About the Book of Leviticus

Sin is deadly. No one knew that better than the priests who daily carried out God’s good laws. These laws are found in Leviticus, a book of the Bible that details regulations for holy living for the Israelites. This holy living marked the Israelites as the people of a holy God. Breaking any of these good laws was a sin, and all people sin against God. Sin—which separates us from God—leads to death. So, to make atonement (or forgiveness) for these sins, the priests would offer sacrifices to God (Leviticus 17:11). And, each year, they would have something called The Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement was vital (Leviticus 16:30-31). The High Priest would go behind the veil of the temple into the Most Holy Place—the place where God’s own presence dwelled—and meet with God. The High Priest would have to follow detailed survival instructions involving a bull for a sin offering, a ram for a burnt offering, and dressing in linen clothes. He would make a sacrifice before God to make atonement for all the sins of Israel. Taking two goats, he sacrificed the first goat (its life in exchange for the Israelites’ lives) and sent the second goat into the wilderness (covering sin, indicating God remembers it no more). God’s holiness should cause us to tremble. Because sin entered God’s good world, we need atonement—without it, we only have death. That’s why Jesus came. When He died on the cross for our sins, the curtain of the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51), demonstrating Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, making full atonement for His people so God’s holy presence could come out from the temple and live in His people. And when Jesus resurrected from the dead, He beat sin and death for us. Now, we can enter the Most Holy Place and draw near to God as we gather with other Christians for worship (Hebrews 10:19-25). Christ lives, and through Him, God’s holiness dwells in us. • Becky Elie • Leviticus can be confusing! What questions do you have? Who can you talk to about these? • All the sacrifices in Leviticus point forward to Jesus. Why was Jesus able to atone for all of our sins at once when animal sacrifices had to be repeated over and over? • In Christ we’re made holy as new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). How does Jesus transform us? “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.’” Leviticus 19:2 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:1-14