THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS

HOW TO APPROACH A HOLY GOD

INTRODUCTION TO LEVITICUS

1) The historical setting Israel is at the foot of Mt Sinai Almost all legislation All of Lev 1:1 - Num 10:10 took place in a

period of 1 month and 20 days. 1 historical section—Lev 10

2) Leviticus is a book of RELATIONSHIP1) Chapters 1-16 deal basically with Israel’s

relationship with a HOLY GOD2) Chapters 17-27 deal primarily with Israel’s

relationship with EACH OTHER

OVERVIEW OF LEVITICUS

A. Israel’s relationship with Goda. Sacrificial systemLeviticus 1-7: 5 different types of sacrifice

1. Burnt offering2. Grain offering3. Fellowship (peace) offering4. Sin (or, purification) offering5. Guilt (or, reparation/compensation)

offering

LEVITICUS 16: THE DAY OF ATONEMENT

b. Day of Atonementa) Purification of sanctuary

Sprinkled on the “mercy seat” Cloud of smoke from incense (Lev 16:12-13)

b) Sending away the scapegoat Two goats were brought. Cast lots to see which

would be sacrificed and which would be “sent away”. The one sacrificed purified the tabernacle, and other was sent away into the wilderness bearing the sins of the nations.

c) Two burnt offerings 1 from the people and 1 from the priests.

LEVITICUS 16: THE DAY OF ATONEMENT Questions:

Why the laying on of hands? Ownership Identification

What is the significance of the blood? Sprinkled on the sacred objects of the

tabernacle Sprinkled against the bronze alter (Lev 1:5, 11,

15; 3:2, 8, 13; 7:2) Unique from other ANE systems Significance: “the life is in the blood” (17:11).

The penalty of death for sin.

A wrong way to approach God (Lev 10)Notice that this is the one narrative

passage in the book of Leviticus.1. Who were Nadab and Abihu? = the first and

second of the four sons of Aaron (cp 1 Chron 6:3)

2. What was the sin of Nadab and Abihu? they "offered strange fire" upon the altar

of the Lord What was this “strange fire?”

1. Brought coals from a pagan altar and mixing them with the coals on the altar in the courtyard of the tabernacle?

2. They were drunk (cf. 10:9)?

MAIN POINT = 10:3

d. Purity laws and laws of clean and unclean food (Lev 11-15)

1. ANE worldview and purity laws2. What is the rationale behind the

clean and unclean animals?a. Hygienic: the regulations for eating

certain types of animals were for health reasons.

b. Paganism: Unclean animals were connected with non-Israelite religions.

c. Symbolic: Animal world was structured the same as the human world.

d. Summary

B. ISRAEL’S RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHERb. Economics in God’s land (Lev 25; Deut 14-

15)i. Shared access

i. Numb 26ii. Josh 13-18iii. Contrast: The Canaanite system of land ownershipiv. Sum: There was equality among the people (not large gaps

between rich and poor; not ‘uniformity’)

ii. Responsibility to worki. Gen 2:15— “work” is a “pre-Fall” mandateii. Laziness is condemned (Prov 12:11; 14:23; 20:13; 21:17)

Abiding principle: In general, those who can work should work—to provide for their needs (and family) and for the needs of others.

B. ISRAEL’S RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHERb. Economics in God’s land (Lev 25; Deut 14-

15)iii. Confronting poverty

2 types of poor “interest-free loans” (Deut 15) Edges of the crops not to be harvested (Lev

19:9-10; 23:22; 24:19-21) Third year tithe (Deut 14) Selling land or yourselfAbiding principle: those who had excess

should give to those who don’t have the same means (old age, lack of land) to survive.

B. ISRAEL’S RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHERb. Economics in God’s land (Lev 25; Deut

14-15)iv. Controlled economic growth

iv. Sabbathv. Sabbath yearvi. 3 festivalsvii. Jubilee

Abiding principle: large gaps between the rich and poor and excessive consumerism and accumulation of wealth (without redistribution) are moral issues.

B. ISRAEL’S RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER

The New Testament The Early Church: Acts 2:43-47; 4:32-35 Paul: “The Jerusalem collection” (2 Cor 8-9; Gal

2). 2 Cor 8:4; 9:13—the financial contribution was proof of

their obedience to the gospel “fellowship” (koinonia) often means giving money to

poor believers (Rom 12:13; 15:26; 1 Tim 6:18) Jesus:

Wealth and poverty in the gospels Matt 25

B. ISRAEL’S RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER

SUMMARY Biblical economics is bound up with morality and

theology God wants all His people to have enough to live on Those who have a surplus of wealth are under divine

mandate to help those struggling to survive

“Any ‘Christian’ who takes for himself anything more than the plain necessaries of life lives in an open, habitual denial of the Lord…he has gained riches and hell-fire!” (John Wesley)