A 30,000 Foot View of Leviticus

If you’ve ever longed to encounter God or to hear Him speak directly into your life, then Leviticus is a great place to land in your Bible.

I know that sounds shocking.

Many Christians rarely open these pages, thinking they are a priestly handbook that is now obsolete. An unfortunate perspective that robs us of something incredibly precious, as Leviticus is fundamentally centered around encountering God.

The detailed ritual instructions in the book certainly read more like a handbook than a story to us. But it is not a priestly manual. It is an important story and one that God Himself tells.

In fact, if publishers printed God’s words in the Old Testament in red letters, as they do for Jesus’ words in the New Testament, over 90% of Leviticus would be in red letters! This book contains more direct speech from God than any other book in the entire Bible, including the Gospels!

Following the dramatic cliffhanger of the book of Exodus, Leviticus addresses an incredibly troubling reality. God’s presence dwelt in the Tabernacle, but remained unaccessible, even to Moses, Israel’s divinely chosen leader. How could Israel possibly have a relationship with a God whose holiness was so overwhelming that it was impossible to approach Him?

Leviticus provides the answer to this question.

Central to this solution is the sacrificial system, God’s provision for repairing our broken relationship with Him and with others. There are instructions for priests…which should matter to us, considering the New Testament calls all believers a kingdom of royal priests (1 Peter 2:9), and practical guidance for daily life. The kind many of us desperately seek today... things like how to manage our time, the constant feeling of overwhelm, and what to do in the midst of complex and emotional family dynamics.

It’s far more relatable than we give it credit!

I firmly believe that by carefully reading this book, Christians will see how the pulse of Jesus’ ministry continues the mission God established from the earliest pages of Scripture... that even when God’s people fail, He provides a way back to Him.

Tips:

• Look for Patterns: Pay attention to rituals and their precise instructions—when they are repeated, and when they are not. Notice what the book refers to as a "Sacrifice" and how it may be different from what you assume.

• Look for God in the Text: These are God's words after all! What is important to Him, and why?

• Read Carefully: Leviticus can feel like a list of rules, but each instruction has meaning, purpose and reveals something about God.

• Keep Jesus in Mind: Everything in this book points to our need for a Savior and to God’s grace to cross the divide and bring us back into His presence.

Tidbits:

• The Hebrew name of the book is “Vayikra”, pronounced “Vah-yeek-rah,” which means “He called” referring to God calling to Moses from the Tabernacle.

• Leviticus references holiness over 80 times! God's standard for holiness never changes, so we, as Christians, should pay attention!

• Leviticus is not an obsolete "religious system" that is later replaced by relationship. The entire book is about God's relationship with Israel, and ultimately, us.

An outline of the book of Leviticus:

1. Sacrifices

   1. The Burnt Offering (Leviticus 1)

   2. The Grain Offering (Leviticus 2)

   3. The Fellowship Offering (Leviticus 3)

   4. The Sin Offering (Leviticus 4-5:13)

   5. The Guilt Offering (Leviticus 5:14-6:7)

   6. The Burnt Offering (Leviticus 6:8-13)

   7. The Grain, Sin, Guilt and Fellowship Offering II (Leviticus 6:14-7:21)

   8. Forbidden Blood and the Priests Share (Leviticus 7:22-38)

2. The Priesthood

   1. Consecration of Aaron and His Sons (Leviticus 8)

   2. The Priestly Ministry (Leviticus 9)

   3. Unauthorized Fire (Leviticus 10)

      
      

3. Some Gross Stuff

   1. Clean and Unclean (Leviticus 11)

   2. Childbirth (Leviticus 12)

   3. Cleanliness and Contamination (Leviticus 13-14)

   4. Bodily Discharge (Leviticus 15)

      
      

4. Restoring God’s Presence

   1. The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16)

      
      

5. Living as Holy People

   1. Idolatry & Worship (Leviticus 17)

   2. Sexual Conduct (Leviticus 18)

   3. Holiness (Leviticus 19)

   4. Punishments and Celebrations (Leviticus 20-23)

   5. Priestly Duties (Leviticus 24)

   6. Blessings and Curses (Leviticus 25)

   7. Call and Commitment to Holiness (Leviticus 25-27)