*LEVITICUS

 

-Leviticus means “pertaining to the Levites.” Book contains divine instructions for priests concercning worship, purification, Day of Atonement, holiness, and redemption.  This book is about how man can have communion with a Holy God.

 

I. Offerings. Ch1-7 SEE END OF DOCUMENT FOR IN-DEPTH EXPLANATION ON THE DIFFERENT OFFERINGS

A.     Burnt Offering. Ch1. Entire animal had to be sacrificed; had to be male and domesticated.  No wild animals because they cost the worshipper nothing.  Now, according to Rom12:1, we are a living sacrifice.

B.     Meal Offering. Ch2. No animal in sacrifice.  Meal or flour can be prepared in oven, on falt pan, or in frying pan.  No yeast or honey can be in this offering.

C.     Peace Offering. Ch3. Same as burnt offering except only fat was burned.  Rest eaten by priest and worshippers.  Implies communion with God because both God and worshippers partook of the offering.

D.     Sin Offering. Ch 4:1-5:13. 3 types of sins require sin offering. The LORD also shows concern for poor by mentioning alternative sacrifices if offender is poor. Lev5:7,11

a.       Refusing to disclose information/facts to a crime. Lev5:1

b.      Coming into contact with unclean thing. Lev5:2,3

c.       Making evil promise or not fulfilling a good promise. 5:4-5

E.      Trespass Offering. Ch5:4-6:7.

 

II. Priesthood. Ch8-10

-Follow-up to Exo29.  People assembled in Tabernacle, Aaron and his sons, were washed, robed, anointed with oil. Priests also supposed to teach the laws of Moses. Lev10:11

 

III. Clean and Unclean. Ch11-15

-Deals with laws of purification and clean/unclean animals.  The unclean is not permitted to come before God. Now through Jesus we are cleansed. 1 John 1:9

-These laws are mainly ceremonial; God was concerned about the Israelites health

 

IV. Atonement. Ch16. NT COMMENTARY ON ATONEMENT – HEB 10

-Israel’s most important holy day.  On this day, God dealt with all sins not covered during the year.  People stopped work, the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies. He sprinkled the mercy seat 7 times with the blood of a bullock for himself and his family.  He then went out and came back in with the blood of a goat and sprinkled the mercy seat for the atonement of the sins of the people.  The live scapegoat was then sent out in the wilderness.

-When Christ died, the veil in the Holy of Holies was torn in two, signifying that we now have access to God.  Matt 27:51

 

V. Holy Days. Ch17-27.

            -Sabbath. Lev 23:3; Exo 20:8-11

            -Passover. Lev 23:5; Exo 12:12-14

            -Firstfruits. Lev 23:9-14

            -Pentecost. Lev 23:15-22

            -Trumpets. Lev 23:23-25

            -Day of Atonment. Lev 23:26-32

            -Tabernacles. Lev 23:33-44

            -Sabbatical Year. Lev 25:1-7

            -Jubilee. Lev 25:8-55

 

*ADDITIONAL INFO

 

Question: "How did Jesus fulfill the meanings of the Jewish feasts?"
TAKEN FROM GOTQUESTIONS.ORG
Answer: The way in which Jesus fulfilled the Jewish feasts is a fascinating study. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Jewish prophet Amos records that God declared He would do nothing without first revealing it to His servants, the Prophets (Amos 3:7). From the Old Covenant to the New, Genesis to Revelation, God provides picture after picture of His entire plan for mankind and one of the most startling prophetic pictures is outlined for us in the Jewish Feasts of Leviticus 23.

The Hebrew word for feasts (moadim) literally means "appointed times." God has carefully planned and orchestrated the timing and sequence of each of these seven feasts to reveal to us a special story. The seven annual feasts of Israel were spread over seven months of the Jewish calendar, at set times appointed by God. They are still celebrated by observant Jews today. But for both Jews and non-Jews who have placed their faith in Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, these special days demonstrate the work of redemption through God’s Son.

The first four of the seven feasts occur during the springtime (Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Weeks) and they all have already been fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament. The final three holidays (Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles) occur during the fall, all within a short fifteen-day period.

Many Bible scholars and commentators believe that these fall feasts have not yet been fulfilled by Jesus. However, the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13) for all believers in Jesus Christ is that they most assuredly will. As the four spring feasts were fulfilled literally and right on the actual feast day in connection with Christ's first coming, these three fall feasts, it is believed by many, will likewise be fulfilled literally in connection to the Lord's second coming.

In a nutshell, here is the prophetic significance of each of the seven Levitical feasts of Israel:

1) Passover (Leviticus 23:5) – Pointed to the Messiah as our Passover lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) whose blood would be shed for our sins. Jesus was crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover at the same hour that the lambs were being slaughtered for the Passover meal that evening.

2) Unleavened Bread (Leviticus 23:6) – Pointed to the Messiah's sinless life (as leaven is a picture of sin in the Bible), making Him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus' body was in the grave during the first days of this feast, like a kernel of wheat planted and waiting to burst forth as the bread of life.

3) First Fruits (Leviticus 23:10) – Pointed to the Messiah's resurrection as the first fruits of the righteous. Jesus was resurrected on this very day, which is one of the reasons that Paul refers to him in I Corinthians 15:20 as the "first fruits from the dead."

