Archives for February 2021

OVERVIEW:

Laws concerning personal property; the sevens of rest and liberty; the blessing of obedience and the cursing of disobedience; vows and tithes explained.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

From a strictly practical standpoint, the weekly sabbath (the seventh day of the week) was intended by God to give “REST” to both MAN and BEAST. Also, from a strictly practical standpoint, the sabbatical year (the seventh year in a week of years) was intended by God to give “REST” to the LAND. (Leviticus 25:1–7) From a prophetic (futuristic) standpoint, whether it be God’s system of working according to a pattern of seven DAYS, seven WEEKS, seven MONTHS, seven YEARS, seven WEEKS of YEARS, or seven DECADES, it all points to the fact that after six millenniums (6000 years) the seventh MILLENNIUM will be 1000 years of “REST” on this planet (Revelation 20:1–6), when our Lord Jesus Christ rules and reigns on the earth, finally receiving “the glory due unto his name.” (1^st Chronicles 16:29; Psalm 29:2; 96:8)

The year of jubilee, at the end of seven weeks of years (7×7 = 49 – Leviticus 25:8), the 50^th year, was intended by God to allow any of the children of Israel who, because of their debts, had been forced to sell their land and/or sell themselves into servanthood, to RETURN to their FAMILY and REGAIN the POSSESSION of their PROPERTY. Note that this JUBILANT RELEASE and PROCLAMATION of LIBERTY just happened to be enacted by the sounding of a trumpet, and on, of all days, the day of atonement! (Leviticus 25:9)

Because of the atoning death of our Lord Jesus Christ (obviously, pictured in the day of atonement), Paul talks in 1^st Corinthians 15:52 about the trumpet sounding in the very near future, proclaiming the release from our corruptible bodies, when we are finally “delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21) Paul likewise tells us in Ephesians 1:14, that we are given the indwelling Holy Spirit inside of our mortal bodies as the down payment, guaranteeing “our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,” when we will receive, as he goes on to tell us in Philippians 3:21, a body “like unto his (Christ’s) glorious body”! This is the “jubilee” for which every child of God is presently “groaning” (Romans 8:23), and the “jubilee” being pictured in Leviticus 25.

Chapter 26 is very clear and direct. The simple reality is, obeying God’s word brings BLESSING, and disobeying God’s word brings CURSING (conflict). The New Testament equivalent is Galatians 6:7–8: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” Not understanding this inviolable biblical principle, many believers in the 21^st century don’t seem to connect the circumstances of their lives to the choices they have made in terms of the word of God. For God’s glory’s sake, let us always choose OBEDIENCE!

Looking back through the book of Leviticus we can see two clear divisions:

As we close today, let’s remind ourselves of the high points of Leviticus:

First, REMEMBER that the path to peace and fruitfulness starts with WORSHIP.

Next, REJOICE that through Jesus Christ’s finished work, God has made us a SACRIFICE (Romans 12:1–2), a PRIEST (1^st Peter 2:5), and a PLACE (Ephesians 2:22).

Finally, REALIZE that God’s calling on our lives is that we be holy, for He is holy! (Leviticus 11:45; 1^st Peter 1:15–16)

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the REDEEMER of the kingdom of heaven – Leviticus 25 (Acts 3:20–21; Revelation 11:15)

OVERVIEW:

The qualifications of priests; God sets the dates of the Jewish feasts; the death penalty instituted and carried out.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As was mentioned when we began making our way through the book of Leviticus, most Christians have a hard time actually getting through this book for the simple fact that they don’t see how it has application to those of us living in the Church Age. But, as we’ve seen, the book of Leviticus is the book of the PRIESTHOOD. That alone should perk up our spiritual eyes, ears, and minds, because God tells us in 1^st Peter 2:5 that He has set you and me apart as “…an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” Wow! The connection is obvious! The priesthood of the Old Testament provides us graphic pictures of our New Testament priesthood!

The reality is, every born-again believer is a priest. (Revelation 1:6) No, not in the same sense as an Old Testament priest, and certainly not in a Roman Catholic sense, but in a very BIBLICAL sense! As New Testament priests, we have been entrusted with the responsibility of teaching unbelievers to worship God properly; we call that teaching “evangelism.” We have been commissioned to “go…and TEACH all nations.” (Matthew 28:19) But, as New Testament priests, we have also been entrusted with the responsibility of offering up “spiritual sacrifices” that are pleasing to God. Biblically, some of the “spiritual sacrifices” we are to offer to God is our FAITH (Philippians 2:17), our FINANCES (Philippians 4:18), our PRAISE (Hebrews 13:15–16), our WITNESS (Romans 15:16), and most importantly, our LIVES! (Romans 12:1–2; 2^nd Corinthians 2:15) Note that all of these “spiritual sacrifices” are symbolically represented by the physical offerings presented by the Old Testament priests.

