Introduction to the book of leviticus

At the end of each biblical chapter there is a new testament discussion in how the passages could apply for the church or christians. God was teaching his people that they were to be set apart or separated for holiness. The title of the book of leviticus, itself, tells us much about what it offers. The word leviticus is a latin word that has reference to the levites. Holiness in this sense means to be separated from sin and set apart exclusively to the lord for his purpose and for his glory. The system of sacrifice and offerings thats at the heart of israelite worship of god. In the samesex marriage debate there is increasing reluctance by believers to mention the book of leviticus. Now that israel had been redeemed by god, they were to be purified into a people worthy of their god. Leviticus intro to leviticus biblica the international bible society. The book of leviticus new international commentary on the. Gone are the fascinating characters and suspenseful stories of genesis. The vulgate a revision of the old latin rendered the greek heading liber leviticus book of leviticus from which the english is derived 1 1. This is a good resource by an astute old testament scholar. So it may come as a surprise to discover that there are a number of biblical.

Title the original hebrew title of this third book of the law is taken from the first word, translated and he called. The levites were the tribe of israel from which the priests were drawn. Central to the book of leviticus is the concept of atonement. The book communicates that receiving gods forgiveness and acceptance should be followed by holy living and spiritual growth. It has quite literally changed my life, yet i know so little about it. Several ot books derive their hebrew names in the same manner e. We found out in chapters 25 through 31 that the lord has called priests to minister to his people who are themselves a kingdom of priests to the nations. There is no book, in the whole compass of that inspired volume which the holy ghost has given us, that con tains more of the very words of god than leviticus. Gone are the epic hollywood plagues and miracles found in exodus. In this coming weeks study, i will attempt to not only familiarize you with this book, but also explain how it impacts the debate. The book links our daily stumbling with life on the highest plane. The god of leviticus, whose essential character is shown to be holy life, is shown in the gospels to be present in christ and his redemptive work. As with the other books of the pentateuch, it is best to see moses as the source and. Intro to leviticus biblica the international bible society.

It is named after the tribe of levipronounced lehvee. Leviticus is a difficult book to understand, and quite the challenge for pastors and teachers. An introduction to leviticus the book of exodus ended in great glory and wonder. Leviticus introduction commentary commentary critical. The book of leviticus has a lot to say about how to stay clean and how to become clean again. Thus, these sacrifices symbolically pointed israel forward to the sacrifice of jesus christ, who would shed his blood to atone for the sins of mankind. The book of leviticus goes into deeper detail about the divinehuman relationship put in place on mount sinai exodus 1940. It brings us into the tabernacle and opens to us all the privileges of access to the presence of god, and our place of blessing as his priestly household. It is awesome that i can have this book in my hands. One of the difficulties is that its impossible to dip ones toe in and expect any payoff. It is mentioned here more than any other book of the bible. By way of introduction, a simple, sobering observation is worth making.

Introduction to the pentateuch and historical books by robert jamieson. The book of leviticus is gods instruction manual for the people of israel, as well as for todays christian, and was meant to guide them in how they should show obedience to him through sacrifice and tangible acts of worship. The point is to live in a manner that respects the presence of god. The book of leviticus goes into deeper detail about the divinehuman. The meaning and symbolism of the sacrifices introduction. The book of leviticus session 1 introduction here is a book that is ostensibly of special interest only to the religious antiquarian. The book of numbers continues the history with preparations for moving on from sinai to canaan. The book of leviticus is perceived by many as one of the most boring books in the bible but it has a lot to offer. Genesis through deuteronomy by both jewish tradition and the early christian church. There is an emphasis in leviticus on the need for personal holiness in response to a holy god. We will see ceremonial and civil laws that are not meant for us to practice in our lives today so we must be very careful with our applications of this book.

The overall message of leviticus is sanctification. Special introduction to leviticus i do not believe that every book in the ot is messianic. Yet it is likely that he brought this book to completion along with the rest of the pentateuch on the plains of moab in order to instruct the second generation of the. Holiness is spoken of 152 times in the book of leviticus. It is a carefully arranged reference manual for the levitical priests. When we come to the book of leviticus, we have a continued emphasis on gods holiness and his work with his people. Leviticus is composed of two basic genres narrative history and law. Leviticus the book of leviticus introduction to the book. It is god that is the direct speaker in almost every page. The l ord god had given very detailed instructions for the building of a tentlike structure. Leviticus is gods instructions to the priests on how to assist israel in worship and living a holy life. Leviticus describes in detail the system of animal sacrifices that served to remind israel that it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul leviticus 17. Introduction to the book of leviticus why study this book. The initiation of aaron and his sons into the new priesthood.

