole congregation sinned unintentionally, the tribal leaders were to gather and  sacrifice a bull. Lastly, if the priest sinned unintentionally they were to sacrifice a bull as well. 

In this similar requirement of a bull sacrifice we see that the priest and the nation are on the same level. This begins to establish the theology that the priest is a representative of the nation before God, so that when he sacrifices for sin, the whole nation’s sin is atoned. Notice the specific language that this atonement is for sin. In performing this sacrifice the priest was to lay his hands on the animal before he killed it, symbolizing that the guilt of that unintentional sin was transferred to the animal. Remember that the punishment for breaking the commandment is to have your blood spilled out. Here we see that the way God forgives sin is through substitutionary atonement. This means that the animal was to be substituted in the sinner’s place and receive the just punishment for their sin. Remember in , God declared that He does not leave the guilty unpunished. Here we see how He can justly forgive sins and yet still punish the guilty, for in this system the guilt is transferred to the substitute. 

Notice also that the sin offering incorporates both the burnt offering and the peace offering. The theology behind this is that when we are forgiven not only is our guilt removed but our relationship with God is restored. God demands a sacrificial death to atone for sin which then makes way for us to return to complete dedication to God and right fellowship with Him. Ultimately this points forward to the perfect sacrifice of Christ where He is substituted in our place. Hear the words of Paul describing this reality in - “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Jesus didn’t just buy us forgiveness from our sins, He also purchased for us peace with God. 

5. Guilt Offerings ()

14 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 15 “If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, he shall bring to the Lord as his compensation, a ram without blemish out of the flock, valued in silver shekels, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering. 16 He shall also make restitution for what he has done amiss in the holy thing and shall add a fifth to it and give it to the priest. And the priest shall make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering, and he shall be forgiven.

6:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor 3 or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby— 4 if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found 5 or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. 6 And he shall bring to the priest as his compensation to the Lord a ram without blemish out of the flock, or its equivalent, for a guilt offering. 7 And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any of the things that one may do and thereby become guilty.”

The fifth and final of the major offerings is the guilt offering. This offering is similar to the sin offering in that it deals also with unintentional sins. However the guilt offering is for situations in which additional restitution is to be made. Two examples of this are given in the text. The first deals with unintentional damage or desecration done to the holy things of the Lord at the Tabernacle. The second deals with damage done to a neighbor or a neighbor’s property. This second example is presented as an instance where someone creates a breach in faith with his neighbor. However, in 7:4, we see that this person did not initially realize this sin and his guilt until later, implying that this was not a premeditated act. Regardless, the emphasis of this offering is that there are consequences to your sins and those consequences must also be resolved. You must pay for your sin and for the damage that your sin does. 

6. Priests’ Regulations in Offerings ()

37 This is the law of the burnt offering, of the grain offering, of the sin offering, of the guilt offering, of the ordination offering, and of the peace offering, 38 which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai.

This section deals with the priestly regulations and instructions  in how they are to perform each of the 5 offerings. The reality of this model is that if the priest does not follow these instructions, the offerings themselves are tainted. The priest’s obedience to God is essential for him to be a mediator between the people and God. The theological significance of this section is that we see that God has a specific and definitive way in which He desires to be worshipped. 

7. The Holiness of the Priest ()

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments and the anointing oil and the bull of the sin offering and the two rams and the basket of unleavened bread. 3 And assemble all the congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting.” 4 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

22 Then Aaron lifted up his hands toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from offering the sin offering and the burnt offering and the peace offerings. 23 And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the pieces of fat on the altar, and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces. 10:1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’” And Aaron held his peace.

After establishing the sacrificial system and instructing the people and the priests (Aaron and his sons) on how and when to perform the 5 major sacrifices, Aaron and his sons are ordained as priests. This ordination ceremony required them to perform a combination of all 5 sacrifices as an act of consecration for service as a priest of God. After performing these sacrifices God sends fire on the altar and consumes the sacrifices demonstrating the official inauguration of this system. 

Immediately after this divine confirmation at the end of chapter 9, we see the tragic tale of Aaron’s sons. They enter the tabernacle and perform an unauthorized offering of strange fire to God that contradicted what He had commanded. Remember that the priest was to perform the sacrificial rituals exactly as God commanded otherwise they would fail as mediators. Any deviation from how God desired to be worshiped was unholy, no matter how small the deviation was. For offering strange fire to God, God consumed them with fire. The message to the priesthood is clear in this, if you don’t offer the right sacrifices to God, you become the sacrifice. The way that you become holy must be holy in of itself. 

II. Ceremonial Cleanliness ()

Main Point and Overview

In this section we will see how God demands acceptability and cleanliness in all areas of life as it pertains to a relationship with Him. This language of clean versus unclean refers to God’s relational preferences. In other words, if Israel wanted to be in a relationship with God, this is what He prefered from them and their lives. An example of this would be the desire for your spouse or significant other to be showered, smell good, have good manners and dress nicely. If you made these preferences known to your wife and she decided to ignore them, what would that demonstrate to you about her love for you? These were the preferences that God demanded from His people at that time and in following these instructions Israel demonstrated their love and devotion to God and before the world. Many of these preferences are based on cultural norms at that time and they must be understood through the lense of the ancient near east. 

