Epaggelia

We have already discussed from Lev. 8-10, about the appointment of a holy priesthood in the time of Aaron but now In Leviticus 21-22 we revisit the topic of the priesthood, this time encountering laws ensuring the continuation of the message of hope for a perfect priesthood in every generation after Aaron. Every generation of God’s people must be taught the promise of a perfect priest who offers a perfect sacrifice for everyone’s atonement. For Christians, it is our Christ, Jesus the High Priest and his eternal priesthood of Melchizedek. The restrictions in 21:1-4 & 10-12 do not prohibit a priest from grieving the loss of extended family, but the priest must leave the ritually defiling process of burial to others. These restrictions were put in place not to make things difficult for the priests but rather to uphold the portrait of a clean and joyful, life-ministering priesthood, see 2nd Sam. 19:1-8. The beautiful attire of the high priest in Ex. 28:1-43 & his movements in performing his sanctuary duties, Ex. 28:33-35, and his abstention from practices of burial in Lev. 21:1-12 reflect a joyfully clean priesthood. Contrary to the common stereotype that priests were dour figures, the priesthood Christ undertakes is one filled with joy: “For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross” Hebrews 12:2. Did God care about a priest’s physical blemishes more than his heart? Of course not, see 1st Sam. 16:7.. But part of the picture of atonement put on display in the tabernacle was the physical wholeness of the priest, Lev. 21:16-24. Why do you suppose that was the case? Are you as a Christian privileged or burdened to make sacrifices in evangelism, benevolent charity or money in the collection of the saints on Sunday?

Chapter 22 has an important distinction that Christians should be aware of, between freewill offerings and a vow offering. Verse 23 shows that freewill offerings were acceptable with animals that had certain deformities, but not for vowed offerings. The freewill offerings were made during Feast Days, such as Feast of Unleavened Bread before Passover, 2Chron. 35:7-9 & 30:24, and Feast of Weeks before Pentecost, Duet. 16:10 & 26:1-11, and the Feast of Tabernacles, Ezra 3:4-5, Numb. 29:39 & Lev. 23:37-38. Why would God make an accepted allowance for deformed animals in freewill offerings but not in vowed offerings? May it possibly have something to do with the perfect sacrifice of Christ being planned and purposed before the foundation of the world? See 1st Peter 1:13-20.  Laws like Leviticus 22:11 have often been interpreted to support chattel slavery, a careful study of the relevant passages does not support that conclusion. Although Israel had a system of debt slavery so that households that defaulted on loans could work off their debts, Old Testament law introduced provisions to ensure that such labor would not deteriorate into chattel slavery—like the slavery Israel had experienced while in Egypt and was never to impose on anyone else, see Lev. 19:33-34 & Job 31:13-15, loving your neighbor as yourself was a principle that should be intertwined within making someone a slave and/or a bond-servant, see Lev. 25:39 & Exodus 22:3. A good understanding as to how slavery was to be practiced is in Lev. 25:40-46. The reason the treatment of slaves is couched in the context of sacrifices is because of the way pagan nations around them treated their property in making their sacrifices to idols. There are 2 sections here, firstly Priests eating sacrifices, v1-9 and qualifications for other Israelites to share in leftovers, v10-16. Pagans turned their sacrifices into leftovers into a business by selling them in the market for profit, note how this affected Christians in 1st Corinthians 8:1-11:1. We as Christians must always be mindful to prevent the ways of worldly business to creep into the way the church conducts business!

Chapters 17-20 holds a beautiful message about true holiness. This passage is full of details about how different Jews were to live holy in contrast to everyone around them in every aspect of the daily life of Israel. 

The Food laws in 17:1-16 show what was holy and unholy and were focused on how meat was handled. After Noah was introduced to eating meat after the Flood it was an open door for ambiguity, but now that God came to live amongst the Nation in the Tabernacle, they had clarity about how to deal with meat. Christians are reminded in 1st Corinthians 11:27-30 that we have food that is holy too. The Lord’s Supper entails both flesh & blood spiritually, to remind us that it is Jesus who makes our whole life holy. Therefore we do not need to deal with the details of Levitical commands about food. Everything we eat and drink outside the Lord’s Supper is holy in the context of love and gratitude, see Romans 14:1-4.

