The Christ Church Wednesday Bible Study Group is beginning an exahaustive study of the Old Testament book of Leviticus. The key to the book of Leviticus is found in verses 45 and 46 a of chapter 11.
Leviticus 11:44-45 NIV I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground. I am the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
The book of Leviticus was written for the priests and Levites in ancient Israel however the lessons in Leviticus aren’t limited to the Jews in ancient Israel. The spiritual principles in this book apply to Christians in the church today.Be Holy because I am holy was a command and a command that was not only for the Israelites in the wilderness but for us today. That means that we should be striving to obey God’s command to be holy.
The word Moses, who is believed to be the author of the book, used for “holy” in Leviticus means “to be set apart.”
The similar word sanctify comes from the Latin sanctus which means “consecrated, sacred, blameless.” We use the word sanctification to describe the process of growing to become more like Christ, and holy to describe the result of that process.
The Sabbath was holy because God set it apart for His people.
Exodus 16:23 NIV He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’ ”
The priests were holy because they were set apart to minister to the Lord.
Leviticus 21:7-8 NIV “ ‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands, because priests are holy to their God. Regard them as holy, because they offer up the food of your God. Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.
Their garments were holy and could not be duplicated for common use.
Exodus 28:2 NIV Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.
The tithe that the people brought was holy.
Leviticus 27:30 NIV “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
Anything that God said was holy had to be treated differently from the common things of life in the Hebrew camp. In fact, the camp of Israel was holy, because the Lord dwelt there with His people.
Deuteronomy 23:14 NIV For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, so that he will not see among you anything indecent and turn away from you.
Happiness, not holiness, is the chief pursuit of most people today, including many professed Christians. They want Jesus to solve their problems and carry their burdens, but they don’t want Him to control their lives and change their character. It doesn’t disturb them that eight times in the Bible God said to His people, “Be holy, for I am holy,” and He means it.
In God’s kingdom, holiness isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.
Hebrews 12:14 NIV Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
God wants His children to be happy, but true happiness begins with holiness.
Matthew 5:6 NIV Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
The word holy is used 93 times in Leviticus, and words connected with cleansing are used 71 times. References to uncleanness number 128.
The book of Leviticus was written for the priests and Levites in ancient Israel however the lessons in Leviticus aren’t limited to the Jews in ancient Israel. The spiritual principles in this book apply to Christians in the church today.
1 Peter 1:13-16 NIV Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
The book of Leviticus itself is quoted or referred to over 100 times in the New Testament.
The book of Leviticus explains five basic themes that relate to the life of holiness: a holy God, a holy priesthood, a holy people, a holy land, and a holy Savior.
A Holy God
God’s holiness isn’t simply the absence of defilement, a negative thing. The holiness of God is positive and active. It’s God’s perfect nature at work in accomplishing God’s perfect will. God wanted His people to be different from the other nations, in particular the nations of Cannan the Promised Land. They were holiness? The religion of the nations in Canaan was notoriously immoral and involved worshipping idols and consorting with temple prostitutes, both male and female. For this reason, God commanded His people to stay away from their altars and shrines and to refuse to learn their ways. God made it clear to His people that He was a holy God.
To begin with, He gave them a holy law that contained both promises and penalties, of which the Ten Commandments are the essence (Ex. 20:1–17). God’s statutes and ordinances governed the daily life of the people and told them what was right and wrong, what was clean and unclean, and what the penalties were for those who deliberately disobeyed.
At Sinai, God revealed His holy presence.
Exodus 20:18 NIV When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance. When you get some time read Exodus 19:14–25).
He also revealed His holy power and presence when He judged the gods of Egypt (Exodus 12:12), when He opened the Red Sea and destroyed the Egyptian army (Exodus 14:13—15:21), and when He did miraculous works for Israel in the wilderness.
His glory dwelt in the Holy of Holies in both the tabernacle.
Exodus 40:34-38 NIV Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the Israelites during all their travels.
and the temple.
1 Kings 8:10-11 NIV When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the Lord. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled his temple.
In fact, the very structure of the tabernacle declared the holiness of God: the fence around the tent, the brazen altar where the blood was shed, the laver where the priests washed their hands and feet, and the veil that kept everybody but the high priest out of the Holy of Holies. Jehovah made it clear to the people of Israel that He is a holy God, righteous in all His works and just in all His judgments.
Leviticus shows a Holy God and a Holy Priesthood
The Jewish priesthood belonged only to the tribe of Levi. Levi was the third son of Jacob and Leah and the father of Kohath, (Genesis 46:11). Kohath’s son Amram was the father of Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. Aaron, Moses, and Miriam belonged to the tribe of Levi.
Numbers 26:58-59 NIV These also were Levite clans: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, the Korahite clan. (Kohath was the forefather of Amram; the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam.
Aaron was the first high priest and his male descendants became priests, with the firstborn son in each generation inheriting the high priesthood. (Every priest was a Levite, but not every Levite was a priest.) The rest of the men in the tribe of Levi (the “Levites”) were assigned to serve as assistants to the priests. The Levites were the substitutes for the firstborn males in Israel, all of whom had to be dedicated to the Lord.
Numbers 3:12-13 NIV “I have taken the Levites from among the Israelites in place of the first male offspring of every Israelite woman. The Levites are mine, for all the firstborn are mine. When I struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, I set apart for myself every firstborn in Israel, whether human or animal. They are to be mine. I am the Lord.”
