Lessons from Leviticus

By John Turner

Reading Leviticus can be mind numbing, but there is a wealth of information buried in the details. Leviticus was the first school reader of Jewish children and was likely where Jesus first began his pursuit of Bible knowledge. Hidden here are many faith inspiring gems: details of redemption and allegories of salvation, secrets of anointing, escaping defilement of sin, holiness, breaking free from guilt and shame, restoring lost faith, renewing life and hope. Leviticus is a practical book with symbolism that touches on the most important aspects of life, faith and human relations. This book explores some of these and opens a door to further study.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Inverhuron Business Information Services Inc
• Release date: May 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9780981309347

Book preview

Lessons from Leviticus

Introduction

Many a promising Bible reading plan has sailed with energy and enthusiasm only to founder upon the rocks of Leviticus.

Leviticus is a book of detail and repetition.  It opens with several chapters of offerings for the tabernacle that are not only repellingly full of blood and guts but are soporific in their similarity.  These are shortly followed by more of the same in connection with getting Aaron and his sons launched in their duties.

The shocking death of Nadab and Abihu provides a brief respite from falling asleep before we begin the minutiae of rituals associated with foods, skin disease, sexual relations, childbirth and bodily emissions.  If all this has failed to finish you off then perhaps the feasts, or an assortment of loosely related law, penalties for carelessness and lack of attention, or tithing and vows might do it.

To the great majority of readers Leviticus is a mind numbing experience, yet there is a wealth of information buried in the details.  In ancient times the book of Leviticus was the first school reader of Jewish children.  Its repetitious nature and slowly developing application of familiar ideas was ideal for basic instruction.  Leviticus is most likely the book from which Jesus, as a child, first began his pursuit of Biblical knowledge.

Hidden in this book are many faith inspiring gems:

prophetic details of God's plans for our redemption

descriptions of salvation through shedding of blood with allegorical associations to the crucifixion

secrets of anointing for ministry and service

escaping defilement from sin that surrounds

breaking free from guilt and shame

restoring those who have lost faith and fellowship

leaving failure and despair for renewed life and hope

how to live a holy life, dedicated to serving God

Leviticus is a thoroughly practical book.  Its symbolism touches on the most important aspects of life, faith, and human relations.  This book about Leviticus explores some of these and opens the door for further study.  Perhaps some readers will as a result discover more, and write a better commentary than this.

At the very least, gaining a grasp on some of these secret treasures should help you to sail with comparative ease through the shoals of Leviticus and on to new adventures of discovery.  It may also serve to encourage you to look deeper into other less attractive parts of the Bible, and encourage you to also persevere through them and read on to the end.

The Offerings

There are five main types of offerings described in Leviticus, to which reference is made elsewhere in scripture.  For basic Bible understanding it is of some importance to appreciate the purpose of each and know how they differed from one another.

At another level entirely the offering rituals contain prophetic allusions to the redemptive work of the cross.  They were illustrations for all Israel that were put into daily action and depicted God's master plan for our redemption.  Each offering has a role to play in drawing out certain aspects of what Jesus did for us through his sufferings.  They address differing needs of the human heart and describe how these are met in the great salvation that God has made for us.  By better understanding the offerings we gain a clearer picture of sin, and of what we must do to receive the fullest benefit of the blood of Christ applied in our lives.

The five offerings are:

Burnt Offering (chapter 1)

Meal Offering (chapter 2)

Peace Offering (chapter 3)

Sin Offering (chapter 4)

Trespass Offering (chapter 5)

In addition we will review some details of these offerings as they were used in practice.  This will involve examining the consecration of the priests, the dedication of the tabernacle, and the regular daily cycle of public offerings.

General Principles

Today we go to the supermarket to buy meat in neat labeled packages of styrofoam and plastic film, with little awareness of where it came from or how it got there.  The tabernacle and its successor, the temple of Solomon, and after that the Second Temple that became the temple of Herod in the time of Jesus, each in its turn, served as the national butcher shop.  Meat animals were offered to God in a set ritual of humane killing.  Blood was poured out as a sacrifice.  Fat and certain organs went on the altar to be burnt.  Priests received a commission in kind for services rendered.  The rest of the carcass was yours to take home to the family if it was a peace offering.  Peace offerings formed the largest proportion by far of all the offerings.

