Old Testament Core Seminar

Class 6“Leviticus”

Old Testament Overview

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Introduction

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• Because of the limited narrative this book is often neglected as unrelated to modern life.

• They miss a greater knowledge of God’s holiness, man’s sin, and Christ’s saving work on the cross.

• Leviticus is full of foreshadows of Jesus’ earthly ministry!• In Leviticus we hear God instruct His people how to live so they

might fulfill His purpose in the redemption plan.• Leviticus follows exodus in order and in time, taking place less

than a month of the building of the tabernacle.• “Leviticus” is Greek for “things concerning the Levities”.• It codifies the relationship between God and Israel.• For Christians, it lays the foundation for our understanding of

our need for holiness, the role of the High Priest, etc.• Leviticus is a pit stop on God’s promised plan from Abraham to

the Promised Land.

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Theme: God is holy, and therefore His people must be holy too.• Because God is uncompromisingly holy, His people must too. • To be holy is to be distinct, to be different, and to be wholly

pure. • God is unique. There is none like Him. He is perfect. • He has no flaws, no shortcomings in ethics, wisdom, justice, or

any other virtue. • Because His people, who are in a special covenantal relationship

with Him, must also be holy.• Because as His people, they say something about Him to rest of

the World.

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Structure:I. Leviticus 1-15 – LAW

A. Chapters 1-7: OfferingsB. Chapters 8-10: Obedience of PriesthoodC. Chapters 11-15: Separation from the Unclean “The

Holiness Code;” what makes Israel distinct from other nations)

II. Leviticus 16-17 – GRACE III. The Day of Atonement IV. Leviticus 18-27 – HOLINESS V. Ethical Purity of the People & Religious Festivals

Once again here is the Gospel – first the Law, followed by failure and God provides grace through sacrifice, then forgiven – called to live holy lives.

Chapters 1-7: The Offerings

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• Chapters 1 though 7 provide directions for ordinary Israelite to bring offerings to God.

• There are five main offerings: the burnt, grain, peace, sin, and the guilt offering.

• Some versus for personal study and meditation:– Lev. 17.11: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for

you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”

– Lev. 20.7-8: “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”

– Lev. 16:30 Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—is the most significant day in the Hebrew calendar when the high priest entered the holy of holies to, “make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.”

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Burnt Offering:• Read Leviticus 1:3-5.• The placing of the hands on the head is a symbolic act of the

transfer of the sinner’s guilt onto the bull. • Then the bull is killed for that person’s sins. • This is what an Israelite did when they become aware of his/her

sin.• If us … how many bulls, sheep, goats, birds might we offer in

our adult lifetime?• What does this tell us about God’s opinion of sin?

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Grain Offering:• Read Leviticus 2:1-2 - This was offered as acts of devotion and

remembrance. Peace Offering:• Read Leviticus 3:1-2 - This emphasized the fact that all that

belonged to the Israelites was really the LORD’s (3:16-17). Sin offering:• Leviticus 4:2-3 - Meant to cover unintentional/ignorant sins. • God’s standards are measured by His own holiness, not ours! Guilt or Trespass offering • Leviticus 5:1-6 - Highlights the wickedness of sin and atones for

it at the same time. • This is for when one becomes ritually unclean or sins against his

neighbor. Chapters 6-7 lay out the details of how to make the sacrifices.

Chapters 8-10: Establishing the Priesthood

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• Chapters 1-7 show how individuals are to offer sacrifices.• Leviticus now covers how the nation as whole is to worship.• It begins with the appointment of Aaron as first High Priest.• Followed by more regulations on how priest are to conduct

themselves while performing their duties.• Lesson – our sins require great effort to be “covered” by flow of

sacrificial blood and the significance of Christ’s fulfillment as our “great high priest”!

• Read Leviticus 9:22-23• This is the real climax of the book – after nine chapters of

instructions and preparations God’s glory is shown to all

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• You’d think by now they had gotten the idea that they must do things God’s way.

• Nadab and Abihu present “unauthorized” (“profane” or “strange” KJV) fire before God and He destroys them!

