Lesson for July 29, 2020
Knowing the Bible
Lesson 11
The Book of Leviticus
The Book of Leviticus was written by Moses as an instruction book for the nation of Israel. The book outlines the pattern for which the nation was to follow in regard to the lifestyle, the worship and the service of the people. The key word in Leviticus is holiness, which means to be set apart to God. Leviticus unfolds the mechanics of how this was to be accomplished by the nation of Israel. These mechanics involved the Mosaic Law, the Levitical Offerings, the Feasts of Jehovah and the Tabernacle.
The Mosaic Law
The Mosaic Law was more than just the Ten Commandments. The Law of Moses consisted of over 600 laws in three distinct categories: the Moral Code, the Social Code and the Spiritual Code. The Mosaic Law was given to the entire nation of Israel, believer and unbeliever alike. Therefore, it is necessary to briefly outline the Mosaic Law and its purpose before we study the Levitical Offerings, the Feasts of Jehovah and the Tabernacle. The Moral Code demonstrated man’s inability to produce perfect righteousness, the Spiritual Code demonstrated God’s divine solution to that problem and the Social Code provided the privacy and freedom necessary to allow the rituals to be taught and practiced. The Mosaic Law was not designed to provide salvation, but rather to point mankind to Christ. Salvation has always been by faith alone in Christ alone. Those under the Law of Moses looked forward to the Cross, as we look back to the Cross. Everything in the Mosaic Law was designed to show the nation of Israel their sinful condition, their helplessness to do anything about it and their need for a Savior. (Romans 3:20,28; Galatians 2:16; 3:21-24; Philippians 3:9)
The Moral Code
(Exodus 20:1-26; Deuteronomy 5:6-21)
This code was the Commandments from God, including the Ten Commandments, defining morality and man’s responsibility before God. The inability of a person to keep God’s moral code demonstrated that mankind was a sinner and in need of a Savior.
The Social Code
(Exodus 21:1 – 24:11)
This code was called the Judgments and is the Law of Divine Establishment and establishes certain principles for privacy and freedom for the nation. These principles set the standard for the formation of a national entity and laid out the procedures for dietary laws, sanitation laws, taxation, marriage, divorce, military service, etc.
The Spiritual Code
(Exodus 24:12-31:18; Hebrews 10:1)
This code is referred to as the Ordinances and includes the Levitical Offerings, the Tabernacle, the Holy Days, the Priestly dress and the believer’s worship for this age. This code was the teaching of Christology (the study of Christ) and Soteriology (the study of salvation).
The Levitical Offerings
There were five Levitical offerings for the nation of Israel. Three of these offerings were associated with salvation and two were associated with confession of sin.
Salvation Offerings
The first of these was the Burnt Offering, which portrayed the work of Christ or the Doctrine of Propitiation (complete satisfaction). It portrayed the death of Christ on the Cross as the full payment for man’s sin and God’s satisfaction with Christ’s spiritual death for that sin. This offering demonstrated the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, as our substitute (the guiltless for the guilty). Just as the sacrificial lamb that was brought as a burnt offering was innocent, Jesus Christ was innocent (sinless). The individual was to bring a lamb without spot or blemish to represent Christ’s perfection. The person would place their hands on the animal to symbolize the transfer of the sins of the individual to the lamb on the altar as a symbol of what Jehovah (Jesus Christ) would accomplish for them in the future. (Leviticus 1:2-17; Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 26:39-42; John 1:29; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:14; 10:1-14; I John 2:2)
There were three kinds of animals that could be used for this offering:
- A male from the herd of oxen
- A sheep or goat
- A bird
The second salvation offering was the Meal Offering. This offering portrayed the Person of Christ or the Doctrine of Impeccability (sinlessness). The substitutionary spiritual death of Christ is still in view here, though the emphasis is on His Person. The fact that Christ was uniquely qualified to go to the Cross and make the payment for mankind’s sin is demonstrated by the fine flour used to make this meal offering. Fine flour represented the holy character of Christ. Oil was poured the meal offering with frankincense. The oil represented the indwelling and filling ministries of the Holy Spirit and the frankincense representing God’s complete satisfaction with the Person of Christ. There was to be no honey used in the preparation; the absence of honey representing the bitterness of Christ’s death. The fine flour had no leaven (leaven represents sin); Christ was sinless. And salt was added for flavor and preservation, representing the quality of Christ’s sacrifice and His ability to guard the salvation those that He saves. Finally, the meal offering was put into fire, representing judgment. (Leviticus 2:1-16; II Corinthians 5:21; Mark 9:49; Colossians 4:6)
The third salvation offering was the Peace Offering. This offering portrayed the work of Christ in reconciliation. The Doctrine of Reconciliation is the removal of the barrier of sin by Christ that separated God and man, thus bringing the potential for peace. This offering was different than the burnt offering, which required the sacrifice to be a male animal. In this offering the sacrifice could be a male or a female animal. This was illustrating that reconciliation is man-ward (God doesn’t need to be reconciled to man, but man does need to be reconciled to God), both male and female. This offering speaks of our permanent relationship with God (positional sanctification and ultimate sanctification), which can never be broken. (Leviticus 3:1-17; Romans 5:1-8; II Corinthians 5:17-20; Ephesians 2:14-17; Colossians 1:20)
Fellowship Offerings
The final two offerings had to do with confession of sin for daily fellowship with God (experiential sanctification). Remember that confession means to name, admit or acknowledge your sins. In the Age of Israel, confession was done from time to time before a priest from the tribe of Levi, who acted in behalf of the believer.
