Old Testament Survey
Leviticus
Didaskalia.tripod.com
Rick Walker
1. Introduction to Leviticus.
A. Leviticus focuses on two aspects of Judaism.
1. Leviticus 1-10 focuses on the Tabernacle and the Priesthood.
a. Note the name "Levi," indicating that it is concerned with priestly affairs.
b. Leviticus 1-10 is a natural extension of Exodus 25-40.
1. Exodus ends with the construction of the tabernacle.
2. The first word in the Hebrew Bible in Leviticus is "And . . . ."
2. Leviticus 11-27 contains laws for holy living. The central theme is, "Consecrate yourselves and be holy,
for I am holy" (Lev. 11:44, 45).
B. As we look at the sacrifices and feasts and tabernacle, remember that all of the regulations of Leviticus are
didactic.
1. Pagan Sacrificial Systems
a. The pagan world out of which the Jews were called was a world in which men did not understand the
holy nature of God, the sinfulness of men, and how sin would affect that the relationship between God
and man.
b. Sin and holiness were not issues in man's relationship to his pagan deity.
1. If a man sinned, it did not hurt his relationship to his god.
a. In fact, it might even help his relationship and sometimes sin was even a part of the act of worship.
Sin could actually draw a man closer to his god!
b. drunkenness associated with pagan worship
c. ritual prostitution, both male and female, associated with pagan worship of Baal
2. Therefore, sacrifices offered to pagan deities were not offered with the idea that the worshiper had sinned.
If a man offered a sacrifice to his god, it was not because he had sinned, but for some other reason.
2. The Didactic Levitical Sacrificial System
a. The sacrifices and other regulations found in Leviticus were designed to teach the Jews that man's relationship
to God is determined by sin or holiness, as the case may be.
b. Hill has noted six teachings communicated by the regulations of Leviticus.
1. God is holy or separate from man.
2. Man is sinful.
3. God recognizes substitutionary death.
4. Man has a need for repentance.
5. Fellowship between men and men, and God and men, can be restored when sin is atoned.
2. The Sacrificial System.
A. In Leviticus 1-7 there are six blood sacrifices available to the Israelite. (The wave offering (Lev. 7:28-38) was
only offered in connection with the peace and votive offerings).
1. The sacrifice offered was dependent upon what the worshipper was trying to accomplish.
2. The basic principle underlying all the sacrifices was that of atonement. They either bring atonement or could
be offered because atonement was already an established fact.
B. The Blood Sacrifices.
1. Whole Burnt Offering (Lev. 1:1-17).
a. This sacrifice was offered for sin in general. Not a specific sin, but just because the offerer knows that he is
a sinner in general.
b. Teaches man that he is a sinner by nature and that God's grace can cover his sinful nature.
c. Offer a male ox, sheep, goat, or dove according to the wealth of the offerer.
2. Fellowship Offering (Peace Offering) (Lev. 3:1-17; 7:11-15). Also called the Peace Offering. Three blood
sacrifices included under this term.
a. The Fellowship Offering could be for several different reasons.
1. Thank Offering: for blessings already received.
2. Votive Offering: for a blessing received in which the worshiper had made a vow to God.
3. Freewill Offering: to express general thankfulness to God for his blessings in general. Animal could have
minor defects.
b. Communion with God can only take place because God has atoned the sin of men. Thus, this sacrifice
does not bring atonement as much as it is an expression of atonement already achieved.
c. Offer a male cow (22:23), sheep (3:6; 22:23), or goat (Lev. 22:26) seems to indicate that a goat is for
fellowship offering. Note that the context before (22:23-25), and after (22:29, 30), speak of the fellowship
offerings (Also see Archer, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, 244).
d. In the Fellowship Offering only a few inner parts and the best fatty portions are burnt on the altar.
Part is eaten by the priest and part by the offerer, symbolizing a communal meal with God.
