Specifically, aaron, as the high priest of israel, foreshadowed the lord jesus christ, our great high priest before god. The five levitical offerings reflections on their order. The household of the high priest was included because the office was inherited. Moses takes a census, organizes tribes, reinforces the laws of purity and leads the people as the face hostility from local tribes. Jesus serves as the great atoning high priest, although not by entering into the holy places made with hands, which are figures of the true. It contains laws about worship in general and rules and customs on ceremonies in consecrations and sacrificial offerings. The book of leviticus was the first book studied by a jewish child. The book of leviticus new international commentary on the. The sin offering for the high priest and his household vv. He was a high priest taken from among men, and could not put off natural affection when he put on the holy garments.
The book of leviticus is the third of five books of the law of moses, also known as the torah or pentateuch. High priest the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. One of the most significant of these names is priest or high priest. Leviticus receives its name from the septuagint the prechristian greek translation of the ot and means relating to the levites. Leviticus is a book about the rites of jewish liturgy. In the body of christ we are all made priests, one to. In the modern church it tends to be the last part of the bible that anyone looks at seriously. Leviticus is composed of two basic genres narrative history and law. Note, there may be a deep sense of affliction even where there is a sincere resignation to the will of god in the affliction. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. Lesson 6 leviticus in the first part of this lesson you will briefly survey the contents of the 27 chapters of the book of leviticus.
Richard ritenbaugh, aligning book three of the psalms with the hot summer months, the book of leviticus in the torah, the book of lamentations in the megilloth, and summary psalm 148, indicates that this portion of scripture deals with the somber theme of. Summary of the book of leviticus the story of the bible. Leviticuss narrative elements have a lot to do with aaron. Only the high priest could enter and, before doing so, he was required to make a sacrifice for himself. In the old testament this priesthood was the sons of levi. This book introduces us to the term nazerite a ritual. Few topics are more central to the hebrew bible than priests and priesthood. Contextual overview 10 the priest who is chief among his brothers, on whose head the anointing oil is poured and who has been consecrated to wear the garments, shall not let the hair of his head hang loose nor tear his clothes.
In the second part of the lesson you will more closely study about the sacrifices and festivals god commanded through moses in the book of leviticus. In the body of christ we are all made priests, one to another. Wenham gives clear explanations to the five types of offerings. Wenham the book of leviticus the new international commentary on the old testament, 1979. High priest was the title of the chief religious official of judaism from the early postexilic times. Numbers this is the book of wilderness wanderings, also known as the book of murmuring. Its hebrew title, wayyiqra, is the first word in the hebrew text of the book and means and he i. Integral to the work of the old covenant priests, of course, was the offering up of various sacrifices. In the former we have christ bearing our spiritual infirmities and so enabling our. For all generations to come it is his perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the lord. The book of leviticus opens with god calling moses from the tabernacle. And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heavens most holy place because of the blood of jesus. And the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the lord for his sin which he hath done. This book is a set of rules that god gave to moses, so that his hebrew children could learn how to live pleasing unto god.
Now, we have both the perfect priest, and the perfect sacrifice, in the person of our blessed lord jesus christ. Leviticus 1, new international version niv the bible app. He was divinely chosen, equipped, anointed, approved and accepted. He is the great prophet, like unto whom the messiah will be deut. Jul 01, 20 aaronmoses older brother and the high priest of israel, aaron is a character to keep an eye on throughout the pentateuch. The name leviticus was given to the third book of the pentateuch by the ancient greek translators because a good part of this book deals with concerns of the priests, who are of the tribe of levi. But after the law was given, god appointed his son with an oath, and his son has been made the perfect high priest forever. During the class you will also read key portions of. And the lord spake unto moses, saying, take aaron and his sons with him, and the. The anointing of the tabernacle and instruments and aaron with oil.
Thus it is the believer can, with the eye of faith, behold his great high priest, in the heavens, and see in him the divine realities of which the aaronic vestments were but the shadows. Leviticus used to be the first book that jewish children studied in the synagogue. In chapter 10, however, aaron is installed as the high priest, and he very much comes into his own. Leviticus overview matthew henrys complete commentary. The hebrew title, wayyiqra, is from the first word in the book meaning and he called. Moses provisional priestly role seems to come to an end here. As god daily by most singular benefits declared himself to be mindful of his church. This book explores how the sacrificial rituals and purity practices cleared the way for morally corrupt israelites to become gods covenant partners. God held the priests to the most stringent standards of behavior and ritual purity leviticus 21. The setting of leviticus mainly appears to take place at mt. In these lectures, peter leithart shows how leviticus was both a pedagogy fo. Leviticus assumes that israel is sinful and impure, and it describes how to deal with sin and impurity so that the holy lord can dwell among his people. Because leviticus is largely concerned with subjects that seem incomprehensible and irrelevant today rituals for sacrifice and regulations concerning uncleanness it appears to have nothing to say to twenty.
Actually it is more concerned with the priests than with the levites themselves. The book of leviticus was written between 1440 and 1400 b. Chip dean is student pastor at capshaw baptist church, harvest, alabama. They are given a highly responsible role of stewarding the sheep in the shepherds stead, though of course, aligning to the shepherds teachings. Leviticus 7 nasb the priests part in the offerings bible. The following are what i believe to be the five most helpful commentaries on the book of leviticus. Lesson 6 leviticus in the first part of this lesson you. Leviticus 1 the book of leviticus is one of the most. The book of hebrews offers the most extended description of christ as our priest, the background of which is the work of the old covenant priesthood.
