Bible Reading Project Notes: Leviticus

  • Scott Redd
  • Feb 20, 2009
  • Series: Resources

 

Those participating in CTK's Bible Reading Project began reading the Old Testament book of Leviticus this week.  The book picks up where the book of Exodus closes:  God is teaching his redeemed people Israel about what it means to worship him.

 

The long description of ritual procedures has confounded Bible readers because they seem to have little connection to the Christian life.

 

If you are struggling to make your way through the book, it pays to remember several points about the constellation of worship to which the Lord has called the Israelites.

 

1.    Israel's special identity in the world is defined by the identity of the Lord.  Israel is to be holy, which means sacred or set apart, just as the Lord is holy (Lev 19:2).  The point of the book is to say something about the character of this God who has delivered Israel from slavery.

 

2. The lifestyle of worship described in Leviticus made it apparent to the Israelites and the nations around them that they were holy.  This is to fulfill what the Lord said about Israel in Exod 19:5, "you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

 

3.  Just as a redeemed Israel was holy among the nations of the world on account of its special relationship to the Lord, so were particular Israelites holier than others.  Priests were called on to be the most holy because they served the Lord directly in the tabernacle, particularly offering sacrifices (they were the priests of the priestly nation).  These priests were made up of Moses' brother Aaron and his sons (Lev 9:1).

 

4.  Similarly some people, activities, behaviors, and objects were considered holy while other were considered unclean.   The two are mutually exclusive.  You can't be both unclean and holy, and the sacrifices described in Leviticus 1-7, lay out the action plan for unclean people who want to be made and stay holy.

 

5.  Jesus' death is the ultimate holy-making sacrifice and it only needs to happen once

 

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

 

6.  Our holiness in Christ, makes us proper dwelling places for the Holy Spirit, just as the tabernacle and Temple of the Old Testament were the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

 

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,  for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Cor 6:19-20)

 

7.  The Old Testament "cleanness code" was fulfilled in Jesus' life and death, and so its practices are not binding on Christians (Acts 10:9-16).

 

As you read Leviticus and continue to the book of Numbers, pay attention to the scope of Israel's holiness program.   Notice how it touched every aspect of their lives. 

 

If the Holy Spirit dwells in Christians, how might that ensuing holiness find expression in the Christian life?