Contents of this article
I. Introductory Remark
II. Outline of Leviticus
III. The Text
IV. What the Scholars are Saying
V. Importance of Leviticus
INTRODUCTION
The book of Leviticus is a handbook for the priests and Levites outlining their duties in worship, and a guidebook of holy living for the Hebrews. Holiness is mentioned more times (152) than in any other book in the Bible. The key verse in this book is (19:2) "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy". The book is divided into two sections: Chapters 1—16 covers the sacrifices, consecration and purification. Chapters 17—27 deals with the Holiness code or how to walk with God.
OUTLINE OF LEVITICUS
I. Laws of the Sacrifices (Chapters 1—7).
II. Priesthood and Consecration Laws (Chapters 8—10).
III. Purification Laws (Chapters 11—15).
IV. The Day of Atonement Laws (Chapter 16).
V. The Laws Concerning Holiness (Chapters 17—22).
VI. Feasts Days Laws (Chapter 23—25).
VII. Blessings, Curses and Vows (Chapters 26—27).
CONTENTS OF THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS
This book seems to be a continuation of the book of Exodus, because much of the information is still being given concerning the Levites and the priests. The Israelites are still located at Mount Sinai where the institution of the laws was given to govern them. The Lord spoke to Moses, and Moses spoke to God’s people in every situation. The people will spend a great deal of time here as God shows them a new way of life with clear instructions on how sinful people can relate to a holy God. These instructions helped the Israelites to avoid taking their relationship with God too lightly. When God taught his people to worship him, he placed a great emphasis on sacrifices. Sacrifices were God’s Old Testament way for the people to ask for forgiveness of sin. Sin always separates a person from God and atonement has to be made. The Leviticus Priesthood, Aaron and his sons, made all Sacrifices. The word sacrifice and offering in the book of Leviticus are used interchangeably. God makes it perfectly clear to the people how to have a right relationship with him, and how to approach him in all circumstances.
In chapter 1—16 deals with the Sacrificial system and purification of the priest. There are five offerings, each having a purpose and significance. The first three offerings were voluntary, and the last two were required. All sacrifices were required to be perfect and with blemish by the Lord. The Burnt offering, for instance, the offerer shall place his hands on the head of the sacrifice and kill it before the Lord. The priest takes the blood and sprinkles it around the altar. The entire sacrifice is consumed on the altar except the blood and the skin.
The Office of the Priesthood, Aaron and his sons, were consecrated strictly to the service of the Lord. God instructed Moses to cleanses them and places special garments on them. Moses offered a sacrifice for their sins and a sacrifice for each of their dedications and anointed them with oil according to their level of responsibility. Aaron was set aside as the High Priest and Moses put upon him the coat and the breastplate that contained the U’-rim and the Thum’-mim. He also performed the ceremony on the day-of-atonement when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies. The priest was required to perform certain sacrifices a certain way. This meant that the priest must know their responsibilities and perform them correctly every time. They were the only tribe chosen to do this task for God. God also demonstrated that he has no respect of person, because Aaron’s two sons were consumed by fire at the altar for not performing their responsibilities correctly. The Lord gave them certain portion of sacrifices for them to eat and no one else was allowed to touch it, as well as, certain places for them to stay. The priest handles all things that are holy and sacred unto the Lord.
If a person became defiled in any way, he had to report to the priest. Everything were center around the Priesthood: the purification of women after childbirth, the handling and discerning of leprosy, whether it was cleansing of the leper or cleansing of the house. A sacrifice had to be performed by the priest before the individual could return to society.
Chapters 17—27 deals with the requirements of holiness or the Holiness Code. They preserve major priestly statements, addressed for the most part to the Israelite people. Moses gave the people instruction on the kind of beast they were allowed to eat. The description of the animal was given whether he was clean or unclean. The eating of blood was not permitted.
In dealing with relationships, such as unlawful marriage and unlawful lust, the book of Leviticus covers it completely from relatives to friends and neighbors, both male and female; animals were not excluded. The instructions from the Lord through Moses were simple and easy to understand along with the sundry laws, the "Thou shalt not" laws and ordinances that are an abomination to the Lord.
