LESSON 1:
The Book of
Leviticus begins this way. "And
the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the
tabernacle of the congregation, saying ...."
Leviticus 1:1
I think we will
invest a few days here on the Website studying that great piece
of Old Testament literature, it being divinely inspired of God.
"Leviticus,"
named after the Jewish Levites, descendants of Jacob's son
called Levi of course.
The Book
contains 27 chapters, 859 verses. It's "Law" from one end to the
other, regulations to be followed as Israel worshipped the great
Lord God Almighty.
Also the Bible's
third Book possesses a remarkable number of "pictures" of New
Testament Truth as well. It's here that we will spend much of
our time in the coming Lessons.
We pray you
enjoy the journey!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 2:
The Book of
Leviticus opens with a detailed set of instructions concerning
the "offerings" a worshipping Jew is to being to God.
"Sacrifices" might be a better word here.
In chapter one
the "whole burnt offering" is discussed, called in the King
James Version "burnt sacrifice.". "And
the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the
tabernacle of the congregation, saying, Speak unto the children
of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an
offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the
cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. If his
offering be a burnt sacrifice ...."
Leviticus 1:1-3
This is the
first offering taught because it is a lovely picture, I think,
of what Jesus did for us when He died on Calvary. In this
particular sacrifice every bit of the animal is given to
God, burned to ashes! "Ye
shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the
herd, and of the flock. If his offering be a burnt
sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he
shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD. And he shall put
his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be
accepted for him to make atonement for him. And he shall kill
the bullock before the LORD: and the priests, Aaron's sons,
shall bring the blood, and sprinkle the blood round about upon
the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation. And he shall flay the burnt offering, and cut it
into his pieces. And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire
upon the altar, and lay the wood in order upon the fire. And the
priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head, and the
fat, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which
is upon the altar. But his inwards and his legs shall he
wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar
...."
Leviticus 1:2-9
Burn ALL on the
altar!
This is true
whether the sacrifice is a bull, a lamb or a little bird!
This shows how
Jesus, God's Lamb, came to earth to die for our sins! He lived a
sinless Life wholly dedicated to His Father! Then He died
a vicarious Death, again giving all to please God's
Righteousness!
In the whole
burnt offering, sometimes called a holocaust, the offending
sinner, the giver of that lamb, got nothing for himself! No food
to eat at the tabernacle, as in the case of the Peace Offering,
for example. The officiating Priest got nothing either, not a
mouthful!
God the Father
received it all, the burning of every ounce of it
producing smoke that ascended heavenward! Nothing was left but
ashes!
Jesus pouring
out His Life for us to be saved, to please His Father!
What a picture
of our Lord!
Don't you just
love Him today?
He gave
everything to get us saved.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 3:
One of the "key"
chapters in the book of Leviticus is chapter sixteen. In fact,
many Bible teachers call it the "central" chapter! It depicts
the annual Jewish "Day of Atonement," in some detail.
The Day of
Atonement, folks, is perhaps the fullest picture of Jesus'
atoning work on Calvary that the Old Testament presents!
And it's at the
very center of Leviticus? Yes, and Leviticus is at the center of
the whole Pentateuch, the five Books of Moses. Genesis through
Deuteronomy! Jesus in the Old Testament, in typology!
Actually
Leviticus chapters 1-15 prepare us for the Day of Atonement.
They show the penalty for sin! They define sin. They show God's
horror at sin!
Then chapters
17-27 show the results of having experienced the Day of
Atonement, of participating in its truths! They taught the Jews,
godly now, how to live in such a way as to please the Lord!
Something only "saved" people can do anyway!
I love today's
thought. Fundamental to anything centering of the Lord God
Almighty is Blood Atonement! And that was accomplished through,
not the deaths of bulls and goats and heifers, but through the
precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Leviticus 16,
what a chapter!
LESSON 4:
An interesting
thought appears in the opening verses of Leviticus chapter 17. A
law is given regarding the place one may worship God. Where may
offer blood sacrifice to Jehovah.
Blood must be
presented at "the door of the tabernacle
of the congregation." At the opening gate of the
Tabernacle! The brass altar was located there, the place where
the five amazing offerings of Israel were to be given, were to
be sanctified.
