Leviticus Part One: Dive
HOLY COW, THAT'S A LOT OF SACRIFICING!
There are some books in the Old Testament that seem so far away from our culture that we are not sure what to do with them and most people just skip over them when reading their Bibles. Leviticus is one of those books. This book is all about the Levites, the qualifications and preparations for sinful man to worship a holy God and how to maintain that holiness.
But when you stop and read this book, you’ll see the incredible nature and character of God that it reveals is more relevant today than ever! Remember, if the words of God were in red, this whole book would be red! These are His words and our God doesn’t change, He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The incredible holy, pure, all powerful and precise God that speaks in Leviticus is the same God we worship today, and this incredible book is going to reveal His nature to you in a way that will give you so much gratitude and understanding of who He is that you will be overwhelmed with worship. I was!
In my New Testament class, we spend one lecture, two full hours, on the Old Testament. Some students are shocked when they look at the timetable and see one full session on the Old Testament in the New Testament course, so why do I do it? I do it because the first year I taught the class, I realised my students didn’t know the Old Testament and therefore didn’t realise what they had been saved from or have a full understanding of all Jesus had done for them. If you don’t understand what they had to do and the regulations that they were under in the Old Testament, you will not truly understand or appreciate the freedom that we have in Jesus Christ. You won’t understand Paul’s passion to free us from human tradition and regulations once we are found in Christ.
Let me explain this further, I overheard a conversation once of a young girl complaining that it took her a long time to get to a coffee catch-up on Anzac Day because of all the crowds for the Anzac Day march in Sydney. She was truly annoyed. It really bugged me and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. As she complained about the crowds and parking, I could no longer hold my tongue. I turned to her and said, “You walk down the street in freedom, because of those annoying old men, if those men and women didn’t fight for your freedom, let alone the ones who died for your freedom, this world we live in today would look very different. Our society is built upon those incredible heroes.” I wish I could have transported her back in time to show why those men and women died and what they gained for us. She looked at me like I was a crazy person, and to be honest at that moment, I was! It probably didn’t help that my grandfather, who normally marched in the Anzac Day march, had just passed away, but my point was made.
Sometimes we need reminding of what we have been freed from so that we can appreciate the freedom we walk in today in Jesus Christ. We can see what Jesus did for us and all he saved us from as we read Leviticus. As you read Leviticus, you’ll be overwhelmed with all the laws and regulations, what they had to do to stay holy in the presence of a holy God.
Trashing Tip: The word ‘holy’ is used over 76 times in the book, more than in Isaiah: the Holy Prophet.
This book is about shaping a worshipping people, so take note of the repeated terms, unclean, sacrifice, atonement, sin offerings for when different people sin and the atonement that is needed to be done by the priest for forgiveness of those sins. Take note of the repeated terms and highlight them like ‘when they realize their guilt’.
Leviticus gives me a new appreciation for the words of the apostles, like John’s:
1 J 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
We don’t have to go to Leviticus when we realise we have sinned and work out which animal we need to sacrifice and which penalty we need to pay. All we need to do is confess it and He forgives us—not only that, but He purifies us from all unrighteousness. What?! You can imagine the Jews of the 1st Century reading 1 John 1:9 and saying, “Are you serious? That is all?”. That is the power of the blood of Jesus that we have, don’t take that for granted!
Remember, today we are called to walk boldly into the presence of God in freedom (Ephesians 3:12, Hebrews 4:16). We can walk into the holy of holies, into the presence of God, into our churches without sacrificing, rules or regulations. Never take for granted the freedom that you walk in because that freedom was bought with a price and that price was the blood of Jesus Christ. I walk boldly and forever grateful for the presence of God because I know the cost of my freedom. That is why when I am in worship, I am so grateful for Jesus. That is why when I enter my church without having to bring a blood sacrifice to be in God’s presence, I am so grateful for Jesus. That is why when the presence of God falls and I don’t drop dead because of my sin, I am so grateful for Jesus. That is why I will never dishonour or disrespect my freedom in boldly coming into His presence because I know the cost of my freedom and I will be forever grateful for Jesus!
Lastly, remember as you read Leviticus that Jesus didn’t abolish these laws and say, “this was too hard for anyone to accomplish I am just going to get rid of them all and start again!”. No, the Bible says that He fulfilled them all, every dot, every iota, He fulfilled. As it says in the Book of Matthew:
M 5:17-20 (ESV) Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
So venture into Leviticus and go through all of the ceremonial offerings that were required back in the Old Testament, you will be overwhelmed with gratefulness for what Jesus did on the cross and for the presence of God in our churches without condition!
recommended
introduction to the old testament
leviticus part one
leviticus part two