Outline
I. THE NAME
- A. The English title comes from the Greek title in the LXX which means pertaining to the Levites (Halley’s Pocket Bible Handbook, page 128).
- B. The Hebrew name was “Vayyikra” meaning “And He called” (Irvin’s Bible Commentary, page 40). The Jews sometimes called it “torath kohanim” or “Law of Priests” (Robertson’s Books of the Old Covenant, page 14 and International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, page 1870).
II. THE AUTHOR: Moses
III. SUBJECT MATTER
__A. General statements:
____1. A code of law that governed the Hebrew nation is found in Leviticus
____2. A system of laws, administered by the Levitical preiesthood, under which the Hebrew nation lived
__B. General division
____1. Chapters 1-17 contain what could be called laws of a negative character
____2. Chapters 18-26 contain what could be called laws of a positive character
__C. Chapter Outline
____1. Chapters 1-7 — laws concerning sacrifices
____2. Chapters 8-10 — the mediatorship of the priests
____3. Chapters 11-15 — the unclean things
____4. Chapter 16 — the Day of Atonement
____5. Chapter 17– the use made of blood
____6. Chapters 18-20 — laws dealing with marriage, chastity, etc.
____7. Chapters 21-22 — the true character of the priests and sacred oblations
____8. Chapters 23-24 — the consecration of the seasons, etc.
____9. Chapter 25 — the Sabbath and the Jubilee year
____10. Chapter 26 — the offer of a blessing or a curse
IV. THE PURPOSE
__A. The main purpose of Leviticus is to reveal the law of God to the priests and the Israelites that they might glorify God through obedience, and purify themselves while awaiting the coming Messiah.
__B. Within Leviticus we have a vivid picture of the spiritual nature of the law as stated by Paul in Romans 7:14.
Introduction
One cannot possibly read the entire Bible without an awareness of the golden thread of continuity weaving through every dispensation, every generation, every book, yes every event! As one reads, he is deeply impressed with the constant necessity of the created glorifying the Creator. From the creation of man, and his fall in the Garden of Eden, the emphasis is on man’s glorifying the God Who made him, and God’s scheme to save man through His only begotten, promised Son. But, before the Son could come, God was determined to make the people ready. Through hundreds of years God developed man through the Patriarchal Age and through the Mosaic Age, until finally God decreed that the “fullness of time” had come, and He climaxed all He had done for man in the sending of His Son to save the people from their sins.
All of the Old Testament searches, yearns, and looks forward to the coming of the chosen one, the Messiah. From the earliest hint of “better things to come” to the time of the reality of the Christ, men expected God to fulfill His promises during their generation.
Discussion
Truly in the “fullness of time” God would send Jesus Christ – but what happens in the meantime? What will men do? How are they to be governed by God? What are men to do to glorify God while they are waiting for the Savior? Will God allow men to run foot-loose and fancy-free? Will He set up a harsh, cold, heartless set of external rules that prevent men glorifying Him now, during the time of Moses and Aaron? Our lesson deals with what God did with His people in one section of time before Jesus came. Our answers are found in the very interesting book of Leviticus.
In general, Leviticus reveals the code of the law that governed the Hebrew nation, which law was ministered by the Levitical priesthood. The English title comes from the Greek title in the LXX which means “pertaining to the Levites”. The Hebrew name meant “and He called”, and the Jews sometimes called it the “Law of Priests”. It is unique that the Levites as such are mentioned only once in the book (Leviticus 25:32ff) and that incidentally.
In the first 17 chapters of Leviticus, it may be said that the laws of God are primarily of a negative nature, and in the remaining chapters, the laws are primarily of a positive nature. In each case the book contains the ordinances which were to be carried out by the Israelites in religious, ethical, and cultural matters in order to restore and to maintain communion with God, notwithstanding the imperfections and the guilt of the Israelites.
Each law described in Leviticus was said to be a revelation of Jehovah (1:1; 4:1; 5:14; 6:19, 24; 7:22, 28, etc). Repeatedly, it is stated, “Jehovah spoke to Moses”. The great power and force of the teaching of the book, as in all other books of the Bible, is found in “Jehovah speaking”. When Jehovah spoke, men were required to listen with respect. God knew then, as He does now, what was best for men. His power to speak was so great that He spoke the world into existence. The world He made, and the man He made to inhabit that world are subject to Him. God told Moses to speak to the children of Israel these words, “My ordinances shall you do, and My statutes shall you keep, to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God. You shall therefore keep My statutes, and My ordinances; which if a man do, he will live by them: I am Jehovah” (Leviticus 18:4-5).
One of the things that impresses us most about the commands of God is that they always are designed to make men holy. They always draw men closer to God when obeyed and separate men from God when disobeyed. Of His commands and of His demands He said, “You shall be holy; for I Jehovah your God am holy” (19:2). God brings men to holiness both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the New Testament, the additional benefits of Jesus Christ are provided.
