You’ve made it to Leviticus. You may feel like giving up in the coming days. That’s due to the fact that Leviticus is made up of 27 head-scratching chapters that may not seem important to the rest of the Bible, or to your present day life. I want to encourage you to read through Leviticus and see it’s significance in the Bible and in your life.
The last section of Exodus concerned the Tabernacle and the Levitical Priesthood (Ex. 25-40). Keep in mind that the priesthood came from the tribe of Levi (Num. 3-4). The word “Leviticus” comes from the Greek word “Leuitikos” which means “that which pertains to the Levites.” The reasoning for the Tabernacle and the Priesthood was for the sole purpose of God dwelling within Israel’s camp. Because God is holy, it is imperative that His dwelling, and His people are holy.
The word “holiness” and corresponding words are found over 130 times in the book. The Lord says, “ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Lev. 11:45). We can conclude that Leviticus concerns God’s holiness and the holiness of His people. But how can a Holy God dwell among a sinful people like Israel. Likewise, how can a Holy God dwell among sinners like us? Leviticus gives us the answers:
Leviticus begins by clarifying sacrifices that address sin, and enables Israel to worship God correctly (Lev. 1-7). The Law provides Israel with priests who will intercede on their behalf (Lev. 8-10). Next, Leviticus teaches Israel how to appropriately deal with impurity (Lev. 11-15), and follows that up with how to remove impurity in the yearly ceremony of the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16). Finally, the last section of Leviticus provides various laws for Israel to live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Lev. 17-27; cf. Ex. 19:5-6).
Leviticus points us to Jesus Christ. Jesus is our High Priest interceding on our behalf (Heb. 4:14, 7:25); He shed His blood to forgive our sins (Heb. 9:12, 22); He provided the means for us to worship Him in Spirit and Truth (Jn. 4:21-23); and because He is holy, He enables us to be holy (1 Pt. 1:15-16).