Leviticus 01

  Leviticus
                                                     Holy God, Holy People

Leviticus (Background)
● This book was written by Moses during the Desert wanderings. It was a book that told the Israelites how they were to live, and what it means to meat the standard of the Holy God.
● Some have said that it took God one day to get the Israelites out of Egypt, but 40 years to get Egypt out of the Israelites. That is what this book is about. This book is about purifying the Jews and showing them that to be God's chosen people, and to maintain fellowship with him was not something that you could just do in one day a week, but that God demanded that their whole lives would be holy and dedicated to Him!
● We get the name “Leviticus” from the Septuagint version (an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament). It literally means “Having to do with the Levites.” Which was the tribe that God chose as priests for the nation of Israel. 
● Thus, this book would have been carefully read by the Levites whose job it was to oversee that the nation was following God's law for them. However, it is not only Levites who would have been interested in this book. All of the Jews who cared about the Lord's character and commands would study this book of the Law very carefully to know God's will for them.
● While we in the Church are not under the Mosaic Law we will see the Lord's character coming through in every page. His standards are right and just and we will get to behold the Lord Jesus through the study of this amazing book!

Leviticus (Sacrifice)
 The Sacrificial system of the Old Testament served more than one purpose. It is important to realize that the Jews were not only to sacrifice when they had sinned,but rather, the sacrificial system had meaning and a part of their life when they were following God's will as well.
■ Therefore, the Lord set up sacrifices that were to be made when they were in fellowship with God (following God's will and not sinning) and when they were out of fellowship. Leviticus 1-3 tells about the sacrifices for when the Israelites were in fellowship with God:
Sacrifice OT References Elements Purpose
Burnt Offering Lev. 1; 6:8-13; 8:18-21; 16:24 Bull, Ram, or male bird; burned entirely on the alter; with no flaws or defects Voluntary act of worship; atonement for unintentional sin in general; expression of devotion, commitment and complete surrender to God 
Grain offering Lev. 2; 6:14-23 Grain, fine flour, olive oil, incense, baked bread (cakes or wafers, salt; no yeast or honey; accompanied burnt offering and fellowship offering Voluntary act of worship; recognition of God's goodness and provisions; devotion to God.
Fellowship Offering Lev 3; 7:11-34 Any flawless animal Worship, thanksgiving

● The Burnt offering was required to be burnt up altogether on the Alter signifying that all is to be given to the Lord and nothing is to be held back.
● The Grain offering was a voluntary act of worship recognizing God as the giver of all things. This was a recognition of God's goodness and constant provision and the fact that without God's blessing we would have nothing.
 Do we make this recognition in our own lives? We often feel as if we work hard for our money and that is ours. Do we realize that all provision is from the Lord and he has given us the job that we have, the talents and abilities to do that job, and the pay that we have received for doing it?
● The fellowship offering was about celebrating fellowship with God. That fellowship was to be maintained by constant sacrifice and duty.
 For us in the Church Jesus Christ has already provided the perfect sacrifice and brought us into fellowship with God. We do not need to make any more sacrifices to have and enjoy that fellowship. Do we appreciate it? It is so much more amazing and wonderful when we think of the fact that we do not need to maintain the fellowship that Christ has won for us, we can simply enjoy it, though it can be broken if we sin and walk in our flesh Christ has provided the perfect sacrifice that brings us back into that fellowship with God the Father.
 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
■ The Law also provided a way to get back into fellowship if the fellowship were broken by sin or guilt.
Sacrifice OT References Elements Purpose
Sin Offering Lev. 4:1-5:13; 6:24-30; 8:14-17; 16:3-22 1. Young bull: for high priest and for the people
2. Male goat: for leader
3. Female goat or lamb for a commoner
4. Dover or pigeon for the poor
5. Tenth of an ephah of fine flour: for the very poor. Mandatory atonement for specific unintentional sin; confession of sin; forgiveness of sin; cleansing from defilement
Guilt Offering Lev. 5:14-6:7; 7:1-6 Ram or lamb Mandatory atonement for unintentional sin requiring restitution; cleansing from defilement; make restitution; pay 20% fine

