Leviticus

Leviticus Homework

1. What do you see in this book that tells you about the Original Reader?

 Leviticus was written for the Israelite people after their exodus from the land of Egypt. We we last left them in Egypt, they were camped at Mount Sinai and had received the 10 Commandments from the Lord. The Tabernacle has been built in order that the Lord might dwell among them. He has declared that “You will be my people and I will be your God (Exodus 6:7 and 40:38).” However, they had not yet entered into the land promised to them. Still with a slave mentality from Egypt, the Israelites have invited the Lord into their midst to be their God. They needed guidance for what this would look like.

2. What do you see in this book that tells you about the author?

With Moses as not only the original author, but the one God has chosen to speak though, much of this book is first hand. It is clear that Moses saw high importance in this text and wrote it in extreme detail for the generations to come.

3. What are the main themes and repeated ideas in this book, and what is a one sentence summary of the main idea?

With the Tabernacle built and the Lord residing with his people, He is showing them not only how to worship Him, but how to be holy as He is holy, which can only be accomplished through faith and His great mercy. 

The book of Leviticus, while to some may seem dull and just endless laws, is full of the mercy of our Lord. Through this book, we see the command to be holy and clean before the Lord (11:44-45). This can seem as one in the same and can cause questions as to what results in sin, but it is important to understand the difference between these two terms.

God is holy and he calls his people to be holy (20:26). This holiness implies perfection. Being holy is having the absence of sin. This is God. But through Leviticus we see that this is an impossible task. We see that being holy has less to do with the people and more to do with the God they serve. It is only through association with God that the Israelites can be counted as holy.

Being ritually clean is simply a symbol of sin, not a result. For example, if a person loses a limb not by their own fault, this is not a sin. However, they are considered ceremonial unclean because whether it was their fault or not, they are not whole and therefore cannot be holy (21:17-18). This person, although ceremonially unclean, can still be saved through their faith and desire to live a holy life before the Lord, but cannot enter the Tabernacle or make offerings.

4. What is the primary reason this book was written?

Leviticus answer two main concerns:

How to approach God and how to live in unbroken fellowship with Him.

The people have only known a distant God that spoke through one or two people at a time. (Moses on Mount Sinai) But now that the Lord resides with them, God must be very clear about how this will be handled. 

Likewise, the Lord wanted his people to stand out among the Nations. With their festivals and day by day laws, they are being made to act as an image of the living God to those who they encountered in their promise land. It was all to point back to God. (In fact, this is primarily why he placed them geographically where he did. Trade routes to all major cities at the time went straight through the promise land. He wanted his people to stand out among all who travel through.

5.What does this book show about the Character and Nature of God?

God is holy and his people most be holy. Therefore sin is very serious to God. It requires a blood sacrifice, and not just the leftovers that you’re happy to be rid of. The graphic description in each animal sacrifice depicts a picture of what is needed for the atonement of sin (3:1-5). 

God is just by nature and cannot let anyone get away with sin, but through providing sacrifices, we see the Lord’s desire to draw near to his people. He is a merciful God that longs for relationship and is therefore providing a way. God honors the faith that comes with sacrifice, not just the ritual. By commanding a hand to be placed on the head of the sacrificial animal, the sinner is acknowledging that the animal is taking their place for what should rightly be their punishment. God looks at this and honors the heart of faith and repentance, not simply the act of shedding blood.

6. What does this book show you about God’s redemptive plan for mankind?

While sin is very serious to God, he has created a way past it. There is very little that can be done to make a person holy. But the Lord, above all, desires relationship and to dwell among his people. This is why he put these laws into play. It’s not because he is trying to bring wrath onto his people or to make them suffer to be righteous. He is doing what must be done in order to dwell with his people. 

Through the sacrificial ceremonies, God gives us a picture of the sacrifice that is to come. Often times in reading this book, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with the details. How could anyone uphold these laws? But all the while, He has his plan for the ultimate sacrifice and in turn, redemption for mankind.

7. Personal Application

I serve a holy God and am so blessed beyond what I can ever understand to take part in His promises. Looking at these ceremonial laws and what it took to enter into the presence of God, Im just in awe being able to sit in His presence the way we do. Likewise, I’m convicted that I don’t do it as often as I should. My prayers can easily be scripted and without heart behind them and I often have my mind on other things. But the levites had to do so much to simply enter into his presence that it could not be taken for granted. This is something that I need to come back to. I need to treasure and cherish these moments far beyond what I already do.