Leviticus

Introductory Remarks

Leviticus is a seldom studied, grossly underappreciated, and often abused portion of God's revelation. It is all too
common for Christians to skip from Exodus to Numbers or to simply skim over the contents of Leviticus, giving little
thought to what it might offer us. It is "hard reading," "tedious," or even "boring" to many. A failure to comprehend
its message, however, leaves an unfilled void in our understanding and appreciation of the entire theme of the
Bible--God, man, sin, and salvation. Every letter of every word of every sentence on every page of Leviticus is God
communicating the plan of salvation to man. Every command, every law, and every detail of every sacrifice is tied
to the promise of Genesis 3:15. The principles taught in Leviticus are eternal principles; they are just as pertinent
to our salvation as they were to Israel's.

In this short article we want to consider Leviticus’ place in God’s eternal purpose. At the dawn of creation, man
was innocent and his environment was perfect. He enjoyed a personal and uninterrupted relationship with his
Maker. All of the benefits of God’s fellowship were experienced in Eden. Sin ruined everything. It brought physical
death and spiritual separation from God. God’s love and mercy had predetermined, however, that a remedy would
be provided for man’s sin. It was first alluded to in Genesis 3:15, then again in Genesis 12:1-3, and it would be
further developed throughout God’s communication with man until the remedy arrived in completeness. The plan
involved making of Abraham’s seed a nation and giving them a land. The purpose for God’s special relationship
with Israel was two-fold: (1) To provide the lineage for the Savior of promise; and (2) To present to man’s mind
who God is; what sin is; what God does for man; and how man, though defiled by sin, may have fellowship with
his holy Creator. These truths are demonstrated in God’s covenant dealings with Israel. God’s purpose--to provide
a remedy for sin and reconcile man to himself--saw its completion in Christ and his church (Ephesians 2-3). It was
developed and typified through Old Testament Israel.

Understanding Leviticus is essential to understanding God, sin, and man’s relationship to God.
God's remedy for sin was revealed in Genesis 3:15 and 12:1-3. Genesis is the record of God's election as it relates
to that remedy. Exodus is the redemption of the elect. Leviticus reveals the terms of communion for God’s
redeemed elect.

Summary:

God is holy. He cannot be tainted with sin. He is all-good, all-loving, all-wise. Sin is everything that God is not. Sin
is the opposite of God. Sin produces a chasm between God and anything it touches.

Man sins. Man sinned in the beginning and could no longer be with God. Man continued to sin and continued to
remain separated from God (Isa. 59:1-2).

God loves man and wants to reconcile man to himself. But, how can reconciliation be a reality in view of the fact
that (1) God is holy, and (2) his holiness cannot fellowship man in his sin? Leviticus provides the answer. Yes,
Leviticus of all books provides the answer. Sometimes we view Leviticus as nothing more than a rulebook for old
Israel. Sometimes the only lesson we emphasize from the book is that God wants us to pay attention to even the
smallest details. Leviticus is much more than that.

The message of Leviticus, if we were to sum it up in one sentence, is: "By grace are ye saved through faith
(Ephesians 2:8)." It is broken down into the following parts of the book.

I. Sacrifice (chapters 1-7) …………….……………................................ By GRACE
II. Priesthood (8-10)

III. The Defiling Nature of Sin (11-15) ……………………………….. Are ye SAVED
IV. Atonement (16)

V. Law (17-27) ……………………………….................................... Through FAITH

Sacrifice. Sin carries with it the death penalty. God declared that truth to Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 5:12);
Paul expressed it in Romans 6:23, "the wages of sin is death." Where there goes sin, there must go death. Thus,
every human being who sins deserves a sinner's death. God knew that sinlessness was not attainable by his
creation, however, and so he put in place a system whereby men might be spared from that penalty. That system
is sacrifice: the life of one put for another. The only sacrifice that could ultimately satisfy the justice of God was
the death of his son (1 Jn. 2:2; Rom.3:23-25; 5:9-11). Jesus, who himself knew no sin, became sin for us that we
might be made the righteousness of God in him (2 Cor. 5:21).