Love was the motive God required in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament. God’s chosen ones were warned not to “take vengeance” (Leviticus 19:18), and He enjoined, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself . . . ” In moral living God required in Leviticus 19 35, “You shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, and measures of length, of weight, or of quantity.” It was just as important for an Israelite to be fair in his dealings as it is for us today!
To glorify God one had to be holy, and God commanded such in Leviticus 20:26 when He said, “And you shall be holy unto Me: for I, Jehovah am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be Mine.” Notice — God says He has sent these people apart. They were “sanctified” or set apart to holy use before God. He wanted them to be just as spiritual as they could possibly be – and all of this was but preparation of a people for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice the various areas in which God required holiness. Leviticus speaks much of sacrifices. At least five different kinds of sacrifices are mentioned. They are: the burnt offerings, of bullocks, rams, goats, doves, and pigeons, that were wholly burned, signifying entire dedication to God; the meal offerings, of grain, flour, or cakes without leaven; the peace offerings, of cattle, sheep, or goats; the sin offerings; and the trespass offerings, which were closely connected with the sin offerings. God provided man with the best, and He required holiness in sacrifice. Man had to provide the animal without blemish, or it was rejected by God (Leviticus 22:26). The sacrificing of the very best was significant because God someday was to give the people the supreme sacrifice of His only Son, and the people needed to be aware of the significance of the best. By requiring sacrifices of them, God was working with His overall plan of teaching men to glorify Him, and getting them ready for the coming of the Lord.
Over and over again in Leviticus God demands that His name be hallowed and that His people fear Him and rightly treat each other. Leviticus 25: 17 says, “And you shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God: for I am Jehovah your God.” Constantly evident is the fact that God knows best! And, always it is plain that God cares! He promises protection, security, and love to those who obey Him.
God’s directions in the requirements for the consecration of the priesthood reveal His eternal desire for men to be pure and righteous, and at the same time prepare the people in their thinking for the coming of the one High Priest of the New Testament, the perfect Son of God. In Leviticus a deep impression was made on priest and the congregation alike as the various commands of consecration in atonement were complied with. The ceremonies of consecration in the presence of the congregation were impressive. God demanded purity and faithfulness on the part of these religious leaders of His people. His instructions to them were simple and complete for that age, and His wrath was poured out on those who did not comply with His commands. A prime example of God’s requiring strict adherence to His law, even by the priests, is found in Leviticus 10:1-7. Nadab and Abihu, two sons of Aaron, were guilty of offering strange fire, which the Lord had not commanded. As a result of this disobedience, though seemingly insignificant to men, God sent forth fire and devoured them, and they died. In reality, the Creator has a just right to punish the disobedience of His creation. And, often, in the Old Testament, as in this case, God reveals His wrath and displeasure with disobedience in drastic measures.
The Holy Days and seasons that God gave the Israelites also show that all is to be done to the glory of God. Leviticus gives the instructions for the observance of such days and seasons as the Sabbath, a weekly holy day; the New Moon or Feast of Trumpets, a monthly holy day; the Passover (or Unleavened Bread), Pentecost (or Feast of Weeks), the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles, all yearly holy days; the Sabbath year, which was to be observed each seventh year, and was marked by allowing the land to rest and releasing people from debt; and finally, the Jubilee year, observed every 50th year, in which the land rested, property reverted to the original owner, and Israelite slaves were freed. In each of these observances, it is clearly seen that God is preparing the hearts of the people of Israel for the coming of better occasions when the Savior would come and establish His kingdom. Over and over again these days and feasts are referred to as being “to Jehovah”. It was essential for God to provide occasions that would prompt His people to remember Him. Human nature was, and is, forgetful. Man becomes independent and self-sufficient, and it has always been necessary for God to keep reminders before man that He is God, and that all blessings flow from Him.
No doubt the climax of all the statements of Leviticus is found in God’s desire for the children of Israel to obey Him from the heart – and the subsequent reminder of punishment if they did not submit to Him. God has never wanted a “mechanical” obedience with “lip” service alone. He has never been content to bless a man who will not submit his entire will to Him. Heart and life must go hand-in-hand as we bow in submission to the great “I Am”. Never is this more clearly shown, perhaps in the entire Old Testament, than in the 26th chapter of Leviticus. Beginning with verse three, the desires of Jehovah are revealed. Hear him: “If you walk in My statutes [which were holy, as we have already quoted from Leviticus], and keep My commandments, and do them”, then certain promises were given. Those promises are sprinkled through the next few verses. Hear some of them: “I will give you rains in their seasons and the land shall yield its increase . . . You shall eat your bread to the full . . . You shall dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land . . . Your enemies shall fall before you . . . I will have respect to you and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and will establish My covenant with you . . . My soul shall not abhor you.” Then, He comes to the very peak of promises by saying, “And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”
Notice the appeal of God. He appeals to their daily needs, to their security here, to the productivity of their lives, to their desire to have His respect, to their heritage, to their tie with Him, to their wish to have His love. And, then He appeals to their yearning to be close to God. “I will walk among you.” What a powerful fulfillment of the desire of man. How wonderful to have a God who possesses so much power, so much wisdom, so much authority, and yet is willing to walk with us and lead us in paths of righteousness. “. . . and you shall be My people.” Perhaps it was difficult for those of Moses’s day to appreciate the significance of this statement as it is for us today. How great it is to be called sons of God. What a privilege! What an honor!