Structure 

This main point is seen in the following structure 

Food (

Birth ()

Leprosy ()

Bodily Fluids ()

Exposition

1. Food ()

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. 3 Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat. 4 Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. 5 And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.6 And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. 7 And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.

13 “And these you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 14 the kite, the falcon of any kind, 15 every raven of any kind, 16 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the seagull, the hawk of any kind, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl, 18 the barn owl, the tawny owl, the carrion vulture, 19 the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.

41 “Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable.  43 You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them. 44 For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. 45 For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

There is a reason for why the animals chosen in this passage are considered unclean. The unclean land animals mentioned (rock badger, camel and pig) were easily accessible animals and often consumed in the surrounding culture. However, either by their lifestyle or their flavoring they were considered gross and dirty in the general society. The birds that were mentioned as unclean were ones who feast on dead carcuses or who are predetors. They are unclean for they have an inherent connection with death. The animals that swarm on the ground were considered unclean due to their societal grossness and their connection to the serpent who tempted Eve in the Garden who goes on its belly (see ). By following these laws, Israel demonstrated that their God was not a God of death or grossness. He is a God of Life, Who is redeeming Creation after the Fall, and Who is Holy. So then His people had to be holy in how they ate. 

2. Birth ()

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, saying, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days. As at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. 3 And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.

6 “And when the days of her purifying are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb a year old for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering, 7 and he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her. Then she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, either male or female.

As we saw in the previous chapters, blood is very important to God in the sacrificial system. It is the blood of the animals that is spilled on the altar when they are offered. So then, when blood is spilled by a human, as it is with birth, the woman then becomes unclean. There are different ways she becomes clean based on if the woman has a boy or a girl because all boys must be circumcised on the 8th day. The mother is also to offer a burnt offering and a sin offering demonstrating absolute and complete dedication to God the Giver of the life of her new child. Even though no sin was committed, the mother was considered to be unclean because blood was spilled in the act of giving birth, thus the need for the purifying blood of the sin offering. The theological purpose behind this is that God demanded holiness even in the highest occasion of giving birth to new life. 

3. Leprosy ()

1 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 2 “When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests, 3 and the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.

45 “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ 46 He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

14:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest, 3 and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person, 4 the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop. 5 And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water. 6 He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the freshwater. 7 And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field.

10 “And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil. 11 And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

19 The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering. 20 And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

In this section we have the law for leprous diseases. This leprosy referred to an ancient skin disorder and was considered to be contagious. For the protection of the people, someone who was suspected of leprosy was placed under close observation and someone who was diagnosed was quarantined away from the rest of the people. This leprosy caused a disfigurement of the skin but as seen in many other cases in the Bible, did not cause physical disability. As previously mentioned, the leper was to be placed away from the people and was actually to live outside of the camp as Israel journeyed to the promised land, and outside the city when they were established in the land. They are also to wear tattered clothes, let their hair grow out and cry out “unclean, unclean” whenever someone came near. 

When a leper was healed, he was not allowed to return immediately. He was to be evaluated by a priest before he was allowed to enter the camp. If he was diagnosed as clean, the priest was to perform a purification ritual with two birds. The blood of the one bird symbolized the leper’s purification and the bird that was set free symbolized the leper’s release from quarantine. The leper was to then offer a guilt offering, a sin offering, a burnt offering and a grain offering. This combination of sacrifices was offered in order to demonstrate a complete restoration back into the covenant community of Israel. The theological purpose of these laws was to provide a very visible and vivid demonstration of how God desired purity, holiness and cleanliness amongst his people. 

4. Bodily Fluids ()

3 And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness. 4 Every bed on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and everything on which he sits shall be unclean.

13 “And when the one with a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count for himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes. And he shall bathe his body in fresh water and shall be clean. 14 And on the eighth day he shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and come before the Lord to the entrance of the tent of meeting and give them to the priest. 15 And the priest shall use them, one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord for his discharge.

19 “When a woman has a discharge, and the discharge in her body is blood, she shall be in her menstrual impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until the evening.

. 28 But if she is cleansed of her discharge, she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 29 And on the eighth day she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting.

This section deals with any discharge of fluid that comes out of the body of a man or woman. When such a discharge occurred it made the person unclean, even if it was a natural occurrence The law of leprosy was a very visible and public demonstration of God’s desire for purity and holiness. On the other hand, this law for bodily fluids demonstrated God’s desire for His people’s purity and cleanliness in the most private and intimate aspects of their lives. The message is clear, God demanded holiness and cleanliness in the actions of sustaining life (eating), and giving life (birth), as well as in your outward and private physical condition. In essence, everything they did in their life was an act of worship and adhering to God’s preferences.

Questions for Application: 

What do we learn about God’s character and nature in this section of Scripture

How should we respond? 

What essential truths of the gospel and salvation are established here in the first few chapters of Leviticus

What do we learn in this section about the nature of worship 

In the New Covenant, we do not have the same laws about cleanliness that the Israelites did. What are some ways that the principles of these laws still remain applicable to us today?

In the New Covenant, we do not have the same laws about cleanliness that the Israelites did. What are some ways that the principles of these laws still remain applicable to us today?