The idea of animals being killed and burnt on an altar as offerings to God seems wasteful and disturbing, but it was mainly just food processing of a more primitive era.  When we read that hundreds of thousands of sheep were sacrificed at the dedication of Solomon's temple, what we must keep in mind is that millions were attending the cook out that lasted several days in the style of a barbecue and street party.  People were being fed at public expense and comparatively little that was edible went on the altar in the course of the celebrations.

It would be very much oversimplifying and debasing the role of the Aaronic priesthood to suggest that Leviticus was simply the manual of an hereditary union of Israelite butchers who employed religion to manage and operate their trade from a large, symbolically decorated tent.  They had many important additional civic duties as guardians of ritual, law and public standards.  They adjudicated as a court of last resort, assisted in affairs of national and individual conscience, and acted as an office of public health.  They were supported by commissions in kind, from redemption money, and from tithes and first fruits of agricultural produce.  Though the services they delivered were quite basic, they wore their authority lightly and for government of the time they were effective, inexpensive and non-intrusive.

There is a general pattern of prophetic elements that applies to all of the five basic offerings.  Before entering into details of the individual offerings it is helpful to have at least an outline appreciation of this symbolism.

The Animals

Only certain domesticated animals could be brought to the altar:

certain herd animals which were ceremonially clean – oxen, cattle, sheep and goats

certain birds which were ceremonially clean – doves and pigeons

Though these were not the only creatures regarded as clean, no others could be offered at the altar, and nothing else other than portions of meal offerings (sourced from wheat or barley) that normally included frankincense and salt could be burnt on the altar.

In general the larger animals, being more expensive, were the offerings required from more responsible persons (national and civic leaders) or for more serious matters.  The rank descended from bull ox through ram to sheep and goats.  Herd animals were also distinguished for certain purposes by age and sex.  More detailed explanations of these will be given for each particular offering, but in general the male offerings were required for more serious matters and tended to signify intent and responsibility on the part of the offeror.  The use of birds was reserved for the poor, who could not afford to bring a more expensive offering, and for a few special situations where they were particularly required.

The value of the offering was symbolic of knowledge and responsibility.  The high priest, prince or ruler was expected to fully understand the law and appreciate its social importance in the nation and in the entire order of God's creation.  Consequently they bore a greater responsibility for their actions, which meant they must bring a higher quality of worship to the altar.

Conversely the fact that provision was made for even the poorest to bring an offering indicated that God desired his altar to be accessible to all, regardless of their status,   understanding or ability.  The heart of the person who came to stand before him mattered much more than what they brought in the way of knowledge or doctrine.

There was no favouritism at the altar of the Lord of Hosts.  Whether prince or pauper, what you brought was to be an expression of your best.  Each was equally accepted and rewarded regardless of their offering or station in life.

The natural tendency with any animal husbandry is

•          to geld or cull males from the herd

•          if culling, to do so prior to maturity – early enough to avoid wasting resources, but late enough to get an optimal yield in meat

•          to preserve and breed your best stock.

Much in the Levitical offerings fit neatly with animal husbandry practice of the period.  Gelding was not introduced until about the 7th century BC, so males would have to be culled and therefore tended to be in surplus.  For burnt offerings where the meat was not to be consumed, it made sense to bring animals as young as practicable to avoid expending resources on them.  For meat, beasts nearing but short of maturity would be readily spared from the flocks and herds.  Any offering brought to the altar was required to be unblemished, a counter to the herdsman's natural tendency to dispose of the least fit animals.  A list of particular defects that would disqualify an offering included the blind, lame, injured and genetically defective.

Behind these regulations there lies some important symbolism.   We are to always bring our best before God.  To give him damaged goods, the dregs of our time and the leftovers of our lives, is not a way of gaining favour in his eyes, but an insult to his honour.  This is most clearly shown in the offering of the firstfruits.  Being an agricultural society with a mainly local economy the last harvest had to sustain the population until the beginning of the next harvest, so by the end of the cycle everyone was eating the old produce.

