Leviticus

THE NAME OF THE BOOK: The Jews called it in Hebrew ‘And Wayyiqra’, meaning in Arabic ‘And called’, using the first words in the book. Calling it the ‘Book of Leviticus’, was according to the Septuagint version ‘Leueitikon’; probably on account of that it prominently revealed the role of the priests and the Levites in the rites of the sacrifices, the statutes of purification, the celebrations of feasts, and the for vows And that it proclaimed, as well, the dedication of Aaron and his sons as priests. Hence, in ‘Mesnah’, the Jews called it ‘The law of the priests’, ‘The book of the priests’, and ‘The book of Offerings’. If this book mostly shows the ministry and mediation of the priests and the Levites; Yet it is the book of the whole congregation; namely, the book of the church – priests and congregation. Hence, it often starts every statute by the words: “Speak to the children of Israel”. It is a book that touches the life of the whole congregation, its salvation, and purification, to live holy in the Holy God. As to the priests and the Levites, they are just a divine tool to minister to this congregation, of which they are members. Yes, they are mediators and workers in the name of God, but they work, not to their own account, but to the account of the congregation, other than that they are members in it. THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK: Most probably, it is the prophet Moses who wrote this book. The expression: “The Lord spoke to Moses, saying…”, came about thirty times; with a mention every now and then of the name of Aaron, with him (11: 1; 14: 33; 15: 1); Only once, God addressed Aaron alone (10: 8). DATE AND PLACE OF WRITING THE BOOK: The date and place of the introduction of those statutes, were precisely fixed as during the presence in Mount Sinai (7: 38; 25: 1; 26: 46; 27: 34), in the first month of the second year of the exodus of the people from the land of Egypt (Exodus 40: 16; Numbers 1: 1). If the book of Exodus introduces the history of Israel until the setting of the tabernacle of meeting, the book of Leviticus came to consummate the work as a liturgical book that reveals the worship in that tabernacle through the priests and the Levites, melded with the holy life, as is befitting of a people who worship the Holy God. And if the book of Exodus proclaims God ‘The Wholly Holy’, and ‘The Awesome God’, whom the people could not approach, even at the moments the statutes were delivered (Exodus 19: 21; 24: 2); the book of Leviticus came to proclaim the dwelling of God among His people (Leviticus 22: 32; 26: 12), to carry His feature of holiness in them. As, according to a scholar: [In the book of Leviticus, we do not find the Legislator, speak with the language of awe, nor write on stone tablets; but in it God appears as the Portion of Israel, who dwells among His people, to instruct them how they should approach His presence, and dwell in a fellowship with Him]. And the way this book is distinguished from the book of Exodus; It is distinguished, as well, from the book of Deuteronomy, that concentrates on the law from the standpoint of its aim; The later presents a resume of the law for the general use of the public; whereas the book of Leviticus cares more for revealing the role of the priests. FEATURES OF THE BOOK: 1- The goal of this book is to proclaim that the ’holiness’ is the distinctive line that distinguishes the people of God; For the worship a people present, and the behavior they practice, are committed to have the feature of ‘holiness’. The goal of worship, in all its forms, and the goal of the divine commandment, is for all to enjoy the feature of holiness in the Lord. The key of the book, therefore, is shown in the verse: “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am holy” (11: 44); (See also 11: 45; 19: 2). ‘Holiness’ is presented to us, not as a group of commandments to keep, nor as practices to which we are committed to follow; But behind the commandment and the worship, there is the acceptance of the Holy God. Hence, in the whole book, the proclamation: “standing before the Lord” is repeated about 60 times. Here, we also perceive that the ‘holiness’ is not only refraining from uncleanness and sin, but, on its positive side, it is an encounter and a union with the Holy One. 2- While the epistle to the Hebrews is considered the best inspired interpretation of this book; revealing the true way to approach God through the ‘grace’; The book of Leviticus, on the other hand, speaks about approaching God through the ‘law’. While the epistle to the Hebrews proclaims the sacrifice of the Lord Christ, which was offered one time, and remains working, granting life, and taking away the sins of the world; The sacrifices mentioned in the book of Leviticus, on the other hand, cannot take off the sin from the inner conscience and the heart; as they, themselves, turn into ashes, to be taken away from the altar. The epistle to the Hebrews gives to us a comparison between the Levite priesthood, and that of the Lord Christ, according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrew 7). 