Introduction to Leviticus

Introduction to Leviticus

Historical and Canonical Setting

The book of Exodus ends with an extended description of where the Lord was to be worshiped—in the tabernacle. The book of Leviticus describes how the Lord was to be worshiped—through the sacrificial system. Sacrifices were necessary because sin and impurity were inevitable. In order for the presence of God to be maintained, sin had to be taken away, and Israel had sinned. Even before the covenant stipulations had gone into effect and before the tabernacle had been erected, the Israelites had sinned against the Lord by worshiping a golden calf. How could the people be assured of the continuing presence of holy God in light of the reality of their sin? The worship regulations described in the book of Leviticus answer that question.

Title

The Hebrew title is vayyiqra?, which means “and he called.” That is the first word of the Hebrew text of the book. In rabbinical literature the title of the book is torat kohanim, which means “instructions/laws of the priests.” The title in the Greek Septuagint is Leuitikon, which is an adjective meaning “levitical.” This was surely not intended to refer to the Levites, since the Levites are referred to only once in the book of Leviticus. In Hellenistic times, during which the Septuagint was produced, “Levites” meant priests. So the title meant that the book pertains to priestly matters. The Latin translation of that Greek term is Leviticus, from which we get our English title.

Outline

The simplest and perhaps the most helpful outline of Leviticus breaks the book into two divisions, the first theological and the second practical. According to this conception of the book, Leviticus 1–16 pertains to the maintenance of holiness by means of the cult (system of worship), and Leviticus 17–27 pertains to the demonstration of holiness by the people. Expressed another way, chapters 1–16 describe the way of access to God, and chapters 17–27 address the way of living for God (Rooker, Leviticus, 42). That partitioning is not unlike the way some of Paul’s letters may be divided. For example, Romans 1–11 addresses doctrine, and Romans 12–16 addresses application. Ephesians 1–3 is primarily doctrine, and Ephesians 4–6 is primarily application.

A more detailed outline based on the themes of the book is as follows:

Chapters 1–7—Explanations of the rituals of sacrifice (the priestly code)

Chapters 8–10—Consecration of the priests

Chapters 11–16—Instructions regarding the maintenance of purity

Chapters 17–27—Exhortations to holiness (the Holiness Code)

James Luther Mays provides an outline that helps to explain the contents of the book by means of a series of theological questions and answers. It is as follows:

• Question: How do sinful and defiled people offer worship to the holy God and maintain fellowship with Him?
• Answer: The rituals of the sacrifices (Leviticus 1–7)
• Question: How will their sacrifices reach God in worship, and how will God reach them?
• Answer: The consecrated mediatorial priesthood (Leviticus 8–10)
• Question: How will the holiness of God dominate and sanctify profane life?
• Answer: The manual of purification (Leviticus 11–16)
• Question: How will people obey God so that holiness becomes a way of life?
• Answer: The laws of holiness (Leviticus 17–27)

The Importance of Leviticus

Perhaps this is the most basic question to answer regarding the book of Leviticus. Many Christians have had the experience of committing themselves to read through the Bible, so they begin with the dramatic narratives of Genesis and continue with the spectacular miracles of Exodus. They read along swimmingly until they arrive in Leviticus where they begin to bog down in molasses. They read about sacrifices that are no longer offered, a priesthood that no longer exists, and laws we are no longer obligated to obey. Leviticus describes all of that and more in tedious detail, so some people ask, “Why is all this in the Bible, and what does it mean for contemporary Christians?” Leviticus is challenging, but what if the result of studying Leviticus is that in future years every time we read Leviticus we see powerful truths about God and ourselves that will profoundly affect the way we think and live? What if we see how Jesus is exalted in Leviticus? Such outcomes are possible, and they are the goals of this book. Allen P. Ross writes, “Leviticus was and is one of the most important books of the Old Testament” (Holiness to the Lord, 15). Why would he write that? Leviticus is important for at least five reasons:

