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Feb
12
2012
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Posted 96 days ago ago by Julie Brenneman
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How to Read Leviticus
Introduction
Leviticus is often where even the most determined readers of the Bible throw in the towel![1] The contents are about as foreign to us as 21st c. readers as anything to be found in the Bible. Yet, they were extraordinarily important to God’s people; given to them by God.
Quick Glance
Don’t get lost in the details![2] The particular historical situation of God’s people helps us in understanding the Torah, “instruction,” which includes Leviticus. God’s people in leaving Egypt left behind a culture that worshiped a pantheon of gods; they will now enter Canaan, where the people there do the same. Given this environment of false belief, how can He teach them about Himself and about true worship? [3]
If much of Leviticus seems foreign to us, it would have made complete sense to them.[4] But, how does this relate to us? Understanding these instructions in their own historical-cultural context can help us to better understand and know God. Keep relationship front and center in your reading. How and why would God’s instructions be important to knowing and living in relationship with God and one another?
Also, consulting a good commentary will help sort out the details and aid in answering the “why” behind these instructions.[5]
Where in History?[6]
Israel spends one full year camped at Mt. Sinai.[7] It is during this year that God gives them the materials found in Leviticus.
Important Themes and Threads[8]
The book of Leviticus breaks down along the following lines:[9]
· Lev. 1-16. Called the Levitical Code, it focuses on regulations for both people and priests related to the tabernacle.
· Lev. 17-25. Called the Holiness Code, is a “collection of various laws dealing with relationship to God and to others.”[10]
· Lev. 25-26. Sabbath/Jubilee year requirements and obedience/disobedience consequences.
Having left Egypt as a slave people, God’s intends to re-shape them into a people who are in a special relationship with Him and with one another. This will take some effort! Leviticus is one part of a larger covenantal and relational package intended to form them into God’s “special treasure” as those set apart to God (Ex. 19:5-6). They are to be like Him, to “be holy as He is holy.”
Therefore, this is not empty ritual. The Levitical instructions are concrete and tangible ways to experience God as His people and maintain that right relationship with Him and one another. Their right response to God will lead to their transformation into His likeness – then all the world will see Him reflected in them.
Copyright January 2012 by Mike Huckins
[1] The title of this book, Leviticus, comes from Latin and means “pertaining to the Levites.” It is an apropos title in that the Levites were those primarily responsible for overseeing Israel’s worship system; thus the contents of Leviticus have a great deal to do with Israel’s worship relationship with God.
[2] The Compass will help with the meaning to be found in the various details.
[3] Faced with this dilemma, God makes use of the fact of sacrifice and ritual already practiced in the Ancient Near East (ANE). Some of these practices He gives new meaning, others are forbidden. The worship system revealed in Leviticus is intended to teach truth about God’s nature and character and how to relate with Him (and one another).
[4] As detailed as all of this seems to us, when compared to the other complex worship systems of Israel’s neighbors in the ANE, it was relatively simple and straight forward. God required what they needed, nothing more.
[5] Two basic commentaries are helpful, the most basic and easiest to read being: John Goldingay, Exodus and Leviticus for Everyone. Also, R.K. Harrison, Leviticus, Tyndale Old Testament Commentary has more detail, but is not overly complex or scholarly. Also, Paul Copan, Is God a Moral Monster? (2011) He gives insight into the reasons behind the some of the more controversial parts of the OT law.
[6] The date of the events of the Biblical narrative and the date which the book was authored or edited into its present form are not the same. Some times there is a considerable difference. This idea is obvious to us when we think about a book written today which addresses events in the past, e.g., a history of the American Civil War written in 2011. Why does this matter? Because, as with any “look back” at events, the current author has some purpose in mind in re-telling those past events – some point of view he wants his readers to understand. As we believe that God is the ultimate Author of the Bible, we can see that this is important. “Where in History?” then, is the time period of the events covered by this Book.
[7] In terms of the storyline, Ex. 19:1-2 marks their arrival at Sinai and Numbers 10:11 their departure.
[8] This section will identify some of the threads or themes that run through the Book and how these connect us to the rest of the Bible. In other words, how does this Biblical book fit into the overarching storyline of the whole. Highly recommended is Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart’s book How to Read the Bible Book by Book (Zondervan, 2002). The authors give background information for each book and then an outline/summary of the main points and themes. It is easy to read and understand and you can use it to follow along with your OYB readings.
[9] Following Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart’s book How to Read the Bible Book by Book (Zondervan, 2002).
[10] Fee and Stuart, How to Read the Bible Book by Book, 44.