Why?
Before the
Tabernacle was constructed the Jewish people could offer
sacrifice anywhere. Abraham certainly did.
But now, once
they they had a place of official worship, at
"the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation" was the requirement.
Again, why?
For this reason,
many believe. Israel during those early, formative years was
surrounded by many heathen nations, people of various kinds.
They all were polytheistic, served lots of gods and goddesses.
They worshiped their deities "on every hill, at every grove (of
trees), upon every mountaintop!"
In order to
discourage Israel from doing this, from following this
abomination, she must worship at one place only! At the
House of God!
Makes sense,
doesn't it?
Thus making
certain forms of syncretism impossible!
God's "rules"
always, or at least nearly always, have good "logical" reasons
resting behind them!
Let's obey the
Lord.
He is all-wise!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
By the way, it's
important where we worship too!
LESSON 5:
The nineteenth
chapter of Leviticus is significant for several reasons. One of
which is James' use of its material in his great New Testament
Epistle. Again, that's Leviticus 19.
Let me show you
a few examples. There are just too many for this phenomenon to
be accidental!
Leviticus 19:12
says: "And
ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou
profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD."
James 5:12 says:
"But
above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven,
neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your
yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into
condemnation."
Leviticus 19:13
says: "Thou
shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the
wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night
until the morning."
James 5:4 says:
"Behold,
the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields,
which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of
them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of
sabaoth."
Leviticus 19:15
says: "Ye
shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect
the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty:
but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour."
James 2:1 and 9
say: "My
brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory, with respect of persons." Then:
"But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are
convinced of the law as transgressors."
Leviticus 19:16
says: "Thou
shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy
people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy
neighbour: I am the LORD."
James 4:11 says:
"Speak
not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of
his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the
law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art
not a doer of the law, but a judge."
Leviticus 19:17 says: "Thou
shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin
upon him."
James 5:20 says: "Let
him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of
his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a
multitude of sins."
Leviticus 19:18 says: "Thou
shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of
thy people"
James 5:9 says: "Grudge
not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold,
the judge standeth before the door."
Leviticus 18:18 again says: "But
thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."
James 2:8 says: "If ye
fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well."
Wow!
Yes, the little Book of James is virtually an exposition of
Leviticus chapter 19. Truly, the New Testament is a commentary
on much of the Old Testament! That's because One Author wrote it
all, Almighty God!
I thought you all might enjoy this little fact sheet today, as
another of our ongoing Lessons from the third Book of the Bible,
Leviticus!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 6:
The first
chapter of Leviticus taught us the laws and regulations God
placed on the "burnt offering" Israel was to regularly bring to
the altar.
As we earlier
learned everything about the little slain animal, except
possibly the skin, was burned to ashes before the Lord God
Almighty! An emblem of total dedication to our Creator and
Redeemer!
But the Jews, as
do all humans, disobeyed God! They began to sacrifice their
children, their very own offspring, to the false gods worshipped
by their neighbors!
Jeremiah 19:5
proves the point. "They
have built also the high places of Baal, to burn their sons with
fire for burnt offerings unto Baal, which I
commanded not, nor spake it, neither came it into
my mind."
Even the Lord is
surprised!
Instead of
giving themselves wholly to the Lord, as Jesus did when He came
to die on the Cross for you and me, they gave their families to
the devil ... wholly!
What perversion!
What rebellion!
What stupidity!
No wonder Paul
later wrote to Believers in Jesus: "I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service."
Romans 12:1
Completely
given!
But to whom?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 7:
Leviticus 21 contains 24 verses that inform us of the
"qualifications" for priesthood in the Old Testament. According
to Mosaic Law anyway. Here's the chapter's introduction:
"And
the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests the sons of
Aaron, and say unto them ...."
But by the time we reach its conclusion the Text says,
"And Moses told
it unto Aaron, and to his sons, and unto all the children
of Israel." Leviticus 21:24
I have a question. Why would all the children of Israel, the
whole Nation, need to know this minutia about the priests?
Things like: "Speak
unto Aaron, saying, Whosoever he be of thy seed in their
generations that hath any blemish, let him not approach
to offer the bread of his God. For whatsoever man he be
that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a
lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous. Or
a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded, or crookbackt, or a
dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or
scabbed, or hath his stones broken. No man that hath a blemish
of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the
offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall
not come nigh to offer the bread of his God."