The Sexual laws in chapters 18-19 are centered on the royal law of God in James 2:8 which is actually quoting Leviticus 19:18 & 34. Jesus said it best in Matthew 22:37-40, the first commandment is likened to the second, love God first and love others as yourself. This principle prevents us from entertaining or encouraging any and all kinds of sexual perversions and detestable alternative lifestyles. All of humanity is designed as sexual creatures and 18:1-30 was God’s way of making sure Israel’s sexuality was a bright and pure contrast from the polluted practices of pagan cultures around them in stark darkness. The fact that sexual laws (v10–21) are grouped with laws about child sacrifices (v1–5) and consulting dead ancestors (v6, 27) or cursing living parents (v9) indicates that this text is not simply about sexual lust. These are laws about building a family heritage, and doing so in holiness (v.7–8, 22–26). Remarkably, the parameters established in Lev. 18, critique the marriages of Abraham, who married his half sister, Gen. 20:12 (Lev. 18:9) and also Jacob, who took a “woman as a rival wife to her sister”, Gen. 29:1-30 (Lev. 18:18). If Israel lived Leviticus, then they wouldn’t repeat the same disastrous sins committed by their forefathers..So for Christians, “whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17) He is the only man who ever treated people with purity and it’s only His Holiness that shapes our own, that we may become the righteousness of God, 2nd Corinthians 5:21.

The last few verses of Lev. 19 point Israel to God’s expectations on how to treat a foreigner living next door. It was one of the reasons Jesus told his disciples the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25-37. It serves as the heart of what the chapter teaches about what it means to be holy. This significant role of holy citizenship shows how other New Testament writers regarded this passage as an important summary of the whole perfect law of liberty, Mat. 5:43, Rom. 13:9 & James 1:25.

The punishments & sentences for disobeying the Law of Moses in Leviticus were strict, sometimes even resulting in execution, 20:27. No one escapes the consequences of sin, except ultimately those who are found in Christ, who took our punishment on himself and forgives us completely. But “bearing their iniquity” in Leviticus 20:19 & Numbers 18:23 is a fact of life even for the faithful who are forgiven. Forgiveness is real and eternal, but some consequences will linger till Jesus comes. Why? Because we still live in a world where the rain falls on the righteous and unrighteous. God is fair even in forgiveness and in this He is just, Matthew 5:45.

The Atonement

Leviticus 16 is reminding us of what happened to Nadab & Abihu when they attempted to serve God with unauthorized tools and stubborn hearts in ignorance, forging ahead with service to God that is dismissive of his holiness being more powerful than our attempt to emulate it, see 1st Sam.15:23. Heeding the warning to Aaron to not come into the Holy Place inside the veil…., so that he may not die…but in this way Aaron shall come into the Holy Place (16:1-3). There is a strong connection of timing, between the event of offering incense in Lev. 10 by the sons of Aaron, and the offering of incense in Lev. 16. Anyone can see how it seems backwards that Nadab & Abihu would presume to do this before their father the High Priest. Today we should praise God that there is a sure and effective way to enter his presence and be accepted with life and heaven’s blessings! But there is only one way. It is only through the sacrifice foreshadowed in the Levitical atonement rituals that were accomplished by the Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, John 14:6.

Why must the high priest first make atonement for himself and his own house? Hebrews 7:26-28

In the final phase of the Day of Atonement, the high priest changed out of the plain, linen robe he wore for the day’s sacrifices (v. 4) and back into his high priestly garments (vv. 23–24; compare Ex. 28:1-43. Ponder the significance of the high priest wearing plain linen robes for the sacrifices and changing into his glorious robes afterward, ref: Isaiah 61:3

Scripture encourages us with the glorious hope that, in these last days, the consequence of sin’s power is fully removed from our experience in the future, never to be felt again because of Christ’s resurrection. His holiness is powerful, 1st Cor. 15:42, Heb. 12:23, 2Pt. 3:13, 1Jn.3:2-5 & Rev. 6:11 

The Old Testament high priest was a shadow of the Great High Priest, Jesus, who has entered into the heavenly Most Holy Place with the blood of our atonement and now stands in glory to intercede for us, Heb. 2:17-18, 4:14-16, 8:1-6, 9:6-14 & 10:11-14.