Leviticus foreshadows the sacrifice of the lamb of God (Jesus - Jn. 1:29). In all of the offerings and sacrifices we
read about in this book the principle is preached, "where there is sin there must be death." Every slaughtered bull
and goat reminded Israel of that fact. With the death of each innocent lamb every faithful Israelite thought, "That
should have been me. It is only because God is gracious that he has allowed something else to die in my stead."
While the blood of animal sacrifices could never completely serve as a propitiation for sin (Heb. 10:1ff; Rom.
3:23-25), God allowed them to take the place of the lives of righteous men and women who lived under the Old
Covenant, and he used them to help us better appreciate sin, grace, and the final sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Priesthood. Observe the many detailed requirements and criteria for priesthood under the Old Law and you will
realize that man does not simply approach God just because he might want to. Man cannot just walk into God's
presence, talk to him at will, or hope to have any communication or fellowship with him. Remember, it is not that
God is unable or unwilling to hear and receive us, but "your iniquities have separated between you and your
God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear (Isa. 59:1-2)." Thank God that he has
created an avenue, priesthood, by which we can approach him. It was learned very quickly in Israel that only
authorized priests could approach God in tabernacle and temple service. Only the high priest could venture into the
most holy place, and that only on one appointed day each year. God is holy; those who do not observe his
requirements for priesthood are destroyed.

Jesus Christ, as the Hebrews writer makes so clear, is the only avenue which can truly take us to God. He is our
High Priest. He entered the most holy place (heaven), paving the way for us to do the same when we leave this
earth. Every command involving the priesthood about which we read in Leviticus emphasizes the holiness of God
and preaches the priestly work of Christ.

The defiling nature of sin. Why was a woman unclean for seven days after giving birth to a son? Why was
everything that touched a woman who had an issue of blood designated impure? Why could locusts and cows be
eaten, but eagles and catfish were considered "unclean" and "an abomination?" Why these and other seemingly
trivial demands? Were they for the Israelites' physical health and wellbeing? Were they a test of faith? Perhaps
God did at time give commands for those reasons, but, more importantly, the laws governing "clean" and
"unclean" illustrated and reminded Israel of the defiling nature of sin. Sin leaves its ugly mark on everything. God
cannot look at it, cannot be near it, will not be tainted with it. But, it is all over man. Sin makes man "unclean"
before God, so that he must remove himself from us as he did from Adam and Eve when they sinned. This
principle must be learned from Leviticus.

Atonement. There is nothing man can do of himself to rid himself of his sin. There is no amount of good things he
could do to make himself one whit cleaner or one bit nearer to God. His only hope is in the atonement of blood.
Once a year God allowed the high priest in Israel to approach him with the blood of goats and rams and sprinkle it
before him on behalf of the sins of the nation. God in his mercy and grace cleansed the children of Israel of their
sins, allowing them to remain in his sight and presence. "For that day shall the priest make an atonement for you,
to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord" (16:30). Read Leviticus chapter 16. For
the ultimate atonement of Christ, read Romans 5:1-11 and 5:12-21; and Hebrews 9-10.

Law. Sin defiles man. Sacrifice and priesthood allow us to yet enjoy God's fellowship and the blessings of his
grace. Atonement cannot be made by man, but is offered by God through those avenues. Man is treated as
righteous though he can never become righteous on his own. Many stop there and ignore the rest of the message
of Leviticus. Grace saves those deserving of death, true. Grace cleanses those who are defiled by sin, true. What
many fail to note, however, is that grace also teaches. The last eleven chapters of Leviticus are the teachings and
demands of grace. Those whose sins are atoned for and whose lives are saved by God's grace are instructed in
how to live, how to walk, how to worship, how to talk, etc. The same grace that makes atonement available
through sacrifice also teaches. Laws governing marriage, laws on sexual relations, laws on daily meals, laws on
behavior toward fellow man, laws on work, and all of the other laws of Leviticus 17-27 are the demands of grace.
Where man has tried to separate law from grace, God has made the two inseparable! God's grace demanded that
Israelites live their lives a certain way. He had separated and sanctified them; now they were to live a sanctified
life. God's grace demands the same of us today. We are defiled by sin; the atoning sacrifice and priesthood of
Christ allow us to stand in the presence of God justified; and the grace of God requires of us a certain holy
lifestyle. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world (Titus 2:11-12)."
Faith is man's response to God's grace. It takes God at his word and obeys. So, Leviticus preaches the message
that God has communicated to man from Genesis onward: By grace are ye saved through faith.