● So here we see an amazing feature of God's standard: Perfection. Even sins that were committed unintentionally needed to be atoned for. There is not “Just kidding!” with sin. God is not going to wink or blink at sin and just say “Well they are just human!” Sin has to be dealt with!
 This shows the amazing power of Christ's sacrifice! We were saved by His payment of our sinful debts. Christ paid those debts in full, so that we could come to God.
 The Concerning the Priests (Leviticus 8:1 – 10:20)
■ The Consecration of the Priests (8:1-36)
● The Priesthood was not something that you could just “go out for” nor was it some career path that you could opt into if you didn't want to be a farmer. Rather, Aaron and his sons were chosen to be the priests.
● Unlike any of the other tribes, the tribe of Levi was not to get any inheritance of Land. Rather, they were to be given cities amongst the rest of the tribes.
● They were to be supported by the giving of the rest of the people and by eating certain sacrifices that God had designed for theme to eat of.
■ The Ministry of the Priesthood (9:1-24)
● Here Aaron and his sons followed the Lord's instructions and made and offering before the Lord.
● After cutting up all of the pieces and putting them upon the altar the Lord showed Himself in a miraculous way. His glory appeared to the people and then the Lord Himself sent fire forth to consume the offering.
■ Failures in the Priesthood (10:1-20)
● Nadab and Abihu disobeyed God and took his commands too lightly, making an improper offering before Him.
● Immediately the Lord struck them both down dead with fire. 
● This would seem harsh to us in the 21st century, but the reality is that this is serious stuff! We can not play lightly with the Holiness of God. 
 Too often in today's church we see a sort of “Buddy God” presented. Cute fluffy, and unable to do any harm. The reality is that when we deal with God we deal with something so Holy and so perfect that we cannot stand in His presence. It is only by the perfection of Christ that we may stand in his presence, and by nothing that we can do. God is loving, gentle and kind. He is merciful and compassionate. However, he is also perfectly just and perfect in everything that He does which is something that we could never take too seriously!
 Laws Regarding Israel's Purity (Leviticus 11:1-15:33)
■ Laws about Israel's Diet (11:1-47)
● Certain animals were declared clean to eat and certain animals were deemed unclean. Amongst the list of unclean animals were pork, shrimp, lobster, any birds of prey or scavengers, any other ocean creature without fins or scales and a number of other things.
● Many theories have been proposed as to why God declared some animals clean and others unclean.
 Some have suggested that it was because the forbidden foods would have represented health risks if they were not prepared exactly right (ie. Pork can be very unhealthy if it is not cooked completely)
 Others have suggested that it was simply an arbitrary separation to test Israel's obedience.
 It has also been suggested that the animals that were forbidden were oddities and were not the pure form of the animals (for instance sea creatures without fins and scales)
● The theories are all well and good, but they are only theories. God chose not to reveal exactly why he declared some animals clean and others unclean, and we need to accept that not everything we want to know is revealed in scripture.
■ Laws about Childbirth (12:1-8) 
● The Law was very clear about childbirth that every first born child was to be dedicated to the Lord, and every child that was born must be accompanied by a sacrifice. Perhaps this was to remind the Israelites that their children were a gift from God and he can open and close the womb at His will.
● The Law also called for the purification of the mother. This required a period of waiting and resting while she healed from the major event of giving birth. No one was allowed to join the assemble with flowing blood, so the healing was very important so as not to break the Law.
■ Laws about Leprosy (13:1-14:57)
● The word translated leprosy could have been any kind of skin disease.
● The Israelites were given very strict rules about all kinds of rash or skin irregularities, even molds and fungi had to be examined by the priests.
● Everything from ringworm to what we call leprosy was to be examined by the Law and carefully watched. If it was a serious disease then the person would be put out of the camp altogether.
 This may seem harsh to us now, but it is important to remember how important it was not to have disease infecting the whole camp. There were no ant-biotic pills that one could just pop in and wait for the cure, things were not so refined. On top of the issue of the Holiness of God mentioned above, someone with a skin disease posed a major threat to the wellbeing of the whole group.
■ Laws Concerning Discharge (15:1-33)
● These were the laws regarding both natural and unnatural discharges both for men or women. It was very important for the Israelites to remain clean before the Lord, thus these things were incredibly important.
 The Laws of National Atonement (16:1-17:16)
■ National Cleansing through The Day of Atonement (16:1-34)
● This was an important annual holiday for the Jews, and it was also the only time when the chief priest was able to enter into the Most Holy Place and sprinkle blood upon the altar.
● The chief priest was required to wash especially for this ceremony and make an offering first for his own sins, before he could offer for the people. Then he would wear different clothes than the clothes that displayed his usual authority as a chief priest.
 Through this ritual God shows that none may come to him on their own holiness, but even the chief priest must first atone for his own sins. Secondly is shows us, by the fact that the priest is not to wear his usual garb that position means nothing in light of the Holy Lord. There is nothing that enables anyone to come before God except sacrifice. In the case of the chief priest this temporary sacrifice by which God overlooked the sin of his people, and in our case we can only come to God based on the perfect and final sacrifice of Christ.
■ Laws Concerning the Location of Sacrifices (17:1-9)
● God is very clear that HE and HE ALONE IS GOD. 
● God does not want the Israelites confusing true holiness with worldly religion.
● The Israelites had been sacrificing to other god's and had learned much man made religion from the Egyptians and from the other people around Canaan. God is very clear that sacrificing to any other god is not acceptable. It is not enough just to sacrifice and have some spirituality, but only to sacrifice to the one true God in the way he requires. 
 This is much the same as we see today. Many people run around peddling false spirituality saying “it is enough to believe something.” This is a horrid lie. It is not enough just to have faith. Only faith in Christ means anything before the Lord!
■ Laws Concerning the Use of Blood (17:10-16)
● God puts a special value on the blood of an animal. It is not just the stuff that flows through the veins and arteries but it has a deeper significance.
● It is hard to imagine the importance that God puts on blood. Obviously it is the substance through which God sustains life, if it stops or runs out there is no more physical life left in a person. 
● It is furthermore valued by God as being able to cover over sins looking forward to the ultimate sacrifice: Christ, by whose blood we are saved!
 Surely part of the reason why God demanded blood to be so deeply revered is because He Himself would become a man. He Himself would have a heart that would pump blood through his veins, and this great sacrifice of blood would have the power to take the sin of everyone who believes. Not just to cover it up, but to take it away altogether, unlike any sacrifice before Christ's perfect sacrifice. 
 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29

Take Home
Studying the Old Testament gives us a fresh and powerful look at the God we serve. God's holiness and perfection are unrivaled and immeasurable. Studying these pages of scripture should bring us to a new place of humility and reverence before the Lord saying, “I am a sinful person!” Knowing God's perfection can only bring us to a fuller understanding of the wretchedness of our sin and imperfection. But praise the Lord! He acted for us in spite of all of our sinfulness and inability to do anything for ourselves! May we never take Christ's sacrifice so lightly because we have a better insight into how much it cost him, and how far we were from him before!

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2