3. Leviticus

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3. LEVITICUS

I. OUTLINE-BRIEF

1. Ritual of Five Sacrifices. 1-7.

2. The Priesthood. 8-10.

3. Code of Clean and Unclean. 11-15.

4. Day of Atonement. 16.

5. Holiness Code. 17-26.

6. Laws of Vows and Tithes. 27.

II. OUTLINE-COMPLETE

1. Worship. 1:1-7:38.

A. Law of Burnt Offering. 1:1-17.

B. Law of Cereal Offering. 2:1-16.

C. Law of Peace Offering. 3:1-17.

D. Law of Sin Offering. 4:1-5:13.

E. Law of Trespass Offering. 5:14-6:7.

F. Ritual Instructions for Priests. 6:8-7:36.

G. Conclusion. 7:37.

2. The Ministry. 8:1-10:20.

A. Consecration of Aaron. 8:1-36.

B. Installation. 9:1-24.

C. Nadab and Abihu. 10:1-20

3. Laws of Purification. 11:1-15:33.

A. Clean and Unclean Animals. 11:1-47.

B. Women after Childbirth. 12:1-8.

C. Dealing with Leprosy. 13:1-14:57.

D. Ritual of Sexual Matters. 15:1-33.

4. The Atonement Ritual. 16:1-34.

A. Preparation. 16:1-5.

B. Early Ritual. 16:6-10.

C. Elaborate Ritual. 16:11-28.

D. Sundry Provisions. 16:29-34.

5. The Holiness Code. 17:1-26:46.

A. Rules for Slaughtering Animals. 17:3-9.

B. Prohibition of Eating Blood. 17:10-14.

C. Prohibition of Eating Carcasses. 17:15,16.

D. Unlawful Sexual Relations. 18:1-30.

E. Holiness of Behavior. 19:1-37.

F. Penalties for Paganism. 20:1-27.

G. Sundry Regulations of Sacrifices. 21:1-22:33.

H. The Ecclesiastical Year. 23:1-44.

I. Sundry Rules on Ethics. 24:1-23.

J. The Sabbatical Year. 25:1-55.

K. The Great Exhortation. 26:1-46.

6. The Appendix. 27:1-34

III. PURPOSE

Leviticus is the Hebrew law book-the manual of ritual and the code of regulations for the daily living of the Israelites.

IV. AUTHORSHIP

1. Moses did not write Leviticus.

2. Leviticus is an exclusive P document. It was written by the Hebrew priests during the exile or soon thereafter. 500-450 B.C.

V. RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE OF LEVITICUS

1. Of all the books of the Bible, Leviticus would be of least interest to the average reader.

2. Leviticus "grew" from the days of Moses to the exile. Such a book is not written at one time by any one person. Like all law books, it accumulates over long periods of time.

3. The key word of the book is "holiness."

4. There is very little narrative in the book-it does tell about a blasphemer's being stoned to death.

5. And it does promulgate the high command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

6. That Leviticus represents long periods of time is shown by many contradictions, such as the year beginning in the autumn in one place, and at spring time in another.

7. In Israel, as in all nations, common law is a growth over centuries.

8. It is interesting to note that five fragments of Leviticus were found among one batch of Dead Sea scrolls.

9. The whole Mosaic system was an effort to substitute animal sacrifice for human sacrifice.

10. It may be easy to understand why a book like Leviticus should be in a Jewish Bible, but why should it be in a Christian Bible? The answer is simple-the early Christians adopted the whole Old Testament-Leviticus and all.

11. A Protestant would have much the same feeling if he would try to make sense out of the "Pontifical Ceremonies"-the handbook of Roman Catholic ceremonial usages.

12. The bringing of the "first fruits" in a basket to the priest was a profound religious experience to a devout Israelite. We should try to see these things as they saw and felt them.

13. The ceremony of the Day of Atonement may seem like a primitive affair to us. But view it as described in the Apocrypha (Ecclus.[Sirach] 50:5-21) and you will learn how a pious Jew was moved to the depths of his soul.

14. You can also get something of the feelings of the Hebrew worshiper by reading some of the Psalms, for example, 42, 84, and 150.

