Introduction to Leviticus

Leviticus is the revelation of God’s legal code for the nation of Israel.  It communicates how God desired for men to live in relationship to Him as well as to one another.  Up until this time God had revealed very few laws but man was expected to be guided by his own conscience as well as the collective conscience of the community in the form of government.  Since man’s conscience had been corrupted and human governments were not promoting godliness and thwarting evil; God declares His will and the laws that were to regulate the nation of Israel.  As we read through the book we are struck with the seriousness of sin before God, the need for constant sacrifice and the impossibility of living according to these standards.  It is important for us to remember that the purpose of the Law was not to provide a way of salvation for men.  It was giving to demonstrate man’s condemnation before God and His desperate need of a Savior.  

SYSTEMS FOR SACRIFICING: It is significant that before God reveals His laws for regulating men’s behavior; He institutes the sacrificial system by which men were to deal with their sin.  The fact of men’s sinfulness has been clearly established throughout the history of mankind.  Beginning with Adam, there was a sacrifice made to make atonement for sin.  However, it seems that these sacrifices were few and far between while man’s sinfulness has been rampant.  God now calls for His people to make regular sacrifices for sin.  God requires that the best be offered as sacrifice and not the leftovers of imperfect.  Constant offerings were to be made for various reasons ranging from sin offerings to peace offerings.  In the case of sacrifices for the Lord requires the best, there must be the shedding of blood and that blood must be applied to the altar.  There were also offerings of grain that were given as acts of worship and thanksgiving to the Lord.  These sacrifices and offerings had to be made by the priest.  People were not allowed to make sacrifices on their own but were to bring their sacrifices to Aaron and his sons that were consecrated as priests.  As priests, there were many regulations that were to guide their lives as well as rituals for being pure in their service for the Lord.  All of these sacrifices point to Christ and His coming sacrifice that would make atonement for sin once and for all.  The priests also point to Christ who is our High Priest and represents us before the Father.

PROCEDURES FOR PURIFYING: God demonstrates a great concern for the general health of the nation.  There is a distinction made concerning that which is clean and unclean.  In order to keep infectious diseases from spreading in the camp those who had such diseases were to be identified and the separated from the general public until the disease was healed.  Not only could people become unclean, but also objects could become unclean and therefore need to be washed or depending on the material of the object it would need to be burned or broken in order to try to prevent the spread of disease.  The priests would be responsible to identify these diseases as well as see declare when they had been cured.  The diet of the nations was also another health concern so there were certain animals that were not to be eaten or even touched and other animals that were identified as being acceptable to eat.  The way that food was prepared also was important so as to not consume the blood of the animal.  The purpose of these regulations was to promote good health and prevent the spread of disease in the camp.  Unfortunately they became a means of discrimination and legalism amongst the people especially the religious leaders who ended up making up additional regulations that became even more important in the minds of the people than the actual Law of the Lord.  

LAWS FOR LIVING: The final section of the book is dedicated to laws that were to govern the moral code for marriage as well as life in general.  God regulates in a very clear way His plan for human sexuality.  He clearly condemns all sexual relationships outside the bonds of marriage between one man and one woman.  Incest, homosexuality, bestiality and, adultery were clearly condemned and punishable by death.  God also required for the people to pay special attention to and make provision for the poor.  The owner of the field could harvest the bulk of the crop but was not to go over the field a second time so that there would always be “leftovers” in the fields that the poor could go and harvest for themselves.  This was a means of providing for their needs that also required them to go out and work for their own food.  The land was to be given rest every seventh year and every fifty years all lands were to be returned to their original owners.  This was another means of making provision for families who may have fallen upon hard times and had to give up their land in order to pay their way.  The people were not allowed to exploit one another or enslave one another.  The people were also to observe specific holidays during the year to commemorate events of the past or to make specific sacrifices.  These holidays are prefigurations of the coming of Christ.  In general, the people were to be holy and consecrate to the Lord.  They were not to exploit one another and were to be actively involved in worship as a central part of their lives.