As any purchaser of garden produce knows, the flavour of the new crop is superior, and the old crop has a shelf life toward the end of which it may begin to spoil.  The natural tendency when the new harvest came would therefore be to use it immediately, and dispose of the now unneeded remains of the old, selling it cheaply, giving it to poor, or presenting it to the priests.  Instead, Israel was to bring the first and best of the new harvest to God, and continue to eat of the old a little longer.  This is the exact opposite of selfish and sinful human nature, so the doing of it honours their God and also honours those who serve him and their community as priests and Levites.

The Location

Offerings were variously presented and slain at the gate of the tabernacle, or on the north side of the altar.  The significance of the north side of that altar is derived from the distinction of left and right.

Traditionally the right hand represented power, and the left hand represented judgment.  As viewed from the position of the Ark located in the most holy place at the western end of the tabernacle and facing east, the north side of the altar would be on the left.  Offerings slain on the north, or judgment side of the altar were typically those involving confession of sin, and that involved the remission of guilt through the offering.  Peace offerings were brought to the gate.

The bird offerings, once slain, were to have the crop and feathers removed and thrown on the east side of the altar.  The east side was the place of ashes.  The ashes were always to be disposed of in a clean place outside the city.  In Jerusalem numerous graves have been placed outside the walls across the Kidron Valley to the east, on the slope of the Mount of Olives.  They have been put there awaiting the coming of the Messiah, so they will be among the first to be raised from the dead.  It was east of Jerusalem, on that same Mount of Olives, that Jesus ascended into heaven, and it is to that same spot that he will return.

The risen Christ was in a sense the ashes of the offering of the Lamb of God on the cross.  When he ascended from the Mount of Olives, he was taken from the east of the altar to a clean place in heaven, at the right hand of the Father.  The traditional place in which the Red Heifer offering was burnt, was near the summit of the Mount of Olives, east of the Temple, and outside the city gate but within line of sight of the Temple courts, since the Mount of Olives is about 30 metres (100 feet) higher than the Temple Mount.  The ashes of the Red heifer offering were used in a special formula for specific purifications, including particularly cleansing from the defilement of death.  Jesus, crucified on our behalf, but his ashes risen and accepted into heaven, has become our escape from the defilement of death in this life and the promise of escape from the defilement of death in this world through the hope of resurrection into a new and heavenly body.

The Division

The offerings were separated into pieces according to a set pattern that depended on their type.

In all cases the blood was drained and used.  The blood was representative of the life.  It was generally poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offering.

Birds were killed by wringing the neck.  They were offered whole except that the crop and feathers were removed.  The wings were to be partially torn off but not completely removed.  The exact meaning of the Hebrew terminology here is not clear, but it seems to indicate that the bird was cut open and the entire alimentary canal of the bird – crop, stomach and intestines – was removed, beginning with the crop.  All these internal organs were consigned to the ash heap but not burned on the altar.

A bird offering was representative of perceiving Jesus as the heavenly messenger of God.  When he died on the cross his wings were torn – he no longer was able to rise into heavenly places, but cried out to his Father asking why he had been forsaken.  They were not torn off, though.  He still retained his heavenly nature.  Removal of the crop and its disposal among the ashes without burning may be representative of ability on the part of the ill-informed and poor in understanding to perceive and appreciate only the outward and not the inner sufferings of Christ.

Herd animals were divided into portions. 

•          All of the fat was removed to be offered on the altar, and in particular the fat tail of sheep.  The fat was considered the best part (the Hebrew word for fat is also translated 'best').  The best was to be reserved for God as a mark of honour and respect as we have previously discussed.

•          The liver was removed and burnt on the altar.  The liver was considered the most important organ of the body, and like the fat, was reserved for God. The liver is indeed extremely important because it is one of the organs that maintains the purity and regulates the content of the blood.  It is also the organ commonly used in divinations, so deliberately burning