“Appreciating Leviticus”

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Leviticus is a tough read for many reasons and is sometimes neglected. A helpful way to better understand and appreciate the book is to read it in light of what precedes it.

Exodus — Leviticus comes into better focus when read in the light of Exodus. The Lord redeemed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Ex. 1-15) and entered into a covenant relationship with them at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 20-24). But for what purpose? To what end? The title of Leviticus may hint at the answer. The English word “Leviticus” comes from a Greek word meaning “things concerning Levites.” But this incorrectly suggests Leviticus is only about the priests. Leviticus is about much more than priestly duties. In fact, it’s about the sanctification of an entire nation. The Hebrew title more accurately reflects the meaning of the book: ‘wayyiqra’ means “and he called”. That makes more sense as God called Abraham (Isa. 51:2; Heb. 11:8; cf. Gen. 12:1-4) and his descendants for a special purpose.

Israel was called to be different from the nations. What’s more, they were to do this with the Lord himself dwelling in their midst in the tent of meeting (Ex. 25-31, 35-40). To dwell with a holy God necessitated Israel become holy too. So God provided a series of laws to direct Israel in everyday living so that they could become “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:3-6). Through his instructions in Leviticus, God set up an earthly society where his holiness and wishes for humanity could be seen in the corporate life of a special nation. To the Hebrew, Leviticus was a practical guide to dwelling with God.

Creation — Leviticus can be further appreciated in light of the more distant preceding context of creation. The formation of Israel is deeply rooted in Genesis 1-2. In many ways, God’s purpose for Israel as a nation is a return to his purpose for all humanity in creation. We can see parallels in the realms of separation, blessing and calling.

1. Separation — God separated (Hebrew ‘hibdil’) the various aspects of creation into their proper place and brought order to a chaotic situation (Gen. 1:4, 6-8, 17-18). Was not the Lord doing same thing in Leviticus with Israel? He brought order to the nation of Israel by separating ('hibdil') things into their proper place, distinguishing between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean (Lev. 10:8-11; 11:44-47; 20:24-26).
2. Blessing — God created Adam and Eve, brought them into his ordered world and poured his blessings upon them. He gave them the blessing of fruitfulness (Gen. 1:28); he placed them in a lush garden where all their physical needs would be met (Gen. 2:8-25); he gave them a Sabbath rest (Gen. 2:2-3); and most importantly, he dwelt with them (Gen. 3:8a). Did not the Lord also make Israel fruitful (Lev. 26:9), place them in a lush land where all their physical needs were met (Lev. 26:3-6, 10); give them a Sabbath rest (Lev. 23:3; 25:1-7); and most importantly, dwell with them (Lev. 26:11f)?
3. Calling — God called humanity for a purpose. Humans are special in creation in that they uniquely reflect God’s image (Gen. 1:26-28). Humans were meant to represent God, ruling the earth on his behalf in a way that reflects God’s character; ruling with justice, mercy, kindness, righteousness, holiness and love (Psa. 86:15; 89:14; 96:10; 97:2; 103:8; cf. Psa. 8). Humanity had a mission: to subdue and fill the earth with God’s kingdom (Gen. 1:28). Did not God also call Israel for the same purpose (Lev. 19:2; Ex. 19:3-6)? The nation of Israel was meant to show the world what walking with God looked like. By obeying God’s law they would become living signposts pointing back to Eden and God’s original intent for humanity: to walk in rich fellowship with God and to enjoy his care and blessing, to live with him and to reflect him to the world.

What does any of this have to do with us? Humanity failed in Eden and was ejected from God’s presence. Israel failed as a nation and was similarly exiled. We too have fallen short of our created purpose (Rom. 3:23). But where all of humanity and Israel failed, Christ was victorious. Jesus fulfilled God’s intentions for humanity (Heb. 2:6-8; cf. Psa. 8) and is able to “bring many sons to glory” (Heb. 2:10).

Therefore, in Christ we can share in his victory. Through Jesus, God has created a new nation and sanctified a new people, a new Israel (Rom. 2:28-29; Gal. 6:16; Eph. 2:11-22). Has not God also called us through the gospel (2 Thess. 2:14) in order to separate us from the world (1 Pet. 1:14-16) and bless us (Gal. 3:8-9) so that he might again walk with us (2 Cor. 6:16)? Leviticus is an integral part of our spiritual heritage and deserves our attention and appreciation.

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