As we acquaint ourselves with this spiritual/biblical concept, keep in mind that as priests, we are ambassadors, or representatives of God, and as such, have been called by God to represent Him on the earth in HOLINESS! Peter said, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (1^st Peter 1:15-16)

In Leviticus 21, God presents a list of physical blemishes that prevented a potential priest in the Old Testament from offering “the bread of his God.” (Leviticus 21:16–17) Keep in mind that these “physical blemishes”, that were certainly binding upon the Old Testament priesthood, are simply representative of the “spiritual blemishes” that limit our ability to function in our New Testament priesthood. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:27 that we “should be holy and without blemish.” When our holiness is “blemished” by sinful attitudes and actions, we are hindered in our effectiveness to offer the word of God (the bread of God) to the lost world and are unable to offer up acceptable “spiritual sacrifices”! Let’s briefly examine some of the “blemishes” that are pictured for us in Leviticus 21:

Some of us may find ourselves “blemished” in one of these areas pictured in Leviticus 21. May I remind you today that our Lord Jesus Christ has proven through His earthly ministry that He has the power to open the eyes of the blind, cause the lame to walk, and heal any deformity or abnormality in our lives. May we humble our self before Him today that we might receive His spiritual healing.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As our PERFECTLY SPOTLESS HIGH PRIEST – Leviticus 21:16–23 (Hebrews 8:1)

As the UNREVEALED REALITY of the eternal feasts of Israel – Leviticus 23:2, 21, 42 (Colossians 2:16–17)

OVERVIEW:

God forbids Israel from worshipping other gods and eating blood; laws protecting the sanctity of sex; the declaration of civil laws.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The first thing God made clear to Moses in Leviticus 17 was the ACCEPTABLE PLACE the sacrifice was to be offered. That PLACE was “the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.” (17:4) Notice that not bringing the sacrifice to the ACCEPTABLE PLACE was a crime worthy of DEATH! (17:9) The next thing God emphasized to Moses in Leviticus 17 was the ACCEPTABLE PRICE that was to be offered in the sacrifice. That PRICE was BLOOD!

These two key things picture perfectly what God likewise emphasizes to us in the New Testament! The fact that there is only one ACCEPTABLE PRICE that can be paid for sin, and it is “nothing but the BLOOD of Jesus!” (1^st John 1:7; Hebrews 9:22; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14) That blood was the blood that was shed from the one ACCEPTABLE PLACE: the cross of Calvary! (Galatians 3:13) Anyone who goes to anything other than the PRICE that was paid through the BLOOD of Christ, and/or anyone who goes to any PLACE other than the CROSS of Christ to find the forgiveness of sin, will become the recipient of ETERNAL DEATH! Just as the BLOOD was to be offered at the “DOOR of the tabernacle,” in perfect fulfillment of the type, Jesus said, “I am the DOOR” (John 10:9), and “He that entereth not by the DOOR into the sheepfold, but climbeth up SOME OTHER WAY, the same is a thief and a robber.” (John 10:1)

As we make our way further into Leviticus 17, God continues to teach the children of Israel, and us, about the sanctity of BLOOD. Several hundred years ago, people used to think that one of the ways a sick person could be healed was by draining out a good portion of their blood. Had they simply read and believed Leviticus 17:11, they would have known what science had not yet discovered, “the life of the flesh is in the blood”! That is a principle science now knows is true PHYSICALLY (sick people today are often given blood transfusions!), but this is also a principle that believers in Christ know is true SPIRITUALLY: the only way we can have spiritual life inside of our fleshly bodies is through the shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ! The life of the flesh is truly IN THE BLOOD!

Because of the sanctity of blood, God also forbids, in this passage, the eating or drinking of it. (17:10) That, too, was an offense worthy of death! (17:10) Note also that this forbiddance is likewise repeated in the New Testament in an epistle addressed to those of us in the Church Age! (Acts 15:20) Apparently, God never wanted us to lose sight of what a special substance blood actually is, and wanted to be sure that we kept ourselves completely distanced from anything even remotely connected to devil worship (17:7), or the way the Egyptians worshipped their pagan gods (18:3). May this admonition serve as a reminder to us today to distance ourselves from any of the “idolatry” (see Colossians 3:5) we may have been involved in when we were slaves in the bondage of Egypt (Egypt picturing our bondage to sin, Satan, and self)!

Over and over in today’s reading, God calls us to holiness against the backdrop of a tremendously powerful spiritual reality:

Oh, may we realize today that there was a time when we were separated from the one true God, the God of the Bible. We walked, rather, according to “the god of this world.” (2^nd Corinthians 4:4) But the light of the glorious gospel shined past the blinders Satan sought to use to keep us bound to him and his worldly domain, and God now says to us: “I am the Lord your God!” 