15. Then there is the value of really knowing just how the olden Hebrews practiced their religion.

16. Don't overlook the symbolic and dramatic aspects.

VI. THE OFFERINGS

1. Cereal offering. This type of offering is associated with Melchizedek- it even goes back to the days of Cain and Abel. Also known as the "meat" offering, and the "meal" offering. Usually accompanied by either a trespass or burnt offering. It was made with oil, honey, and salt. Offered uncooked with incense; cooked, without incense. In some ways it was like a "remembrance" supper.

2. Peace offering. This was the "thanks" offering. Rendered as in the fulfillment of a vow. Often followed by a fellowship meal. It was the most common type of sacrifice.

3. Sin offering. This was the general sacrifice for sinfulness-not necessarily conscious sin. Not associated with a common meal. Destroyed outside the camp.

4. Trespass offering. This sacrifice had more to do with social offenses and property rights, broken pledges, guilt feelings, "conscience complex."

5. Burnt offering. Offered every day by the priest for all Israel. The fire for the burnt offering was never permitted to go out. It was supposed to have originally been "kindled by the Lord."

6. The Day of Atonement. First, the high priest and his fellow priests must make atonement for themselves. Then both sin and burnt offerings for the people were performed. Then comes the casting of lots to determine the goat for Israel and the "scapegoat" or the goat of Azazel-to carry the sins of Israel out into the wilderness.

Azazel is mentioned in the book of Enoch as the "leader of evil spirits."

VII. LEVITICUS AND THE NEW TESTAMENT

1. The passage most often quoted by Jesus was 19:18. "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Five times quoted by Jesus and two times by Paul.

2. Jesus understood and respected Old Testament laws. He told the leper whom he healed to go and show himself to the priests "as Moses had appointed."

3. Said Jesus: "If you would enter life, keep the commandments." Matt. 19:17.

4. The book of Hebrews pays most attention to rituals, pointing out that these things are "types" of what was fulfilled in Christ.

5. Paul uses the concept of the temple of God (26:12) as basis for calling man's body "a living temple." 2 Cor. 6:16.

6. If you want to get good out of Leviticus, try to see it as the devout Jew saw it when he engaged in worship.

7. Always remember: The better you understand the Old Testament, the better you can understand the New Testament.

VIII. SELECTED TEXTS

1. Pleasing odor to the Lord. "'And the priest shall take from the cereal offering its memorial portion and burn this on the altar...a pleasing odor to the Lord.'" 2:9.

2. Divine fire. "And the fire came forth from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering." 9:24.

3. Animal foods. "'These are the living things which you may eat...Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.'" 11:2,3.

4. Swine. "'The swine, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you.'" 11:7.

5. Sea food. "'These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything...that has fins and scales...you may eat.'" 11:9.

6. The insects. "'Among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those which have legs above their feet...the locust...cricket...and the grasshopper.'" 11:20-22.

7. Other unclean animals. "'These are unclean to you...the weasel, mouse, the great lizard...the gecko, the land crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.'" 11:29,30.

8. Holiness. "'You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.'" 11:45.

9. Childbirth. "'If a woman...bears a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days...She shall continue for thirty-three days...If she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks...and continue...for sixty-six days.'" 12:2-5.

10. Diagnosing leprosy. "'The priest shall make an examination, and if there is a white swelling...it is a chronic leprosy.'" 13:9-11.

11. Unclean houses. "'If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out of the stones and scraped the house and plastered it...it is a malignant leprosy in the house; it is unclean. And he shall break down the house...and he shall carry them forth out of the city.'" 14:43-45.

12. Discharges. "'When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean...If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her impurity...she shall be unclean.'" 15:2,25.

13. The atonement. "'And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins; and he shall put them upon the head of the goat, and send him away in the wilderness.'" 16:21.

14. Eating blood. "'If any man...eats any blood, I will set my face against that person.'" 17:10.

15. Homosexuality. "'You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.'" 18:22.

16. Love your neighbor as yourself. "'You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" 19:18.

17. Spiritualism. "'If a person turns to mediums and wizards, playing the harlot after them, I will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.'" 20:6.

18. Mediums. "'A man or a woman who is a medium or a wizard shall be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones.'" 20:27.

19. Blasphemy. "'He who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him.'" 24:16.