3. Sin Offering (Lev. 4:1-5:13).
a. The Sin Offering was for a unintentional sins (4:2) and specific transgressions where it was not possible
to make restitution (Archer, 244). [The fact that it was for cases where restitution was not possible is
perhaps deduced from the fact that the Trespass Offering is said to be for those cases where restitution
was possible.]
b. Teaches man that he is responsible for his sin even if it is unintentional or he is unaware of his sin (4:13). Also,
that God in his grace will forgive unintentional sins.
c. The offering depended on the status of the offerer.
1. for a priest, a bull (4:3)
2. for the congregation, a bull (4:14).
3. a community leader, a he goat (4:23).
4. a commoner, a she goat (4:28).
d. The priest ate part, but the offerer received no portion.
4. Trespass Offering (Guilt Offering) (Lev. 5:14-6:7; 7:1-7).
a. Trespass Offering was for cases where it was possible to make restitution. E.g., if one stole something
from another, he must offer the sacrifice and make full restitution plus one fifth the value of the thing
stolen (Lev. 6:4, 5).
b. Teaches man that sin against men affects his relationship to God. Fellowship with both God and man can
be restored.
c. Offer a ram.
d. The priest got a part of the sacrifice, God got a part, but the offerer received nothing.
C. Grain Offerings (Lev. 2:1-16; 6:14-23).
1. The Grain Offering did not involve the life of an animal, but consisted of products of the soil.
2. Along with it was offered a suitable amount of wine (Lev. 23:13).
3. Seems to have been offered in conjunction with other sacrifices.
4. Did not represent atonement or expiation, but was the dedication of the gift to God.
D. Fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The New Testament understands the sacrifices are said to be "types" (illustrations;
living prophecies) of the work of Jesus Christ.
a. Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin (singular, indicating the sanctification) of the world
(John 1:29-34).
b. Jesus was sacrificed for the sins of humanity (Rom. 5:6-11; Heb. 10:10, 12).
c. Jesus' sacrifice is connected with the sacrifice offered on the Day of atonement (Hebrews 9, 10).
3. Feasts and Observances of Judaism (Leviticus 23).
A. Three Feasts of Judaism.
1. Each had a significance grounded in the history of the Jews. Each had a typical significance grounded in the
future work of Christ.
a. They foreshadowed the work of Christ.
b. They were earthly symbols of the work of Christ in the spiritual realm.
2. They were so important that all Israelite men were required to attend (Ex. 23:14-17).
B. The Passover and The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23).
1. The most significant feast was Passover.
a. Had its historical beginning at the tenth plague when God "passed over" the Israelites (Exodus 12).
b. Every male required to attend (Deut. 16:13).
2. We noted the regulations in Exodus 12.
a. However, in Deuteronomy 16 the requirements for the Passover are different.
1. In Exodus the family head slays the lamb at his home. In Deuteronomy 16:5 it is to be the place
of the tabernacle.
2. In Exodus there is an blood-emphasis: blood is to be sprinkled on the doorposts. In Deuteronomy
the blood motif is entirely missing.
3. In Exodus 12:3 the sacrificial animal was a lamb. However, there is some question whether the
Hebrew should be restricted to lamb and not also include goats. See New Bible Dict., 881). In
Deut. 16:2 the choice of animal is much wider than the lamb.
b. These differences may perhaps be explained by two facts:
1. At the Exodus there was not yet a tabernacle at which centralized worship could take place
2. There was not yet a priesthood to officiate.
3. The Passover was so important, that a special mini-Passover was celebrated a month later for those who were
unable to participate in the first (Num. 9:9-12).
4. Fulfilled in Jesus.
a. In the Old Testament the Jews were led out of physical bondage. Jesus, as the true Lamb of God, leads all
men out of spiritual bondage.
b. Jesus is the Lamb of God.
1. Jesus is designated our "Passover Lamb" (1 Cor. 5:7).
2. John said, "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
3. Jesus was crucified during the Passover (John 19:36).
5. The Feast of Unleavened Bread was the seven days immediately following Passover. and thus the two
blended into one.
a. Because the Feast of Unleavened Bread came immediately after the Passover, the two blended into one
in popular thinking and the Feast of Unleavened Bread came to be popularly called Passover.
