Journey Through Leviticus

A Christian lady was once asked if she had ever read the Bible all the way through. Her response was brutally honest, and frankly, if most of us were honest, we would have to say the same thing. She responded that she had started three times, that she had enjoyed Genesis very much and even Exodus, but she had gotten bogged down in what she called the dull reading of Leviticus.

I hope you do not feel that way, but the truth of the matter is that all of us at some point have gotten bogged down. But the Word of God is never dull — we are dull. The Word of God is never boring. We may get dry, but it is perennially fresh. And the Book of Leviticus is a book that must be studied, read, and profited from. Let us journey through Leviticus to see what God has for us in this book.

Listen: Journeying through Leviticus

Overview of Leviticus 

Leviticus picks up where Exodus left off. As a matter of fact, in Leviticus 1:1, the Bible says, “And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, saying,” When Exodus concluded, the children of Israel had just completed the tabernacle. God is speaking out of the new tabernacle.

Genesis covered thousands of years. Exodus covers hundreds of years. But the Book of Leviticus covers only one month. There is no geographical movement. They are encamped at Mount Sinai. God is speaking, and His message is important.

As a matter of fact, the Book of Leviticus is to Exodus what the rest of the New Testament is to the Gospel Records. God brings us to Himself – He redeems us! But then He teaches us how to live as His newly redeemed people.

The Message of Leviticus: Holiness

Exodus was all about redemption. But Leviticus is about something we don’t hear much about today, and that is holiness. When you read the word holiness, what comes to your mind? The first ought to be the character of God. Because He is holy and God expects His people to be holy.

The Key Verse of Leviticus

The key to the Book of Leviticus is Leviticus 19:2. The Bible says, “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.” He begins with his own character. God is saying, “I am holy, and because I am holy, I want my people to be holy.”

The word holiness is found 87 times in this book. The word holy is found 65 times in this book. Holiness is God’s great message to us. Exodus records how God brought Israel out of Egypt. He did that in one night. God saves a man in a moment of time. But Leviticus is a record of God getting Egypt out of Israel. That takes more time. That is a process. We are saved in a moment, but our sanctification — God purging and cleansing all the filth and the world out of our hearts and minds — that is a continual process. And to keep ourselves pure is a daily decision. It is a life of repentance.

In the book of Exodus, God begins to appear to man. But in Leviticus, man comes to appear before God. God wants to bring us into His presence. He wants to deal with us, to teach us, and to transform us into His very own image. 

Features of Leviticus: Sacrifices and Atonement

There is a beautiful order in this book. The first 17 chapters show us the way to come to God. How do you come to God? By sacrifice: not ours, but His through the Lord Jesus Christ. Purity and holiness are unattainable for sinful creatures. God has to make a way, and at every age, it is always by faith, and it is always by His sacrifice.

There are a number of offerings explained in the opening chapters of the book of Leviticus. There is the burnt offering, the meal offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. Each one of them pictures the Lord Jesus Christ for us. Some people have even said the New Testament book of Hebrews is really just a commentary on the book of Leviticus. I believe that, because God makes a way.

The Day of Atonement

One of the beautiful chapters in the first section of Leviticus is Leviticus 16. It deals with the Day of Atonement — the day that the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies once a year, and he would shed the blood of an innocent goat. He would pour that blood out for the redemption of the sins of the people, and then he would lay his hands on the head of another goat and send it off into the wilderness. These pictures teach that God not only forgives, but He cleanses. He not only deals with our sin, but He also carries it away.

What Aaron, the high priest, did once a year, Christ did once for all (see Hebrews 10:1-12). Calvary was our Day of Atonement. Even the word atonement is beautiful when you break it down: “at one” ment. Sin divides us from God. It separates us from God. But redemption by the blood of Christ makes us at one with Him. The only way for me to be holy is to have my sins atoned for. The only One who can make that atonement is my High Priest, the Lord Jesus. And the only way He could atone is by His own precious blood. That is the great message of Leviticus – atonement. It is a message of continued redemption. (If you are not sure you have been redeemed but want to know more about Jesus, CLICK HERE.)

Living a Holy Life

Beginning in Leviticus 18, through the end of the book (chapter 27), the Lord addresses our walk with God. If you have truly been redeemed, it ought to make a difference in the way you live. If you have had that atonement, if the blood of Christ has cleansed you from all sin, then it ought to forever change the way you live. You’ve been set apart from something to someone, from sin, and to the Lord. God not only saves you from something, He saves you for something. He does not simply keep you out of hell. He saves you for Himself, and He brings you to Himself.

The name of this book is Leviticus. It is named for the tribe of Levi, the Levitical tribe. They were set apart as priests. Their responsibility was to serve in the worship and sacrifices of God’s people. Before the Levites could serve, they had to be holy.

The Bible says that we have been made a kingdom of priests to God (Revelation 1:6). In other words, now it is not just one tribe; it is the whole family! The Lord Jesus Christ intends for His people to be a holy people, to live differently.

Holy Days

There are at least eight great feast days in the book of Leviticus. They were called Holy Days. It is the root word from which we get our word “holiday.” Their holidays, their holy days,  were all about God. Specific days were set apart for them to think about the Lord. Would you make today a holy day to the Lord? Today, fix your energy, your attention, your eyes, on the Holy God. Ask God to make you a real partaker of His Holiness.

God starts in the inner man, cleansing us from all sin. Whatever is inside us comes out; that beautiful presence of God in the holy place of your heart comes out in your conduct. It comes out in your life. True holiness leads to true happiness. Jesus Christ, your great High Priest, wants to work in you today to make you a holy person.

Get the Man Right

I remember a little boy years ago wanting to play with his dad, and his dad was busy reading the newspaper. His father took the portion of the paper he had and tore it up into strips and said, “Son, there is a globe here. There is a picture of the world. Put it back together, and I will play with you.” In just a moment. The little boy had it together, and his father thought he had a prodigy on his hand. He said, “Son, how did you do that? The little boy started turning the paper over, and when he got it flipped over, there was a picture of a man. The boy said, “Daddy, when I got the man right, the world just fell in place.”

We live in an unholy world. Do not try to straighten the whole world out. Instead, get the Man right. Seek to be holy and to walk holy before the Lord today. He will make everything else fall in place.

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About Scott Pauley

Related Message: The Day of Atonement