Picture study bible leviticus bible history online. The book of leviticus is the book of fellowship or communion. This book explores how the sacrificial rituals and. Commentary on the book of leviticus by matthew henry. However, israel cannot enter his presence because of their corruption. These laws would guide the people in their relationship with god. 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. The book of leviticus is the third of five books of the law of moses, also known as the torah or pentateuch. Two are ways of saying thank you to god by giving back a part of what. Why would we want to study a book that dedicates seven chapters to the sacrificial system of ancient israel and five chapters to details concerning. How do these chapters remind you of jesus and the cross. This is a picture of the spiritual bondage that man has to sin, yet god provides a way of deliverance. The name leviticus implies that this book is predominantly the.
This summary of the book of leviticus provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of leviticus. Instead, the book of leviticus contains a meticulous and often tedious list of rules and regulations. Because the israelites had been held captive in egypt for 400 years, the concept of god had been distorted by the polytheistic, pagan egyptians. The purpose of leviticus is to provide instruction and laws to. We call the book leviticus, from the septuagint, because it contains the laws and ordinances of the levitical priesthood as it is called, hebrews 7. 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%. Leviticus opens with the people of god camped at the foot of mount sinai after being delivered from slavery in egypt. In leviticus the principles of approaching god are shown.
New testament writers quote the book of leviticus over 15 times. 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. Leviticus introduction free online downloadable pdf. Through sacrifice, god made a way for both praise and forgiveness. Leviticus overview matthew henrys complete commentary on. It brings us into the tabernacle and opens to us all the privileges of access to the presence of god, and our place of blessing as his priestly household. The first five books of the bible are called the pentateuch, or the law, and are generally accepted as being written by moses.
Leviticus a2 classic bible study guide 2 introduction as genesis is the book of beginnings and exodus the book of redemption, so leviticus is the book of reconciliation and fellowship. The technician produced a detailed manual containing. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole. These passages also describe how to use the altar for the sacrifices and the offerings to god. It was written to draw the israelites to the understanding of the infinite holiness of god, and that he desires them to act in a holy manner toward himself. In doing this, god gives them many instructions to carry out.
Understanding the book of leviticus for today n the samesex marriage debate there is increasing reluctance by believers to mention the book of leviticus. Introduction and commentary, tyndale old testament commentaries. This book is about as dull as anything possibly could be to the average christian and you wont find very many classes or individuals reading and studying the book of leviticus. Exodus ended with the erection of the tabernacle and god appearing in a cloud over the tent.
The bible will take you through the history of the. The jews were sinful and often strayed toward false gods and idolatry. The name leviticus is taken from the septuagint, identifying the section of the pentateuch which we call leviticus. Leviticus receives its name from the septuagint the prechristian greek. As god daily by most singular benefits declared himself to be mindful of his church. Yet, if understood properly, the book supplies readers with rich wisdom and practical instruction.
In order to represent the people to god and god to the people, god institutes. Continue in a closer walk with god by understanding what god is really saying. The book of leviticus new international commentary on the. God told the people they must kill animals as sacrifices. Thus, leviticus is best explained as a guidebook for instructing gods people about holy living and worship. Gain insight into israels history in the book of leviticus. We now look at how it informs our understanding of the book of leviticus. It describes moses giving procedural instructions for the israelites, especially to the levitical priests, about how they are to carry out offerings, ceremonies, and celebrations. It is a carefully arranged reference manual for the levitical priests.
The first seven chapters deal with five sacrifices, none of which survived beyond the fall of jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in a. While the book addresses issues of the levites responsibilities, much more significantly, all the priests are instructed in how they are to assist the people in worship, and the people are informed about how to live a holy life. 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. The key personalities of leviticus include moses, aaron, nadab, abihu eleazar, and ithamar. Jan 29, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of leviticus, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. A commentary on the book of leviticus gordon college faculty. Judging from the number of quotations or citations of deuteronomy in the new testament, its influence has been extremely great. Leviticus is a remarkable book, as the contents are considered in the light of the new testament. The book opens and concludes at the same geographical spot, mount sinai. After the publication of the two books of kings explained, in the early part of the year 1905, several very favourabl enotices of that work appeared in various periodicals. Symbolic and moral guidelines that mark israel a unique. But specifically, its a book of rules that the ancient israelites believed they had to follow in order to be close to their god. In the modern church it tends to be the last part of the bible that anyone looks at seriously.
