the first seven chapters of leviticus!

Hi! Interesting choice of topic, right? Leviticus? This is part one in a dope series of me spinning yarns about difficult parts of the Bible. I’m not going to pretend I didn’t write all this simply for my own satisfaction – I know Leviticus isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Later on I’m going to edit this up a bit and make it a little more readable, but for now here is all my notes on the first seven chapters of LEVITICUS.

So, Leviticus! This is a book that was written by Moses circa 1440-1400 BC. The key word in the book of Leviticus is קָדוֹשׁ – qadosh - translated as HOLY, SAINTLY, SANCTIFIED, or SACRED, which occurs no less than 77 times throughout. This holiness is the overarching theme of Leviticus - God directly commands three times throughout the book, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (11:44, 11:45, 19:2) Running alongside this theme is that of atonement. The book’s title in Hebrew is a translation of the first word of the first chapter - wayiqra - “and He called.” The title “Leviticus” is a Latin translation of the Greek Λευιτικον - meaning “relating to the Levites.” We get this term from the Greek Septuagint, which was a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament adopted by the early church.

The first seven chapters of Leviticus mirror the last five in the sense that both of these sections are focused on RITUAL. Within the first seven chapters of the book the five main kinds of offerings are described in detail: the burnt offering, the grain offering, the peace offering, the sin offering, and the guilt offering. In Leviticus 1, the audible voice of God “calls out” to Moses from the Tabernacle and begins to prescribe specific instructions for Moses to relay to the Israelites in regard to sacrifice, starting with procedures for the burnt offering. The significance of the burnt offering (1:3) is that the animal is wholly consumed on the altar, indicating the entire self-sacrifice of the offerer, whereas in other cases, parts of the sacrifice would be consumed either by the offerer of the sacrifice, or the priest. This dedication of the entire sacrifice is echoed in Romans where a different kind of sacrifice is required by God. And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. (Romans 12:1, NLT). Laying one’s hand on the animal’s head was a symbolic act indicating the dedication of the animal to God, and the offerer’s confession of sin and prayer for a transfer of guilt and punishment onto the animal (1:4). The “sprinkling” or “splattering” of the blood (1:5) was to be done by the priests. The sprinkling of the blood was the application of atonement, as the blood was considered to be the life.

If the person offering the sacrifice could not afford to bring a bull, they could then bring either a sheep or a goat, as long as it was a male with no defects (1:10). If they couldn’t afford a sheep or a goat, they could bring either a turtledove or a young pigeon. Only a young pigeon might be offered because pigeons would sometimes be hard and unfit for eating, therefore the age restriction on pigeons was to avoid offering to God what might be rejected by men (1:14). Because of the range in value of sacrifices that were acceptable for the burnt offering, it is clear that the monetary value of the animal is not what is of importance to God, but the heart posture of the offerer. The dove is selected as an acceptable sacrifice because of its “gentle nature and cleanly habits.” Instead of the offerer slaughtering the animal themselves, the priest is instructed to prepare the fowl at the altar because birds are small and there is no blood to be wasted (1:15).

Leviticus 2 explains the procedures for what is called the “grain offering,” which is described as a voluntary offering of good will. Earlier translations of this chapter would say “meat offering,” as this word would have applied to “food” in general rather than “flesh,” and in this context refers to flour, wheat, and grain. The grain offering is distinguished from the burnt offering as the portion which wasn’t burnt was then to be consumed by the priests (2:3). The grain being offered was required to have olive oil poured on it (2:1), which can symbolise the influences of the Spirit, and it could not contain any honey or raising agents like yeast (2:11), which could symbolise hypocrisy and corruption as these foods soon spoil in warm climates.

It is suggested that for similar reasons, the use of salt is important in the grain offering as it is a preservative, symbolic of “incorruption and purity as well as of a perpetual covenant - a perfect reconciliation and lasting friendship.” Verse (2:13) explains that salt must be added to grain offerings to “remind you of God’s eternal covenant.” Another symbolic application of salt is found in the New Testament. “For everyone will be tested with fire. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavour, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” (Mark 9:49-50, NLT). As salt keeps food from corruption, so will the Gospel keep humanity from the corruption of sin. Therefore, the use of salt can also refer to the impact of the Gospel on those who receive it.

