When our daughters were younger we got used to reading the Bible together, my wife, the girls and I sat down for breakfast and before we walked out the door I read a chapter, made some comments and prayed together. Shall we go through Genesis and Exodus?
So what. . . When I started reading, I immediately wondered, “What do these girls think of killing all these animals?You know how much girls love sheep, goats and birds. I hesitated for a moment, but I knew it was important to move on.
- Because? Because Leviticus is a necessary part of a story that unfolds.
- Genesis answers the question of how God will provide Abraham with the promised descendants.
- Exodus answers the question of how God will redeem Abraham’s slaves from slavery and bring them to the Promised Land.
- The struggles against sin and idolatry continue.
- The question remains: “How can a holy God have relations with sinners?”.
Leviticus gives us an answer to this question. At the same time, is Leviticus also a book for us today?Because we are still a sinful people and God is always holy, it reminds us of our need for God’s mercy and a faithful mediator who atons for our sins.
Here are five reasons why you should preach this Old Testament book called Leviticus.
As the people of God’s new covenant, it is easy to minimize our sin; After all, Jesus died on the cross and paid the punishment for our sins in its entirety. Don’t we need to make daily sacrifices in the temple? And praise God. Stop that! But this same freedom can inspire us to minimize our own sin. Leviticus, on the other hand, reminds us that sin is costly.
In Genesis 2. 15, we are told that the wages of sin are death; Whatever the sin, we deserve the death penalty; But in Leviticus, our kind Lord establishes a system of sacrifice by which sinners can present a substitute. person has sinned, must bring an animal that receives the death penalty it deserves. It’s funny!
But the sacrificial system also reminds us of the cost of sin. The substitute must come from the sinner’s own flock. Imagine if every time you sin, you have to return, take a lamb from your flock and take it to the priest. And when you brought the lamb to the priest, you presented him as the substitute who would receive the death penalty for your sin; and it would be you, not the priest, who would slit the animal’s throat. Flow. Think of all this blood not only for his sacrifice, but for all the sacrifices of that day. Under the new covenant, we do not have this moving picture of the cost of our sin and how God treats it as our replacement. to see the extravagance of God’s grace and the cost of our sin.
Because God is holy, he demands that a mediator stand between him and his people. In Leviticus, God separates his ministers to serve him and his people (8-9). But he also warns us that God’s ministers should serve him as he demands. and not as they themselves decide. 10 As those who represented God before the people, god’s ministers should teach God’s people all that he commanded (10:11) and, like those who represented the people before God, had to promote atonement (10:17).
In Leviticus, these questions are asked: “Who will be the faithful mediator between God and man?””Who will promote the Atonement of sin?”
In Exodus 24, Moses devoted Israel as God’s people, based on the Sinai covenant. Now God explains how consecrated Israel must live this separate life in order to approach it in worship. Leviticus 11-15 emphasizes the distinction between pure and filthy. Those who were unclean could not associate with the people and could not worship God, but arrangements were made for the unclean to be cleansed.
While we may not know exactly why these laws were given, with the exception of the distinction between Israel and neighboring nations, we know that obedience to these laws has allowed God’s people to approach them in worship. and could never approach God in worship. Besides, anyone who touched someone or something filthy would also become filthy. Does Leviticus make us want someone who, through his contact, will clean everything up?Worship.
Does Leviticus reach its climax on the glorious day of Atonement?The day when all the sin of Israel was forgiven; sacrifices were made to purify the temple and atone for the sins of the high priest and the people; has a scapegoat been presented as a substitute?upon which the sins of the people were symbolically placed. This scapegoat was then released from the field, illustrating the departure of Israel’s sin.
The Hebrew writer makes these connections for us. Leviticus 16-17 foreshadows the promised high priest, who is also the scapegoat who takes away the sins of the people, taking his own blood and spraying it in the most holy place. We must preach Leviticus to remind us that only Jesus definitively saves.
Because God is holy, we must be holy. Leviticus describes how Israel should distinguish itself (to be holy) from other nations in all aspects of their lives. Leviticus also highlights the blessings promised to those who seek holiness (26:1-13) and the curses announced to those who do not seek it (26:14-39). At the same time, the conclusion of the book exposes god’s merciful heart, which promises forgiveness to all who repent of their sins (26:40-46).
In days when holiness is neglected, we must remind our people that we must be holy as God is holy. God blesses holiness. Fortunately, Jesus Himself assumed the curses of the mosaic covenant and exercised the perfect obedience required by the same covenant. Now all those who repent of their sins will receive the forgiveness promised in Christ and, therefore, they will be able to relate to the holy God. .
Leviticus not only details animal sacrifices and holiness systems, he does that, but does much more. It exposes the heart of a merciful God who provides a substitute for the sin of his repentant people. This substitute not only received the death penalty in our place, but also obeyed our place, decreasing all the blessings of holiness.
Now, under the new covenant, Jesus gives us power for a holy life, first by giving us a new heart and the Holy Spirit. Brethren, preach Leviticus, why, why will you find the gospel there!
The book of Hebrews? Hebrews is the best biblical-theological commentary on Leviticus. Explains how Jesus respects the ancient covenant, highlighting the language and images of Leviticus: sacrifice, priesthood, high priest, day of atonement.
Gordon Wenham’s Book of Leviticus. Wenham is a trusted scholar and provides information on the biblical text. His discussion of the pure / unclean, the holy / common is very helpful, as is his explanation of holiness as more than just “separation. ” Probably the best comment on Leviticus.
Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Leviticus Exhibition, Allen P. Ross This is not a comment. It provides a biblical and historical context, but is primarily a guide to the exhibition of Leviticus. I do not recommend starting with this comment, or any other, but this can be a useful guide once you have done your own work.