The book of Leviticus many times is overlooked by the average student of the Bible. The casual student is taken back by the way the book is full of intricate details of the sacrifices that were to be made by the people of God under the Old Law. Many times, people skip over the book not realizing its importance as God’s people are told how to become holy and how to live holy lives.
They fail to see the types and shadows and how they relate to Christians today.
When one thinks of Holiness immediately God comes to mind. The definition of holy describes characteristics of God. “Perfect purity of integrity of moral character, one of His essential attributes”. Collins American English dictionary defines holy as, “dedicated to religious use; belonging to or coming from God; consecrated; sacred.”
In the book of Leviticus God shows the difference between the clean and the unclean, between sin and sinlessness.
Jehovah gives warnings in the book for the people to be “holy” because God is “Holy” (Lev. 11:44, 45, 22:32, 15:31, 18:3, 24).
It has been said more than once by various ones that in the sacrifices of the Old Law there is a “river of blood”.
To the modern mind such “letting of blood” seems disgusting. Yet that same mind should consider how disgusting the death of Christ at Calvary was as His innocent blood was shed for the sins of all those who offered those sacrifices and for present day mans sins.
Leviticus when looked at as a whole set forth God’s love for His people. Having redeemed them from slavery now wanting them to walk “holy” before Him. Giving them opportunities to have their sins put on account until the Savior would come to pay the only price that would remove those sins (Psalm 51:16, 17; Heb. 10 1- 18). Showing the way of holiness, showing how to live close to God obeying the Law of Moses, living in accordance with God’s will. God gave them the choice of obeying Him or not, the sacrifices were to be made if the person wanted to do so (Lev. 1:3). Today man needs to come to understand just this very lesson. God desires man to be saved by following the law of Christ, obeying the gospel then living holy lives in accordance with His teachings. It is still up to the individual to choose to be “holy” or to remain in sin.
Over 80 times the word holy or the idea of holiness is mentioned in the book of Leviticus. God had brought His people out of the Egyptian bondage and His desire for them was to have them walk in purity and holiness. This was a new beginning for the people of God. Now as Jehovah finishes giving instructions as to how the priests were to make the different sacrifices, how to observe the feast days, and how to care for the clean and unclean.
The people needed to know how to be holy and righteous before Jehovah.