Spare Change March 2018
The Blessing of Leviticus
At the point that I am writing this, I am deep into reading Leviticus on our church Bible reading plan. Leviticus can be an arduous task. When people set out to read the Bible they usually start in Genesis and get really excited, they make it through Exodus but get bogged down in Leviticus and sometimes give up. One tip that helps me to absorb the information in this book is listening to it via the Bible app; but even with that, let’s be honest, Leviticus is a strange book filled with all sorts of directions, commands, and rituals.
This book was designed as a handbook for the Levites. These were the people ordained by God to carry out religious instructions and rituals. The line of the priests also came from the tribe of Levi. This tribe was a holy group of people that were commissioned to serve God. So, when we read Leviticus we need to read it as an instruction manual, not a narrative. We need to understand that God is outlining for the Israelites all of His specific instructions. In it we find commands to keep ourselves pure sexually, including prohibitions against incest, homosexuality, and bestiality. We find special instructions on how to handle illness and diseases. There is even a section on dealing with mildew.
The most important section, in my option, is on atoning for sin; there are several sections covering this including offering sacrifices for sin. There are so many specific rules that the priests have to carry out. There needs to be specific animals that are slaughtered in specific ways. The blood must be collected, the fat burned up, the priest gets a portion, certain parts are offered to God, and on and on. It seems very complicated and overwhelming.
While I was reading this section I was overcome by thankfulness that I don’t have to do any of those things. I don’t have to worry about getting a goat and placing my hand on it, symbolizing the transfer of sin to the animal. I don’t have to have the priest slaughter it, representing the payment/penalty for my sin. I never have offered an atonement sacrifice and I never will. Jesus has made that sacrifice for me. When He gave Himself as the perfect, spotless lamb He paid once and for all for my sin. Jesus was the only one that could have made that sacrifice. Even Aaron, the priest of God, had to cleanse himself and offer a sacrifice for himself before he did anything for anyone else. Only Jesus was righteous and holy, only He could be the substitution for our sin.
It is fitting that we are reading Hebrews along with Leviticus. They are perfect companions because we must read Leviticus in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we do that we see the blessing of Leviticus is in the fact that we can’t live up to a standard of holiness and we don’t have to; Jesus does it for us.
Look at Hebrews 10:11- 14, “And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ [b] had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
So, I am reminded that in reading Leviticus how thankful I am that Jesus is my atoning sacrifice. That I have placed my hand of faith on Him and He has willingly taken on my sin to become my sacrifice, my Savior, and my Lord. Let us be encouraged that if we believe in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we no longer live under the law of works but of grace.