1. Leviticus describes the entire religious system of ancient Israel. If we hope to understand how religion worked in Israel, we must understand the book of Leviticus.
2. Leviticus provides the theological foundation for the atoning work of Christ. The idea of a substitutionary sacrifice receives its fullest explication in the book of Leviticus.
3. Leviticus demonstrates how important holiness is to God. Holiness is the main theme of Leviticus—God’s holiness and the holiness God expects from His people. Holiness is still important to God, and God reminds His people of that crucial fact in the book of Leviticus.
4. Leviticus is a record of the words of God in direct speech with His servant Moses. The book opens with the statement, “The Lord summoned Moses and spoke to him” (1:1). The book states 38 times that the Lord spoke to Moses and/or Aaron. Also, 18 times the book records that the Lord “commanded” Moses, Aaron, and the people. Leviticus is important because it contains the very words of God in direct speech.
5. The New Testament frequently alludes to the contents of Leviticus. At numerous points New Testament writers seem to have assumed knowledge of Leviticus, and readers of the New Testament need this knowledge to understand what the writer was describing. For example, none of the following practices are explained by the New Testament writers: purification after childbirth, washing after the healing of a leper, journeys to the festivals in Jerusalem, and separation from the Gentiles in eating. All these find their origin in the book of Leviticus, and these practices were so ingrained in the thinking of first-
   century Jews that they needed no explanation. If modern people are to understand such practices, they should be familiar with the contents of the book of Leviticus.

The book of Leviticus has had more impact on Judaism than any other book in the Old Testament. Over half the commentary of the Talmud, the document that is the basis for rabbinic law, is concerned with the book of Leviticus. This influence of Leviticus on Judaism continued even after the destruction of the temple in AD 70 (Rooker, Leviticus, 22). That is remarkable in light of the fact that Leviticus primarily concerns the execution of worship in the tabernacle and the temple. For centuries the rabbis taught the Hebrew language to their students by having their students memorize much of the book of Leviticus in Hebrew, perhaps concurrently learning how to translate it (Alexander, “How Did the Rabbis Learn Hebrew?,” 80). Why wouldn’t contemporary Christians be highly interested in a book so influential in the ancient world and so much a part of the foundations of our faith?

Authorship

Leviticus nowhere contains a claim of authorship. However, the book consists of God’s personal revelations to Moses, which strongly implies that Moses wrote the book. Elsewhere, the Old Testament refers to Moses’ authorship of the Law, which includes Leviticus (e.g., 1 Chr 15:15; 22:13; 2 Chr 23:18; Ezra 3:2; Neh 1:7; Mal 4:4). All four of the Gospel writers refer to Moses’ authorship of the Old Testament Law (e.g., Matt 8:4; Mark 12:26; Luke 24:27; John 1:17). The Gospel of Luke refers specifically to a passage in Leviticus and states that it is from Moses (Luke 2:22). The apostle Paul quoted Leviticus 18:5 and wrote that it was from Moses (Rom 10:5). All four of the Gospels record that Jesus Himself referred to Moses’ authorship of the Law (Matt 19:7-8; Mark 10:3,5; Luke 24:44; John 5:46-47; 7:19), and Jesus specifically referred to laws in Leviticus as from Moses (Matt 8:4; Mark 1:44; Luke 5:14). Since Jesus is omniscient and spoke infallibly, for followers of Jesus the identity of the author of Leviticus is settled: Moses wrote the book.

Interpreting and Applying Old Testament Law

One challenge in applying the book of Leviticus in practical ways is that we do not know how to interpret it well. A brief description of a Christian method of interpreting Old Testament law could be helpful. Many Christians divide the laws in the Old Testament into three categories: ceremonial laws, civil laws, and moral laws. Ceremonial laws have to do with rituals regarding worship, leadership of worship, and preparation for worship. Jesus made the Old Testament ceremonial system obsolete when He became our high priest and the final sacrifice for sin (Heb 8:13; 9:11–10:18). Also, the civil laws no longer apply to us in the new covenant age, since their purpose was to govern the society of Israel during the period of the old covenant. It is clear, however, that the moral laws of the Old Testament still apply to us, since most or all of them are repeated in the New Testament.

