Introduction to the Leviticus

If I were to tell you that I had more relish in reading the Book of Leviticus than Exodus, you probably would not believe me. But it is true. I've finally learned to appreciate the detail, the monotonous repetition, the seemingly foreign sacrificial and ceremonial rites, and the immense amount of blood and slaughter. Even a cursory reading of the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament will help you to appreciate the message of Leviticus.

Leviticus is the third book of Moses, a continuation from Exodus. Our English title "Leviticus" comes from the ancient Greek translation of the OT, the Septuagint (LXX) and suggests its focus on the regulations concerning the Levitical Priesthood. However, the Hebrew text is simply titled "and He called," which is the translation of the first word of the book. God gave these laws, along with others, to Moses during their year-long stay at Mt. Sinai.

While some have tried to separate the Law of Moses into the moral laws (10 commandments), the ceremonial laws (most of Leviticus), and the civil laws, the Bible makes no such distinctions. The OT and the NT consistently reference all the laws together as the Law or the Law of Moses. The distinctions are sometimes made so that people could claim that while we are under the moral law, we are no longer under the ceremonial and civil laws. As appealing as this might be, it is not biblical. Hebrews 8:13 clearly teaches that Jesus' death on the cross has made the Law, all of it, obsolete (cf. Romans 7:6; Ephesians 2:14-15; Colossians 2:14; Galatians 5:18). Unlike the covenant with Abraham and the New Covenant, the Law of Moses was a conditional and temporary covenant. When Christ came, He fulfilled the law on our behalf in His perfect obedience and took the full punishment of the law for our sins through His death (cf. Romans 5:10, 19; Romans 8:1-4). Thus, the Law was in effect only until Christ died on the cross. In fact, there was a great controversy about the Jews requiring Gentile believers to keep the Law, but the apostles in Acts 15 clearly showed that the Law was no longer to be a rule of life for either Jew or Gentile (Acts 15:10-11). There are many implications of this truth that I would gladly discuss with any of you privately.

Now, does this mean that the regulations in Leviticus have no direct application to us, who are Christians? Yes, these laws have no direct application to us. Does this mean that Leviticus is useless to us? No, on the contrary, it is in understanding Leviticus that we gain a greater appreciation for what God has done for us in Christ Jesus (All Scripture is profitable for us: cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Romans 15:4). I would encourage each of you to read every word and consider every detail, perhaps even try to outline the similarities and distinctions between the burnt offering, sin offering, grain offering, peace offering, etc. and recognize that violating any detail could mean either they were cut off from the people or killed (e.g. Leviticus 10:1-3). We are meant to know something of the holiness of God (cf. Leviticus 10:3, "By those who come near Me, I will be treated as holy..."). As for the extensive blood and slaughter, try to visualize every pure sheep, young bull, turtledove, etc. being killed and dismembered, and the blood being splattered everywhere. We are meant to understand the awfulness of sin (cf. Hebrews 9:22; and what Christ accomplished, 9:12-14). Don't miss the important lessons to be learned regarding the substitutionary nature of the atonement (literally "covering") that comes by way of the sacrifices. Hands were placed on the animals before the sacrifice to identify the sinning individual with the animal. The animals were killed on behalf of the sinning individual. It prefigures the substitutionary atonement of Christ. The OT sacrifices only temporarily "covered" sin, but the sacrifice of Christ "took away" sin forever (cf. Hebrews 10:1,4, 10-14).

Now, not all of Leviticus deals just with the priesthood. In fact most of it relates to the laity. Generally speaking, Leviticus focuses heavily on distinctions, between what is clean and unclean, between what is holy and profane. Peter cites Leviticus for that very famous quote: "Be holy because I am holy" (cf. 1 Peter 1:15 with Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7). This principle of distinctions is also a part of the New Covenant Law of Christ, but with a great distinction. The OT Law focused on outward things that make one unclean but the NT focuses on inward things that make one unclean (cf. Jesus teaching in Mark 7:14-23). In an oft quoted passage against marriage to unbelievers, Paul talks about distinctions between believers and unbelievers in 2 Corinthians 6:14-17:

14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people (cf. Leviticus 26:12)..."

I hope this introduction will encourage you to carefully read, meditate and appreciate the Book of Leviticus. Just as a final note, one of the two greatest commandments that Jesus said sums up all the Law and the Prophets comes from Leviticus (cf. Leviticus 19:18): "Love your neighbor as yourself."