We’re beginning something a little different in our morning reflections: a closer look at some of the more challenging books and passages in Scripture. And we’re starting with Leviticus! Often the book that brings Bible-reading plans to a halt, Leviticus can seem filled with unfamiliar rules, rituals, and instructions. But there’s much more here than meets the eye. In this introduction, we explore how Leviticus fits into the larger story of Scripture, the importance of covenant, and the central question of what it means for God’s people to live in relationship with a holy God. Over the next several days, we’ll explore the big-picture themes of Leviticus and discover why this ancient book still matters to our faith today.
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Well, good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Monday morning. I hope you’re doing well and that you’ve had a good weekend.
We’re looking forward to a great week here at Starkville First.
Yesterday was All Saints Sunday, one of my favorite Sundays of the year. It’s a day when we remember those saints who have gone before us. We give thanks for their lives, for the ways they modeled the faith for us, and for the ways they helped shape who we are as followers of Jesus. We remember that they are now at rest with the Father in God’s eternal kingdom, and we look forward to that same promise in God’s good time.
All Saints is such an important Sunday in the life of the church.
And now we turn toward Thanksgiving, Advent, and all the good things that are coming in this season. It’s always a wonderful time of year as we make that turn toward the holidays.
We’re starting something new today. We finished Philemon on Friday, which brought us to the end of our journey through Paul’s pastoral letters. I was thinking about where to go next. I always like to alternate between the Old and New Testaments, and I had a few suggestions and ideas that people had sent me. There were some prophets I was interested in exploring, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to jump into a longer prophetic book just yet.
Then I found myself thinking about doing something a little different.
For years, we’ve primarily been working our way through books of the Bible. Before that, I did daily reflections based on the readings in the Revised Common Lectionary, particularly those found in the Book of Common Prayer. That gave us a chance to move around quite a bit.
But I want to try something I don’t think we’ve really done in these reflections before.
I want to spend some time looking at challenging passages and challenging books of the Bible. I want us to take some of those parts of Scripture that can be difficult to understand, unpack them, and see what we can learn from them.
I don’t know that we’ll go verse by verse. We may take a more thematic approach, looking at the bigger picture and some of the questions that come up along the way.
And I think we’re going to start with a book that has stopped more than a few Bible-reading plans: Leviticus.
Now, you’ve probably heard me say this before, but I’m not a huge fan of reading the Bible through in a year. I’m not against it. If that works for you, that’s phenomenal. I’m not judging anybody who does it.
But for me, it’s not always the best approach.
And here’s why.
You start in Genesis, and Genesis is great. It’s full of all those stories we know: creation, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, and all those wonderful stories we learned as children.
Then you get to Exodus, and Exodus is great, too. You have Moses, the plagues, the Red Sea, the Israelites escaping Egypt. It’s exciting!
Exodus is great until you get to around chapter 20, when you start getting into the law. And you think, “Okay, this is a little harder, but we’ll get through it.”
Then you get to Leviticus.
And you’re thinking, “Nope. I’m out. I’m going to the New Testament. I don’t understand any of this!”
Leviticus has stopped many a Bible-reading plan.
So let’s talk about Leviticus. Let’s talk about why this book matters and why it’s an important part of our Bible.
Because here’s the thing: Leviticus is in the Bible for a reason.
There’s an important theological conviction in the Christian tradition that all of Scripture is inspired by God. We don’t get to decide that some books are God’s Word and other books aren’t. We don’t get to say that Matthew is inspired but Leviticus isn’t.
Leviticus is every bit as much a part of Scripture as Matthew.
Now, someone might reasonably ask, “Well, then why do we stand for the reading of the Gospel in worship? Why do we give the Gospels that particular place of honor?”
That’s a fair question.
The reason is not that the Gospels are more inspired than the rest of Scripture. Rather, the Gospels give us a particular and unique witness to the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:15 tells us that Christ is the image of the invisible God. Jesus reveals to us the character and nature of God in a way that is central to our Christian faith.
So we give the Gospels that special place in worship because of their witness to Jesus, not because the rest of Scripture is somehow less inspired.
And that means Leviticus matters. It’s part of the story of our faith, and we need to understand it.
So where do we begin?
One way I’ve talked about understanding the whole Bible is through this basic framework: Genesis 1 and 2 tell us the story of creation. Genesis 3 tells us the story of the fall and the entrance of sin into the world. And from Genesis 4 all the way through Revelation, we see God’s unfolding plan to redeem and restore all of creation.
And one of the central ways God does that is through covenant.
Covenant is about our shared life with God and our shared life with one another. It describes the relationship God establishes with God’s people and the way that relationship shapes how they are called to live.