Thus, such a division of Old Testament laws into three categories can be helpful. However, we must admit that such categories are extraneous to the Bible. Furthermore, even though new covenant believers are not required to obey old covenant ceremonial and civil laws, can’t such laws teach us something about God? God gave the laws, after all. He gave them to His people in a specific place for a specific time, but they are in the Bible and the whole Bible is important. So what do they mean to us today? The following is a simple seven-step method that I have found helpful for interpreting and applying the law.

First, affirm inspiration and helpfulness. Second Timothy 3:16 says,

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.

“All Scripture is inspired by God.” When the apostle Paul wrote that, the New Testament did not exist. He was writing about the Old Testament Scripture that includes Leviticus, and he wrote, “All Scripture is inspired by God.” “All Scripture,” including the books of law like Leviticus. So we affirm inspiration—God breathed out, inspired, Leviticus. Also we affirm its helpfulness. What does 2 Timothy 3:16 state next? “All Scripture is . . . profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.” So all Scripture is not only inspired; all of it is also helpful, profitable. In the new covenant period the Old Testament ceremonial and civil laws are not law for us; our disobedience to individual laws is not punished as was the case in ancient Israel. However, they are profitable in that they teach us about God, His will, and how to live for Him in today’s world (Guthrie, Read the Bible for Life, 95–108).

Second, affirm fulfillment in Jesus. The whole Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus, even the legal sections like Leviticus. After the resurrection of Jesus, He met a few of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. He told them that His life, death, and resurrection were prophesied in the Old Testament. He said in Luke 24:44,

Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

“Everything written about Me in the Law of Moses.” The law of Moses, including Leviticus, is somehow about Jesus. Jesus said, “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matt 5:17). Jesus said that He came to fulfill the Law. How does Jesus fulfill the Law? We’ll see that as we go through Leviticus, but for now let’s affirm Jesus’ statement that He fulfills it.

Third, determine what the law/text meant in its original context. We study what originally happened. What does the Bible say about how a particular sacrifice was offered, or how the Day of Atonement was observed? The contemporary meaning is based on the original meaning; the contemporary application is based on the original application. It’s often been said that a text in the Bible cannot mean what it never meant. How would this passage have been understood and applied in its original setting? We base our interpretation on that.

Fourth, note the similarities with today’s context. For example, Leviticus 11:7 directs God’s people to refrain from eating pork. I like pork. Barbequed pork is so common in North Carolina that if I did not eat it I would likely be breaking some state law. However, I would not be breaking any law in the new covenant. Evidently some people were pressuring Christians in Colossae to follow the dietary regulations of the old covenant. The apostle Paul wrote to them: “Don’t let anyone judge you in regard to food and drink. . . . These are a shadow of what was to come; the substance is the Messiah” (Col 2:16-17). So the Old Testament dietary laws no longer apply in the age of the new covenant; faith in Jesus the Messiah makes them obsolete and supersedes them.

But what did the command against eating pork mean in its original context? The pagan peoples around Israel ate pork. In commanding His people not to eat pork God was creating a distinction between His people and other peoples. God’s people were to observe that distinction; they were to be different, separate. What is the similarity with today’s context? People still do things God forbids, and God’s people are to be different. That’s the connection to today’s context.

Fifth, identify principles that apply to both ancient and modern contexts. With respect to refraining from eating pork, what’s the principle? God still doesn’t want His people to be exactly like the people around them. That principle applies today, so we’ve identified a principle that applies to both ancient and modern contexts. Walter Kaiser refers to this as “principlization” (Toward an Exegetical Theology, 150–63). What is the underlying principle(s) communicated by this law? Answering that question is fundamental in the task of interpreting and applying old covenant laws.

Sixth, consider what the New Testament teaches about each principle. Does the New Testament teach anything, for example, about the separation of God’s people from those who don’t know and love God? It does. Did Jesus say anything about that? He did, and He fulfills that part of the Law because He lived separate from the sin of the world, He empowers His followers to be different, and He is the difference between His followers and those who don’t know and love God.

Seventh, apply the principle to your life. The principle is that God wants us to be different from those who don’t know Him. I apply that principle by rejecting the sinful practices of the world and separating myself from them and to Jesus.