The people were instructed to remember the sacred seasons, the feasts days. They are days that the people should never forget what God has done for them. "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy" is just keeping the work week in order. The Passover feast is how God delivered them from Egypt. The Day of Atonement was the day the sins of the nation were confessed. This is the day (once a years) that the High Priest goes into the Holy of Holies and makes atonement for the sins of the nation. The year of Jubilee occurs every fifty years and all the slaves of Hebrew blood were liberated. Debts were forgiven, and land and properties were returned to the original owners.
The Israelites had guaranteed security with God through obedience. They would receive blessing for obedience and curses for disobedience. Their enemies would never harm the people, and the fruits of their labor would always be prosperous if they obeyed God, and just the opposite would happen for curses.
These are the statutes and commandments that God has set forth for his people through Moses that will govern them as they prepare to enter the land flowing with milk and honey that the Lord has promised them, The Promised Land.
WHAT THE SCHOLARS ARE SAYING ABOUT LEVITICUS
The scholars seem to agree on the book of Leviticus in general, that it consists almost entirely of law and ritual. In most instances, rituals are also formulated as laws and commandments. The book layout is in two principle parts. Chapter 1—16 deal with the role of the priests as officiates in the sacrificial cult of worship and as performers of rites of purification. Chapters 17—27 deal with the requirements of holiness; they preserve major priestly statements, addressed for the most part to the Israelite people. Part one of the book gives the priest instruction on how to perform the sacrifice and instruct the offerer on what to bring and the quality of the gift. Part two guides the people through a religious life so they can live a life that is pleasing to God. The content and information that the book of Leviticus provides does not appear to be a problem, but there appear to be many questions and opinions concerning the history of the Levites and Priest as they were functioning down through the years. The concerns were, what family did they really come from, and when did they start functioning as Levites and Priests?
Wellhausen states that the Priestly sections of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers represent the last, not the earliest stage in the development of the Israelite priesthood. Wellhausen did not think that the Levites formed a special priestly class in Israel’s early period, as an uncritical reading of the Pentateuch would indicate. Although he did not deny that there had been a tribe of Levi in remote antiquity, he believed that it had nothing to do with the priesthood, and further, that it had already disappeared before the rise of the monarchy.
Therefore, according Wellhausen, the priesthood did not play a significant role in Israel until the monarchical period, and those who functioned as priest were not Levites. Wellhausen saw priests come into prominence for the first time with Deuteronomy, which following Dewette, he dated to the time of Josiah. Here priests were first called "Levites" as a patronymic in order to bind themselves together in a class.
Wellhausen stated that Deuteronomy’s picture of the priesthood was never fully put into practice. He arrived at this conclusion by comparing Duet. 18:6-7 (which invites the "Levite," to come to the central sanctuary to serve with the "fellow-Levites") with 2 Kings 23:9 (which states that the priests of the high places did not actually come up to the altar of Yahweh in Jerusalem). From this, he believed, arose the distinction between priests and Levites made first by Ezekiel, then by Psalms, and finally by the Chronicler. Wellhausen believed that they had never existed as a priestly class before the monarchical period; that is, until the writing of Deuteronomy.
Kurt Mohlenbrink’s article, "Die Levitischen Ueberlieferungen des Alten Testaments" (The Levitical Traditions of the Old Testament), published in 1934, he suggested how the Levitic genealogies might have come into their present form. One of his major contentions is that the Aaronite and Zadokite lines were secondarily added to earlier Levitic genealogies. The original form of the genealogy in Exodus 6:16—25 he dates sometime between David and Josiah, and Num. 26:58 he believes originated in the time between "Deborah and David."
Among the Geschichten (stories), Mohlenbrink does not find any that can be dated as early as preexilic times. He denies any original connection between Zadokites and Eleazarites and between Eleazarites and Aaronides. He does, however, believe that the Eleazaites were the priests of a Canaanite sanctuary at Gibeah already before the conquest of Palestines by Israel. Later they attached themselves to the Levites. In the Geschichten (stories) he also notes an original incongruity between Aaron and Moses.
On the basis of his investigation of the Levitensatzungen (Levites regulations), of which he considers Duet. 18:1—8 and Ezek. :44 : 4—31 to be the oldest, Mohlenbrink again concludes that the Aaronite traditions are a late addition to the Levitic.
