Leviticus 1
-Introduction: The book of Leviticus was written by Moses as
one of the five books of the Torah (Law). Its setting was at the foot of Mt.
Sinai somewhere in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. The date of the writing
and events of this book occur somewhere close to the years 1445-1444 B.C. The
primary purpose of this book is to offer the priests of Levi an outline for
their duties and service unto the LORD God for worship. A further purpose for
this Word of God in Scripture can be summed up with the theme of “holy living”
for the Hebrew people extending to all people of faith in the one-true Living
God. Holiness is mentioned 152 times in this book, which is more than any other
book in the Bible. This is the predominant theme with the verse “You shall be
holy, for I the LORD your God am holy (Leviticus 19:2)” being the key idea of
the compilation. There are some other themes of note, which include the
sacrifices and offerings, worship of the LORD Almighty, health and well-being, feasts
of the LORD, and societal prosperity. The structure of the book includes a
focus on worship with instructions for the offerings, priests, people, and
altar (Leviticus 1-17). The second part structurally deals with living a holy
life introducing proper standards for the people, rules for the priests,
seasons and feasts for Israel, and receiving God’s blessing (Leviticus 18-27).
These instructions were important for the Hebrew people as God prepared them
for their Holy Land of promise even while they were in the wilderness following
their dramatic escape from slavery in Egypt. For progressive revelation this
book casts many shadows and types of the substance of things to come in Christ
Jesus. Therefore, it is well worth our time and effort to study and dissect.
-Chapter 1- The LORD calls Moses and speaks to him from the
tent of meeting telling him the proper way to present sacrifices of cows,
sheep, goats, and birds (turtledoves or young pigeons). These are all burnt
offerings and voluntary. The herd and flock had to be male without defect and
offered at the doorway of the tent of meeting in the tabernacle. There are some
specific instructions for how to carry out these sacrifices and how to arrange
the parts of the dead animal on the fire or for washing. A special issue of
note would be the arrangement for the sacrificing of birds. This was a poor man’s
choice for making a voluntary offering before the LORD God, and ironically this
was the type of sacrifice that Joseph and Mary made when baby Jesus was being
dedicated at the Temple (Leviticus 5:11, Luke 2:21-24). These offerings were “a
soothing aroma to the LORD (Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17)” meaning that they were
accepted by the LORD because of the people’s humble and contrite attitude in
obedience to Him.
-*Application* While we have Christ as our ultimate
sacrifice in this day and age, the concept of holiness before our LORD should
still be just as near and dear to our hearts. If we don’t walk in a righteous
manner saved by the grace of God poured out upon us, we trample the work of
Christ Jesus (Hebrews 10:26-31). Holiness in the Christian’s life is a big
deal. Don’t minimize it.
Verse to Memorize:
Leviticus 1:3
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