Unfortunately we are forced by fairness to our study, to leave this beautiful description of the righteous to hear a vivid description of the destructiveness of disobedience, a warning to the wicked. Beginning in verse 14 of the same 26th chapter of Leviticus, God describes this condition. “If you will not hearken to Me, and will not do all these commandments; and if you reject My statutes”, then Jehovah says certain fearful consequences must be suffered. Notice, it is “if you will not . . .” Man was, and is, free. The choice is his. What will happen if man disobeys? Again, we paraphrase and notice some of the things of this chapter. “I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever . . . and make the soul pine away; and you shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against you . . . they that hate you shall rule over you . . . I will chastise you . . . I will break the pride of your power. . . your strength shall be spent in vain; for your land shall not yield its increase . . . your ways shall become desolate . . . I will send the pestilence among you . . . you shall eat the flesh of your sons and daughters . . . I will destroy your high places . . . my soul shall abhor you . . . I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors . . . your cities shall be a waste . . . as for them that are left of you I will send a faintness into their heart in the hands of their enemies . . . you shall perish among the nations.”
Just as the promises of God to the obedient are full, and free, and rich, so are the consequences of disobedience horrible, tormenting, and destructive. Again, we are reminded of the areas touched as God describes these consequences. Man has never liked terror, but God says it shall come to the disobedient; physical maladies shall be yours; and the inner man will live in misery; your crops shall not bring forth fruit; your enemies will be eating what you formerly ate, and My very face shall be set against you. Whereas you were strong, but when God is disobeyed, you become weak. God continues to describe it by showing how their ways would be useless and famine and trouble would be so multiplied that they would even eat their own children. Perhaps the worst thing of all was that God would not accept their worship. They can go through a form of worship, but it would not be a savor of sweet odor to Jehovah if they were in disobedience to Him. Their worship would be empty! And, for those who could survive all of this, God says He will send to them a faintness of heart, and finally they would virtually perish among the nations. To the Jews these thoughts were unbearable. Yet, the God of all sought to impress them with the necessity of adherence to His will to receive His blessings.
God foresaw the Israelites turning their backs on Him, and then He apparently sees the time when they would be so far away from Him, and without hope until they would even desire to return. The conditions of a man of God turning back to God are given in chapter 26. When the heart is touched, and the return to righteousness comes (verse 40 and those following): “they shall confess their iniquity . . . Their hearts be humbled . . . then I will remember . . .” The reality of sin against God must be realized in the heart. The sin must be confessed, or admitted to God. The person must be humbled. His Spirit must be one of truly accepting God’s provisions for return. And then, God says, “I will remember.” The picture is like this. On one side stands an offended God. On the other side stands the offender – man! God says certain attitudes must prevail and certain commands must be obeyed before man can be ready to return and enjoy the blessings of God again.
In principle, the same thing that was true of the Israelites is true of us today. Our attitudes must be right when we stray from God. The return involves confession of our wrongs and humility enough to change our lives. And, like Israel of old, God will not tolerate sin in us. He wants us to draw near to Him, and He sacrificed the very Son of God to assist us in doing so. We no longer look for the Messiah as they did when Leviticus was being written, but we have Him! He is all that God said He would be. It is abundant grace that permits us to glorify Him now and forevermore.
Conclusion
Yes, Leviticus truly is a grand book that shows how the law of God to the Israelites led them to glorify the Father and make strides in being prepared to receive His Son, who was to bring salvation to mankind.
Questions For Class Discussion
- Who wrote Leviticus?
- Who administered the laws God gave the Israelites?
- Explain the following kinds of sacrifices described in Leviticus: burnt offerings, meal offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings.
- What is the main theme of Leviticus?
- Describe the following holy days and seasons: Sabbath (weekly), New Moon (monthly), Passover (or Unleavened Bread), Pentecost (or Feast of Weeks), Day of Atonement , and Feast of Tabernacles (all these last for are yearly feasts), sabbatical year, and Jubilee year.
- Did God require holiness under the Old Testament law? Explain.