Against the backdrop of that glorious reality, may we heed what “THE LORD OUR GOD” says to us today from 2^nd Corinthians 6:14-18, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the HOLY WORD OF GOD that protects our private and public lives from rampant wickedness – Leviticus 20:8 (John 1:1-2, 14; Revelation 19:13)

OVERVIEW:

The purification of lepers; purification of those with unclean issues; instructions regarding the Day of Atonement.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

God is invisible and many of His truths relate to the unseen realm, and thus, the need for faith! Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “…faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of THINGS NOT SEEN”! Though the spiritual realm is invisible, God is an expert at teaching spiritual truths through physical realities. Leviticus chapter 15 is a perfect example of God exercising this method of teaching. 

One of the beautiful things about this section of scripture is the fact that God recognizes that we all have “issues”. God provides instructions here regarding “unclean issues”, for the obvious reason of preventing the spread of infectious illnesses among the Israelites.  However, God’s stringent physical rules regarding “unclean issues” also teach us spiritual truths about “unclean” thoughts, attitudes, and words that “issue” out of our hearts. Jesus reminded us that “…those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man.” (Matthew 15:16-18) No wonder David prayed, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” (Psalm 141:3)

In Leviticus chapter 16, God introduces a special holiday into the Jewish calendar: the Day of Atonement. On this day, both the sin nature and the individual sins of the entire nation of Israel were atoned for, or covered. A simple way to remember the significance of this holy day is by breaking the word “atonement” into three hyphenated words: “at–one–ment”. This is the day when Israel’s sin was covered, making them “at-one-ment” with God. The Day of Atonement, detailed in Leviticus 16, is a very descriptive picture of the person and work of our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this chapter, the high priest enters the “Holy of Holies” with the blood of a sin offering, picturing the fact that our High Priest, Jesus Christ, would one day pour out His own blood as the ultimate atonement for sin upon the true altar in the third heaven! Hebrews 9:24 states it like this: “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.”

Once the high priest in the Old Testament had completed this offering, he laid his hands upon the head of the scapegoat and confessed the sins of the children of Israel (16:21), symbolizing that the scapegoat had carried away their iniquities. Isaiah prophetically described this portion of Christ’s work saying, “…the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) Praise God, our Lord Jesus Christ has carried our sins to a place that is as far as the east is from the west! (Psalm 103:12) In other words, Jesus permanently eliminated the record of our sins; God remembers them no more! 

Note, through what is being pictured through the record of the Day of Atonement, that God is teaching us that our Lord Jesus Christ has effectually dealt with both our sinful NATURE, and our sinful ACTIONS. Praise the Lord!

Though there are many parallels of the high priest of the Old Testament to the person and work of our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, two monumental differences must be recognized. First, the Old Testament high priest had to provide a sin offering for himself because he was as guilty of sin as the rest of the children of Israel. Jesus Christ, our High Priest, however, never offered a sin sacrifice for Himself because He was completely free and void of sin! (Hebrews 9:14; 7:22–28) Secondly, the Day of Atonement was celebrated every year because “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man [Jesus Christ], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.” (Hebrews 10:4, 11-13) Because of Christ’s offering for sin, no other sacrifice will ever be necessary!

For those of us who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we can glory today in the fact that our Saviour offered Himself ONE TIME to PERMANENTLY and FOREVER pay the price for our sin, and sins! Hallelujah!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As our SIN OFFERING, which effectually crucified our sin nature – Leviticus 14:19–32 (Romans 5:8)

As our SCAPEGOAT, which carried away our sins – Leviticus 16:5–34 (2^nd Corinthians 5:21)

As our eternal HIGH PRIEST who intercedes for us – Leviticus 14:20 (Hebrews 7:24–25)

OVERVIEW:

Nadab and Abihu are judged by God; the first kosher menu is created; instruction regarding postpartum purification; leprosy is identified and addressed.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we pick up in our reading today in Leviticus 10, we learn something tremendously significant about our holy, loving, gracious, merciful, tenderhearted, compassionate, forbearing and forgiving God, and that is, HE TAKES HIS WORD VERY SERIOUSLY!

Though all of the qualities just listed are wonderfully true of our God, when our sincere hearts, good intentions, and pure motives don’t align themselves to God’s will and purposes, as they are REVEALED in His WORD oh, buddy, watch out! If you doubt whether that’s true, just ask the two men to whom we are introduced in chapter 10, Nadab and Abihu! These men (Aaron’s sons) allowed themselves to be so caught up in the emotional excitement of experiencing God’s presence at the end of chapter 9 (verses 23–24), they “invented”, as it were, their own self-styled way to worship God in chapter 10 and verse 1.