Leviticus 21:17-21
Here's why everyone needed to know at least these basics.
It was detrimental to the whole population if inferior and
unqualified priests served God at the Tabernacle!
Everyone was to help uphold God's high standard!
Certainly King Jeroboam failed in this area.
"Jeroboam
returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of
the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he
consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the
high places." First Kings 13:33
Folks, be sure your Pastor is ... God called!
And be certain he is otherwise qualified too!
If not, your whole family may suffer.
Wow!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 8:
Let me today show you a "principle" of spiritual truth embodied
in the Law of Moses, one that's still applicable today!
Two simple verses from the Old Testament Book of Leviticus will
illustrate well. "And
when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD,
offer it at your own will. On the same day it
shall be eaten up; ye shall leave none of it until the morrow: I
am the LORD." (Verses 29 and 30 of Leviticus 22)
This is the "peace offering" being discussed here. In it, and it
alone, part of the sacrifice could be eaten by its giver,
by the repenting worshipper.
But the food had to be eaten immediately, at least that very
day!
In other instances such "food" had to be consumed by the third
day. And with the "bread" on the "Table of Shewbread" the
priests could eat that as well. That "food" was replaced weekly,
and had to be consumed immediately after the fresh bread was
presented!
Today's idea?
Today's Lesson?
The Bible, God's Word, the Scripture of Truth ... is always
fresh!
A note to preachers here. Be sure you feed your people, week
after week, just that, "fresh" manna from God's Word!
Speaking of the manna, if it was held over to the "morrow," it
bred worms and stank! It was always eaten fresh, perennially so!
Don't preach old, stale "outlines!" Go to the Well, the
Fountain, the Word ... and share fresh, thrilling Truth with
your people!
After all, it is "our daily bread!"
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 9:
God so wanted to be "in" the lives of the Jewish people that He
even devised a "calendar" for them to follow. He gave Israel
seven Holy Days to observe, each with a major spiritual
significance.
Leviticus 23 gives us the specifics. "And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of
Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the
LORD, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations,
even these are my feasts." Leviticus
23:1-2
Scattered throughout the year, these "feasts" helped keep the
Nation near her God! They aided her in remembering God's great
acts of protection and provision through the past years. They
also helped her look to the future, promises God would no doubt
keep as well!
Think of it!
Using the calendar to help draw near God!
This week as we near the celebration of our Nation's "liberty"
and "freedom," let's all additionally recall the blessings we
have in Jesus!
John 8:36 says, "If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
Amen.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 10:
In Leviticus chapter 24 we learn how the Old Testament priests
were to maintain the pieces of furniture in the Holy Place, the
inner room of the Tabernacle. Three items sat there, the altar
of incense and the table of showbread and the golden lampstand.
Each conveys a spiritual lesson.
We can today come to Jesus in prayer, typified by the incense
altar! We can also seek our Lord for light, direction in daily
living, pictured by the golden lampstand. And we can approach
our dear Lord for food, the table with its twelve fresh loaves
on it constantly.
Wow!
Also these objects can teach truth in yet another dimension.
Jesus is the Altar of Incense! Jesus is the Table
of Bread! Jesus is the Lampstand! He prays for us daily,
Incense! He shines for us eternally, Light! And He feeds us
incessantly, the Bread!
No wonder the priests had to be taught the proper procedures for
caring for these pieces of furniture!
Thank God for the Tabernacle!
Thank God for the One its represents, Jesus our Saviour!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 11:
The twenty-fifth chapter of Leviticus is interesting. There God
gives a "law" that must be observed by the very "land" on which
Israel resides! No Jew can farm his land on the "seventh" year!
"And
the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, Speak unto the
children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the
land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto
the LORD. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou
shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; but
in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a
sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor
prune thy vineyard. That which groweth of its own accord of thy
harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy
vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.
And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and
for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant,
and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee, and for thy
cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all
the increase thereof be meat." Leviticus 25:1-7
Do not work your land every seventh year! Give it "rest," just
as God had earlier commanded for His people!
