Leviticus

Reading Scripture Together

May 8, 2024 | Josh Rajkumar

The Book of Leviticus can be approached by today’s readers as confusing and indifferent. Given the book’s focus on ceremonial laws and practices that are no longer in force for the New Testament, questions arise as to why this book should be read. However, these views fail to capture the significance of the book in redemptive history. It points towards God’s holiness, provides an understanding of the depth of human sin and lays a foundation for seeing the necessity for salvation.

At the conclusion of the Book of Exodus, the Israelites have constructed the tabernacle by God’s instruction to create a dwelling place for Him. The Lord then dwells amongst them through this temple as a cloud. “Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle” (Exodus 40:34–45). The Book of Leviticus picks up directly from this, “The LORD called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting…” (Leviticus 1:1), showing a direct continuation. God’s presence is now among the people, but no one can enter into the tent, not even Moses. Interestingly, Numbers opens with a change, “The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month…” (Numbers 1:1). So by the end of the book of Leviticus, something has happened that allows Moses to enter into the presence of the most Holy God. Moses has gone from being outside the tent to being in the tent. The Book of Leviticus addresses the question of how a sinful people can dwell alongside the Holy God.

The book has a parallel structure in that its first and last major sections deal with rituals and practices in the presence of a Holy God; the middle sections deal with the role of priests, and inside of those sections focusing on Israel’s purity with moral and ceremonial laws.¹ The climax of the book is the ritual of the Day of Atonement that brings all of the major themes together.

Sacrifices and Feasting

The beginning section (Lev 1–7) pertains to the matters of ritual sacrifices. These sacrifices were ways that Israel could show gratitude, ask for forgiveness, and atone for their sin. God’s wrath was diverted through the ritual purification of the camp, one that happens through the shedding of blood. This practice is similar to Genesis 3, where God clothes Adam and Eve with animal skins to cover them in their shame. Through this daily process, the Israelites learned about God’s grace and also the consequences for their sin.

This section is paralleled by the ending section (Lev 23–25) that pertains to annual feast. Each feast is meant for Israel to remember their relationship with God. It invokes the memories of Israel’s past and their covenantal standing before God. These rituals and feasts are an important staple in Israel’s history as it introduces the sacrificial system and need for blood as atonement, causing them to remember their relationship with God in their history (such as the Passover meal).

Priestly Responsibility

The next sections (Lev 8–10 and Lev 21–22) deal specifically with the priests, particularly their role as mediators between the people of Israel and Yahweh. The story of Aaron’s sons lackadasically walking into the Most Holy Place and their subsequent death demonstrates the power of God’s holiness and the need of the Israelite priests to be holy. God’s pure goodness cannot be in the presence of rebellion; therefore, both the priests and the people of Israel must be made holy through these various practices.

Purity and Cleanliness

This leads into the next sections regarding purity (Lev 11–15 and Lev 18–20) as the book talks about ritual and moral purity. In order for Israel to be pure, they had to remove themselves of anything that was considered unclean or impure. Some of the common things that could make them unclean included coming in contact with reproductive fluids, skin diseases, touching mold, or even dead bodies. The Israelites would be contaminated by these things as most of them are associated with death, and the very essence of God is life. Death and life cannot coexist in the same place; therefore, extensive means to purify themselves allows them to be in the presence of God.

The Day of Atonement

At the pinnacle of the book is the central feast known as the Day of Atonement. This pivotal ritual would see the atonement for the remaining sins and impurities not covered in the other practices. The high priest would use two goats. One goat was sacrificed and used to atone for the sins of Israel, and the other goat had sins cast on it and sent into the wilderness (the scapegoat). This practice removed the presence of sin from Israel’s midst, reinforcing that God needs to be in the presence of purity and holiness and desires for sin to be removed from his presence.

New Testament Fulfillment

Hebrews 9 and 10 are littered with imagery that stems from Leviticus and gloriously portrays the fulfillment of the Son of Man in all of these areas. One key aspect from Leviticus is the need for blood to atone for sins and the role of a priest in mediating the relationships between God and man. Here in Hebrews, we see the fulfillment of both of those through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Christ’s blood was necessary to atone for all sin.

“[Christ] entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” (Hebrews 9:12–14)

“Therefore not even the first covenant was inaugurated without blood. For when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that God commanded for you. And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:18–22)

Again, the person and work of Jesus Christ fulfilled the sacrificial system of the Levitical law—with all of the sacrifices and offerings—and established a new covenant.

“For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” (Hebrews 10:1–4)

“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:11–14)

The Book of Leviticus is often cited as confusing and many modern readers today may possess an attitude of indifference towards the writing. But it could be argued that no book in the Old Testament is more relevant for understanding certain aspects of the New Testament. It lays the foundation for understanding the necessity of salvation and the manner in which it comes to sinful human beings. It conveys how God is able to be in the presence of an unholy people, how his people are to live differently than other nations, and how the Israelites are able to be forgiven. While the practices of these laws were all fulfilled in Christ Jesus, freeing us from the daily requirements of works based salvation, they are still relevant to understanding the whole narrative of salvation. Jesus Christ stands as both the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for sin and the perfect High Priest for His people. Leviticus provides the foundation for understanding the gospel, the pivotal substitutionary atonement of Christ, the work of Christ as priest, and the purpose of God to sanctify. God is Holy and desires for His people to be made Holy to himself. All glory be to God!