Revised by author (03/2024)
Atonement
The rituals for the Day of AtonementA Day of Atonement is a ritual occasion of prayer and confession during which a community recalls its disobedience and wrongdoing. Among Christians such an occasion is known as a Day of Penitence. Among Jews Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement; its origins in… More are detailed in Leviticus 16. Once a year, the high priestThe high priest was the most powerful priest in the temple in Jerusalem. The high priest Caiaphas held the office during the trial of Jesus. Later, in the New Testament book of Hebrews, the role of merciful high priest is ascribed to the resurrected Jesus. More is to enter the holy of holiesThe holy of holies was, in the Old Testament, the tabernacle’s inner sanctuary that housed the ark of the covenant and its mercy seat. The space was separated from the rest of the holy place by a veil and was visited only once a year… More and to offer sacrifices to make atonement for himself, his fellow priests, and the people of Israel. In this way, the sanctuaryA sanctuary is the consecrated area around the altar of a church or temple. It also means a place of safety where one can flee for protection. In the Old Testament, especially in the Psalms, God is referred to as a sanctuary, a refuge from… More and the people are cleansed from sin so that the LORD might continue to dwell in their midst. The writer of Hebrews discusses the Day of Atonement in Hebrews 9, where JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God’s saving act for humanity. More becomes both high priestA priest is a person who has the authority to perform religious rites. In New Testament times priests were responsible for daily offerings and sacrifices in the temple. More and sacrificeSacrifice is commonly understood as the practice of offering or giving up something as a sign of worship, commitment, or obedience. In the Old Testament grain, wine, or animals are used as sacrifice. In some New Testament writings Jesus’ death on the cross as the… More.
CreationCreation, in biblical terms, is the universe as we know or perceive it. Genesis says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. In the book of Revelation (which speaks of end times) the author declares that God created all things and… More
There are a number of links between Leviticus and the Genesis 1 account of creation, which is also attributed to the priestly writers: the concern with boundaries and separation (Genesis 1:4-7; Leviticus 10:10); the phrases “of every kind” or “according to its kind” (Genesis 1:20-25; Leviticus 11:13-22); the emphasis on “seasons” and SabbathSabbath is a weekly day of rest, the seventh day, observed on Saturday in Judaism and on Sunday in Christianity. In the book of Genesis, God rested on the seventh day; in the Gospel accounts Jesus and his disciples are criticized by some for not… More (Genesis 1:14; 2:1-3; Leviticus 23:2-8; 26:2-4); and the use of the number seven (Genesis 2:2-3; the seven speeches of Leviticus 1-7; the seven days of the ordination service in Leviticus 8:35). The priestly writers of Leviticus relayed instructions on how to maintain or restore the good order that God established at the dawn of creation. They sought to restore the world–or at least Israel–to the state of being “very good,” as God created it at the beginning (Genesis 1:31).
Holiness
Leviticus uses the words “holy” some 76 times, referring to God, the priests, the people, the sacrifices, the priestly vestments, and other things. The holiness of God is the source of all other holiness: “You shall be holyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine More, for I the LORD your God am holy” (19:2). The people’s holiness consists not only of ritual purity, but also of ethical living (19:3-37). That call to holiness means that Israel cannot adopt the practices of neighboring peoples: idolatry, child sacrificeChild sacrifice is the ritualistic killing of children to please the gods. Such a practive hovers in the background of Abraham’s (mercifully thwarted) sacrifice of Isaac. In the larger picture of Israel’s history, child sacrifice was forbidden. More, incest, consulting mediums, or mistreating the poor or the foreigner. If they do not fulfill the call to holiness, the land will “vomit” them out (18:28). If they repentRepentance is a central biblical teaching. All people are sinful and God desires that all people repent of their sins. The Hebrew word for repent means to “turn away” from sin. The Greek word for repentance means to “change on’e mind,” more specifically, it means… More of their sin, however, God will have mercyMercy is a term used to describe leniency or compassion. God’s mercy is frequently referred to or invoked in both the Old and New Testaments. More and remember God’s covenantA covenant is a promise or agreement. In the Bible the promises made between God and God’s people are known as covenants; they state or imply a relationship of commitment and obedience. More with people and land alike (26:42-45).
Love for neighbor
We find the most famous verse in Leviticus in 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” If we take this verse in context, loving your neighbor has more to do with action than with emotion. You must be honest in your business dealings – don’t put your finger on the scale (vss. 35-36). You must not defraud your neighbor or slander him (vss. 13, 16). You must render just judgments (vs. 15). When you harvest your fields and your vineyard, you must not strip the land bare, but leave enough for the poor and the foreigners to glean and support themselves (vss. 9-10; cf. the Book of RuthThe great-grandmother of David. More). In short, ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’ means not just refraining from hurting your neighbor, but also willing your neighbor’s good and working for it.
In its original context in Leviticus, the term “neighbor” probably refers to a fellow Israelite. Just a few verses later, though, we read, “When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the foreigner. The foreigner who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the foreigner as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God” (19:33-34).
Love your neighbor as yourself. Love the foreigner as yourself. Be holy, as God is holy. Though Leviticus is a book full of arcane rules and customs, it is also a profound theological statement about life with God. The laws and rituals are grounded in the reality of who God is and who God has called God’s people to be: “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”
Presence of God
Leviticus envisions the tabernacleThe tabernacle, a word meaning “tent,” was a portable worship place for the Hebrew people after they left Egypt. It was said to contain the ark of the covenant. The plans for the tabernacle are dictated by God in Exodus 26. More as the dwelling place of the LORD in the midst of the Israelites. Its purity must therefore be strictly maintained, so that a holy God can reside in the midst of a sinful people without destroying them (see 10:1-2). The theological claim is that the Lord God, the creator of the world, actually dwells with God’s people and seeks to be in relationship with them.
Redemption
In Leviticus 25, provision is made for the very literal “redemption” of land and people. If an Israelite falls on hard times and sells his land or himself to another person, the land or the person should be “redeemed” (that is, bought back) by his nearest relative, his ‘go-el’ or redeemerA redeemer is someone who literally buys back, wins back, or frees from distress. The Hebrew term for redeemer (go’el) means to deliver or rescue. It may be a person or God who performs the act of redemption. More, sometimes translated “kinsman redeemer.” If there is no one to redeem the land or the person, both should be released in the year of JubileeJubilee is a time of celebration and rejoicing. Hebrew law, as prescribed in Leviticus 25 and 27, declared every fiftieth year to be a jubilee year during which time slaves would be emancipated, debts would be forgiven, and even the land would be allowed to rest. More.
Sabbath
The priestly writers give a special prominence to the Sabbath (most notably in Genesis 2:2-3). Here in Leviticus, that emphasis continues: the weekly Sabbath is prescribed as the first of the regular “holy convocations” and “appointed festivals” that the people of Israel are to observe (23:1-8). Even the land is to observe a Sabbath year, when it must rest and lie fallow (25:1-7). Every seven “weeks” (or “sabbaths”) of years, the whole community is to observe the year of Jubilee, when the land lies fallow, slaves go free and land is returned to its ancestral owners (25:8-55).
Worship
Leviticus views worship as central to the life of the community. The majority of the book (chapters 1-10, 16-17, 21-24, 27) is devoted to instructions about or descriptions of worship–sacrifices, other offerings, proper priestly vestments, the duties of priests, and the liturgical calendar. Worship is one of the primary means by which the Israelites maintain holiness and by which they live in relationship with the LORD.