But isn't that a risk? Not farming for a whole year? "What will
we eat," the Jews must have thought. God already had the answer!
"And
if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we
shall not sow, nor gather in our increase. Then I will command
my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth
fruit for three years." Leviticus 25:20-21
Wow!
There is a principle of "rest" built into the very fabric of
life. God put it there! Jesus once told His Disciples:
"Come
ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for
there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so
much as to eat." Mark 6:31
As I write it's a holiday week, July 4, 2013. It's probably all
right in God's Eyes to rest and think and praise the Lord for
all His blessings on our Country. And our lives. He is so good
to each of us!
The land must rest.
To obey this injunction was to trust God!
The land must rest.
And the "produce" it grew voluntarily was to feed the people,
especially including the poor!
The land must rest.
It will be even more fertile next year, dirt can be overworked
too! A year "off" will energize its growing ability.
The land must rest.
Through this act Israel can look forward to a future time when
Jesus will come again. Rest eternally!
Lessons from acreage!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 12:
The Book of Leviticus ends, its next-to-last chapter anyway,
with a list of "punishments" God will visit upon His people if
they consistently disobey him!
This is amazing.
Yet the chapter does begin with a list of "blessings," when God
is obeyed however. "Ye
shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a
standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of
stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the
LORD your God. Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my
sanctuary: I am the LORD. If ye walk in my statutes, and
keep my commandments, and do them. Then I will give you rain in
due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees
of the field shall yield their fruit." Leviticus
26:1-4, with more blessings to follow, nine verses full!
Then the rest of the chapter, its bulk, begins the list of
chastisements. "But
if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these
commandments. And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your
soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my
commandments, but that ye break my covenant. I also will
do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror,
consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes,
and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain,
for your enemies shall eat it. And I will set my face against
you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate
you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth
you." Leviticus 26:14-17 is the first example.
But if the disobedience continues, God will continue to send
problems, judgments! In increasing intensity! In fact Leviticus
26 lists five cycles of discipline!
Wow!
What I'd like to emphasize today is this. If anyone belonging to
the Lord errs and rebels ... God will "whip" His stubborn
children!
Hebrews 12 picks up this theme too. "My
son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when
thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure
chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is
he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without
chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards,
and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which
corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we
not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and
live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after
their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we
might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the
present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless
afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto
them which are exercised thereby." Verses 4-11,
again from Hebrews 12.
Old Testament and New, disobedience brings God's judgment. God's
"training" of His Own people!
America, as we enjoy the many 4th of July celebrations this
year, 2013, we had best remember that God not only blesses ...
He can chastise as well!
Here's the last Leviticus example, the most potent judgment, God
pronounces on any of His consistently rebellious people.
"And
if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary
unto me. Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I,
even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins. And ye
shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your
daughters shall ye eat. And I will destroy your high places, and
cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases
of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you. And I will make your
cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I
will not smell the savour of your sweet odours. And I will bring
the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein
shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the
heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land
shall be desolate, and your cities waste."
Leviticus 26:27-33, quite severe, but just.
Let us all beware!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
By the way, this "do good and be rewarded, do bad and be
whipped" motif will apply in many situations of life ... but it
did not apply in Job's case! We must be careful when "judging"
others along these lines. In fact, do not judge others! Let God
handle all those issues with His little children! Our Lord knows
best, always.
LESSON 13:
One verse in Leviticus epitomizes the whole Law. It's one of the
best known sentences in all the Old Testament.
I mean Leviticus 24:20, to be more precise.
"Breach
for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a
blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again."
The spirit of the verse sounds harsh! If a man, even
accidentally, causes his neighbor to lose an eye ... that man
also shall lose an eye! The law of the Land!
This even applies to the loss of life! The murderer is to lose
his life at the hand of the state, the government, the nation of
Israel. "Whoso
sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the
image of God made he man." Genesis 9:6, even
before Moses!
Why was God so exact, so justice oriented?
Folks, in their ancient setting these laws were not strict at
all! In fact, they were quite fair. Even lenient in their
context.
Some societies in those bygone days exacted punishment from an
offender to a far greater degree than Moses allowed, than God
allowed!
For example, a man who caused his neighbor to lose an eye ...
could have been, and often was in heathen cultures put to death!
