Leviticus has always been one of those books I avoided. It was full of rules and regulations that seemed boring and unrelated to my present day circumstances. Yet they are there, so what do I do with them? How do I read this book of the Bible and still get something out of it. Why would God even give all of these rules to the Israelites?
1) God should be reverenced and feared. He wanted the Israelite people to give him the honor and respect due him, thus he laid down specific laws on how men should approach him in his tabernacle and how he should be worship.
Reading all of these regulations for the building of his tabernacle, I couldn’t help but be in awe. The tabernacle must have been a glimpse of heaven on earth. As I read about the somewhat disgusting ritual of sacrifices, I couldn’t help but be thankful that I don’t have to go through the daily process of offering up sacrificial lambs at a temple. Instead, I can be eternally grateful that the Lamb of God paid the ultimate sacrifice for me.
2) Human beings are sinful. They always have been. In our sinful state we need some clear boundaries of what is right and what is wrong. These Old Testament boundaries included the Ten Commandments, along with all of the other rules and regulations set down in the Pentateuch. These rules gave the Israelites something to base their lives upon. They could clearly see the boundaries God had put in place. Although some of these boundaries are no longer applicable, others are things we follow on a day-to-day basis, like how to treat our spouse, prepare food, deal with infectious diseases, and clear up mould. These rules were for their own good, even if it was hard to hear at times.
This book of rules has much to offer you and me. I’m excited to see what we’ll read about next, and how we might be able to apply it to today’s culture and times.
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