• It was fire and it was worship but not what God commanded.• It appears they decided to worship God their own way. • They are still seeking to worship God and not a false god. • But worshipping their way, not God’s way.• Good intentions? Yes, but good intentions are not what

matters.

Chapters 11-15, 18-27: The Holiness Code—Then and Now

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• Chapters 11 through 15 and 18-27 provide “The Holiness Code.” • It covers the kinds of foods they can or can’t eat, or even touch.

• There are laws concerning

– ritual cleanliness in childbirth– when someone has leprosy– when someone has a bodily discharge– And if the discharge touches a particular piece of pottery or wood.

• Why? See 11:44-45• “For I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore consecrate

yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. For I am the LORD who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.”

• They were to be holy, distinct, different as a reflection of God.

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• This command appears often in Leviticus – be holy because I am holy.

• Read Leviticus 22:31-33 – what is “profane”?• It means to treat as common or ordinary or mundane that

which is really special and distinct. • God’s “name” (His image and reputation) is associated with

Israel – so don’t take this identification insincerely, lightly, thoughtlessly, or irreverently!

• These commands, part of their everyday lives, is to remind them they are a holy nation, a people set apart for the LORD.

• What does that mean?• Don’t be just like everyone else, without any thought of their

uniqueness in the world. Live holy!

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• What about us? Do we need to pay attention to what we eat and touch to be holy, or in order to draw near to God?

• In short … No (more later).• We are not the nation-state of Israel under the new covenant.

• We are not called to be a political-geographic-nation distinct

from the other nations. • These particular laws were fulfilled in Christ in such a way as

to no longer apply to us. • However, we are a special people, set apart by and for the

LORD. • We are a Church and the is still called to be holy and for the

same reason. • 1 Peter 1:14-16 “As obedient children, not conforming

yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

16:1-34: The Day of Atonement

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• This is the “grace” section• Chapter 16 contains the annual ceremony called the Day of

Atonement. • One day out of the year where God provided a way to cover

(atoned for) everyone’s sins, and the nation made holy again. • The priests make daily sacrifices for all kinds of sins. But what

about reconciliation? A way to reunite sinful people with God?• That’s where the Day of Atonement comes in. • Sin separates people from God and requires reconciliation. • This reconciliation requires the sacrifice of a substitute and

prayer on behalf of the people. • When completed, the high priest returns to the people with the

joyful declaration that their sins have been atoned for and that the people are now reconciled to God!

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• First the High Priest had to atone for his own sins.• Then, he began his role as representing the people and

interceding for the people. – He takes two goats to the entrance. – One goat is for a sin offering for the entire nation, and the other will

serves as a scapegoat. – He then chooses the goat for the offering.– He uses the blood of the sin offering is to cleanse the Most Holy

Place, the tabernacle, and the altar that are defiled because of the people’s sins.

• Next, he deals with the scapegoat. – He lays both hands on its head confessing all the wickedness and

rebellion of the Israelites—all their sins—and put them on the goat. – He then sends the goat away into the desert.– The goat carries on itself all their sins to a solitary place in the desert.– This was a visual of taking away their sins - never to be seen again!

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• This annual event was both serious and solemn and also joyous! Why?

• Sin is serious to God. Great emphases on Holiness and grace.• Hebrews 10:1-4 “For the law, having a shadow of the good

things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”

• Remember the problem we’ve been talking about … sin?• The priests could never take away sin – only cover it.• Only Jesus could that!• The Day of Atonement was to show a need for a Savior.

Conclusion and Application

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• The call to be holy is a serious one.• We are to be aware of our own sin and in need of a Savior.• It takes Jesus substitional sacrifice for us to be able to stand

before God. • Only by grace can we attempt to live a holy life. • We will never reach God’s standard of holiness in this life so we

need Jesus.• Two points:

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1. Feel the weight of sin – this is made clear in Leviticus. Hebrews 10:19-23 “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”

2. Look forward to when all sin is gone and we worship freely!Rev 21:1-4 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’”