The design of the Most Holy Place was a reminder to Israel that this “divine palace” on earth was not the literal house of God, nor were its rituals the literal source of atonement. They were earthly shadows of the real atonement the true High Priest would present to God in the real temple—heaven itself. Exodus 25:40 & Hebrews 8:5 & 9:24. When we pray, we should take faith in the power of the Holy Spirit of Christ sanctifying our words & thoughts, interceding for us before the Throne of God our Father. Never let anyone tell you that you can not pray to His Spirit, because without His Spirit, we are mute before God and not allowed before His presence. In this God gifted way of His Son, is our atonement beneficial. We are “at one & meant” to be together.

Chapter 13: The diagnosis of leprosy and other skin diseases was in the hands of the Levitical priesthood. When Jesus came, his lineage through Mary and legally through Joseph, were neither from the Tribe of Levi. Since Mary & Joseph descended from the Tribe of Judah, he was positioned to treat lepers and diseased people differently, in fact Jesus made himself ceremonially unclean in order to prove his divine power in God as the fulfillment of healing to conquer death. Jesus loved diseased people and gave them hope when it was completely void in their life, Matthew 8:1-4 & Luke 17:11-19.

Chapter 14: Here is one of the clearest examples in the Old Testament of Israel’s faith in the resurrection. Don’t let the strangeness of its ritual sacrifices cause you to miss the beauty of the hope captured here. This passage marks the presence of death where there ought to be life. Reproductive organs were created for life. The abnormal and normal loss of fluids in these centers of life shows the negative consequences brought in by sin. Leprosy made visible the presence of death and decay in the body and in the coverings of life, clothes and homes. But each of these leprosy sections closes with rituals of restoration when the presence of death has been reversed. The centerpiece of the collection is the extensive ritual of restoration for the person healed of leprosy. Public ceremonies of restoration from “living death” ensured that Israel knew what had taken place and that all the people should see this reversal of death as a message of victory in God’s atonement—resurrection, (Lev. 14;18-20) Today we no longer mark physical healing with ritual markers of resurrection, because we have the ultimate testimony of our resurrection hope to look to—the historical resurrection of Jesus. These laws given by God were designed to compel Jews to believe their life could be seen through these promises God made in healing and to restrain them from the temptations of surrounding nations, see Galatians 3:19. However, by the time Jesus came, the legalistic tendencies of the Pharisees, over-interpreted the Mosaic laws, adding new commandments and traditions of their own, see Mt. 15:1-9. Ancient Israel looked to rituals of resurrection attached to certain afflictions to give them hope in all their afflictions. Read the eyewitness account of the resurrection displayed, so that it eclipses all those old rituals—the resurrection of Jesus (Luke 24:1-9) Praise God for such a great resurrection hope, and direct our own heart to view all our afflictions through the promised power of resurrection faith. Lev. 14:25-28 describes how the lamb’s blood was used on any person cleansed, pointing us to the initial sanctification of the High Priest in Lev. 8:23-24. This should remind us of our connection by the blood of our High Priest in Jesus, cleansing us from diseases for eternity. All the consequences of sin are void for eternity!

Chapter 15: The laws of hygiene for both men & women, either single or married, were given to all Israel, not just priests, because God wanted to help them see personally and publicly how different they were from the nations and cultures around them. This is a shadow of our reality in how Christians are to pay attention to our behavior personally and publicly. Read 1st Thessalonians 4:1-5 and ask yourself if God is not concerned with your personal hygiene. “Holiness & Honor” is indicating the reality of cleanliness being akin to godliness.

The Lord is concerned about his children living holy lives in an unholy environment, He doesn’t expect us to be holy as He is holy, unless there is a constant daily relationship which points out the difference between holy and unholy. So chapters 11-12 deal with the detail of this relationship in Holiness for his children’s daily lifestyle. 

