Allen Ross¹ says of this book ...

   "For most readers, the Book of Leviticus is "as barren and unknown as the dry, trackless wilderness" of its setting. Most readers prefer to skip quickly from the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 to Deuteronomy or even to Joshua, once they discover how this material reads. Why should they bother with ancient laws, tabernacles, sacrifices, priesthood, and dietary laws? After all, the church does not function in the way ancient Israel did. And so to spend time reading this section seems to be an unprofitable exercise. Accordingly, modern churches do not give much attention to Leviticus.

   But it must be recognised that Leviticus was and is one of the most important books of the Old Testament. It not only presents the entire religious system of ancient Israel, but it also lays the theological foundation for the New Testament teaching about the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

   For Israel, the Book of Leviticus was one of the most important and therefore better known books of the Bible. Down through the centuries much of the book has remained essential for Judaism. For the Christian it is a seedbed of New Testament theology. As Harrison says, "In this book is to be found the basis of Christian faith and doctrine."

It is with the understanding that the sacrificial death of Messiah Jesus is to be found pictured in the Levitical sacrificial system that these Lessons from the book of Leviticus are presented.

Threading its way through these seven lessons is the understanding that is expressed by the writer of a theological treatise read far and wide by Christians in the early centuries and now translated into many of the world's languages for us to read today. In this treatise, simply entitled 'Hebrews', we read ...

    "The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship ... But our High Priest [Messiah Jesus] offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honor at God's right hand ...
   And so, dear friends, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. This is the new life giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us."
(Hebrews 10:1, 12, 19-20)

LESSON 1  ~  The Burnt Offering - Acceptance With God. (Leviticus 1:1-17)

LESSON 2  ~  The Grain Offering - Dedication To God. (Leviticus 2:1-16)

LESSON 3  ~  The Peace Offering - At Peace With God, Self, and The World. (Leviticus 3:1-17)

LESSON 4  ~  The Sin Offering - Wholeness Before The Lord. (Leviticus 4-5:13)

LESSON 5  ~  The Guilt Offering - Making Things Right. (Leviticus 5:14-6:7)

LESSON 6  ~  Instructions For The Priests Regarding The Offerings. (Leviticus 6:8-7:38)

LESSON 7  ~  Serving As Priests Of The Lord : The Ordination Service. (Leviticus 8)

Ross¹, Allen P. HOLINESS TO THE LORD. A Guide To the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus. Michigan: Baker Academic. 2002. (p. 15)

In these chapters we are alerted to some of the practical matters related to our humanness. There is much that we can learn from the instructions given in connection with these matters. The instructions follow on from the description of the way to a right relationship with God that is provided for us in the sacrificial system. They remind us that we are still human and need to take care in every aspect of our daily lives—the situations we become involved in, our living conditions, our health. 

This takes us to a scene in the Garden of Gethsemane² many years later. Jesus and his disciples had walked over to this olive grove after celebrating the Passover supper with them in the city of Jerusalem. During that meal he had explained once more the reason for his imminent death. He himself was about to be offered up as the Passover lamb. As Paul wrote later, “Christ, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the festival, not by eating the old bread of wickedness and evil, but by eating the new bread of purity and truth.”³ 

But now, in the garden where Jesus had come to pray in preparation for his offering up, the disciples had become drowsy and fallen asleep. Several times he interrupted his prayers to come and ask them to wake up and join him in his hour of great distress. But as soon as he left them to resume his prayers they fell asleep again. Even Peter, the exuberant one who seemed always to know what was going on, couldn’t keep awake. I imagine Jesus tapping on Peter’s shoulder and speaking quietly to him as he looks over the sleeping forms of his disciples. 

   Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak.”

   Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.

   Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer! (Mark 14:37-42 NIV)

Watch and pray! A timely reminder for Christians today. We have accepted Christ’s sacrificial death as being the means of our forgiveness and the guarantee of eternal life. We have asked the now living Christ to become central in our lives. But we remain human. Our humanness will be with us in all of our earthly life. We must now watch out how we live. Paul had this in mind as he wrote to the Christians in the city of Colosse.

   I want you to know how much I have agonised for you and for the church in Laodicea, and for many other friends who have never known me personally. My goal is that they will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have full confidence because they have complete understanding of God’s secret plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

   I am telling you this so that no one will be able to deceive you with persuasive arguments. For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I am very happy because you are living as you should and because of your strong faith in Christ.

   And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.

   Don’t let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high sounding nonsense that comes from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world and not from Christ. For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe. (Colossians 2:1-10)

If we are to follow Paul’s advice here we need always to watch and pray. So that we are not deceived by ‘persuasive arguments’, so that we remain obedient to the Lord, that we stay close to him, drawing up ‘nourishment from him … strong and vigorous in the truth’, and so that we are not led astray ‘with empty philosophy and high sounding nonsense.’

Watch and pray! What is Jesus saying to us when he says we are to ‘watch’? The word used is γρηγορεω (grēgoreō) ‘wake up, be alert’. The word comes from the same root as  έγειρω (egeirō) ‘to wake up, raise up, rise again’. This word is related to άγειρω (ageirō) ‘to bring  together’. When Jesus says to us, ‘Watch’, he is telling us to keep awake, to keep our wits about us, to collect our thoughts, to bring all our faculties into play, to tread carefully in every situation, in every area of our lives.

And so it is that as we work our way through these chapters of Leviticus we find pictured for us the need to watch carefully, to not act thoughtlessly, to remain alert  ...

LESSON 8  ~  In The Worship Services Of The Church (Leviticus 9)

LESSON 9  ~  In The Work Of The Ministry (Leviticus 10)

LESSON 10  ~  In Our Personal Lives (Leviticus 11-15)

LESSON 11  ~  When Participating In Special Services (Leviticus 16)