OT Survey [Session 2] Leviticus Overview
COMMENTARY composed and taught by Rob Perry for
TRILOGY MEN’S FLOATING BIBLE STUDY GROUP [TMFBSG*]
All five of the books of Moses are connected with one another. This becomes evident in the book of Leviticus with the opening conjunction, “AND”. The storyline is picked up right where Exodus leaves off. The tabernacle has been erected, and now God speaks to Moses from it (Leviticus 1:1). The title of the book that we use was given to it in the Greek translation. It means “pertaining to Levites,” but the instructions in the book are primarily for the priests, who were only a portion of the tribe of Levi. We might call this book “The Manual of Worship,” or “Israel under the Law.”
Because so much of Leviticus consists of the description of sacrifices and rituals of the Mosaic system, some Christians cannot see its value for today. The epistle to the Hebrews, however, shows that the ritual of the Mosaic Law contains types and spiritual lessons for us. All the sacrifices of Levitical worship pointed forward to the final, perfect sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Among other things, Leviticus shows how sinful people can approach a holy God. The keyword of the book is “holy,” and Leviticus 19:2 may be designated the key verse:
“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ’Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.”
STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK
I. Approach to God (Leviticus 1–10)
II. Ceremonial Cleansing (Leviticus 11–16)
III. The Holiness of God’s People (Leviticus 17–22)
IV. Sacred Seasons and Vows (Leviticus 23–27)
We can think through the book of Leviticus by using a few distinctive terms. In the first section we find offering and priesthood; in the second section, clean and unclean and Day of Atonement; in third section, holiness; and, in the fourth section, feasts, sabbath year, and jubilee and vows. These eight terms furnish a summary of the book of Leviticus.
APPROACH TO GOD
The book of Leviticus emphasizes the two essentials for approaching God: sacrifice and priesthood. The sacrifices, or offerings, of the Law are described in Leviticus1–7.
The priesthood is described in Leviticus 8–10. Jesus Christ is the perfect fulfillment of both of these requirements. We, too, can approach God only through sacrifice and a priesthood. But the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is both the sacrifice and the priest, the offering and the one who offers it. By Him we draw near to God.
There are five Levitical offerings: the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. You should memorize them. They are discussed in Leviticus 1–5 consecutively, and the laws of the offering are further given in Leviticus 6–7. The laws of the offerings are special instructions to the priests concerning the preparation of the sacrifices. Of the five major offerings, four are animal sacrifices. The only one that is not an animal sacrifice, the meal offering (called “meat offering” in the King James Version), was generally offered in connection with one of the other sacrifices.
While we cannot be dogmatic about the details of the spiritual meanings of these offerings, it is clear from the epistle to the Hebrews and other parts of the New Testament that they all somehow prefigure the person and atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is particularly highlighted in Hebrews 10:1–14. “The sweet savor offerings [the first three] typify Christ in His own perfection, while the last two represent Him in all the guilt and demerit of the sinner .... It must not be supposed that these offerings in themselves satisfied God (Hebrews 10:4). Their importance lay in what they symbolize, that is, the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nor is it Christ alone who is thus seen, but we who are believers in Him. Nothing will so strengthen our assurance of salvation or so melt our hearts in love toward Him or awaken our adoration of His character and grace like an understanding of our position in Him as set forth in this wonderful revelation.”
In Leviticus 8, the consecration of the priests is set forth. They were to offer the sacrifices. Christ is our Great High Priest, and all believers in Him today are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). After being set apart to God, the priests began their ministry (Leviticus 9). However, early in the history of the priesthood failure emerged in the “unauthorized fire” of Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10). For us, the spiritual significance of this sin is worship apart from the altar, that is, apart from the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel could approach God through the offerings and through the priesthood. In that dispensation the people stood far off, but we today, through faith in Christ, have been brought near by His precious blood.
CEREMONIAL CLEANSING
In this section God teaches His people how to make distinctions. Israel learned through even the minutest details of everyday life that they were to be different from the people around them. God was directing them and their nation; even the food they were to eat was prescribed for them.
Distinction must be made between moral uncleanness and ceremonial uncleanness.
Some things are eternally right; and because they are, God commands them to be done. Other things that are not of such an eternal character are right simply because God commands them. There is nothing morally clean or unclean in the flesh of certain kinds of animals. But God put a ceremonial uncleanness on certain types, and Israel had to obey the Law of God. No doubt there were sanitary reasons as well as spiritual reasons in God’s appointment. We must remember that the people of Israel were living in a semitropical climate, with no means of preserving food like we have today. There is cleansing of food (Leviticus 11), cleansing in motherhood (Leviticus 12), cleansing of leprosy (Leviticus 13–14), cleansing of bodily discharges (Leviticus 15), and then national cleansing on the great Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).