The summary of Leviticus 11:41-47 should point us to a similar statement in Lev. 20:24-26, which is the whole point of why the Lord gave Peter his vision of clean and unclean animals in Acts 10:9-29. Can we see how dietary laws are fulfilled at Christ’s coming? His presence of holiness in the Christian makes our body a special place that should be taken care of, see Romans 12:1. Do you believe God accepts any sacrifices you make to take care of your body? Are all of our sacrifices exclusively for saving other people, or could some of our sacrifices be for merely showing thankfulness to God for redeeming our bodies? See Romans 8:23.

The Jewish nation was made clean by the presence of a working Tabernacle/Temple, the food laws were given to show and maintain a unique status of Hebrews among the rest of the world. However, when the Spirit descended on the church in the New Testament, empowering believers for witness and worship in Spirit-filled assemblies in all nations, Acts 2:1-41, the “wall of separation” and the dividing ordinances were removed, Ephesians 2:11-22.  If Israel could enter Christ then they did not lose status as “clean,” but now Gentiles also were made clean (see Acts 10:15-28). Congregations of Christ were now centers for worship—bringing the presence of God in grace among all nations. Peter was the first leader in the New Testament church to recognize the fact that the dietary laws were expired, Acts 10:9-16. This truth continues as Peter quotes from Leviticus 11:44 in an epistle to Gentile churches: “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’ 1st Peter 1:14-16. Praise God for the privilege of Gentiles (you and me) being grafted into the blessings of the “olive tree” ~ Romans 11:17. 

One of the most important roles of Jewish society was to reproduce.  It is hard for us post-modern western minds to understand and appreciate the pride and privilege of reproduction having a Divine purpose which will bless the entire world with the Messiah/Christ from God, but that is an ancient sentiment and purpose every Jewish woman had ingrained in her being from infancy to adulthood. The highest most notable achievement of any woman was for her fulfilled role in bringing the Messiah/Christ closer into the world for the one and only true God of Israel. How do you think women felt about God making a way for their cleanliness to reflect holiness, in observing the laws regarding discharges of blood? Leviticus 12:1-8. How would Mary have felt? Luke 2:22-24 & 2nd Cor. 8:9.

In a ceremony similar to crowning a new monarch, Aaron’s installation started with his investiture: with the congregation watching, Moses clothed Aaron with the symbols of his office (Lev. 8:5–12), followed by the investiture of his sons (8:13). A list of the items of Aaron’s apparel can help us consider thoughts you have about their significance in Christ as our Great Hight Priest. (See Ex. 28:1-43; 39:1-43) 

However, on the Day of Atonement, only the High Priest was allowed in the Most holy of holies and only the Altar of Incense and Ark of the Covenant was sprinkled with blood, Ex. 30:1-10.

1. The Ark, being the most holy piece foreshadowing the living Word & law of faith in Christ.
2. The Altar of Incense foreshadowing the Aroma of Christ in His Children, Eph. 5:2 & 2nd Cor. 2:15 & Exodus 30:1-10, Ex. 40:5, Heb. 9:3-4, Lev. 16:12.
3. The Veil foreshadows the ancient Covenant since Abraham, which would be regulating access to God and changing the Old inferior into the New superior covenant, allowing intimacy in Christ.
4. The Gold Lampstand foreshadows the Light of the World as Christ
5. The Table of Showbread foreshadowing the Bread of Life as Christ
6. The Altar of Burnt Offerings foreshadowing the Death of Christ at the Cross.
7. The Bronze Basin foreshadowing the Burial & Resurrection of Christ in Baptism.

The seven-day installation ceremony was followed by a public worship service on the eighth day. This was the first worship service under Aaron’s leadership. What was the stated purpose of that worship assembly and the name given to the tent where it took place (Lev. 9:4–6)? What can we learn about the nature of worship from this passage?

Once the rituals of atonement were completed by the priests, the service reached its climax: Aaron pronounced the benediction (vv. 22–23; compare Num. 6:22-27.. Why do you suppose God added the visible mark of fire from heaven to the close of that inaugural service, Lev. 9:24?

How many times do you find the phrase “as the Lord commanded” attached to the activities of the ordination and first worship service., (Chs 8-9)? (This frequent repetition is preparing for a contrast about to emerge in the next chapter.)