That would be "a life for an eye!"
But God says NO!
You cannot over-punish!
You may not abuse even the guilty or go too far in your
judgment!
Wow!
A good God we serve. Even when many call Him too exacting. Truly
He is all-wise! And is a God of love!
Thank you Lord, for Your amazing Grace!
For dying on the Cross to set men free!
To make men and women live above the Law!
To be subject to the law of the Spirit of Life!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
Enjoy the 4th of July! Keep the Lord at the center of your
thoughts and activities! John 8:32 is exactly right if a person
is personally acquainted with Jesus our Saviour.
"And
ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
LESSON 14:
The first two "offerings" God gave Israel, worship activities to
aid in worshipping the Lord, were named "the whole burnt
offering" and the "meat offering," using a word that means "meal
offering." That is, "meat" in the sense of "bread."
The base Text for the whole burnt offering is Leviticus chapter
1. And the Scriptural foundation for the meat offering is
Leviticus chapter 2. Both present Jesus in a unique way!
In Leviticus 1 Jesus is seeking to please His Father, to satisfy
Him wholly, by the Death the Son of God died!
In Leviticus chapter 2 Jesus is seeking to please His Father, to
satisfy Him wholly, by the Life He lived, by His
sinlessness and obedience and submission!
Another way to state this. Jesus is the Perfect Son ... honoring
His Father, chapter 1. Then Jesus is the Perfect Son ... feeding
His many followers nourishing Bread, chapter 2.
Wow!
He is a Balanced Saviour!
Blood, chapter 1.
Bread, chapter 2!
Think about it, folks. Then adore our Lord today in a fresh new
way.
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
LESSON 15, CONCLUSION:
The expression occurs more often in the Book of Leviticus than
anywhere else in the whole Bible. "Most holy" is that phrase. If
I've counted right, 46 times in 44 different verses.
The Hebrew word for "holy" is "qodesh," meaning "apartness!" Or
"separateness," Something or someone who is different!
Then it can mean "sanctified, consecrated, dedicated."
In its most pristine setting, etymologically speaking, referring
to Deity, "qodesh" suggests a God Who is "One and Only!" Wholly
Other, unlike any other! Unique!
Then "qodesh" means, to any worshipper, "totally given" to his
or her God, to the Lord in our case.
But in Leviticus, thus in the Pentateuch, thus in the Old
Testament as well, "qodesh" or "holy" suggests (in addition to
all the foregoing definitions and nuances of meaning) living
"close to God!"
In all its twenty-seven chapters Leviticus paints a picture of
the "most holy" things being "nearest" to the Almighty!
Watch.
Out in the wilderness, farthest from God ... there one finds the
scapegoat, and demons, and wild beasts! Most unholy!
Closer but still very distant from the camp ... lepers and
others with the most unclean diseases!
Just outside the camp ... those with less unclean situations,
temporarily disqualified from worship!
In the camp, the "city limits" of traveling Israel ... the whole
congregation, the general assembly, the citizenry of Israel plus
any legal aliens, foreigners seeking safety!
In the outer precincts of the Tabernacle, near the gate ...
worshippers sincere and eager to know and love God!
At the gate, the brass altar, and laver ... priests and Levites
serving God, aiding in blood sacrifice for example!
Then inside the Tabernacle proper, tending the lampstand and
table of bread and altar of incense ... the priests, sons of
Aaron!
Then, once a year only, inside the Holy of Holies ... the High
Priest, seeking forgiveness for himself and the people of God!
See what I mean?
Closer and closer to God ... more and more holy!
God lives in that Most Holy Place! Between the Cherubim, on the
Mercy Seat, where Blood has been sprinkled!
And the closer a person gets to God ... the more "holy" he is
called in the Book of Leviticus!
This is, to a lesser degree, true of the offerings Israel
presented to God as well!
Degrees of holiness ... depending on one's proximity to God!
That will preach!
That also can readily be applied to each of our lives today. IN
the New Testament and beyond ... Believers in Jesus can come
"boldly" to the very Throne of Grace, via prayer, any time they
choose!
Wow!
No wonder Paul calls Christians "saints," holy ones!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS,
LET'S THANK GOD FOR IT!
DR
