►Leviticus / Chapters 1-27

OT/NT: Old Testament (1)
 
SECTION: The Law (2)
 
PLACEMENT: Leviticus is the third book of the Holy Bible (3), the third book of the Old Testament and the third of the five books of the Law.
 
TRADITIONAL AUTHOR: Moses (4) (Exodus 17:14, 24:4-7, 34:27).
 
TIMELINE: The book of Leviticus covers events taking place in 1445 BC (5). See our Bible Timeline (6) for more info.
 
KEY FIGURES: Aaron (7), Abihu (8), Eleazar (9), Ithamar (10), Moses and Nadab (11).
 
SUMMARY: The Israelites (12) remain encamped at Mount Sinai (13) throughout the entire book. This is where things get ironed out between YHWH (14) and His children, as He hands down a plethora of instructions, regulations and ordinances to Moses. Above all else in Leviticus, God's chosen are taught exactly how He expects them to worship, serve and obey (15) Him. Leviticus hammers home God's desire for us to be holy (16) and live according to His precepts (Leviticus 11:44-45, 19:2, 20:7).
 
Along with all the rules God is passing on to Moses for His people to follow, the Creator is also sharing His unconditional love (17) as well. It is crucial for today's followers (18) of Jesus Christ (19) to embrace that YHWH's words recorded in Leviticus 26 thousands of years ago are still applicable to us present day. Here, God promises that obedience to Him alone will be rewarded. He gives us His blessed assurance that He will be walking amongst us and that we are, indeed, His people. He reminds us that we are no longer slaves (in any capacity– spiritual, physical, emotional, psychological or otherwise), as He broke the bars of our yoke, enabling us to walk with our heads and hearts fixed on Him.
 
However, there is a word that prefaces His unmatched favor being poured out upon us. Leviticus 26 starts with "IF you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands"…the translation here is clear. God is expecting us to render unswerving obedience to Him. In return, we're promised His agape love, His unfailing mercy (20), His limitless grace (21), His unsurpassed peace (22) and so much more. We're definitely getting the better end of the deal. But, because He's God and knows everything in advance, He also laid out what the repercussions would be for our disobedience (23) as well. We get to choose our path.
 
Although He is a God of order and balance, He rarely interferes with our free will.  In Leviticus 26:40-45, He reminds us that He is our Father and offers us a way back after we stray from Him - and that His door to holiness is always accessible. It’s up to us to knock and it will be opened to us (Matthew 7:7-8). In the final analysis, as was then and remains present day, God has an overwhelming desire for us to partake in ongoing fellowship with Him. It's why He created (24) us.
 
APPLYING LEVITICUS TO MY LIFE (a): God takes His holiness very seriously, and so should we. The trend in the postmodern church is to create God in our own image, giving Him the attributes we would like Him to have instead of the ones His Word (25) describes. God’s utter holiness, His transcendent splendor, and His “unapproachable light” (1 Timothy 6:16) are foreign concepts to many Christians. We are called to walk in the Light and to put away the darkness in our lives so that we may be pleasing in His sight. A holy God cannot tolerate blatant, unashamed sin in His people and His holiness requires Him to punish it. We dare not be flippant in our attitudes toward sin or God’s loathing of it, nor should we make light of it in any way.
 
Praise the Lord that because of Jesus’ death (26) on our behalf, we no longer have to offer animal sacrifices. Leviticus is all about substitution. The death of the animals was a substitute penalty for those who have sinned. In the same way, but infinitely better, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (27) was the substitute for our sins. Now we can stand before a God of utter holiness without fear because He sees in us the righteousness of Christ.
 
CHAPTER SUMMARIES: Explore (28) chapter by chapter summaries!
 
COMING UP:  Next up is the Book of Numbers (29)!

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All bible verse references linked herein are courtesy of Bible Gateway (c).
 

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If you're seeking additional info about Christianity on a more personal level, consider visiting a Christian Church here in Marion County (30). Introduce yourself to members and ask to speak with someone to learn more about Jesus. Surrendering your life to Christ (31) (d) is the most rewarding, everlasting decision you'll ever make, and it's comforting to have someone guide you as you begin your new life as a child of the Most High! May God shower you with great favor in this endeavor!
 

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Footnotes, Page Credits and External Resources appear below. Consider printing and sharing the offered PDF narrative and other listed resources with family, friends and strangers alike for use in Bible Studies (32), Home/Church Faith Sharing Groups (33), Discipleship Encounters (34) and/or Personal Faith Enrichment!
 
Modifications are welcome at goodnews@marionmannaproject.com.
 

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FOOTNOTES:
  (1) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/old-testament
  (2) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/the-law
  (3) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/the-good-news
  (4) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/Moses
  (5) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/1500-bc
  (6) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/bible-timeline
  (7) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/aaron
  (8) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/abihu
  (9) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/eleazar-son-of-aaron
(10) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/ithamar
(11) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/nadab
(12) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/twelve-tribes-of-israel
(13) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/mount-sinai
(14) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/god-of-the-bible
(15) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/obedience
(16) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/holiness
(17) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/love
(18) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/discipleship
(19) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/jesus-christ
(20) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/mercy
(21) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/grace
(22) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/peace
(23) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/disobedience
(24) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/creation-account
(25) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/the-word-of-the-lord
(26) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/obituary-of-jesus
(27) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/crucifixion-of-christ
(28) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/leviticus-1-27-chapter-summaries
(29) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/numbers
(30) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/listing-by-city
(31) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/the-gracious-visitor
(32) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/bible-studies
(33) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/christian-education
(34) https://www.marionmannaproject.com/discipleship

PAGE CREDITS:
(a) Summary of the Book of Leviticus, Got Questions Ministries, accessed October 2, 2020, https://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Leviticus.html
 
(b) Videos, Milestones, Blogs & Poster, BibleProject, accessed September 29, 2020, https://www.bibleproject.com/terms/#use
 
(c) Bible Gateway, New International Version (NIV) Bible, accessed September 18, 2020, https://www.biblegateway.com/
 
EXTERNAL RESOURCES:
(d)  How Do I Convert to Christianity?, Got Questions Ministries, accessed January 12, 2020, https://www.gotquestions.org/convert-to-Christianity.html

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