The closing scene (10:12–20) was truly amazing: Aaron corrected Moses on a point of ritual protocol, and Moses admitted that Aaron was right! What does Aaron’s precise ritual discernment (even correcting Moses!), in contrast with Nadab and Abihu’s ritual missteps, teach us about the kind of high priest the people were to expect?

Readers are often stunned that Nadab and Abihu died for their infraction, Lev. 10:1-7. Actually, what should amaze us is that our Great High Priest mediates such a perfect atonement that we are able to approach such a holy God without fear of the same outcome! Confronting the presence of God is a life-or-death matter, and our sins deserve the fire of his just wrath. The people of Israel got it right when they “shouted and fell on their faces” (9:24)—resulting in God’s benediction (not his condemnation) and in seeing his glory (rather than falling under his judgment). The acceptable venue in the worship service is taught in Leviticus 9:22-23. It is because of the atoning sacrifice that the people receive the guarantee of blessing from God at the close of their worship in his house. In the New Testament, Jesus also lifted his hands to pronounce blessing on the disciples after his completion of the final atonement sacrifice. Luke 24:50., and the apostles closed their letters with benedictions. 1Thes. 5:23, Eph. 6:23-24, Heb. 13:20-21.. The benediction is much more than a fancy way to say “the end” at the close of a worship service. It is a declaration of God’s favor because of his atonement.

Atonement is all about fellowship between God (the host), and His people (whose sins are forgiven in the atonement) via the priests (who accomplishes our atonement) Notably the word ‘atonement’ is used by God more so in Leviticus, than any other book in the Bible. The root word is “Levi” which means to attach or join, Genesis 27:34.

Mealtime today in our society rarely has the same significance it did in biblical times. It is easy for us to overlook the importance of ritual meals in God’s house as the culmination of the sacrifice. Having already discussed the sacrifice procedures for all five categories of offerings (Lev. 1:1–6:7), Leviticus revisits all five offerings again, this time with particular focus on how the resulting fellowship meals were to be eaten in the Lord’s house (Lev. 6:8–7:38).

When offerings are presented at the Temple, the entire offering becomes the Lord’s. It is the Lord who gives portions of the sacrifice, as food, back to the priests (Lev. 6:17). Instructions for eating the various sacrifices is given in three groups: the one offering wholly consumed by God (Lev. 6:8–13); the three offerings consumed by God and the priests (6:14–7:10); and the one offering meal shared by God, the priests, and the people (Lev. 7:11–38)

However, The burnt offering was consumed wholly on the altar. It was intended to be kept burning around the clock, replaced daily (ref: Exodus 29:38-42). The other sacrifices were piled on top of this one and carried heavenward in its flames (6:12). How would an ancient Hebrew believer have felt knowing that, wherever he or she was at any time of the day, a “pleasing aroma” was rising to God for his or her atonement? Can we see Jesus in this sentiment? See Ephesians 5:2 & 2nd Corinthians 2:14-16.

As we look at the culmination of all these offerings ascending, we should not miss out on the fellowship God had in sharing portions of the sacrifices after the burnt offering. It was his way of honoring their work in accomplishing the people’s atonement ( Lev. 7:7).  This can be an expression of God’s pleasure in the work of the priests and it’s purpose can serve as a backdrop to our understanding of what Jesus says in John 10:17-18. In sharing sacrifices as a meal, we can learn something from the warnings God places in these instructions, Lev. 7:11-27. He prohibits consumption of the sacrifice’s blood (Lev. 7:26–27) which is very significant. Some ancient religions required worshipers to consume blood in order to unite the participant’s life with that of the offering (“the life of every creature is its blood” Lev. 17:14). What do you think it means that Old Testament believers were not to consume the animal’s blood (being a foreshadowing of the true sacrifice), yet the Lord’s Supper (the fulfillment of the peace offering meal) includes our participation in Christ’s blood, as we drink the cup in communion, see Mark 14:23-24 ?

This fellowship means we do not come to worship to appease God and end up coming away with a blessing, but rather our fellowship with him does mean we are pleasing to God and are honored as His guests in this priceless gift of his body & blood, because we have already been blessed!