Mohlenbrink’s study of the poetische Stucke (poems) yields the following results: The "Levi" of Gen. 49:5—7(and of Genesis 34) had nothing to do with the Levitic priests. However, in Deuteronomy 33, Levi is a real eponym of Levitical priests. It is a poem about the origins and privileges of the Mushites (Levites derived from or associated with Moses). This dates shortly before or after the conquest.
Frank Cross did a serious study in recent years of the early history of Levites. Cross-believes that various stories of conflict in the wilderness period contain much that bears upon the history of the early priestly houses of Israel. He finds such stories in Exodus 32; Numbers 12, 16, and 25; and Leviticus 10. He concludes that these stories of conflict can best be understood if one posit an ancient struggle between the Mushite priesthood centered at Shiloh and Dan(with Mushite-Kenite priesthoods at Arad and Kadesh) and the Aaronite priesthood of Bethel and Jerusalem.
Using the insights of Mohlenbrink and Cross, as well as a fresh study of the Levitic genealogies, one can now reconstruct the history of the Levites in three periods: desert, tribal, and monarchy.
The Levites were divided in the three main groups in the desert period, namely, Gershonites, Kohathites, and Merarites. The study of the Levitic groups constitutes the oldest element, both stylistically and content- wise, and from such narratives as Num. 3:21—37 and 10:17,21, which state that the Levites encamped around the tabernacle and took charge of transporting it, setting it up, and taking it down. Deut. 10:8 state that the Levites were set apart "to carry the ark and stand before Yahweh to minister to him."
During the tribal period, according to Albright Levite means, "a person pledged for a debt or vow to Yahweh". In other words a Levite was a priest. Their responsibilities fell in four categories: (1) Using Urim and Thummim to obtain an oracle about various matters. (2) Expounding the Law of Moses. (3) Serving before the ark. (4) Sacrificing and receiving offerings.
The Monarchical Period the Levites seem to have been able to function at their capacity. King David had expanded Israel boundaries to its greatest extent. As the Levites grew in number, not all of them could stay at the central sanctuary. This made some available for serving at local sanctuaries. Any one could be a priest at a local sanctuary, but even though Levites were preferred. On the other hand, at the central sanctuary only the Levites could serve. These are the "Levitical priests" of Deuteronomy. All these Levites seem to be descendants of Moses and/or Ithamar. They were probably the Mushites and Libnites mentioned in Num. 26:58a. The Aaronides (Hebronites) and Korahites were not influential during this time, and there are no records of their activities.
IMPORTANCE OF LEVITICUS
The importance of studying Leviticus does bring many questions to mind. Did the Levites and Priest always function in the capacity that the reader visualizes from the reading? Was there Priest other than the family of Aaron? Tracing the genealogy and history of the priesthood can get rather interesting, but the quality of the book of Leviticus pursue of holiness has always been superb.
The overwhelming message of Leviticus is the holiness of God. The key verse says "Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy" (19:2). The question is, how can unholy people approach a holy God? The answer—first sin must be dealt with. The opening chapters of Leviticus give detailed instructions for offering sacrifices, which were the active symbols of repentance and obedience. Whether bulls, grain, goats, or sheep, the sacrificial offerings had to be perfect, with no defects or bruises. This picture of the ultimate sacrifice to come is Jesus, the Lamb of God. Jesus has come and opened the way to God by giving up his life as the final sacrifice in our place. True worship and oneness with God begin as we confess our sin and accept Christ as the only one who can redeem us from sin and help us approach God.
In Leviticus, sacrifices, priests, and the sacred Day of Atonement opened the way for the Israelites to come to God. God’s people were also to worship him with their lives. So we read of purity laws in chapters 11-15 and rules for daily living concerning family responsibilities, sexual conduct, relationships, worldliness in chapters 17—20, and vows in chapter 27. These instructions involve one’s holy walk with God, and the patterns of spiritual living still apply today. Worship, therefore, has a horizontal aspect--that is, God is honored by our lives as we relate to others.
The final emphasis in Leviticus is celebration. The book gives instructions for the feasts. These were special, regular, and corporate occasions for remembering what God had done, giving thanks to him, and rededicating lives to his service (23). Our Christian traditions and holidays are different but they are necessary ingredients of worship. We too need special days of worship and celebration with our brothers and sisters to remember God’s goodness in our lives.
As we read Leviticus, we should rededicate ourselves to holiness, worshiping God in private confession, public service, and group celebration.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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