The procedure for the peace or fellowship offering is described in Leviticus 3. This sacrifice is one of thanks and prosperity. This offering can be distinguished from the previous two as instead of the entire sacrifice being consumed, or part being consumed and part given to the priests, in the peace offering only the fat would be consumed on the altar. Of the remains, part was to be given to the priests and the rest back to the offerer (3:3). In this way God, the priests, and the offerer would all partake in a sacred feast resembling the communion through Christ. Specific instructions as to which parts of the sheep to be sacrificed are given here which had cultural significance to the Israelites. All of the fat around the internal organs and the fat of the broad tail (3:9) was to be given as a gift to God. The fat-tailed sheep is a species most numerous in Eastern countries such as Arabia, Syria, and Palestine and was probably the most common breed of sheep sacrificed by the Israelites, also referenced in Exodus 29:22. These sheep could be bred specifically for the value in the “extraordinary size and deliciousness of their tails,” a detail which adds significance to a law that would seem otherwise bizarre to a Western audience.

Leviticus 4 - Leviticus 5:13 contains procedures and regulations regarding the sin offering, a Hebrew phase that literally translated means “fault offering.” This offering would be performed in the event that an individual, group of people, or a priest unknowingly committed an offence against God - a sin in ignorance, misinterpretation, or haste. While almost all sin could be considered “misinterpretation of God’s law,” the sins referred to in this law were “unintentional violations of ceremonial law” rather than a breach in one of the ten commandments. If one of these violations was committed by the high priest (4:3) then it was considered a very serious offence because of the influence that he had over the people.

The priest would slaughter a bull in the same fashion that one would for the burnt offering and perform a ceremony usually reserved for the most serious offences - that is sprinkling the blood seven times before the inner curtain in the Tabernacle (4:6) - a procedure which indicated that the services of the priest had been corrupted by his sin until atonement had been made. Where the skin and meat would traditionally be given to the priests, in this case, after the blood had been drained and fat removed just as one would when performing a peace offering to be burnt on the altar as a sin offering (4:8-10), the remainder of the carcass would be carried to a place outside of the camp where ashes are dumped to be burned (4:12). This procedure is referenced also in Hebrews. 11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. (Hebrews 13:11-12, NLT). Therefore, the sin offering described in Leviticus is not only instructions for the Israelites but a foreshadowing of the Messiah’s coming and death on the cross over a thousand years later.

Verses 13-21 go on to describe a similar procedure to be followed if the entire congregation of Israel somehow became guilty of committing a violation of the law on a national level. The regulations for the sin offering in this case are almost identical to those for the sin of the high priest, except that before the animal was slaughtered instead of the priest laying his hand on its head, all the elders of the community had to do so. However, the sin of a leader or member of government was less grievous, therefore he would only have to bring a goat rather than a bull, the blood would not be carried into the sanctuary, and instead of being carried outside the camp the rest of the carcass would be given to the priests for consumption (4:22-26). Verses 27-35 then complete chapter 4 by describing the procedure to be followed if any of the common people commit one of these unintentional violations. A list of these violations is written in the first 13 verses of Leviticus 5, such as unknowingly touching something ceremonially unclean or making a foolish vow. It is key to remember that none of these sacrifices were worth enough to free the offerer’s conscience from the “pollution of guilt” or pardon them in the sight of God. What these sacrifices did was grant the offerer formal deliverance from the penalty of the law.

9 This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. 10 For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. 11 So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. 12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. 13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. (Hebrews (9:9-14, NLT) In addition they foreshadowed and represented the perfect sin offering which was to come later - Jesus Christ.

‘Also if one person sins unintentionally, then he should offer a one year old female goat for a sin offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for the person who goes astray when he sins unintentionally, making atonement for him that he may be forgiven. You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the sons of Israel and for the alien who sojourns among them. But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people. Because he has despised the word of the LORD and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt shall be on him.’ (Num. 15:27-31).

The final kind of offering is the guilt offering, which is explained in Leviticus 5:14 - Leviticus 6:7. It comes from the Hebrew word אָשָׁם – asham – meaning guilt or offense, a violation of either God or man. Where the emphasis of the sin offering was on the sin itself, the guilt offering now was concerning the “practice and harmful effects of the sin.” The sin offering therefore would be about the fruit, the guilt offering about the roots.

The Holy Spirit deals with this offering in two ways. First in Leviticus 5:14-19, violations against God’s holy things are dealt with, and then in Leviticus 6:1-7, violations against man are dealt with. Explicitly, the guilt offering is never mentioned in the New Covenant. But it is mentioned implicitly, because Isaiah 53:10 says that Christ is the guilt offering. Therefore, using that as our context, Isaiah 53:1 is quoted in John 12:38 and Romans 10:16. Isaiah 53:4 is quoted by Matthew 8:12, Isaiah 53:5-6 is quoted by First Peter 2:24-25. Isaiah 53:9 is quoted by First Peter 2:25 and Isaiah 53:12 is quoted by Luke 22:37. So there is an indirect mention of the Guilt Offering in the New Covenant in the death of Christ. To finish this first section of the book, Leviticus 6:8 - Leviticus 7 goes into further instructions and detail for the different kinds of offerings that were introduced in previous chapters.