4) Weeks or Pentecost (Leviticus 23:16) – Occurred fifty days after the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and pointed to the great harvest of souls and the gift of the Holy Spirit for both Jew and Gentile, who would be brought into the kingdom of God during the Church Age (see Acts 2). The Church was actually established on this day when God poured out His Holy Spirit and 3,000 Jews responded to Peter's great sermon and his first proclamation of the Gospel.

5) Trumpets (Leviticus 23:24) – The first of the fall feasts. Many believe this day points to the Rapture of the Church when the Messiah Jesus will appear in the heavens as He comes for His bride, the Church. The Rapture is always associated in Scripture with the blowing of a loud trumpet (I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and I Corinthians 15:52).

6) Day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27) – Many believe this prophetically points to the day of the Second Coming of Jesus when He will return to earth. That will be the Day of Atonement for the Jewish remnant when they "look upon Him whom they have pierced," repent of their sins, and receive Him as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:1-6, 25-36).

7) Tabernacles or Booths (Leviticus 23:34) – Many scholars believe that this feast day points to the Lord's promise that He will once again “tabernacle” with His people when He returns to reign over all the world (Micah 4:1-7).

Should Christians celebrate these Levitical feast days of Israel today? Whether or not a Christian celebrates the Jewish feast days would be a matter of conscience for the individual Christian. Colossians 2:16-17 tells us “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” Christians are not bound to observe the Jewish feasts the way an Old Testament Jew was, but we should not criticize another believer who does or does not observe these special days and feasts (Romans 14:5).

While it is not required for Christians to celebrate the Jewish feast days, it is beneficial to study them. Certainly it could be beneficial to celebrate these days if it leads one to a greater understanding and appreciation for Christ’s death and resurrection and the future promise of His coming. As Christians, if we choose to celebrate these special days, we should put Christ in the center of the celebration, as the One who came to fulfill the prophetic significance of each of them.

 

 

The Five Offerings Of Leviticus 1-7

Chart And Brief Outline

By R K Campbell

TAKEN FROM: http://www.biblecentre.org/topics/rkc_5_offerings.htm

In these five offerings we have a most wonderful presentation in typical language of types and shadows of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the true "Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). All these offerings taken together give us a full view of Christ and His great sacrificial work on the cross of Calvary. They are like so many mirrors arranged around the Lord and the cross so that each one reflects a special view of His Person and work.

1. The Burnt Offering

Here we have the highest aspect of the work of Christ where He is seen offering Himself up entirely to God to do His will even unto death. The whole offering, except the skin of the animal, was burnt upon the altar and all went up to God as a sweet savour. It pictures Christ who gave Himself as "a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour" (Eph. 5:2). Christ is not seen here as bearing our sins, but as accomplishing the Father's will, glorifying Him and vindicating the holiness and majesty of His throne. This theme is especially prominent in John's Gospel and in Psalm 40.

2. The Meal Offering

This offering typifies Christ as the perfect and sinless Man and presents to us His wonderful Person and His spotless life which was ever an offering of a sweet savour unto God. There was no shedding of blood in this offering so it speaks of the perfections of Christ's Person and life rather than of His death. The fine flour pictures His sinless humanity with its evenness of moral qualities, the oil pictures the grace and power of the Holy Spirit which characterized His life, while the frankincense is emblematic of the sweetness and fragrance of His Person and life.

3. The Peace Offering

This was also an offering of a sweet savour to God. The blood, the fat and the kidneys of the offering were put upon the altar as "the food of the offering made by fire unto the Lord" (Lev. 3:11). This was God's part. Then the breast was given to Aaron and his sons and the right shoulder to the offering priest. This was man's part. Thus God and man both fed on the same offering which speaks of communion and fellowship and typifies the communion which the believer in Christ enjoys with God on the ground of the work of Christ at the cross and His blood shed there for our sins. We are at peace with God through the work of the cross and can feed upon Christ in fellowship with the Father. Luke's Gospel and Psalm 85 especially present this theme.

4. The Sin Offering

We come now to the non-sweet savour offerings. The special feature of this offering is in the whole bullock being burnt upon the ground outside the camp of Israel after the blood and fat were put upon the altar for God. This offering was for sin and pictures to us Christ who was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21) and endured the judgment and wrath of God against sin in our stead as our substitute. The holiness of God and the awfulness of sin are brought out in the bullock being entirely burnt up outside the camp. It pictures Christ, forsaken of God, as our Sin-bearer as given in Psalm 22 and Mark's Gospel.

5. The Trespass Offering

Here sin is looked at as a trespass against the government of God. Amends had to be made for the wrong done and the fifth part added to it. Atonement was made by the blood of the offering, and the trespasser was forgiven. This offering presents Christ who died for our sins and trespasses on the cross restoring that which He took not away (Ps. 69:4). He has not only answered to God for our sins and paid our debt by His shed blood, but has added the fifth part, as it were, bringing more glory to God and more blessings to man than were had before sin was committed. This is the first view the sinner gets of the Cross of Christ. Psalm 69 and Matthew's Gospel present this aspect of the offering of Christ.

R. K. CAMPBELL