In exodus god saved his people and formed an alliance with them. This is the exact meaning of the church ekklesia, called out ones. In response, god introduces a set of sacrifices, the priesthood, and purity laws in the book of leviticus. These sacrifices are not israels efforts to appease an. In this coming weeks study i will attempt to not only familiarize you with this book, but also explain how it positively affects the debate. I truly have come to appreciate this book of the bible more than ever before. The word holy is mentioned more times in leviticus, than any other book in the bible. The book of leviticus is a record of the laws which israelites believed god handed down to them through moses.
Study guide for leviticus 4 there are 5 types of sacrifices described in leviticus, 3 each with a different meaning. God made a covenant with israel and brought his own presence to dwell with them. This book is downloadable in pdf, epub, kindle and txt format. In leviticus, israels holy god invites them to live in his presence. The setting of leviticus mainly appears to take place at mt. The levites were principally charged with these institutions, both to do their part and to teach the people theirs. As sacrifices had been from the very beginning the principal medium by which men entered into fellowship with god, the creator, preserver, and governor of the world, to supplicate and appropriate his favour and grace, so israel was not only permitted to. Jul 01, 20 leviticus is known as a book of rules which it is. Even though it contains levis name, it was written concerning the priesthood in general, not only to the levites. In this coming weeks study i will attempt to not only familiarize you with this book, but. The first part of the book of leviticus deals with offerings and the one that was offered and the last part of the book deals with feasts. There is no book, in the whole compass of that inspired. Bereans sunday school class placerita baptist church 1. According to the united bible societies greek new testament, deuteronomy.
Book of deuteronomy explained deuteronomy is one of the most significant books in the old testament. Leviticus used to be the first book that jewish children studied in the synagogue. Wenham gives clear explanations to the five types of offerings. Thats why its a vital piece of the torah, the foundation of the rest of scripture. They believe that following all of these laws, exactly and precisely, was necessary to retain gods blessings both for them personally and for their nation as a whole. 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. Everything from sexual conduct to the handling of food, to instructions for worship and religious celebrations, is covered in detail in the book of leviticus. Leviticus the book of boundaries the book of leviticus is a foreboding book for most readers. The book of leviticus opens with god calling moses from the tabernacle.
It is god that is the direct speaker in almost every page. From chapter 17, sacrifice and offerings are laid out for priests and individuals in detail. Leviticus expert jacob milgrom notes that one of the main points in this story is the importance of ritual purity, which sets up the books next few chapters. Why should the modern reader immerse himself in all that detail.
In the book of leviticus the children of israel were marking time at. Leviticus means concerning the levites and as the work of the ancient levites is explained so the prophesied work of the great and divine high priest is being explained. The book opens with an overview of five types of sacrifices that had been going on in israel for years. Exodus is israels deliverance from the bondage of egypt culminating in a place of worship being established. The latter portion of leviticus is god speaking to israel explaining how to distinguish themselves. The hebrew word for the book is wayiqraa, which, according to strongs a primitive root definition comes from qara, and which has the sense of calling a person by name. The book of leviticus goes into deeper detail about the divinehuman relationship put in place on mount sinai exodus 1940. In hebrew, nadab and abihu take coals from an outside placethat is, not from the holy altar but from a notholyfied area such as their uncles beat up george foreman grill. Therefore jehovah speaks primarily out of the tabernacle of congregation in this book chap. One could translate the verb offers, but this becomes awkward and, in fact, inaccurate in some passages. Watch our overview video on the book of leviticus, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Recent posts on this blog have explored how trinitarian, incarnational theology informs our understanding of the book of exodus. Commentary on the book of leviticus by matthew henry old.
The law includes the books of genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, and deuteronomy. What is the significance of the priests not being allowed to uncover their heads or. Leviticus overview matthew henrys complete commentary. The book covers the laws given by god for sacrifices, offerings, prescriptions for various types of uncleanness, lawfull and prohibited food to eat, prohibited sexual relationships. God invites israel to live in close proximity to his holy presence. Bereans sunday school class placerita baptist church section outline i. The book of leviticus has an amazing literary 2 structure, with a symmetrical design. The above outline is from nelsons complete book of bible maps and. Because leviticus is largely concerned with subjects that seem incomprehensible and irrelevant today rituals for sacrifice and regulations concerning uncleanness. It contains laws about worship in general and rules and customs on ceremonies in consecrations and sacrificial offerings. Leviticus is a book about the rites of jewish liturgy. Leviticus explained is the third book of the pentateuch scribed by moses. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. Leviticus in the picture study bible the book of leviticus.
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