LEVITICUS [17-21 JANUARY DAY 17- 21]

INTRODUCTION

Leviticus means "Call Out". God is calling out first His people to be Holy. It was written by Moses about 1450 B.C. in the wilderness in the Sinai peninsula to the people of Israel.

Jesus allured to it in the Gospel, You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth (Matthew 5:38 cp. Leviticus 24:20) It is practical holiness as it governs social, physical besides spiritual matters of daily living. The purpose was to guard them from compromising with the heathen nations they were driving. They were to be God's witnesses before the heathen.

God called Abraham to become a nation set apart. Abraham's descendants went to Egypt. They were under bondage and God heard their cry. God called Moses to deliver them out of Egypt. In the wilderness God renewed the covenant by giving of the Law. They broke it but God desire to dwell among them and thus the tabernacle was erected. Moses could not get in because of God's glory in it. Now God gave instruction how they could come into His presence in Leviticus.

The theme is "holiness". Holiness is mentioned 152 times. To be Holy, means to separate, set apart from common to be special for God in worship. Key text: Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. (Leviticus 19:2) God is Holy in all His nature, attributes, characters, words, actions and activities and thus demands His people to be holy.

Leviticus has three parts:

Chapters 1-7 and 23-27 practise - regarding sacrifices and festivals. These are prophetic as pointing to Christ as our sacrifice, thanksgiving and celebration of His Resurrection.

Chapters 8-10 and 21-22, priesthood - their ordination and standard as representing man and God. Christ is our High Priest

Chapters 11-15 and 18- 20, purity - laws concerning the clean and the unclean pertaining to animals, food, life and death as well as general practical daily living in social justice, and conduct of morality.

In between these; chapters 16-17 the Day of Atonement pointing to Christ reconciling us to God.

Chapters 26-27 concluding with Moses calling the Israelites to be faithful with blessings following or cursing for unfaithfulness.