Lev 1:1-16:34

• The Hebrew title for the book is taken from vs 1.1, wayyiqra', translated "And He called." The "and" is a conjunction showing that Leviticus follows from Exodus (Constable, Leviticus, p. 1, 2009)
  
• The English title comes for the Latin, Liver Leviticus. The Latin coming from the Greek title, Leuitikon, meaning "relating to the Levites" (Ibid)
  
  • It would be wrong, however, to describe Leviticus simply as a manual for
    

    priests. It is equally, if not more, concerned with the part the laity should
    

    play in worship (Wenham, Leviticus, p. 3)
    

• Historically the book fits within the one month between God's occupation of the tabernacle (Exod. 40:17, 34-38) and the taking of the census at Sinai (Num. 1:1-3) (Constable, p. 2)
  
• ". . . the Levitical rituals are still of immense relevance. It was in terms of these sacrifices that Jesus himself and the early church understood his atoning death. Leviticus provided the theological models for their understanding. If we wish to walk in our Lord's steps and think his thoughts after him, we must attempt to understand the sacrificial system of Leviticus. It was established by the same God who sent his Son to die for us; and in rediscovering the principles of OT worship written there, we may learn something of the way we should approach a holy God." (Wenham, p. 37)
  
• Outline (Constable, pp. 5-6)
  
  • Public Worship, 1-16
    
    • The laws of sacrifice, 1-7
      
    • The institution of the Aaronic priesthood, 8-10
      
    • Laws relating to ritual cleanliness, 11-15
      
    • The Day of Atonement, 16
      
  • Private Worship, 17-27
    
    • Holiness of conduct on the Israelite's part, 17-20
      
    • Holiness of the priests, gifts, and sacrifices, 21-22
      
    • Sanctification of the Sabbath and the feast of Yahweh, 23
      
    • The preparation of the holy lamps and showbreat, 24:1-9
      
    • The punishment of the blasphemer, 24:10-23
      
    • Sanctification of the possession of land by the sabbatical and jubilee years, 25
      
    • Promises and warnings, 26
      
    • Directions concerning vows, 27
      

  Lev 1:3-9 (NIV) "'If the offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he is to offer a male without defect. He must present it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting so that it will be acceptable to the Lord. 4 He is to lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him. 5 He is to slaughter the young bull before the Lord, and then Aaron's sons the priests shall bring the blood and sprinkle it against the altar on all sides at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 6 He is to skin the burnt offering and cut it into pieces. 7 The sons of Aaron the priest are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. 8 Then Aaron's sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, including the head and the fat, on the burning wood that is on the altar. 9 He is to wash the inner parts and the legs with water, and the priest is to burn all of it on the altar. It is a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.
  

  Lev 2:1-3 (NIV) When someone brings a grain offering to the Lord, his offering is to be of fine flour. He is to pour oil on it, put incense on it 2 and take it to Aaron's sons the priests. The priest shall take a handful of the fine flour and oil, together with all the incense, and burn this as a memorial portion on the altar, an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. 3 The rest of the grain offering belongs to Aaron and his sons; it is a most holy part of the offerings made to the Lord by fire.
  

• Typically we see that an offering involved three objects
  
  • The offerer
    
  • The offering
    
  • The mediator
    
• We also see differences between the offerings
  
  • Each offering is different from other offerings in terms of the different options of what the offerer could present, how he could present them, and what to do with the all the parts of the offering
    
• What principles of worship do we see in this passage?
  
  • The offering is of your best
    
  • The offerer has responsibilities and work involved in presenting the offering
    
  • The priest has responsibilities, but also assists the offerer
    
  • The priest benefits
    

  Lev 2:11-13 (NIV) "'Every grain offering you bring to the Lord must be made without yeast, for you are not to burn any yeast or honey in an offering made to the Lord by fire. 12 You may bring them to the Lord as an offering of the firstfruits, but they are not to be offered on the altar as a pleasing aroma. 13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.
  

• What are some additional lessons or pictures of worship that we see here?
  
  • Can't use yeast. Yeast symbolizes sin
    
  • Have to add salt. Salt symbolizes life and preservation
    
  • Jesus calls us the salt of the world. Are we representing life to the world around us? Are we preserving people from sin or participating in such a way as to obscure life from those who need it? Really the question is, how different are we and is it an attractive difference?
    