Now, without understanding the God of the Bible, someone might think, “Well, isn’t that admirable! These two men didn’t want to be limited in the expression of their worship of God only from what they learned in a book, they wanted to be free to express themselves from their hearts and minds in a way that reflected their own ideas and personality!” As “cool” and as “organic” as that might sound to our 21^st century way of thinking, suffice it to say, God was not the slightest bit impressed! Nadab and Abihu did what they thought was right in their own eyes out of the sincerity and goodness of their heart, by offering fire of their own creativity and invention to the Lord. God immediately let Nadab and Abihu, the children of Israel, and us(!!!) know exactly how He felt about it by answering with fire out of heaven that “zap-fried” them right on the spot! Leviticus 10:2 says, “And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.” Again, don’t miss WHY God responded the way He did! Verse 1 says, “And Nadab and Abihu…offered STRANGE FIRE before the Lord, WHICH HE COMMANDED THEM NOT.”

The fire of God’s judgment devoured them because they refused to worship God in accordance with His word! This is such an important lesson for us to learn! Jesus reiterated this principle in John 4:23 when He said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”

Yes, God is certainly seeking WORSHIP, but not just any kind of worship! He is only interested in “true worship” that arises out of the spirit of a “true worshipper”. But do recognize that biblically, worship will not only always be “in spirit”, but it will always be “in truth”! That is, it will always be GENERATED by the truth of His word, and it will also always be GOVERNED by the truth of His word. In response to the word of God, it then arises from deep within our innermost being (our spirits), and then runs straight through our hearts, our minds, our emotions and, ultimately, out of our mouths in honor, praise and worship of God!

The practical lesson we must learn from Nadab and Abihu is that with any activity we are witnessing or being influenced to participate in, we must train our brain to constantly be asking: What is the biblical precedence for this? Does the Bible give an example of this? Does the Bible specifically command me to do this? If there is a biblical example and/or command, does it actually apply to me, as one who is living in the dispensation of the Church Age?

In the 21^st century, though God may not be “zap-frying” people who violate His truth in worship, we must make certain we understand that “strange fire” is being offered to the Lord at literally every turn in “Christianity”, and in almost every “Christian” denomination.

Nadab and Abihu are a graphic illustration of the principle God taught us in Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Oh, my brothers and sisters, we must LEARN the truth of the word of God and respond/worship accordingly, and not LEAN upon our own understanding, or our own natural instincts or inclinations!

After laying down Israel’s dietary laws in chapter 11, and instruction regarding postpartum purification in chapter 12, in chapter 13, God paints an incredible picture of the working and consequences of sin, through His teaching concerning leprosy. Make a mental note that leprosy will always be a picture of sin throughout the remainder of the Bible. Notice, that just like leprosy, SIN:

However, if we choose to separate ourselves from the sin, “putting off” the garment of the flesh (Colossians 3:5–9), allowing our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, to apply the blood of the sacrifice (1^st John 1:7), and anoint us with “oil” (a type of the Holy Spirit), through the picture of Leviticus 13, God lets us know that through Christ, our faithful High Priest, we can be restored to the joy of our fellowship with God and man.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As our HIGH PRIEST who identifies and cleanses the disease of our sin – Leviticus 13 (Hebrews 4:14-15)

OVERVIEW:

Restating of the sacrifices in a new order and with an additional offering; Aaron and his sons consecrated for and instituted in service to God.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

We can be certain that our omniscient God doesn’t suffer from short-term memory loss. When God repeats Himself, start digging because you’re standing on buried treasure! In chapters 6 and 7, God repeats the discussion concerning the sacrifices/offerings that He just talked about in chapters 1–5. But notice something interesting in these two chapters. The offerings/sacrifices are listed in the following order: burnt, meat, peace, sin, and trespass. This order shows God’s transcendence toward man through the person of Jesus Christ: Jesus voluntarily offered (burnt offering) His sinless life (meat offering) to reconcile (peace offering) God and man by atoning for man’s sin (sin and trespass offerings).

As the sacrifices are listed again, in chapters 6 and 7, notice that this time they are listed in a new order, and with the addition of another sacrifice: burnt, meat, priest’s (new), sin, trespass and peace. The addition of this new sacrifice, and in this new order, reveals that man’s ascension toward God is only through Jesus Christ, the great High Priest. It is no accident that the priest’s offering serves as a bridge between the burnt and meat offerings, and the sin and trespass offerings, because the Bible teaches us that, “…there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all…” (1^st Timothy 2:5-6a) Our Lord Jesus Christ is the only bridge to God!