E.g., in Acts 12:3 Peter is arrested during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but Herod intends to keep him
"until after the Passover" (v. 4).
b. For the seven days of the feast, the Jews were to eat no yeast, symbolizing their hurried flight from
Egypt (Lev. 23:6).
c. The Feast of Unleavened Bread took place during the beginning of the harvest. Jews to bring a sheaf
from the beginning of the harvest and the priest would present it as a wave offering (Lev. 23:10, 11).
C. Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23).
1. Also called Firstfruits or Harvest. Later in history, Pentecost.
2. Pentecost lasted only one day, the fiftieth after Passover.
3. Corresponds to Israel's arrival at Mt. Sinai after the Exodus.
4. Came at the end of the harvest. Jews were to bring their firstfruit offerings to the temple.
a. In the New Testament, the day of Pentecost was the day that the Spirit came upon the apostles in Acts
and the church began (Acts 2).
b. The Pentecost of Acts was a day of firstfruits in a spiritual sense.
1. God gave the Holy Spirit to those who were baptized (Acts 2:38), which is only the firstfruits of the
fullness of God's blessings which will be received in heaven.
2. The three thousand people who came to Christ on that day were only the beginning of the harvest of
millions of Christians to follow down through the ages.
D. Feast of Tabernacles (Lev. 23:26-43).
1. Took place on the 15-22 if the seventh month (Tishri).
2. In addition to numerous sacrifices, the Jews would live in temporary shelters, thus commemorating the
Wilderness Wanderings under Moses (Lev. 23:43).
3. The Feast of Tabernacles was also the time when all the harvesting had been completed. They were to bring
the best of the harvest and wave it before the Lord, rejoicing in his care.
4. Two things are communicated by these two activities.
a. Living in temporary booths reminded them that life is transitory.
b. The wave offering reminded them that God cares for men even in such a transitory life. Life is transitory,
but it is secure in God.
4. Other Special Feasts, Days and Years.
A. Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:1-34; 23:26-32; Num. 29:7-11).
1. On the tenth day of Tishri (seventh month).
a. The most solemn day of the year.
b. Only day appointed for fasting.
c. No work to be done.
2. Day of elaborate sacrifices and ceremony to make atonement for the people.
a. two rams as burnt offerings for the high priest and the people.
b. a bull as a sin offering for the high priest
c. two goats as a sin offering for the people.
1. The high priest would then sprinkle its blood on the altar, Holy Place, Most Holy Place,
and the mercy seat or ark of the covenant.
2. After he came out he would confess the sins of the people while having his hands on the head of the
second goat.
a. Goat taken out into the wilderness where it was left to die.
b. Called a "scapegoat." The sins of the people were symbolically carried away from them.
B. Sabbath Day.
1. Commanded in the Ten Commandments that the Jews keep the Sabbath day holy (Ex. 20:8-11).
2. They were to rest from their labors on the seventh day, as God had rested from his labors on the
seventh day of creation.
3. It was a reminder that God had redeemed them from Egyptian bondage. I.e., they are now under God's care
and they can enjoy a day of rest with the confidence that God will provide for the future (Ex. 31:13;
Deut. 5:12-15).
4. The penalty for failure to observe the Sabbath by working was death (Ex. 35:2).
C. Feast of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25; Num. 29:1-6). Took place during the seventh month and marked the
beginning of the religious year.
1. Day of rest and blowing of trumpets.
2. Marked the beginning of the year.
D. Sabbatical Year.
1. Every seventh year was a Sabbatical year.
2. Fields were to lie fallow and vineyards were to be unpruned (Lev. 25:4).
3. It was a year of rest for the land (Lev. 25:5).
4. The Jews could eat what grew naturally, but could not reap the produce (Lev. 25:5, 6).
5. God promised that in the sixth year he would send such an abundance, that they would have enough
food for the seventh year (Lev. 25:20, 21).
E. Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8-55).
1. Every fifty years, most of the land that had been sold reverted back to the original owner. The price of
land was determined partially by the number of years remaining to Jubilee. If there were forty years left,
it was worth more than if there were only five years left, etc.
2. During the Year of Jubilee, indentured servants were to be set free.
3. The idea behind Jubilees is partially that everything really belongs to God and therefore cannot be
transferred permanently to another individual.
