-LEVITICUSAUTHOR
HISTORICAL BOOK OVERVIEW
SETTING
Moses
Laws given to Israel during their
period of wandering in the desert
KEY EVENTS
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THEME
Holiness
KEY PEOPLE
God gives instruction on how to worship and
how to live in Hebraic society
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Moses
The Levites (Leviticus is the latin translation of
the levitikon, found in the Greek Septuagint).
Summary of Leviticus:
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How to approach God via (Chapters 1-16)
o Offerings - (1:1-7:38) - what kind of worship God demands
o Priesthood - (8:1-10:20) - who will approach God specifically with
o Cleanness - (11:1-16:34) - how one should be when he/she approaches God.
How to live a holy life
o The Holiness Code (17:1-25:55)
Blessings and curses pertaining to obedience (Chapter 26)
Making additional Vows (Chapter 27)
Important Concepts:
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Leviticus reveals our need for the Gospel: Leviticus is a dense and detail oriented text. It’s
descriptions of all kinds of rituals and sacrifices serve a point: they remind of us our utter need
for the Gospel of Christ. The Law that is set out in Leviticus are nearly impossible to obey.
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Leviticus’s description of worship portrays a shadow of the heavenly things: The Book of
Hebrews comments upon the detailed description of priestly worship in Leviticus, saying that
the tabernacle worship was a copy of ‚heavenly things‛ (Hebrews 9:23-24).
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Leviticus shows us God’s plan for society: The people of Israel grew up in slavery and had no
idea how to operate in a free society. The details of this Law keep them from destruction as
they are led through the desert towards the Promised Land. Israel’s role was to serve as God’s
priests to the WORLD and therefore the people of Israel had to be holy (‘be holy as I am holy’)
Many of the requirements for cleanness are included for health and hygiene reasons.
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Atonement in Leviticus: Leviticus sets provision for Israel’s atonement (the process of
confession, repentance, and forgiveness of sin).
The role of the priestly ministry in Israel was to make atonement for the sins of the people.
‚And the priest shall make atonement for him before the Lord, and he shall be forgiven for any of the
things that one may do and thereby become guilty‛ (Leviticus 6:7). In this way, the ‚Old Covenant‛
(God’s promise to Israel) was mean to prepare the world for the ‚New Covenant‛ (Salvation to
all nations through Jesus Christ). Jesus today serves as our high priest, who ‚entered once for all
into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus
securing an eternal redemption‛ (Hebrews 9:12).
The different types of sin offerings are described during the first 4 chapters of Leviticus.
o The Burnt Offering (Ch. 1)
Meaning: Our whole lives are to be ‘consumed’ and totally belong to God
o
The Meal Offering (Ch. 2)
Meaning: We are to rely on God for our provision
o
The Peace Offering (Ch. 3)
Meaning: We are to be in fellowship with God intimately.
o
The Sin Offering (Ch. 4)
Meaning: We are to confess our sins to God.
o
The Guilt Offering (Ch. 5)
Meaning: We are to make amends when we sin against others.
In their own way, these offerings are all prophetic of the different principles for holy living today.
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Feasts in Leviticus: One thing we learn from Leviticus is that God loves to party! He
established a series of parties that Israel was to celebrate every year in their rhythm of life and
worship.
Each feast celebrated a significant event in Israel’s history, reminded the people of an aspect of
God’s character, and also has prophetic meaning for the church today. Discover more about
the feasts of the Old Testament by looking over the chart on the next page.
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Feasts of the Old Testament and Their New Testament prophetic meaning
Every Old Testament feast celebrated a moment in Israel’s history, reminded Israel of a present aspect
of God’s character, and has prophetic meaning in the New Covenant today.
PURPOSE
REMINDER
PROPHETIC MEANING
Passover (Lev. 23:5)
Celebrated Israel’s
deliverance from Egypt
Reminded the people that
God is the deliverer
- Christ is our Passover lamb today who died for
our sins (John 1:29)\
- The Passover is the origin of the Lord’s supper
(Matt 26:17-30)
-The Passover foreshadows Christ’s 2nd Coming
(Matt 26:29).
Feast of the Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6-8)
Celebrated Israel’s
quick and obedient
departure from Egypt.
Reminded Israel that God
requires total obedience
in his timing
- Unleavened bread is prophetic of Christ (John
6:30-39) who is the pure bread of life.
- Unleavened bread is prophetic of the church’s
purity(1 Cor 5:7-8).
Day of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:9-14)
Celebrated the first
fruits of the harvest
season
First fruits reminds
people that God is the
source of resurrection,
because life returns each
harvest season.
- First fruits is prophetic of resurrection (1 Cor
15:20-23).
- First fruits is also part of the principle of the tithe
as worship Gen 4:3-5, Malachi 3:8).
Feast of Weeks / Pentecost (Lev. 23:15-22)
Dedicates and
consecrates the first
fruits each harvest
Reminded Israel that God
is the one who purifies
them.
- The 2 pieces of bread used in this feast were
leavened. The bread is put together and waved to
appear as one loaf. This is prophetic of how Jews
and Gentiles were joined together after the
outpouring in Acts 2.
Day of Trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25)
Ushered in the
‚Sabbath‛ month each
year
Reminded Israel that God
will return.
- The trumpet is prophetic of Christ’s 2nd Coming
(Matt 24:31, 1 Thess 4:16). The coming of Jesus will
bring a time of eternal rest for all who follow Him.
Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:26-32) also known as Yom Kippur
To make an annual
atonement for sins
Reminded Israel that God
is Savior.
- Hebrews 9 describes how the Day of Atonement
is prophetic of the atoning sacrifice of Christ
Feast of Booths / Tabernacles (Lev. 23:33-43)
The climax of all the
feasts that celebrated
Israel’s entrance into
the Promised Land at
the end of the harvest.
Reminded Israel that God
was with them and in
control of the harvest.
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- Prophetic of the church because God makes his
home inside His people (Col. 1:27-28)
- Prophetic of the 2nd Coming that will come at the
end of the a great harvest (Matt 24:14).
Discovery Questions:
1. What are the ‘five offerings’ described in Leviticus 1-7:38?
1._____________________________
2.__________________________________
3.____________________________
4.__________________________________
5.____________________________
2. What can we learn about worship from these five offerings?
3. Read Galatians 3:15-29. What does this tell us about the place of the law today in our lives?
4. Read Hebrews 8:13, Colossians 2:16-17 and Galatians 4:10-11. Is it necessary for modern Christians
to celebrate ancient Jewish feasts? Why or why not?
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