Notice also that the last offering listed in this new order is the peace offering, teaching us that peace is the result of our Lord Jesus Christ standing in the gap between God and man. Romans 5:1 teaches us that, “…we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” and Ephesians 2:14 says, “For he (Christ) is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition (sin!) between us“.

Then, also notice, that the fire of the altar was forbidden to go out. Chapter 6 and verse 13 says: “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.” This signifies that because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, our God is always ready, willing, and waiting for us to enter into His presence. Psalm 86:5 declares, “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.” Let’s join Paul, in 2^nd Corinthians 9:15 in declaring, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” Amen!

Once the path to God has been established and clearly marked (chapters 1–7), God prepares His children for consecration to His service and to experience His glorious presence. Chapters 8 and 9 show us the consecration of the priests in preparation for God’s glorious presence. 

Be aware of several other key things we glean from the book of Leviticus:

First: “all priests are Levites, but not all Levites are priests.” You may need to read that again to get your head wrapped around it!  Only Aaron’s sons could become priests. In other words, you had to be born a priest. This pictures the New Testament truth that only those who have been born-again into the family of the great High Priest, our Lord Jesus Christ, can serve and worship God as priests. (2^nd Peter 2:5; Revelation 1:6)

Secondly: only the high priest wears the “holy crown” (Leviticus 8:9), teaching us that there is only one High Priest who is also a King, our Lord Jesus Christ, and only He holds the place of preeminence, both in the universe and in our lives. (Colossians 1:18) 

Thirdly: when Aaron and his sons were consecrated for service to God, blood was placed upon their right ear lobes, right thumbs, and right toes, symbolizing that all of their strength (denoted by the right side) was devoted to hearing and obeying God’s HOLY WORD, carrying out God’s HOLY WORK and continuing in a HOLY WALK. That threefold devotion is what our Lord also desires of us as New Testament priests! (Colossians 1:10) 

Lastly: in chapter 9, verses 6 and 7, Aaron makes atonement for himself and the people as a prerequisite to God’s glory descending upon the tabernacle, picturing the fact that atonement necessarily precedes God’s presence. Unless we are in a right relationship with God, completely consecrated to Him, we will never experience the glory of His presence in our lives. (Leviticus 9:24)

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As our MEDIATOR and HIGH PRIEST who intercedes before God on our behalf –Leviticus 9:7–24 (1^st Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 7:22–26)

OVERVIEW:

The Burnt Offering (Chapter 1); the Meat (meal, grain) Offering (Chapter 2); the Peace Offering (Chapter 3); the Sin Offering (Chapter 4); the Trespass Offering (Chapter 5).

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

We have now come to what is for many people one of the most challenging sections of the entire Bible. It is challenging, not because the language is difficult to understand, or because the information is difficult to process. It is difficult because all of the intricate details regarding the sacrifices and feasts seem to be so irrelevant. Therefore, reading through chapter after chapter of them just inevitably becomes boring and monotonous. The reason most Church Age believers think it’s irrelevant is simply because they have mistakenly assumed that Leviticus has no application to us. Because of Christ’s once-for-all offering, of Himself, we no longer offer animal sacrifices or celebrate the Jewish feasts. But, keep in mind that God tells us in 2^nd Timothy 3:16 that “ALL scripture is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”, and Romans 15:4 tells us that the things written in the Old Testament “were written for our learning”! So, just what do the teachings in the book of Leviticus have to do with our lives today?  Well, consider the following:

The purpose of the book of Leviticus is twofold: first, to show us that we must worship the Lord in holiness (the word “holy” or some form of the word appears 94 times in Leviticus!) and second, to show us that worship is the only pathway to peace, rest, and fruitfulness. God will not give us peace, rest, or fruitfulness until we are worshiping Him in holiness.

Historically, the events recorded in Leviticus occur at the door of the tabernacle over a period of one month. (Leviticus 1:1; Exodus 40:17; Numbers 1:1) Having delivered His children by the blood of the lamb (the book of Exodus), God plans to take them to a place of peace, rest, and fruitfulness, but before they embark on their journey, they must first establish worship. The book of Leviticus is Israel’s instruction book on worship. The word “Leviticus” means “that which pertains to the Levites” and is so called because the tribe of Levi was chosen by God to be Israel’s “worship leaders”. The word “Levi” means “joined to God”, and because the Levites were “joined to God”, they had no inheritance in the promised land; God was their inheritance.

Leviticus chapters 1 through 5 describe five types of sacrifices, all of which are an incredible prophetic picture, of both the Lord Jesus Christ and New Testament believers.

Chapter 1 – The Burnt Offering. 