The name Leviticus comes from Levi and means “pertaining to the Levites.” The regulations in Leviticus pertain primarily to the priests or descendents of Aaron not all the descendents of Levi although the rest of the men in the tribe of Levi (the “Levites”) were assigned to serve as assistants to the priests.
God insisted that the priests be holy men, set apart for His service alone. Not only must they come from the tribe of Levi, but also they must not have any physical defects or marry women whom God disapproved (Leviticus chaps. 21—22). They were set apart in an elaborate ceremony that involved their being bathed in water and marked by oil and blood (Leviticus chap. 8). The high priest was anointed with special oil. The priests wore special garments, and special laws that didn’t apply to the common people governed their lives. In every way, the priests demonstrated the fact that they were set apart and therefore holy to the Lord.
Only a holy priesthood could approach God’s altar and be acceptable to serve God. If the priests weren’t dressed properly (Ex. 28:39–43), if they didn’t wash properly (Leviticus 20–21), or if they tried to serve while unclean (Lev. 22:9), they were in danger of death. If the other Levites were careless with the tabernacle furnishings, they too might die (Num. 4:15, 20). The high priest wore a golden plate at the front of his turban on which was the inscription, “Holiness to the Lord” (Ex. 28:36), and he dared not do anything that would violate that inscription. He could be serving in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and still be in danger of death.
Leviticus 16:2 NIV The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.
Every true believer in Jesus Christ is a priest of God, with the privilege of offering spiritual sacrifices through Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:5, 9 NIV you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
In the Old Testament, God’s people had a priesthood, but in the New Testament, God’s people are a priesthood. Through faith in Christ, we’ve been washed (1 Cor. 6:9–11), clothed in His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), anointed by the Spirit (1 John 2:20, 27), and given access to His presence.
Hebrews 10:19-22 NIV Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Then there's the theme of a Holy People
God’s purpose for Israel was that the nation be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”
Exodus 19:5-6 NIV Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
Everything in the life of the Old Testament Jew was either “holy” (set apart for God’s exclusive use) or “common,” and the “common” things were either “clean” (the people could use them) or “unclean” (it was forbidden to use them). The Jews had to be careful to avoid what was unclean; otherwise, they would find themselves “cut off from the people” until they had gone through the proper ceremony to be made clean again.
The laws governing marriage, birth, diets, personal cleanliness, the quarantine of diseased persons, and the burial of the dead, while they certainly involved hygienic benefits to the nation, were all reminders that God’s people couldn’t live any way they pleased. Because they were God’s chosen people, the Jews had to learn to put a difference “between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean”. They must not live like the godless nations around them.
Leviticus 10:8-11 NIV Then the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, and so you can teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses.”
When we get to Leviticus 11—17, you will see how the Jewish people were distinguished by their diet, their treatment of newborn babies (and the mothers) and of dead bodies, and their handling of people with diseases and sores. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the nation was reminded that Jehovah was a holy God and that the shed blood was the only way of cleansing the people. (Leviticus chap. 16)
The church is supposed to be “a holy nation” in this present evil world.
1 Peter 2:9 NIV But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
The Greek word translated “declare” means “to tell out, to advertise.” The holy nation of Israel in Canaan, with its holy priesthood, revealed to the pagan nations around them the glories and excellencies of Jehovah, the true and living God. The church in today’s world has the same privilege and responsibility. When Israel started to live like the pagans, they robbed God of His glory, and the Lord had to chasten them.
He was Leading the People into A Holy Land
The people belonged to the Lord, because He had redeemed them from Egypt to be His very own, and the land belonged to the Lord, and He gave it to Israel with the stipulation that they do nothing to defile it. A holy God wanted His holy people to live in a holy land.
In Leviticus 18—27, the word land is used sixty-eight times. In these chapters, Moses named the sins that defile the land and invite divine judgment: immorality (Lev.chap. 18); idolatry (Lev chap. 19); capital crimes (Lev chap. 20); blasphemy (Lev chap. 22); and refusing to give the land its rest (Lev chap. 25). Unfortunately, the Jewish people committed all these sins and more, and God had to chasten them by allowing Babylon to destroy Jerusalem and take the people captive later after they were in the land.
God even gave His people an annual calendar to follow to help them appreciate His gifts and use them for His glory. (Lev. 23). Until after the Babylonian captivity, the Jews were primarily an agricultural people, and the calendar of feasts was tied directly to the annual harvests. In Lev 25 the sabbatical years and the Year of Jubilee not only helped conserve the land, but they also helped regulate the economy of the nation. The ungodly nations could just look at the land of Israel and see that Jehovah was blessing His people and caring for them!
And Finally, There’s the Theme of a Holy Savior
To study the Bible and not see Jesus Christ is to miss the major theme of the book. The law was “a shadow of good things to come”.
Hebrews 10:1 NIV The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
Especially in the Levitical sacrifices and the priestly ministry do we see the person and work of Jesus Christ vividly portrayed. No amount of good works or religious efforts can make a sinner holy. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from our sins, and only the risen glorified Savior can intercede for us at the throne of God as our Advocate and High Priest. What the Old Testament Jews saw only in shadows, believers today see in the bright light of Jesus Christ.
Just as the nation of Israel had to beware of that which was unclean and defiling, so must believers today “cleanse [themselves] from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God”
2 Corinthians 7:1 NIV Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
God wants us to be a “holy priesthood”.
Eight times in His Word, the Lord says, “Be holy, for I am holy!” Are we listening?
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