The immediate Leviticus chapters leading up to the Day of Atonement focused on “cleansing.” And so do the chapters immediately after the Day of Atonement. It’s all about “Holiness” in Leviticus!
Chapters 1-15 … getting ready to worship!
Chapter 16 … leaning HOW to worship!
Chapters 17-27 … maintaining that worship/fellowship/communion relationship with the Lord God!
See the order, the logic, the beauty?
This is the Section of the Book that will give Israel her “Calendar” for the rest of her days. The proper Times to come and worship the Lord! (And what an amazing Calendar it is! It sure surpasses our paltry man-made Holidays, pitiful in comparison!)
I think if one should summarize the Contents of these remaining Leviticus chapters (again 17-27) … it might be experiencing/enjoying “Life with God! In some ways this Block/Portion of Leviticus is the “most intimate” of all the Book!
After the giving of the Five Offerings (previous Lessons cover each of these) in chapters 1-7, ordaining the Priests for their worthy Ministry in chapters 8 and 9, the horrible sin of Nadab and Abihu in chapter 10, distinguishing between the clean and the unclean in chapters 11-15 … ALL PREPARING FOR THE DAY OF ATONMENT EVENT in chapter 16 … we spend the rest of Leviticus learning to distinguish between the “holy” and the “profane!” Learning to live in God’s Presence, chapters 17-27.
Now to be a little more precise.
Chapters 17-22 give us “holiness Laws” of various kinds. Because “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness?” Exodus 15:11
Maybe Leviticus 19:2 is more poignant. “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy.”
Then chapters 23-25 give us the “Appointed Times” for worshipping this Holy God, that Calendar of which I spoke.
Chapter 26 then issues a list of “blessings” or “curses” for following God’s Laws … or disobeying them.
And chapter 27 is sort of a conclusion, an appendix to the whole divinely inspired Book!
Well, I fell like we are beginning again! Wading into the final “third” of Leviticus.
What a Book of Scripture!
— Dr. Mike Bagwell
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