3- The book of Leviticus is the gospel of sinners, expressed in the terms of the old covenant, strongly showing the ability of the blood of the sacrifice to present holiness, particularly on the great day of atonement (Leviticus 17). 4- While caring to sanctify His people for the sake of their eternal salvation, Yet God does not disregard their temporal needs. He cares for the safety of their possessions, their clothes; their houses (the statute of the purification of houses); their food and drinks (the allowed and the forbidden kinds of food); and for provoking the spirit of joy in them through the weekly, monthly, annual, and the Jubilee feasts and seasons. The book, therefore, does not separate between the eternal redemption, and God’s care for man, even in what concern the least important of temporal things; without duplication, nor contradiction between two lives: the spiritual, and the temporal. 5- Through this book, we find the people represent one unit or one congregation; with one altar (1: 3; 8: 3; 17: 8, 9), and one mediator – the tribe of Levi; For God, in His dealing with humanity, intends for them to be one body for one Head, without individuality, nor an isolation of thought, or selfishness, even in their spiritual life. THE SECTIONS OF THE BOOK: This book bears two distinct and distinguished lines, yet integral at the same time; Namely, ‘the sacrifice’, and ‘the holy life’. As there is no holy life out of the sacrifice, offered by the priest on the altar; Nor an acceptance of the sacrifice from the kind of people, who do not care much for having a holy life; and who persist upon their stubbornness against God. By that, the guide of the sacrifices melds with the statutes of purification. And lest someone may think of the holy life, as one of sadness, grumbling, or deprivation, the book ended with the feasts and vows. 1- The guide of the sacrifices Chapters 1 - 7 2- The consecration of the priests 8 - 10 3- The guide of the statutes of purification 11 - 15 4- The great day of atonement 16 5- The altar, and the holiness of the blood 17 6- The statutes of consecration 18 - 22 7- The feasts and vows 23 – 27 THE FIRST SECTION THE GUIDE OF THE SACRIFICES THE SACRIFICES AND THE OFFERINGS: 1- The burnt offering Chapter 1 2- The grain offering 2 3- The peace offering 3 4- The sin offering 4; 5 (1 – 13) 5- The trespass offering 5: 16 to Ch. 6 THE SACRIFICES AND THE OFFERINGS (Chapters 1 to 7) The book of Leviticus is the book of life of the holy congregation by the Holy God; mainly set upon the sacrifice, offered by the priest; For no approaching God, nor an acceptance of worship, except through the reconciliation by the blood, offered by the priest in the name of the congregation. There is no entrance into the bosoms of the Holy Father, nor an eternal comfort, except by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, that cleanses us from all sins (1 John 1: 7); being the unique Sacrifice of the cross, and the Higher Priest, at the same time. And as the sacrifice of the cross is unique in its kind and possibilities, and hence no one kind of sacrifices or offerings, could reveal it; the book of Leviticus presents to us five kinds of sacrifices and offerings, each of which proclaims a particular aspect or aspects of the cross. However, we can say that, because all those kinds, with their diverse lengthy and detailed rites, have failed to reveal all the secrets of the cross, the Old Testament presented to us many symbols, analogies, and events, along the generations, in an attempt to bring us forth into new depths of this exalted secret of the cross and the sacrifice. The sacrifices and offerings mentioned here are: 1- The burnt offering: Chapter 1. 2- The grain offering (Chapter 2) 3- The peace offering (Chapter 3) 4- The sin offering (Chapter 4, 5: 1 -13) 5- The trespass offering (Chapter 5: 14 – Chapter 6: 7) According to some scholars, Chapters 1 to 6: 7, represent a guide of the sacrifices, addressed to the worshipping congregation, together with the priests. As to the last part 6: 8; 7: 38), it represents a guide of the sacrifices and offerings, addressed to the priests.. ORDER AND BONDS BETWEEN SACRIFICCES: The sacrifices and offerings came in an amazing order; starting by the burnt offering, and ending by the trespass offering – the order befitting in the sight of the Father, and not in that of man. For the believer, in his encounter with the cross, considers it first as a trespass offering, and a sin offering; seeing in it, the incarnate Word of God, carrying His passion and iniquities, to take away the wrath of the Father from himself (the believer). Through this view, he sees in the cross, a sacrifice of peace and thanksgiving, and presents his life in the crucified Jesus Christ, a life of thanksgiving, instead of his life of denial, that came into him through falling. He sees in the cross, as well, a grain offering, in which he enjoys the life of fellowship in the crucified Jesus Christ. And finally, he perceives the cross as a burnt offering, on account of that, in it he discovers the obedience of the only begotten Son to the Father, to death, even to that of the cross; to present, he (the man), as well, his life as a sacrifice of obedience, and