The first of these offerings was the Sin Offering. This was an offering for unknown sins or sins done in ignorance. From time to time the believing Israelite would bring an offering of a bull, goat, bird or meal, to be sacrificed for any sin he may have committed in ignorance. It must be remembered that “sin is sin” regardless if it is committed in ignorance or cognizance and must be dealt with in accordance with God’s system (Rebound). (Leviticus 4:1-35)
The second of these offerings was the Trespass Offering. This was an offering for known sins. When a believer knowingly sinned, he was to “keep short accounts,” by offering of a bull, goat, bird or meal, to be sacrificed for his known sin. In the same manner, the believer in the Church Age is to keep “short accounts” by naming his sin immediately in order to spend a maximum amount of time in fellowship with God and under the filling of God the Holy Spirit. (Leviticus 5; 6:1-7)
These offerings parallel I John 1:6-9 in the Church Age, which is called the Rebound Technique. The Rebound Technique is a non-meritorious system of naming, admitting or acknowledging your sin directly to God and then moving forward in your Christian life. The Rebound Technique is God’s recovery system from personal sin after salvation, which assures the believer that he will be able to live the Christian Way of Life. (I Corinthians 11:31-32; Hebrews 12:3-15; Galatians 6:7; I John 4:18; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18)
The Feasts of Jehovah
A feast in the Age of Israel was a festival or a celebration. The feasts were given by God to the nation of Israel, typifying the redemptive work of Christ that was to come. The feasts began with Passover and typified Christ’s payment for sin, and they ended with the Feast of Tabernacles, which typified Christ setting up His millennial kingdom. All the feasts typified some event in the life of Christ. Since Israel was an agricultural nation, the feasts corresponded to the spring and fall seasons.
The first feast was Passover. Passover memorialized the time in Egypt when the angel of death passed over the house of those who put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. The story is told to us in Exodus 12, outlining the command from God to take a lamb without spot or blemish and apply its blood to the doorposts. The death angel had been sent to destroy first-born male children in response to Pharaoh’s refusal to set the Jews free. Passover demonstrates the Doctrine of Redemption, Jesus Christ being our Redeemer. The lamb was to be without spot or blemish, a type of Christ’s perfection. It was to be eaten, an illustration of faith. It was to be roasted under fire, signifying God’s judgment of Christ. And it was to be eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, a picture of Christ’s sinlessness and the bitterness of His death. Christ, therefore, becomes the Passover Lamb or the perfect sacrifice for the believer. Just as the life of the innocent lamb was sacrificed for the Israelites that night, so an innocent Christ was sacrificed for each one of us. It was this feast that Jesus and His disciples were celebrating the night He was betrayed. It is the “Last Supper” of Scripture and has become the Church Age ritual of Communion. (I Corinthians 5:6-7; I Corinthians 11:23-26; I Peter 1:18-19)
The second feast was Unleavened Bread and was given to Israel to remind them that they must obey the commands of God and do so in a timely manner. They were reminded to remove sin from their lives (leaven) and to depend upon the Lord by using the Faith-Rest principles. This feast was tied to the Passover in that the Israelites were not to take time to even put leaven in their bread before their departure from bondage in Egypt. This feast spoke of fellowship with God and the walk of the believer. The unleavened bread spoke of Christ’s sinless life. The feast became a picture of God’s divine provision for the Church Age believer in Christ. It is God the Holy Spirit that provides the supernatural power necessary to live the Christian Way of Life. Jesus Christ is the example of perfection that we are to follow, and He is the standard by which we are to examine ourselves. Jesus pioneered and proved the Christian life under the control of the Holy Spirit, being tempted in every way in which we are, yet without sinning. (Matthew 16:6; Mark 8:15; I Corinthians 5:6; 11:23-26; II Corinthians 7:1; Galatians 5:7-9)
The third feast was Firstfruits and was a type of the resurrection of Christ. Since Christ has risen, all believers will also be raised. The Feast of the Firstfruits was a celebration of the first harvest of the crops, the first to be picked. In this same manner, Jesus is our firstfruits, having conquered physical death by His resurrection. He sets the precedence for us to be raised, to conquer death and live forever. If Christ did not come back from the grave, we would have no salvation, no eternal life and no hope. However, Christ did come back from the grave, securing forever a place for each believer in eternity. Christ fulfilled this feast. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the grave Who permanently indwells each believer. However, there is no guarantee that a believer will use the power, even though it is available to him. (I Corinthians 15:23; I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
The fourth feast was Pentecost and was to be celebrated 50 days after the Feast of the Firstfruits, thus the name “Pentecost,” meaning fifty. It was a harvest of the work of their hands and they were to leave part of the harvest in the fields for the poor and for strangers. The offering at this feast was to include leaven, typifying the fact that all are invited to Christ’s feast. It was at this feast in the New Testament that the Church began. With the formation of the Church and the baptism of the Holy Spirit placing believers into union with Christ, Pentecost takes on new significance. The “harvest” has begun for the body of Christ (the Church, the Bride of Christ) and when the harvest is complete, the Lord will return for His bride. This feast was prophetical. (Acts 2:1-4; I Corinthians 10:16-17; 12:12-20)
Trumpets
The Feast of Trumpets was the celebration of the New Year. This feast was called Rosh Hashanah, which means “head of year.” It was prophetical and refers to the regathering of Israel as a nation at the Second Coming of Christ. It will be the beginning of a new dispensation, the Millennium, when Israel will be restored as a nation in the Land of Promise and Jesus Christ will be recognized as Messiah. The blowing of trumpets signified the assembling of the congregation and the moving forward as they were relocating, also used as a warning of the approaching enemy and finally for celebrations and joyful occasions. (Numbers 10:1-10; Matthew 24:30-31)