• Constable, pp. 9-15
  

Chapter		1		2	3
Type		Burnt offerings (most common)		Meal offerings	Peace offering
Thoughts		Soothing aroma (all three)
Distinctive		Purpose was acceptance Offerer gave up life Animal perished completely (except skin)		Offering the fruit of human labor (more so than animals) Bread given to priests and portion (flour) put on altar	All participants fed together (offerer, priest, and God (symbolically))
Variations		Higher the responsibility, the more expensive the animal Butchering varied Washed internals			Several grades of animals including females Multiple reasons for the gift

Lev 4:1-2 (NIV) The Lord said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands —

Lev 4:13 (NIV) "'If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty.

Lev 4:22 (NIV) "'When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, he is guilty.

Lev 5:1 (NIV) "'If a person sins because he does not speak up when he hears a public charge to testify regarding something he has seen or learned about, he will be held responsible.

• The sin offering seems to break into two different groups or classes of sins, what do you see?
  
  • Unintentional sins
    
  • Sins of omission
    
• Also, there are some differences among the unintentional sins
  
  • Three groups: individual, the community, and the leader
    
  • APPLICATION: I think we need to confess, not only our sins, but our community sins. Those are probably best done in a group gathering, because the intent is for the community to recognize them, but I don't think it hurts to confess them privately as well
    
  • Flour is allowed for the poor as an offering
    
• Next follows the trespass offering (5:14-6:7) (Constable, pp. 20-21)
  
  • Sins against anything dedicated to God (tabernacle, furnishings, offerings, house, and land)
    
  • Sins against sacred property
    
  • Sins against swearing falsely
    
  • Additionally, reparation or restitution is required
    
• Next we go back through the offerings and provide additional regulations, to include rules for the priests on what they could and couldn't eat
  
• Chapters 8 through 10 concern the institution of the Aaronic priesthood. The genre switches from legal to narrative material
  

  Lev 9:23-10:3 (NIV) Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
  

  10 Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. 2 So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Moses then said to Aaron, "This is what the Lord spoke of when he said:
  

  "'Among those who approach me // I will show myself holy; // in the sight of all the people // I will be honored.'"
  

  Aaron remained silent.
  

• When you think about Aaron, what comes to mind?
  
  • The golden calf incident -- a very serious event that affected God's relationship with Israel
    
  • Yet, Aaron is forgiven. He is the high priest. He takes it very seriously and follows, to the letter, the commands of God
    
• Nadab and Abihu also do something quite wrong-- why the difference in the response?
  
  • One, we don't know any details about their life up until this point
    
  • Two, they are already consecrated as priests and taught the commands
    
  • Three, God establishes his Holiness very clearly to the people and to the priests and Levites
    
  • Fourth, God is never unjust in taking from us, life, what he gave originally. And if they truly believed in God, then their death is merely a step into another existence
    

  Lev 10:4-11 (NIV) Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron's uncle Uzziel, and said to them, "Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary." 5 So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered.
  

  6 Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair become unkempt, and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the house of Israel, may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. 7 Do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting or you will die, because the Lord's anointing oil is on you." So they did as Moses said.
  

  8 Then the Lord said to Aaron, 9 "You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 10 You must distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean, 11 and you must teach the Israelites all the decrees the Lord has given them through Moses."
  

• From this passage, what is God teaching (or Moses) Aaron?
  
  • I thought the key verses is verse 10, to distinguish between the holy and the common
    
• How is the holy different from the common?
  
  • It takes my best
    
  • It requires sacrifice
    
  • It requires obedience
    
  • It should set me apart from the world
    
• My only question is, since the NT calls us a kingdom of Priests, is, what is not holy? Is there anything that is common?
  

  Lev 10:16-20 (NIV) When Moses inquired about the goat of the sin offering and found that it had been burned up, he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's remaining sons, and asked, 17 "Why didn't you eat the sin offering in the sanctuary area? It is most holy; it was given to you to take away the guilt of the community by making atonement for them before the Lord. 18 Since its blood was not taken into the Holy Place, you should have eaten the goat in the sanctuary area, as I commanded."
  

  19 Aaron replied to Moses, "Today they sacrificed their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord, but such things as this have happened to me. Would the Lord have been pleased if I had eaten the sin offering today?" 20 When Moses heard this, he was satisfied.
  

• Eleazar and Ithamar also "mess up." Why is their actions treated differently from their brothers?
  
  • They had the right motive
    
  • Suggests that the motives of their brothers was not correct