a burnt offering to God in His Son. That is the order of the sacrifices and offerings, through our benefit as believers. Whereas the Father, on the other hand, smells in the cross the sweet fragrance of His beloved Son, as a burnt offering of perfect love; and finally, as a Carrier of our sins and iniquities, by which He pays the debt back, and bears the divine wrath. By this, we do not prefer one view to another, as both views are integral and utterly inseparable; but we try to show, that the cross more splendidly proclaims – in the sight of the Father – not taking our iniquities and sins away, as much as we, bearing of the nature of the crucified, to become ourselves a burnt offering of obedience and love; to become a persistent flame of fire, by bearing the obedience of the Son to the point of death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2: 8), and His limitless love. Hence the apostle says: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Jesus Christ, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2: 5-8). In short we can say that God the Father smells the sweet fragrance of Christ in us through the cross in the following way: 1- A burnt offering of perfect love and obedience to Him in His Son (The burnt Offering) 2- A fellowship of life with Him in His only-begotten Son (The grain offering). 3- A life of inner peace and perpetual thanksgiving (The peace offering). 4- An enjoyment of the continuous cleansing of our general daily sins, and our unceasing weaknesses (The sin offering). 5- Salvation from every iniquity we commit, and returning to Him with repentance (The trespass offering). THE BLOOD SACRIFICES AND THE GRAIN OFFERINGS: As a general rule, sacrifices center around blood, representing the soul of the animal. It is as though, the soul of man, having been utterly corrupted, he was in need of an innocent soul to carry, on his behalf, the wages of his own iniquity, and to redeem him from death, after paying his debt. This work was nothing but a symbol of shedding the blood of the Lord Christ the Savior, who alone could redeem mankind, and pay its debt to the Father in full. The Jews believed in the idea of a soul redeeming another soul; Here we include some of the expressions of their interpreters:  As the blood of every creature binds to its soul; blood is offered to redeem the soul of man; for a soul to replace another, and to atone for it (Rashy)  A soul replaces another (Ben Ezra).  A soul of an animal is offered on the altar to atone for that of man (Moses ben Nachman).. Many Jews, however, expressed their feeling that the blood of animals could never fulfill the debt of man before God; Hence the hearts of men in the old covenant were always longingly looking forward to the coming of the Messiah as their true Savior. For the blood sacrifices, three kinds of animals, and two kinds of birds, were used: 1- Bulls 2- Sheep 3- Goats 4-Turtle doves 5- Doves Beside those blood sacrifices, there were grain offerings, like flour, cakes, and wine, as a drink offering, etc.; all of which were inseparable from the blood sacrifices; which is confirmed by that, those offerings differed in quantity according to the kind of sacrifice that goes with it (Numbers 15: 1-12; 28: 1-12; 29: 1 etc.). THE SACRIFICES AND PRIESTHOOD: The sacrificial work bonded with the priesthood. If man, after his fall, was in need of a sacrifice to redeem him, and to carry death on his behalf; there was also the need for a priest to intercede for that sacrifice before God on behalf of the sinner. The Lord Christ came to us, as the True Sacrifice, to present it by Himself, being the Highest Priest, who alone can intercede for the sinners by His blood before the Father; on whose right hand He sits, working to our account, and in our name. He also gave His church the right to offer His given body, not as a repetition, but as an extension of the sacrifice in a secret way; He, as well, being the heavenly Highest Priest, granted His church the holy priesthood, being the One who works in His priests, hidden in them; those who work in His name, to His account, and with His possibilities, not with their own, however exalted they are. In the old covenant, the people had their positive role in the sacrifice; According to some Rabbis, the people could offer the sacrifice, place their hands on it, confessing their sins or iniquities, or giving thanks to God. Besides, they were sometimes allowed to slaughter ,skin, cut, and wash its inside. Yet there were certain priestly tasks that they are not allowed to practice, like pouring and scattering the blood of the sacrifice on the altar, and kindling the fire on it. THE GOAL OF THE DIVERSITY OF THE SACRIFICES: According to St. John Chrysostom, despite the various kinds of sacrifices, none of them is offered with the intention of revenge against enemies; but they are all for the sake of the edification of man through the forgiveness of sins. In the second century, when the Christians were persecuted for refusing to offer sacrifices to idols, the defense presented by the philosopher Athenagorus was: [It is befitting of us to offer a non-blood sacrifice – the ministry of our minds].