The name leviticus was given to the third book of the pentateuch by the ancient greek translators because a good part of this book deals with concerns of the priests, who are of the tribe of levi. The setting of leviticus mainly appears to take place at mt. Introduction to the book of leviticus i am the lord your god. The purpose of leviticus is to provide instruction and laws to guide a sinful, yet redeemed people in their relationship with a holy god. The name leviticus is taken from the septuagint, identifying the section of the pentateuch which we call leviticus. The hebrew word for the book is wayiqraa, which, according to strongs a primitive root definition comes from qara, and which has the sense of calling a person by name. Exodus established israel as a holy nation, and leviticus showed them how to retain that holy mantle. It was most likely written during israels time in the wilderness after the exodus. Book of leviticus overview insight for living ministries. The book of leviticus reports events that took place for the most part at mount sinai. It explains how they are to be his holy people and to worship him in a holy manner.

For this reason, moses could have compiled this book for the first generation of the exodus. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt. Thus, these sacrifices symbolically pointed israel forward to the. Remember, a proper interpretation must be based on the original authors intent as it related to his day. Also, it starts with a great theological introduction of the book of leviticus. It seems that the book of leviticus was given to moses during the one month period between the erection of the tabernacle and the departure of the people for the promised land from mount sinai because yhwh is now dwelling among his people in holiness, he provides prescriptions mediated through moses for the people to remain in relationship with him e. It explains how they are to be his holy people and to. Discover the basics of the book of leviticus with the esv study bible from crossway, video from the bible project, audio from mark dever, and more. Tgc course introduction to leviticus the gospel coalition. The contents of the book of leviticus are so dry and technical that the ability to read a passage from it served as the standard test of literacy in the middle ages. Instead, the book of leviticus contains a meticulous and often tedious list of rules and regulations. To truly understand and benefit, one must plunge into the deep end of the levitical world of sacrifices, rituals, and purity laws. Leviticus, the latin form of the greek title of the book, means about levites. If understood properly, the ancient book of leviticus is rich with wisdom and instruction that remains practical and applicable for christians.

It is full of fine treasure and is worthy of continuous study until the day i go home. Leviticus a2 classic bible study guide 2 introduction as genesis is the book of beginnings and exodus the book of redemption, so leviticus is the book of reconciliation and fellowship. Just like the israelites, we are to be different from the world. It was written to draw the israelites to the understanding of the.

Originallythese books formed one continuous work, as in the hebrew manuscripts they are. Although leviticus is basically a book of laws, it also contains some narrative chapters 89, 10. Leviticus is a challenging book, both for new christians and casual bible readers. Moses is believed to be the author of leviticus the writer of the entire pentateuch for that matter. This is an adjective suggesting the complete title the levitical book or the book pertaining to the levites 2.

The subject of leviticus is the sanctifying effect the sacrifice of christ can have upon our daily lives. The pentateuch, the name by which the first five books of thebible are designated, is derived from two greek words, pente, five, andteuchos, a volume, thus signifying the fivefold volume. Understanding the book of leviticus for today by ralph. Leviticus is a manual of regulations enabling the holy king to set up his earthly throne among the people of his kingdom. Introduction to the book of leviticus learn religions. Introduction to the book of leviticus a short introduction to vayikra, the third book of the torah, which details the various offerings brought in the holy temple. Dillard and tremper longman, iii, an introduction to the old testament grand rapids. Introduction to leviticus resources for chapters 15. The title is apt, because the book is primarily about worship and fitness for worship. This was particularly important because priests, or persons claiming ot be priests, who were.

This is part of a larger series that will be listed at under video classes. An introduction to the book of leviticus introduction. The key personalities of leviticus include moses, aaron, nadab, abihu eleazar, and ithamar. In this devotional on the first four chapters of leviticus, which literally means book of the levites we will encounter more specifics on the law of god and the duties of the levites. Leviticus assumes that israel is sinful and impure, and it describes how to deal with sin and impurity so that the holy lord can dwell among his people. Leviticus is not an allegorical or typological study of christ. Most regard it with indifference or doubt, and it certainly seems distant from any relevance to our current horizon for most of us. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in egypt.