These various ceremonies of cleansing teach the great spiritual truth that people are sinners by nature, sinners from birth, and that only by cleansing are they fit for fellowship with God. “Chapter 16 is worthy of special notice, standing out as the great atonement chapter of the Bible. This Day of Atonement was the only day in the year when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies. Notice particularly what took place on that day and the transfer of the sins of the nation to the scapegoat, which bore them away into the wilderness, a type of the work of Christ for us in salvation. He not only laid down His life for our sins, as typified in the death of the first goat, but so He bears them away so that they can nevermore be found (Isaiah 43:25).”
THE HOLINESS OF GOD’S PEOPLE
The word translated holiness in the Old Testament comes from a root meaning “to set apart.” God is absolutely holy in that He is set apart from all evil. He commands His people to be holy as well.
In Leviticus 17:10 God explains the use of blood in the atonement:
Any Israelite or any alien living among them who eats any blood-I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from his people. Leviticus 18–20 shows God’s standard of moral conduct. In our society, people consider all standards to be relative, but God’s Word teaches that there are absolute standards based on His own holy character. God shows His hatred of immorality by the severity of these commands and particularly of the penalties mentioned in Leviticus 20.
While customs and habits naturally change from one culture to another and from one time to another, there are certain moral laws that are immutable. Leviticus 19, dealing with many practical subjects, grounds these commands in the holiness of God. People are to obey because God is holy—because He is the Lord—and they have accountability to Him.
Leviticus 21–22 shows the necessity for separation, or holiness, both of priests and of offerings. Many kinds of animals were offered in sacrifice, but the requirement in every case was that it should be “without defect.” This physical perfection was a type of the spiritual perfection of our Lord, who gave Himself in sacrifice for us.
SACRED SEASONS AND VOWS
Leviticus 23 lists the feasts (or sacred seasons) that God gave the people of Israel. In addition to the weekly sacred time, the Sabbath, there were seven annual sacred seasons. These are called “feasts” in the King James Version, although one of them, the Day of Atonement, was actually not a feast, but a fast. These sacred seasons, in addition to providing a framework of worship for the people of Israel, also contain a symbolic or typical significance for us. You should memorize the names of these seven special seasons along with their symbolic or typical significance.
The Passover is a memorial that typifies redemption. The Feast of Unleavened Bread speaks of a holy walk with God (1 Corinthians 5:8). The First Fruits is typical of the resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:23). Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks, is typical of the day on which the Holy Spirit formed the church, the body of Christ. These four sacred seasons in the spring and early summer speak typically of the church. The last three, taking place in the autumn after a comparatively long interval, look forward prophetically to the future of the nation of Israel. The Feast of Trumpets refers to the regathering of Israel. This is followed by the Day of Atonement, which speaks of Israel’s future national repentance. That is followed by the Feast of Tabernacles (Feast of Booths, NASB), which looks forward to the millennial kingdom when Israel, with all the nations of the earth, will keep the long feast with joy and rejoicing (Zechariah 14:16).
God also instituted for the people of Israel the sabbath year (Leviticus 25:1–7) and the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8–55). Just as the people were to observe a weekly Sabbath, so the land was to be allowed to observe a “sabbath of rest” every seven years. This, of course, was for the good of the soil, but it also taught the people of Israel dependence upon God. We read in a later portion of the Old Testament that failure to keep the sabbath year was one of the causes of the Captivity (2 Chronicles 36:21).
The Year of Jubilee, every fiftieth year, taught further lessons of God’s ownership of the land because no piece of land in Israel was sold permanently, but only until the next jubilee, thus enforcing the statement that the land belongs to Him.
In Leviticus 26, God through Moses warns with great detail of what will come upon the nation of Israel as a result of disobedience to Him. The later history of these people, down to our own day, illustrates the striking and tragic fulfillment of this prophecy.
This book closes with a section on vows, and solemn promises made to God (Leviticus 27). The lesson for us is that promises are to be kept. It is better for us not to promise God anything than to promise Him something and fail to fulfill it.
In every part of this wonderful book, we look forward to the coming Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, who provides holiness for us and makes us able to stand forever through faith in Him in the presence of the holy God.
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