READ IT! - Introduction to Leviticus 21-27

Readings for this week:

Monday: Leviticus 21

Tuesday: Leviticus 22

Wednesday: Leviticus 23

Thursday: Leviticus 24

Friday: Leviticus 25

Saturday: Leviticus 26

Sunday: Leviticus 27

Introduction to Leviticus 21-27

The name “Leviticus” refers to the tribe of the Levites, who were given special commands to follow as a part of the Sinai Covenant. The Levites became Israel’s priests and were entrusted with the task of offering different atoning sacrifices to God on behalf of the people as well as making sure the people followed the Law. The last section of the book, is addressed specifically to the levitical priests.

Chapters 21-22

First we have some general Rules for Priests, such as…

Don’t shave your heads.
Don’t cut yourselves.
Don’t marry prostitutes.
Don’t have messy hair.
Stay away from dead bodies.
Don’t disrespect the offerings people give to God.

We’re then given a list of people who cannot become Israelite priests, including…

Blind people
Lame people
Deformed people
People with crippled hands or feet
Hunchbacks
Dwarves
People with poor eyesight
People with festering or running sores

People with damaged testicles

That’s then followed by a list of what is considered to be unacceptable sacrifices, which includes…

Blind animals
Injured animals
Maimed animals
Animals with warts
Animals with festering or running sores
Animals with bruised, crushed, torn, or cut testicles (blech...)
Animals that are younger than eight days old

Chapter 23

At this point, the book switches over to the topic of holidays… or… holy days. There are seven appointed festivals the priests are to lead the people in celebrating every year.

The Passover

The Festival of Unleavened Bread

Offering the Firstfruits

The Festival of Weeks (aka Pentecost)

The Festival of Trumpets (aka Rosh Hashanah)

The Day of Atonement (aka Yom Kippur)

The Festival of Tabernacles (aka Feast of Booths, Feast of Ingathering, Sukkot)

Now… what’s interesting about these festivals is that when you compare the details of these festivals from the Old Testament with the events of the life of Jesus that occurred during these festivals, you find some unusual patterns.

In ancient Israel, The Passover was a celebration of Israel’s redemption from Egypt. Five days before Passover, the sacrificial lamb was picked. And on Passover, the lamb was killed.

Then when we compare that to the life of Jesus, we learn that Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday happens five days before Passover and the people choose him to be king. And on Passover night, Jesus is arrested and sentenced to death.

In ancient Israel, we see The Festival of Unleavened Bread in which the people are commanded to eat bread made without yeast, and so they eat bread without leaven or “life” and the people pray, “give us life out of the earth.”

Then when we compare that to the life of Jesus, we learn that during this same festival, Jesus is buried… without life… in the earth.

In ancient Israel, we see the Offering of the Firstfruits, in which the people would give the priest the first grain of their harvest and then the priest would present it to the lord.

Then when we compare that to the life of Jesus, we learn that Jesus rose from his earthly grave at the beginning of this feast. Jesus came to be known as the firstfruits of the resurrection. Jesus also ascended into heaven near the end of this feast.

In ancient Israel, the Festival of Weeks (aka Pentecost) comes exactly fifty days after the Passover. It is the celebration of the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai. At which time Moses put to death 3000 rebels.

Then when we compare that to the life of Jesus, we learn that the Holy Spirit comes exactly fifty days after Jesus’ death. The Holy Spirit is known as the “law written on our hearts” and the spirit filled 3000 new believers with life on that day.

In ancient Israel, we also see the Festival of Trumpets (aka Rosh Hashanah)… where on the first day of the seventh month, the people are to have a day of Sabbath rest, “a sacred assembly commemorated with trumpet blasts.”

Now… when we compare that to the life of Jesus, we don’t see much of anything… other than the fact that we are told that Christ will return at the sound of a trumpet blast… leading some scholars to speculate that the second coming of Christ will occur on this holiday… but again, that’s just speculation.

In ancient Israel, we see the Day of Atonement (aka Yom Kippur)… which was the one day of the year that the priest would enter the Holy of Holies to offer atonement for the entire nation.

In the life of Jesus, the obvious correlation would be the crucifixion. However, the crucifixion didn’t happen on Yom Kippur, which has led some scholars to speculate that a better correlation to the Day of Atonement would be the Day of Judgment.

And finally, in ancient Israel, we see the The Festival of Tabernacles (aka Feast of Booths, Feast of Ingathering, Sukkot) …which was a week-long festival that came five days after the Day of Atonement. Everyone would stay in tents for the week to remind them of their wilderness wanderings and they would present food offerings to God on the eighth day. It was a time of rejoicing and a celebration of entry into the promised land.

When we compare that to the life of Jesus, we learn that the birth of Jesus took place during this festival. We know this from Luke’s chronology which has Jesus being born a year after Zechariah entered the temple on the Day of Atonement.

So yeah, sorry folks, but Walmart may be on to something… since Jesus was actually born in late September. The Gospel of John says that Jesus came and “made his tent” among us, like in the festival of booths. Also, the angels sang the song of this festival the night of Jesus’ birth. Jesus lived in a stable for a week. Jesus was offered to God on the eighth day. And in Jesus, the kingdom of heaven… the promised land… comes to earth.

Chapter 24

In this chapter, Aaron is appointed to tend the lamps of the Tabernacle and set out the bread before the LORD. Later, an Israelite blasphemed God so the people took him outside and stoned him.

Chapter 25

After all this, the text goes on to talk about The Sabbath Year, in which every seven years, the land was to have a rest from planting and harvesting; as well as The Year of Jubilee, in which after seven cycles of the Sabbath Year, came the Year of Jubilee in the 50th year.

Everyone was commanded to celebrate, and all debts were to be forgiven because all debts belong to God and He has forgiven them. All slaves were to be set free because all people belong to God and he sets all people free. All property would be returned to its original owners because all the land belongs to God. And everyone was commanded to look out for poor people because God looked out for Israel when they themselves were poor in Egypt.

Chapter 26

God then lays out the consequences for his people’s actions, letting them know they will be rewarded for their obedience and punished for their disobedience.

If they obey, God says…

“I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.”
“I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid.”
“I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.”

But if they disobey, God says…

“I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength.”
“You will be defeated by your enemies…”
“I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings.”
“I will scatter you among the nations…”
“…the land will have the rest it did not have during the Sabbaths you lived in it.”

But God also says…

“But if they will confess their sins…I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham.”

Chapter 27

And the book closes by saying, “If anyone dedicates a person or land to the LORD you shall make a valuation. A tithe of everything from the land belongs to the LORD.”