This offering represents the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ. As believers, this offering points us to the New Testament reality that we are to offer our bodies as “living sacrifices, holy, acceptable unto God.” (Romans 12:1) Note that the head and fat of the animal is laid upon the wood (1:8), a picture of you and me laying our plans, our wills, our treasures, and all that we are upon the cross of Christ. (Luke 9:23) Notice also, that the “inwards and the legs” were to be washed in water (1:9, 13), representing our “inner man” (Ephesians 3:16) and our “walk” (Colossians 1:10) being washed with the water of the word of God! (Ephesians 5:26–27)

Chapter 2 – The Meat (or the Meal or Grain) Offering.

This is the only bloodless sacrifice. It represents the sinless life of Jesus Christ. The remnant of this offering was given to Aaron’s sons (2:10), picturing Christ’s righteousness given to believers. (2^nd Corinthians 5:21)

Chapter 3 – The Peace Offering.

This offering represents the peace which Jesus Christ purchased for us with His own precious blood. (Colossians 1:20; Ephesians 2:14) Note that the kidney, caul, and liver, the organs used to filter out poisonous toxins, were taken away. Through this sacrifice, God teaches us that we have permanent genuine peace with Him through our Savior Jesus Christ, who has taken away the poison of our sin.

Chapter 4 – The Sin Offering.

This offering reveals how Jesus Christ has given believers victory over our sinful nature, the flesh. The sin talked about in this chapter is “ignorant sin”, referring to sin that mysteriously permeates our flesh; sin that is so deeply rooted in us that we are sometimes even unaware of it. (See Psalm 19:12; 90:8; 139:23–24; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 7) Note that the whole body of the bullock (an ox or horned cow) was to be taken outside of the camp and burned, picturing the fact that our flesh is of no value or use to God, and must, therefore, be “mortified” and “put off”. (Colossians 3:5-17; Romans 6:1-23)

Chapter 5 – The Trespass Offering.

This offering represents Christ’s victory over specific individual sins, also called trespasses. This is the only sacrifice associated with money. (5:15) Truly, “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) Thanks be to God, Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sins with His own precious blood! (Acts 20:28)

In today’s reading, it will become obvious that the book of Leviticus is a book of violence and blood. In fact, the word “offering” occurs 387 times, and the word “blood” appears 88 times. Why would a loving God require such horrible violence? For several reasons:

1. “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission” for sin. (Hebrews 9:22)
2. God never wants us to forget the horrific consequences of sin. (James 1:15)
3. God wants us to know that He loved us so much that He voluntarily subjected His Son to the bloody violence of the cross to pay the price of our sin. (Leviticus 1:3; Romans 5:8)
4. We are in a violent war with our flesh. (Romans 7:23)
5. God desires to have every part of us, severally and wholly, and that can be very excruciating! (Colossians 3:5; Romans 8:13)

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As our VOLUNTARY SUBSTITUTIONARY SACRIFICE – Leviticus 1 (The Burnt Offering) Who lived a SINLESS LIFE – Leviticus 2 (The Meat Offering) and purchased PEACE WITH GOD – Leviticus 3 (The Peace Offering) by PAYING the PRICE for our SINS – Leviticus 4 (The Sin Offering) and giving us VICTORY over our FLESH – Leviticus 5 (The Trespass Offering).

OVERVIEW:

The tabernacle is completed, and an inventory is taken; God commands Moses to set up the tabernacle; God’s presence fills the tabernacle. 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

In chapters 37 and 38, the Spirit of God inspires Moses to once again list and describe the seven pieces of furniture to be placed in the tabernacle. 

It is very interesting, as we make our way into the Gospel of John, to note the word the Apostle John uses to refer to the eternal Word of God becoming a human being and “dwelling” among us! John says of the Lord Jesus Christ, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt (literally, “TABERNACLED”) among us”. Once we observe that biblical connection between our Lord Jesus Christ and the Old Testament tabernacle, and start examining the way the Holy Spirit of God inspired John to lay out the contents of his Gospel, it’s amazing to observe that the order of the furniture found in the tabernacle in Exodus 37 and 38 is the exact order of what unfolds in the ministry of Jesus throughout John’s Gospel!

He begins by leading us to the brasen altar of sacrifice, as twice in John chapter one He urges us to “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29, 46)

We are then taken to the laver in John 3:5, where the Spirit of God records, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”

Moving further into the Gospel of John (and into the tabernacle), the Spirit leads us, in chapters 4–6, to what is pictured in the food and drink of the table of shewbread, as John presents Christ as “Living Water” and “Living Bread”. (Keep in mind, the tabernacle and its furniture in the book of Exodus is the PICTURE, and Christ and the Tabernacle in Heaven is the REALITY! It’s easy to get those reversed!)

