Leviticus #3

Leviticus picks up immediately where Exodus leaves off — the tabernacle is built, and now Israel needs to know how a holy God can safely dwell in the middle of an unholy camp. The book answers with detailed instructions for sacrifice, priesthood, and everyday purity.

Read Leviticus in the King James Version →

Author and Date

Tradition attributes Leviticus to Moses, and the book presents itself as the Lord speaking to Moses from the tent of meeting (Leviticus 1:1). It is traditionally dated to Israel’s year at Sinai after the exodus, c. 1446-1445 BC on the early chronology, or a century or two later if the exodus is placed in the 13th century BC. Many critical scholars assign the material, especially chapters 17-26, to priestly writers of the monarchy or exile; this is disputed.

Background and Audience

Leviticus is addressed to Israel camped at Sinai, with the tabernacle newly set up and Aaron’s family newly ordained. It gives the priests and the people the rules for approaching God, for distinguishing clean from unclean, and for living as a people set apart from the nations around them.

Outline

• Chapters 1-7: The offerings: burnt, grain, peace, sin, and guilt offerings
• Chapters 8-10: The ordination of Aaron and his sons, and the death of Nadab and Abihu
• Chapters 11-15: Clean and unclean: foods, childbirth, skin disease, and bodily discharges
• Chapter 16: The Day of Atonement
• Chapters 17-22: The Holiness Code begins: sacrificial blood, sexual conduct, love of neighbour, and priestly holiness
• Chapters 23-25: Festivals, the sabbath year, and the Year of Jubilee
• Chapters 26-27: Blessings and curses for obedience and disobedience, and laws of vows

Key Themes

• The holiness of God and the call for his people to be holy
• Atonement through sacrifice, with the blood standing for life
• The distinction between clean and unclean, and the priests’ role in maintaining it
• Ethical holiness: justice, honesty, and care for neighbour and stranger
• Sacred time: the sabbath, the festivals, and the Jubilee

Key Verses

• Leviticus 11:44-45 — the Lord’s call to be holy because he is holy, given in the context of the food laws
• Leviticus 16:29-30 — the yearly Day of Atonement, when the priest makes atonement to cleanse the people
• Leviticus 17:11 — the reason given for the blood of sacrifice: life is in the blood, and it makes atonement
• Leviticus 19:18 — the command to love one’s neighbour as oneself
• Leviticus 25:10 — the proclamation of liberty in the fiftieth year

How It Fits the Bible

Leviticus stands between the tabernacle of Exodus and the wilderness march of Numbers. Its sacrificial and priestly system is the background for the New Testament’s explanation of Christ’s death, especially in Hebrews, and Jesus quoted its command to love one’s neighbour.