Bible Studies

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The book of Leviticus is not a story about the tribe of Levi. The name of the book of Leviticus, according to Victor P. Hamilton (1982, 2005) in his textbook entitled “Handbook on the Pentateuch,” could mean “priestly-related,” since much of leviticus has to do with the sacrifices the Israelites had to follow after the exodus, their entrance into the Promised Land and the building of the Temple of God.

In Leviticus, God set forth the sacrifices He wanted His people to perform for the forgiveness of their sins. The sacrifices were God’s way for His people to worship Him while at the same time finding sanctification and freedom from sin through the spilt blood of the animal sacrifices. Leviticus was written for the people of God to remember His detailed instructions on who what was responsible for what to do and how to do it. The people had the responsibility to bring the sacrifice at the times of the year God put forth to them, while the priests had the responsibility to perform the sacrifices in the Temple exactly as God had laid down in the instructions to Moses.

Along with the sacrificial system, the book of Leviticus details the physical and moral laws that would separate the people of God from the pagan nations surrounding them. These laws were not to punish anyone, but were meant to keep the people both physically, morally and spiritually clean from disease and sin of any kind. If they disobey any one of these commands they would have to perform the proper sacrifice to be freed from the stain of the sin committed.

God was looking for His people to remain holy in His eyes. In fact, the word holy in all its connotations is mentioned in the book of Leviticus more than any other book of the Bible. These laws and sacrifices would show the world around Israel’s God is the one, true God because of the blessing He would bestow on His people for their continued obedience.

References

Hamilton, V. (1982, 2005). Handbook of the Pentateuch, second edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

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