5. Holiness Code (Leviticus 11-27).
A. The first ten chapters give laws for approaching God and chapters 11-27 give laws on how to live before
God.
1. The Holiness Code had a Didactic Function.
a. The tabernacle of God had been constructed and set up in the middle of the Israelite camp. The Holy
God was now "living" in their presence.
b. There was the possibility that as time went by the people would begin to take the tabernacle and the
presence of God for granted and would stop making a distinction between God and creation.
The tabernacle would be no "different" than any other part of the Jewish world. God would cease to be
seen as one "holy," but as one of the common things of life.
2. The laws cover diet, skin diseases, the birth of children, sexual relations, and other areas of life.
a. The regulations of Leviticus taught the people to maintain such distinctions.
b. In the Old Testament, the word "holiness" carries with it the idea of separation from the common things
of life for service to God" (Hill, A Survey of the Old Testament, 123).
c. There may have been other reasons for some of these regulations as well, such as hygiene in the treatment
of persons with skin diseases and the eating of only certain meats, but this didactic function seems to have
played a major role.
B. Dietary Laws (Leviticus 11; also cf. Deut. 14).
1. Some creatures were desginated "unclean" and thus could not be eaten by the Jewish people.
a. May eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and chews the cud (11:3). But must have both.
Cannot eat rabbit, camel, pig, etc (11:4ff.).
b. May eat any animal in the waters that has fins and scales (11:9).
c May eat birds, except for the eagle, vulture, black vulture, red and black kites, falcon, owls, gulls, hawks,
storks, bats, et al. (11:13-19).
d. Do not eat insects that swarm (Deut. 14:19)
e. May eat fish of the sea, but not those that do not have scales and fins (11:10).
2. What do all of these unclean creatures have in common? (Elwell, Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, 75).
a. The only flesh of animals Israelites could eat was of those which fed on various kinds of grasses.
b. They could not eat carnivorous predators. E.g., sea creatures without fins and scales are carnivorous.
c. Note that men are forbidden to eat an animal that has been found dead and are forbidden to eat
blood (Lev. 17:10; 19:26; Deut. 14:21).
C. Laws Dealing with Blood (Lev. 12:1-8).
1. Already mentioned that could not eat blood.
2. A bleeding woman was ceremonially unclean.
a. She is unclean during for seven days during her menstrual cycle (Lev. 12:2).
b. She is unclean for forty-one days after the birth of a son until she is purified from her bleeding
(Lev. 12:3, 4).
c. She is purified from the bleeding of the birth of a daughter only after eighty days (Lev. 12:5).
D. Laws Dealing with Skin Diseases (Lev. 13:1-46).
1. Many regulations dealing with skin diseases.
2. Why did skin diseases make a person unclean so that they were separated from Israel?
a. For health reasons: to keep infectious diseases from spreading.
b. Perhaps also for theological reasons: diseases are the result of sin. Not necessarily personal sin, but
the entrance of sin into the world through Adam.
E. Laws Forbidding Mixtures.
1. Do not mate two different kinds of animals (Lev. 19:19).
2. Do not plant a field with two kinds of seed (Lev. 19:19)
3. Do not wear cloth made of two different kinds of material (19:19).
F. Sexual Relations (Leviticus 18).
1. No one is to approach a relative to have sexual relations (18:6).
2. No one is to have sex with an animal (18:23).
3. No one is to be a homosexual (18:22).
G. Laws Dealing with Aliens among the Jews (Lev. 19:33). When an alien lives in your land, do not mistreat him.
The alien with you must be treated as one of your native born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens
in Egypt.
H. Leviticus 20 prescribes punishments for sin.
1. Whoever curses father or mother is to be put to death (20:9).
2. Adulterer is to be put to death (20:10).
3. Spiritist is to be put to death (20:27).
I. Leviticus 21 prescribes rules for the priests.
1. Passover: Deliverance from Egypt
2. Firstfruits: Celebrate the Harvest (Pentecost)
3. Trumpets: First day of the new year (seventh month)
4. Yom Kippur: Sacrifice for sins of the nation
5. Tabernacles: wanderings in the wilderness