The old testament aaronic priesthood has been fulfilled and rendered obsolete by jesus christ, the great high priest. In this way, the sanctuary and the people are cleansed from sin so that the lord might continue to dwell in their midst. We hope that you find the leviticus summary from the kjv bible chapters and verses helpful to your bible studies and for references as a guide to further reference to the book of leviticus. The duties of the high priest and his special vestments are outlined in the books of exodus and leviticus, the chief references being ex. For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices. It covers the high points, and the low points of the is.
Because the israelites had been held captive in egypt for 400 years, the concept of god had been distorted by the polytheistic, pagan egyptians. But for us, the priesthood is not only jesus christ, our lord and high priest to whom we can freely come, but it is also each other. Aaronmoses older brother and the high priest of israel, aaron is a character to keep an eye on throughout the pentateuch. As followers of jesus, the book of leviticus points us to the person and work of our lord and savior as our sacrifice for sin and our high priest. There is nothing historical in all this book of leviticus except the account which it gives us of the consecration of the priesthood leviticus 8. It tells of his covenant love and grace for us, despite our sin. Learn what the bible teaches in the book of leviticus. Leviticus comes from the greek title of the third book in the old testament, meaning relating to the levites. And of course, this person is jesus christ, and he is our great high priest.
The book of leviticus goes into deeper detail about the divinehuman relationship put in place on mount sinai exodus 1940. Behind the various offerings lies a deep conviction that god is the lord of all creation. Because leviticus is largely concerned with subjects that seem incomprehensible and irrelevant today rituals for sacrifice and regulations concerning uncleanness. He, having offered himself without spot to god, passed into the heavens, as our great high priest, where he ever liveth to make intercession for us. Yes and no yes, in the sense that as i will later cover in leviticus 10, the ordination of these high priests is akin to the ordination of ministers and pastors.
Pages in category book of leviticus the following 20 pages are in this category, out of 20 total. His sacrifice is what provides cleansing for our sins. For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law hebrews 8. The epistle to the hebrews expounds leviticus in this connection, and therefore merits.
Leviticus 7 nasb the priests part in the offerings. Leviticus is one of the keys to the bible, but is a closed book to many christians. The rituals for the day of atonement are detailed in leviticus 16. In the bible, this kind of preparation, representation and leading was the job of. Amazing facts 247 television station featuring the best in bible study streamed lived and ondemand. Sabbath school study hour helping you get the most out of your sabbath school quarterly every week. Harrison, leviticus an introduction and commentary downers grove. The key personalities of leviticus include moses, aaron, nadab, abihu eleazar, and ithamar. Yet the great climax of this book can be clearly seen in leviticus 16 where god gives the instructions for making atonement for sin on the great day of atonement yom kippur. After camping out with the book of leviticus for about 3 monthsreading the scripture and wenhams commentary along the way, i must say i agree 100%. The purpose of leviticus is to provide instruction and laws to guide a sinful, yet redeemed. May 06, 2015 this book explores how the sacrificial rituals and purity practices cleared the way for morally corrupt israelites to become gods covenant partners. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, jesus the son of god, let us hold fast our profession. The law includes the books of genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy.
I truly have come to appreciate this book of the bible more than ever before. Book of leviticus overview insight for living ministries. The oil a picture of the holy spirit was poured over aarons head. Only aaron could make atonement in the holy of holies, because he represented christ our great high priest who alone could and would put away sin by the. But within these highly detailed directives we discover the holinessthe. Once a year, the high priest is to enter the holy of holies and to offer sacrifices to make atonement for himself, his fellow priests, and the people of israel. Aug 01, 2002 it may come as a surprise to discover that there are a number of biblical experts who regard the book of leviticus as the most important book of the bible. It consists of various laws that god gave to the israelites through moses as rules for the covenant which he had.
This book will surely fascinate and convince many readers. Although leviticus is basically a book of laws, it also contains some narrative chapters 89, 10. Even though aaron was the first high priest mentioned in the book of exodus, louis ginzberg in legends of the. For those who have struggled to understand the meaning and relevance of leviticus, a good commentary can shed a lot of light. There is a lot of sickness in the world despite the advances in medical knowledge. The day the priests dropped dead leviticus, hebrews, 1. An eminent nineteenthcentury writer once described leviticus quite correctly as the seedbed of new testament theology, for in this book is to be found the basis of christian faith and doctrine. The book opens with an overview of five types of sacrifices that had been going on in israel for years. Jun 25, 2008 for those who have struggled to understand the meaning and relevance of leviticus, a good commentary can shed a lot of light. Leviticus deals with religious issues like priests, sacrifices and worship but also with social and economic issues such as skin disease, farm animals and money. Kjv bible verses from leviticus offer free, online access, for those of the christian faith, to study scriptural passages for biblical studies, contained in.
The priest who sacrifices himself reformed bible studies. Leviticus 7 new american standard bible nasb the priests part in the offerings. The high priest and, obviously, his descendants were all sinners. Aug 02, 2008 he was a high priest taken from among men, and could not put off natural affection when he put on the holy garments. Leviticus 1 the book of leviticus is one of the most important books in the old testament. We must remember this gracebased and thus positive aim behind the atmosphere of severity that appears in some sections of leviticus. When the high priest entered into the holy of holies and sprinkled the blood upon the mercy seat the sins of the entire nation for the previous year were forgiven by god. We have seen the type of the day of atonement fulfilled in the entering into heaven of our great high priest, but in the type. In the new testament, jesus is identified as the great high priest hebrews 4. The book in hebrew is named after the first word wayiqra, and he called as the lord called the israelites to be a holy nation. In this way the high priest was cleansed and could then go on to offer the cleansing sacrifices for the people leviticus 16. Although leviticus does not deal only with the special duties of the levites, it is so.
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