In John 8 and 9 we are taken to what is pictured in the golden candlestick, as twice John records our Lord Jesus Christ as He proclaims, “I am the light of the world”, (John 8:12a) and “…he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12b)

In John 14–16, the Spirit of God brings us, as it were, to the altar of incense, as Jesus teaches us to pray in His name: the name of the One that is to the Father a sweetsmelling savor. (Ephesians 5:2)

Then in John 17, we are taken beyond the veil into the “Holy of Holies” to behold our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, making intercession for us in the presence of God.  Here, Christ is seen, not only as our High Priest, but as the Ark and the Mercy Seat through whom we have found access and acceptance with His Father and God. Jesus said in John 20:17, “I ascend unto MY Father, and YOUR Father; and to MY God, and YOUR God.”

Finally, in Exodus 39–40, everything having been made according to the divine pattern, it was then ready to be filled with the Divine Glory. In perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament picture, the Gospel of John closes with Jesus breathing on His disciples saying, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” (John 20:22)

Wow! What a supernatural book God has entrusted to our stewardship!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

In the HIGH PRIEST and his BREASTPLATE, who bears the names of God’s people before the presence of God – Exodus 39:8–21 (Hebrews 9:11; 10:19–22)

In the FOUR COLORS that represent the FOUR GOSPELS – Exodus 38:18, 23; 39:2–3, 5, 8, 24, 29

OVERVIEW:

God commands the people to go to Canaan; Moses asks God to reestablish His presence with Israel; God rewrites the tables of stone that Moses had broken; God reaffirms His special relationship with Israel; Moses reveals the tabernacle plans and the people respond obediently.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we begin today’s reading, God has very simply had “ENOUGH!” He reiterates His promise to give the children of Israel the land of Canaan, but lets them know they’d be making the journey to get there without Him. He informs them, however, that though His personal presence would not be with them, He would see to it that “an angel” would provide the strength and guidance He knew they would need to overcome the enemies that would attempt to keep them from taking the land. (33:2) Notice though, that the angel that is promised here (“an angel”) is different than the angel (“mine Angel”) mentioned in Exodus 23:23 and 32:34, which was the “Angel of the Lord”. (See the “Highlights & Insights” for Exodus 22-24.) God also informs them that His decision to not go with them was actually for their own good, saying, “lest I consume thee in the way.” (33:3) God tells them, “for thou art a STIFFNECKED people.” Wow! What an indictment!

The word “stiffnecked” appears six times in the Old Testament and one time in the New Testament. It is used to refer to the children of Israel all seven times. By observing my own spiritual journey, as well as the journey of others, something tells me that the last of the “stiffnecked people” God has had to put up with didn’t end with the children of Israel in the wilderness! When God’s plan for our lives doesn’t line up with our own plans, or when God is trying to use the circumstances of our lives (trials) to conform us into the image of His Son (Romans 8:29), our reaction is often much like that of our spiritual forefathers in the book of Exodus; we tend to resist, to become stubborn and obstinate, or to “stiffen” our “neck”.

Notice in today’s reading that there is an interesting contrast found between those God describes as having a “STIFFENED NECK”, (33:3, 5; 34:9) and those who have a “WILLING HEART” (35:5, 21, 29); a “STIRRED HEART” (35:21, 26; 36:2) and a “WILLING SPIRIT”. (35:21) Based on your spiritual walk in the last six months, which term do you think God would use to describe you? Very simply, have you had a “STIRRED” and “WILLING HEART/ SPIRIT”, or have you had a “STIFFENED NECK.” Obviously, the two are mutually exclusive.

It is interesting, however, that even though the children of Israel were a “stiffnecked people”, the thought of not having the Lord’s presence with them was extremely disturbing to them. Verse 4 of chapter 33 says that when they heard that the Lord would not be going with them, “they MOURNED”. Their reaction made me wonder what our reaction would be if the Lord were to tell us that He would still take us to heaven when we die, but rather than having His presence in and on our lives, “an angel” would be guiding us in the remainder of our journey. Would we be content, or satisfied with the angel, simply being in proximity to the things of God, or would we mourn because we are passionate for GOD HIMSELF, and having HIS HOLY PRESENCE with us? Would our reaction be like Moses’ in 33:15, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence”?

Other practical gleanings to note in today’s reading:

After the 40 days with him on the mountain, God begins to talk to Moses about His plans for the second building project: the tabernacle. Obviously, the Divine Architect, the Designer and Builder of the universe could have simply spoken the tabernacle into existence, but in His sovereignty, He chose to permit the people to enjoy a sense of ownership in the project by allowing them to provide both the funding and the craftsmanship for the project. As the old saying goes, “People regard that which costs them nothing as having little or no value.” Obviously, God knows that about we humans, and certainly wanted to be sure that the people of Israel never felt that way about the tabernacle, because it would serve as “God’s mobile worship center” as they made their way through the wilderness and into the land that was promised. It was virtually a tent that was used as a sanctuary to house the ark of the covenant by the Israelites after the exodus and until the construction of the temple (approximately 400 years!)

