Leviticus: Proclaim Liberty

Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus

Leviticus Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof Lev 25:10

Lev 25:10 is inscribed on the Liberty Bell and where the bell gets its name

The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting…. Lev 1:1

These are the commands the LORD gave Moses at Mount Sinaifor the Israelites.

Lev 34:34

The book appears to be written during the time of, or referring back to the time of Israel camped around Mount Sinai

Two main ideas in the book:

God’s people are distinct and must be holy

God’s people are sinful and must offer sacrifice

(taken from a talk from Mark Dever)

Part 1 Holiness inside the sanctuary

approaching and worshiping a Holy God

Part 2 Holiness outside the sanctuary

Living before a holy God

Book outline:

Taken from a talk from John Murray

What is this? I was reading the Bible

from the first page, following the story

and now this? It seems out of place

Or perhaps it’s deliberate

and time to dwell on being holy

We can look at Leviticus revolving around the theme

of being holy not narrative stories, mostly, but

thematic

The word Holy appears Book in Psalms Genesis 1 time Book 1 (Ps 1-41_ Exodus 102 Book 2 (Ps 42-72) Leviticus 102 Book 3 (Ps 73-89) Numbers 35 Book 4 (Ps 90-106) Deuteronomy 12 Book 5 (Ps 107-150)

Exodus uses the word holy 102 times where Genesis only once

using stories and narrative, list telling a history story Leviticus also uses the word holy 102 times but more a

theme and object lessons camping out on the subject and less like history…

it’s confusing for readers often

But first…What is holy and what does it

mean?

“You shall be holy for I am holy”

Keyword is holiness The ‘motto’ of the book is ‘be holy

for I am holy’

Holy occurs 1 time in Genesis regarding the 7th day

Here in Leviticus occurs 102 times

Holiness was also in Exodus 102 times but here we dwell on it

In Exodus God took

His people out of Egypt

OK, and… in Leviticus

God takes Egypt out of

His people

hmmm Explain ‘holy’

OK, think of holiness

as ripples of water coming from

a center

God is Holy by nature

God is Holy

The closer something comes the holier

God is Holy

The objects in the temple are ‘holy’

The high priest is holy

The worshipers are holy

hmmm and why is it important?

Holy is the most often used adjective for God. The first request in the Lord’s prayer is God’s name would be seen as holy. and God chose to swear by His holiness several times to name a few.

Holy emphasizes God’s purity and some describe God’s holiness as other and separate. - ‘Altogether other’ (emphasizing transcendence. We’ll add a qualification. God does use language of analogy so language of analogy is fine if in conformity with God’s descriptions of Himself ) - God is inherently ‘holy’ and other things may have a derived ‘holiness’ - Without ‘holiness’ no one will see the Lord says the book of Hebrews

First ‘tour of holiness’, holiness is seen inside

the sanctuaryas we approach God in worship

5 Sacrifices

Burnt Offering Meal Offering Peace Offering Sin Offering Trespass Offering

God’s people are sinful and must offer sacrifice

Sacrifices offered at the entrance to the tabernacle or on the altar near the entrance. There are for sins both deliberate and unintentional.

So, the 5 types of sacrificesare done near the entranceat the altar? And…

can happen dailyand even for unintentional sins

God is Holy

The 5 types of sacrificesdone at or near thetabernacle entrancebeginning to approach God

The priests were dedicated

The priests also have meal offerings they eat and use things like

unleavened bread reminiscent of the Passover unleavened bread in some ways

The priests were dedicated

The first offerings were for the priests Their sacrifice accepted

and then a sobering lesson happens…

The priests were dedicated

and then a sobering lesson happens…

A first story in the book: The anointing of Aaron

and the priesthood followed by a story of

strange fire

God’s people are sinful and must offer sacrifice but on God’s terms in God’s way

living out holiness inside the sanctuary

The first of two stories in Leviticus

A tragic story that makes a point

A tragic object lesson in not following God’s word

Two of Aaron’s sons: Nahab and Abihu offered ‘strange fire’

A tragic object lesson in the importance of following God’s word

Two of Aaron’s sons: Nahab and Abihu

Aaron’s son’s offered ‘strange fire’ and died

We don’t know what the nature of their ‘innovation’ but it wasn’t in conformity to God’s instructions.

Second, holiness is seen outside the sanctuary

(In all of life lived ‘Corum Deo’ before the face of God)

Holy is also related to separateand as an object lesson reminder

of choosing and separating.This was a covenant reminder to eatsome types of animals and not eat

other animals

Laws handed down protecting worship from abuse

and separating the ‘Holy’ and the more common

laws regarding birth, death, food, even sexual relationships

Many animals are Kosher, like sheep or cattlefish with fins and scales …

Many not kosher animals are scavengers butmany are just oddball animals, octopus, ostrich…

God is Holy

And there is the common

There is the holy

And a day of ‘atonement’

every year

Once a year on the most solemn holy daya priest would bringthe blood of a lamb into the heart of the holiest place

God is Holy

The day of atonement blood brought to the Ark to the holiest

place

A sacrifice not at the entrance and not any day but on a special day

And at ground zero of the sanctuary holiness

on the Ark in the Holy of Holies Bringing the blood of a lamb once a year

for atonement

Second ‘tour of holiness’. Holiness seen outside the sanctuary

in action

A second story in the book: A tragic reminder of

consequences On living out holiness outside the sanctuary

Tempers flare …. A fight breaks out

A half Egyptian half Jewish man curses God in his angeran object lesson on respecting God’s name

And a ruling given by God:He had seen God’s power in deliverance and provision and still cursed Lev 24:22 You shall have the same rule for the sojourner and for the native, for I am the Lord your God.”And judgment handed down

Lev 19:32 “You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:14 You shall not curse the deaf ….

Leviticus 19:14 …. or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

Lev 19:15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.

Lev 19:19 …you shall love your neighbor as yourself…

The most oft quoted verse from Leviticus from Jesus17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

The Sabbath Unleavened bread First fruits Pentacost Trumpets Atonement Tabernacles

7 Feasts:

A year to : - forgive debts - set slaves free - restore the inherited land to the original families

The year of Jubilee

Starting with blessingsand the curses are more than twice as long

Starting with blessingsand the curses are more than twice as long

The book closes withblessings and curses

and hope…

Blessings for Obedience

rain good harvest no dangerous animals you will chase your enemies protection I will walk with you I will be your God and you will be my people

Curses for Disobedience

Disseases I will make the heaves like iron and the earth like bronze Wild beasts The sword Not enough food Destroyed cities The land will get the sabbath rest of the years you didn’t give it

but….. there is hope….

If they repent … I will remember forgive and restore…

Lev 26: 40 “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, 41 so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land

And the book closes with some regulations about vows

Starting with blessingsand the curses are more than twice as long

Just as God will remember his wordsthe last chapter is regarding manand his vows

Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus

and on the note of freedom

Marvel has a super hero with a name related to Leviticus

“my daddy was a preacher and he used to tell me from Luke 4‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because of which He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth in deliverance the oppressed,”

Marvel’s Luke Cage rescues people from evil, drug dealers, gangs, crime…and Luke 4:18 is referring to The Year of Jubilee from Leviticus…. Luke Cage, however, is a fiction using Biblical parallels (we leave it to viewers to decide how well Marvel did or not)

But there is someone who is the fulfillment of the Year of Jubilee

who is no fictionLuke 4: 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,     because he has anointed me     to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives     and recovering of sight to the blind,     to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Leviticus

Leviticus

Leviticus is the 6th most quoted book from the Old Testament in the New Testament