A Jet Tour Thru Leviticus
I. The Name of the Book - Leviticus
A. Greek name meaning - “that which pertains to Levi”
B. Hebrew Title - “And He called” (1:1)
II. The Author of the Book – Moses
A. In 36 places the book claims that the Lord spoke these words to Moses (1:1; 1:4; 5:18; 6:1, 8, 19, 24)
B. Jesus attributes its authorship to Moses (Mk. 1:44; Lev. 13:49)
III. The Recipients of the Book
A. Generally - “The Sons of Israel” (1:2)
B. Specifically - “Aaron and his sons” (6:8-9)
IV. The Date of the Book
A. About 1439 B.C.
B. These instructions for proper worship in the tabernacle were given during one month and 20 days between the setting up of the tabernacle and the departure from Sinai (Ex. 40:17; Num. 10:11)
V. The Keys to the Book
A. Key Verses~- 19:2; 17:11
B. Key Words
1. Offering, Sacrifice, Oblation - 348
2. Priest - 194
3. Holy, Sanctify, Sanctuary, Hallow - 137
4. Unclean - 129
5. Blood - 88
6. Atonement - 44
7. Clean - 46
8. Redeem - 30
VI. The Purpose of the Book
A. To show Israel how to live as a holy nation in fellowship with God.
B. To prepare Israel for the ministry of mediating the redemption of God to all nations.
C. To firmly implant in the minds of the people the holiness of God. Three ways:
I. The Sacrificial System
2. The Precepts of the Law
3. The Penalties for violating the Laws
D. To instruct the Priest in their ministry of offering sacrifices.
VII. The Outline of the Book
A. The Basis of Holiness - The Way to Cod (ch. 1-17)
1. Five Offerings (ch. 1-7)
2. The Priesthood (ch. 8-10)
3. Purity in Daily Life (ch. 11-15)
4. National Holiness (ch. 16-17)
B. The Behavior of Holiness - The Walk with God (ch. 18-27)
I. Regulations for People (ch. I8-20)
2. Regulations for Priest (ch. 21-22)
3. Regulations for Feast (ch. 23-24)
4. Regulations for Canaan (ch. 25-27)
VIII. The Presentation of Christ in Leviticus
A. In the Levitical Offerings
1. The Sweet Savour Offerings present Christ in His obedience to the Father’s will showing what His sacrifice meant to God (ch. 1-3)
a. The Burnt Offering (ch. I) presents Christ offering Himself without spot to God (Heb. 9:14)
b. The Grain (Meat) Offering (ch. 2) presents Christ’s perfect manhood (Heb. 4:15; 1 Jn. 3:5)
c. The Fellowship (Peace) Offering (ch. 3) presents Christ as the provider of peace for man who is alienated by sin (Rom. 5:1; Gel. 1:20-22)
2. The Non-Sweet Savour Offerings present Christ as the sin bearer, with repetitious refrains of “It shall be forgiven.” (ch. 4-7)
a. The Sin Offering (ch. 4) presents Christ as our substitute, as the One who was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21)
b. The Trespass Offering (ch. 54) presents Christ as the One who forgives all our trespasses (Col. 2:13)
B. As a Priest (Heb. 4:14-16)
C. By the Scape-Goat (Lev. 16)
D. In the Annual Hebrew Feast (ch. 23)
1. The Feast of the Passover (23:4-8) pictures Christ as our Passover Sacrifice (1 Cor. 5:7-8)
2. The Feast of the First Fruits (23:9-14) pictures Christ as our Resurrected Lord (1 Cor. 15:23)
3. The Feast of Pentecost (23:15-22) pictures Christ a baptizer of the church with spiritual power for a great harvesting of souls (Acts 1:8; 2:1-47)
4. The Feast of the Trumpets (23:23-25) is a prophetic picture of Christ Second Coming (1 Thess. 4:13-18)
5. The Fast of Atonement (23:2&-32) pictures the nation Israel turning to Christ during the Tribulation (Rev. 7:1-8)
6. The Feast of the Tabernacles (23:33-44) pictures the Millennium reign of Christ (Rev. 20:1-6)
IX. Practical Lessons from the Book
A. There is a difference between clean and unclean.
B. God is Holy and demands that we approach Him in Holiness.
C. The only way sinners can approach God is through a substitutionary sacrifice.
Note: While the rules, regulations, offerings and ceremonies discussed in Leviticus were extremely important in the establishment of the Nation of Israel as a theocratic nation, its value for Christian Believers is best understood in light of the sacrifice of Christ. We are reminded over and again in the New Testament Scriptures that we are not under a system of law, but rather under a system of grace. Understanding the message of Leviticus will aid us in appreciating the holy character of God and encourage us to live exemplary lives, but we must never confuse that with an attempt of approaching God on our own merits.
Ephesians 2:8-10 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