The reason God was so explicit about how the tabernacle was to be constructed is because it was to be the earthly representation of the true tabernacle in heaven. (Exodus 25:9; Hebrews 8:5) Just as there were three parts of the tabernacle, there are three heavens; just as God’s presence was beyond the veil in the third part of the tabernacle, the “Holy of Holies”, God’s presence is beyond the veil identified as “the deep” in the third heaven; and perhaps most importantly, the instructions concerning the tabernacle were so explicit because it was also a picture of Christ.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

In the TABERNACLE – Exodus 35 (Hebrews 9:1-14)

The SINGLE DOOR into the tabernacle – Exodus 35:15 (John 10:1–2, 7, 9)

The “HOLY OF HOLIES” into which only the high priest could enter – Exodus 35:19 (Hebrews 9:12)

OVERVIEW:

God gives instruction on the consecration of the priests; God explains how the tabernacle is to operate; God appoints specific men to oversee the building of the tabernacle; God emphasizes the sabbath day; Israel sins against God; Moses intercedes for Israel.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

For 40 days (since the end of Exodus 24), Moses has been back up on Mount Sinai receiving explicit instruction from God. Do you remember the incredible initial response the people had to “the words of the Lord” when Moses came down from the mountain the first time? With complete unity (“one voice”) they had declared to Moses with their mouth, “…All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.” (24:3) Moses then wrote the words the Lord had spoken to him up on the mountain and read them to the children of Israel, and once again, the people declared with their mouths, “…All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.” (Exodus. 24:7) Wow! That is the simple essence of the Christian life! “Whatever Your word tells us, Lord, that is what we will do!” Oh, that that were not only the DECLARATION from the MOUTH of every believer in Christ, but that it were the DETERMINATION in each of our HEARTS! But just as it was for the children of Israel in the Old Testament, it’s easy for those of us in Christ’s church to BELIEVE every word of the Bible, and it’s easy for us to SAY that we will OBEY every word of the Bible, but it’s quite another thing to actually DO it! As mentioned before, “talk is cheap.”

God had called Moses to come back up to the mountain, and just 40 days after making these incredible declarations, Exodus 32:1 says, “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”

Sadly, Aaron, the high priest, whom God had just spent four chapters giving Moses detailed instructions (even referring to Aaron by name 39 times in His dialogue with Moses from chapters 28–31!) because Aaron would picture our High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, here we find Aaron in chapter 32, verses 1–6, bowing to the pressures of the people, making a false god and leading Israel in the worship of it! They actually even commence to dancing about it naked, praising “IT” for delivering them from Egypt! Absolutely unbelievable! How in the world could they possibly be so fickle… so weak… and so downright sinful?! Especially considering God’s words to Moses concerning Aaron and the children of Israel in chapter 29, verses 44 and 45! God said to Moses, “And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.” Oh, had they only known the incredible future God had designed for them!

Yet, don’t forget, the children of Israel in the Old Testament are a picture of the individual believer in the New Testament! We might do well to stop to consider how many times, like Israel, we have exercised our sinful flesh despite God’s supernatural working in our lives, and when God hasn’t worked according to our timetable, how often we have redirected the glory for victories God had wrought to someone or something other than the One to whom it was due!

Then, notice Aaron’s lame cover-up when confronted with his sin! (Exodus 32:24) Aaron actually has the audacity to say to Moses, that he simply threw the gold into the fire and out popped a golden calf! That “miracle” having taken place, the only natural thing to do, according to Aaron’s whacked out rationalization and justification, was to set it in front of the people so they could dance around it and party the day away in sensual lust! Though Aaron’s “explanation” sounds totally absurd to us, I wonder how absurd the rationalizations and justifications we sometimes try to use to “explain” away our carnal behavior sounds to God!

Sadly, the wonderful things that God had planned for His people that He was detailing to Moses up on the mountain, were at that very moment being polluted by Aaron, and the children of Israel, down at the base of the mountain. (Make note that this great sin committed by the children of Israel in Exodus 32 became a sinful “marker” or “milestone” in Israel’s history that Stephen even referenced when recounting Israel’s history to their leaders in Acts 7:41–43!) The tragic fact is, while God was painting a beautiful picture to Moses of how His people could exemplify His holiness and mercy, Israel was simultaneously painting the dreadful portrait of how God’s people so often misrepresent and adulterate His love and His word. (1^st Corinthians 10:1–11)    

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through God’s plan for Aaron the high priest – Exodus 29 (Hebrews 7:26–8:1)

Through the Once-a-year sacrifice for Atonement – Exodus 30:10 (Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27; 9:7, 12; 10:10)