That’s what makes the law so important.
The law given in the Old Testament isn’t simply a collection of random rules. It describes how God’s people are to live out their covenant relationship with God and with one another.
It begins in Exodus, particularly with the giving of the Ten Commandments in chapter 20, and continues through the books that follow.
We encounter the law in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers, and then we come to Deuteronomy. The word Deuteronomy is often understood as “second law” or “second giving of the law.” It revisits and restates the law for the people as they prepare to enter the promised land.
And this is important for Christians, too.
Jesus takes up the law in the Sermon on the Mount and gives us a picture of what faithful life in God’s kingdom looks like. He doesn’t simply discard the law. He teaches us how to understand it in light of God’s purposes and the call to love God and neighbor.
So the law matters. The covenant matters. And Leviticus is an important part of understanding how God’s people were called to live in relationship with a holy God.
Now, what I want to do today is give you a quick overview of how Leviticus is organized. Then, over the next several days, we’ll look more specifically at its different sections and explore what they mean and why they matter to us.
One resource I’ll be using along the way is the BibleProject. It’s an excellent resource for understanding the larger themes and structure of Scripture, and I think it will help us as we work through this book.
Let’s start with the opening verse of Leviticus.
The book begins with the Lord summoning Moses and speaking to him from the tent of meeting.
That opening is important because Leviticus continues the story right where Exodus leaves off. There’s not a major break in the narrative. The tabernacle has been constructed, God’s presence has filled it, and now God speaks to Moses about how the people are to live in relationship with him.
But there’s an important detail here: God is holy.
God is set apart. God is distinct. God is not simply another member of the community or another powerful figure among the people.
And one of the central questions of Leviticus is this: What does it mean for God’s people to live in relationship with a holy God?
That’s really what the book is about.
Leviticus is structured in a way that helps us explore that question.
There are several major sections. The opening chapters, 1 through 7, deal with the different offerings and sacrifices the people are instructed to bring. Chapters 8 through 10 focus on the priests and their role in the worship and spiritual life of the community.
Then chapters 11 through 15 address purity and the different circumstances that affect how people participate in the life of the community.
And at the very center of the book, in chapter 16, we find the Day of Atonement.
This is one of the most important moments in the entire book of Leviticus. It’s a day set aside for the people to seek atonement for their sins and for the sanctuary to be cleansed. It’s a day of repentance, sacrifice, and forgiveness.
And then, following that central section, the book turns toward what we often call the Holiness Code, particularly in chapters 17 through 26. These chapters describe what it means for God’s people to live holy lives. They address worship, relationships, justice, community life, and the ways Israel is to be distinct from the nations around them.
Finally, chapter 27 addresses vows and things dedicated to the Lord.
So, as we look at the book as a whole, we see several interconnected themes: the offerings and sacrifices, the role of the priests, purity, the Day of Atonement, and the call to holiness.
And at the heart of it all is this question of how God’s people live in relationship with a holy God.
The Day of Atonement is particularly important because it reminds the people that sin and brokenness affect their relationship with God and their life together. Forgiveness and restoration are gifts of God’s grace, but they are not things to take lightly. The sacrifices and rituals of Leviticus point to the seriousness of sin and the cost of reconciliation.
And, of course, as Christians, we can’t help but see how these themes connect with Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he makes for us.
So much of the law and the sacrificial system helps us understand the larger story that finds its fulfillment in Jesus.
Now, here’s what I want us to take away from all of this today.
Leviticus is not simply a collection of strange rules and ancient rituals that have nothing to do with us. It is a book about living in relationship with God.
It’s a book about God’s holiness and what it means for God’s people to be holy.
And that matters for us.
We are still called to live in relationship with God. We are still called to be a people shaped by God’s character. We are still called to live differently because we belong to God.
Some of the rituals in Leviticus may seem foreign to us. Some of the instructions may be difficult to understand. And there will certainly be passages that raise challenging questions.
But rather than dismissing them, I want us to take the time to understand them. I want us to look at the historical context, the purpose behind the instructions, and how these passages fit into the larger story of Scripture.
Because there is beauty here. There is meaning here. And there are things we can learn about God, about ourselves, and about what it means to live faithfully.
So that’s where we’re going over the next several days. We’re going to take a big-picture look at Leviticus, explore some of its themes, and see what this ancient book has to say to us today.
And if you enjoy this approach, let me know. Maybe there are other challenging books or passages of Scripture we can explore together.
I’m looking forward to walking through big-picture Leviticus with you.
Thanks for being with me today. Have a great day, and I’ll see you tomorrow!