Who Wrote the Book of Leviticus?
Leviticus is the one-third book of the Bible. It is located within the first five books called the Pentateuch. In jewish tradition, this location is called the Torah and it is largely agreed upon that Moses penned this script. evidence of this includes the direct relation of subject in Exodus to Leviticus. The word Leviticus derives from the tribe of Levi. The law given in this book deals specifically with priestly behaviors. The kin of Levi was chosen by God to become the priests of His people, the Israelites. Scholars believe this book was written over the course of a retentive period of time, consequently, there are no specific dates listed .
Context and Background of Leviticus
This book is written during the time the Israelites are camped at Mt. Sinai. They have left Egypt and are preparing to embark on the hanker travel through the wilderness. Up to this point, God has not dwelled among them. He has watched over them and shown His might with the plagues in Egypt and farewell of the Red Sea. But it is at this meter that God intends to dwell among His people. The Tabernacle has been built so that God has a place. Before He can enter the Holy of Holies to live among His people, there needs to be some education. This divine/human relationship can not happen unless the Israelites know how to deal with their sin and impurities.
The huge majority of the instruction in Leviticus is toward the tribe of Levi. The Levites were to be the priests of God ’ randomness people. The levitical police lays out the way a priest should live and what is required of their holy date .
Main Theme and Purpose of Leviticus
Within the book of Leviticus, there are three main themes. These themes are woven throughout the text in regulate to assist the Israelites in becoming the people God wanted them to be. The integral determination of the Levitical law was for the people of Israel to be able to live within the midst of Christ. The first base theme is the most big. It is the concept of holiness. To be holy is to be set apart. In Leviticus 20:26 we find deity speaking about his people and how they are to be holy because He is holy place. They are to be set apart from early nations because they belong to him. God has not dwelt on the Earth since the Garden of Eden. He has immediately come back to dwell among the Israelites in the Tabernacle. The words of Leviticus teach the fine details of becoming holy to God ’ sulfur people. It besides opens the eyes of the people of Israel to understand just how holy place their God is. The second subject in Leviticus is how we deal with sine. God is pure and He knows that his people are not. They are extraordinary and will need to deal with that sin to be in His presence. In the Levitical jurisprudence, we see blood sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. This is a picture of Jesus, who will be the ultimate sacrifice in the New Testament. Sin would require a sacrifice, which meant that there would have to be a life for a life. last, we see the theme of worship. Through the law, God is giving His people a direction into His presence. He is laying out what it will take to enter into this divine relationship. The rules in esteem to daily living were laid out. nothing was left to luck. God wanted His people to know precisely what needed to be done. He was designing the perfect plan to be with His people .
What Can We Learn from Leviticus Today?
Leviticus is an Old Testament book that has many modern lessons for us today. The most important lesson in Leviticus has to do with sin. Sin is not a casual event or matter. It is serious and there has to be expiation for it. In the time of Leviticus, that expiation was the sacrifice. There had to be lineage spilled. God sent His son, Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrifice. This painting is shown every clock an animal had to die as a sacrifice. In nowadays ’ s society, sin is not viewed as badly. We have even given levels to sin and developed a grey area for it. What God was saying in Leviticus is that there is no grey area or flush to sin. Sin is sin and we have to repent and turn from it. Jesus already paid the monetary value and for us to be in a kinship with Him, now we must ask for forgiveness. Another moral we find is that blessings will follow obedience. If the Israelites would only strive to obey God ’ s law, He would bless them. He would give them everything they needed. They would be protected from all dangers. This is true nowadays. If we can read God ’ mho word and follow His direction, He says that He will bless us besides. We will have everything we need and more. His guidance, wisdom, protection, and indeed much more can be ours if we merely obey.
The final big lesson in Leviticus is one that is wrapped in holiness. Being holy place is mentioned many times in this book. To be holy is to be set apart and wholly committed to God. As God ’ south people the Israelites were to strive to be holy and pure. nowadays, we are to do the same. If we are sold out to God, we are striving each day to be holy and pure. God wants a relationship with us that is not shared with anyone or anything else. We must be sold out to Him .
Our Favorite Verses from Leviticus
Leviticus 6:7, “ In this means the priest will make atonement for them before the LORD, and they will be forgiven for any of the things they did that made them guilty. ” Leviticus 17:11, “ For the life of a creature is in the rake, and I have given it to you to make expiation for yourselves on the altar ; it is the blood that makes expiation for one ‘s liveliness. ” Leviticus 19:2, “ Speak to the integral fabrication of Israel and say to them : Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy. ” Leviticus 19:12, “ Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. ” Leviticus 20:26, “ You are to be holy to me because, I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. ” Leviticus 27:30, “ A tithe of everything from the farming, whether grain from the dirt or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD ; it is holy place to the LORD. ”
Sources
learn Religions : presentation to the Book of Leviticus, Mary Fairchild simple Lessons from the bible : life Lessons from the Book of Leviticus
ESV Study Bible : The Global Message of Leviticus Photo citation : © Sparrowstock 
Ashley Hooker is a freelance writer who spends her time homeschooling her two children, ministering alongside her husband as he pastors a rural church service in West Virginia, and writing about her faith. presently, she is a contributing author for Journey Christian magazine. She has taken part in mission trips with the NC Baptist Men during the ravaging of Hurricanes Katrina and Harvey in Mississippi and Texas. In her local church, she has served on versatile committees focusing in the area of evangelism along with traveling to West Virginia and Vermont to contribution the Gospel. Her dream is to spend her time publish and sharing the love of Christ with all she meets.
