Monday, February 14, 2011

How can I benefit from reading Leviticus?

Q: Every year when my Bible reading plan leads me to books like Leviticus, I have a lot of trouble slogging through chapter after chapter of God's rules for His people -- particularly when none of it seems relevant to our lives today. Can you give me an idea of how I should approach these chapters and what I should get out of them?

A: Great question Ken! I am guessing that your experience is common to many of the Christians that actually read through that section of the Bible. I can think of a couple of things that might make your reading of Leviticus more profitable for you.

Leviticus is really all about worship and holiness. How could the Hebrew nation rightly worship God and respect God’s holiness? There were sacrifices established to enable a less than perfect people to approach (through the Levitical priesthood) a perfect God. There were laws to enable the people to live lovingly with their neighbors when they came into the land which God was giving to them. There were feasts for the community of faith to celebrate what God had done for them and what he would do for them in the future. While it is true that since we are not under the Mosaic covenant God made with the Israelite nation and as a result "these laws are no longer God’s command to us, they are God’s Word for us." (Fee & Stuart, How to Read the Bible for all its Worth) God still speaks to us through Leviticus today. As we endeavor to hear what he is saying to us sometimes it is helpful to read the text with some questions. Let me share some of them with you.

I find it is helpful in my study to remember that nothing God says is random or arbitrary, though looking back across the chasm of time, culture, language, and covenant, it may seem that way. Just because I don’t see the reason doesn’t mean there isn’t one! When reading, I would ask…
  • What type of law I am reading about? I can see at least four major types of laws in Leviticus: Worship Laws, Anti-Idolatry Laws, Love-your-neighbor Laws, and Public Health Laws. Knowing these groupings will help me to see the purpose.
  • Was this law limited or situational in its original application (“if…then”) or was it intended to establish a precedent (“do…”, or “do not…” laws)?
  • What does this law teach me about the character of God?
As I have noted, much of Leviticus is focused on regulations regarding the types of sacrifices and the various feasts that would be celebrated in the course of the year. When reading about the sacrifices I would ask myself questions such as…
  • Was this sacrifice designed to atone for sin or facilitate fellowship with God?
  • How did Christ’s sacrifice on the cross fulfill these laws?
  • What sacrificial provision was there for intentional sins?
  • How is the New Covenant better than this? (Hebrews 9:23)
When reading about the feasts I would ask myself…
  • What was the stated purpose for this feast?
  • When and where was it to be celebrated?
  • Is there another symbolic meaning behind this feast?
  • How do I see Jesus interacting with this feast in the Gospels?
While we no longer have a functioning Levitical priesthood to relate to today, as followers of Jesus Christ by faith, we are all part of the holy and royal priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2).
  • What can we learn about how to live as holy priests from the Levitical laws?
  • The priest’s job was to represent a flawed people before a holy God, so how can we do that in light of our New Testament context? 
  • How does this understanding inform our work as "ambassadors of Christ" and "ministers of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:11-21)
Ultimately this book speaks about the holy character of God…so, more than anything, that is what I want to have my eyes open to see, my mind open to understand, my hands open to obey, and my heart open to adore!

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 
“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, 
   ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 
Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and 
    you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 
Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: 
   I am the Lord your God.’” (Leviticus 19:1-4)

I hope this helps to make your reading of Leviticus more eventful this year!

Questions?

If you have questions you would like us to address, simply add a comment to the "Questions" post and we will answer it under its own post...