Why study Leviticus? The Book of Leviticus is the third and middle book of the Pentateuch, commonly known as the five books of Moses. Leviticus (from the Latin, “matter of the Levites “). Leviticus relates God’s instructions to the priests and the people on worship that glorifies Him and how His people are to live holy lives before Him. The word “holy” occurs 80 times in Leviticus which is more than in any other book of the Bible. The key passage from Leviticus is “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44-45. Peter cited this verse in his first letter, 1 Peter 1:15-16.
The historical setting for the book of Leviticus is at the mountain of Sinai where the people stayed for a period just over a year. God’s instructions to the priests and the people include laws and regulations that govern how they are to live before God and each other and the prescribed formats of worship that God commanded in order to maintain the requirements of His covenant with them.
The most significant ceremony God inaugurated, that is described in Leviticus, was the prescribed regulations for the “Day of Atonement.” On this day the sins of the people including the priests and the high priest receive atonement, not that these sins are atoned for in the sense of NT salvation, but these sins are covered and are forgiven only for those who exercise faith in God. Atonement was necessary for the people to maintain a righteous and holy relationship with God. See Day of Atonement in Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 16:1-34; 23:26-32; and Numbers 29:7-11. See also Hebrews chapter 9.
A Simple Outline of Leviticus
1-17 Regulations for Worshiping God
18-27 Rules for Living with God
A Basic Outline:
1-17 Regulations for Worshiping God
1-7 Major Offerings Introduced
6-7 Priest’s Duties for the Offerings
8-10 Inauguration of the Priesthood
11-15 Regulations for Cleanness and Uncleanness
16 The Day of Atonement Regulations
17 Regulations for Sacrifice and Handling of Blood
18-27 Rules for Living with God
18-25 Living with God in Holiness
26 Blessings for Obedience and Punishments for Disobedience
27 Regulations for Vows and Dedications
Christ in the Offerings
A common understanding of the five major offerings in Leviticus is that they were necessary for the ancient Israelites to have fellowship with God. As well many understand that they also were prophetic in that they point to Christ’s sacrificial life and death. Christ became the sinner’s substitute, dying on the cross as the God ordained punishment for sins and providing peace and reconciliation with God for all who believe in Him.
| Offering | Leviticus Location | Points to Christ’s Sacrificial Life and Death |
| Burnt | 1:3-17; 6:8-13 | Christ the believer’s atoning sacrifice |
| Grain | 2:1-16; 6:14-23 | Christ the believer’s perfect example |
| Peace | 3:1-17; 7:11-36 | Christ the believer’s path to peace with God |
| Sin | 4:1-5:13; 6:24-30 | Christ the believer’s substitute |
| Guilt | 5:14-6:7; 7:1-10 | Christ the believer’s provider of repentance |
Christ in the Feasts
God prescribed, as recorded in Leviticus, that the Israelites observe seven feasts that were sacred to Him as holy convocations. They were also designed to remind the Israelites of their covenantal relationship with God. Many also understand that these feasts point to the life, death, resurrection and return of Jesus Christ as all of Scripture is a revelation of the glory of Jesus Christ.
| 7 Feasts of Leviticus Chapter 23 | Leviticus Location | Fulfilled in Christ |
| Passover | 23:4-8 | Christ’s death |
| Unleavened Bread | 23:6 | Christ’s perfect sinless life |
| First-fruits | 23:9-14 | Christ’s resurrection |
| Weeks (Harvest/Pentecost) | 23:15-22 | Christ’s promise of sending the Spirit |
| Trumpets | 23:23-25 | Christ to regather Israel |
| Day of Atonement | 23:26-32 | Christ’s atoning sacrifice |
| Booths (Tabernacles) | 23:23:33-44 | Christ’s glorious presence with believers |
Suggested Verses to Memorize from Leviticus
Leviticus 11:44-45 For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. 45 For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Leviticus 18:4-5 You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the Lord your God. 5 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 19:11-12 You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 20:26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
Leviticus 22:31 So you shall keep my commandments and do them: I am the Lord.
Leviticus 25:17-18 You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God.
18 Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely.
Leviticus 26:3-4 If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, 4 then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Leviticus 26:12 And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.
Resources for studying Leviticus
See the article on how to study the Bible for suggestions on the method of Bible study and recommended resources to obtain. Suggested commentaries and studies are listed below for a more extensive study. Some are available on-line in a pdf format.
One Hour – One Book: Leviticus
Commentaries
1 Rooker, Mark F. Leviticus, New American Commentary, Broadman and Holman, 2000.
2 Lindsey, Duane F. Leviticus, In The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, Victor Books, 1985.
3 Constable, Thomas. Notes on Leviticus, latest edition. Online at Plano Bible Chapel.
4 Harris, R. Laird, Leviticus, In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 2. Zondervan Publishing House, 1990.
5 Wenham, Gordon J. The Book of Leviticus, New International Commentary on the Old Testament, Eerdmans, 1979.
6 Ross, Allen P. Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of Leviticus, Baker, 2002.
7 Harrison, R. K. Leviticus, The Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Inter-Varsity Press. 1980.
8 Gane, Roy. Leviticus, Numbers. The NIV Application Commentary. Zondervan. 2004.
Studies
1 Glaser, Mitch, Glaser, Zhava, The Fall Feasts of Israel, Moody Publishers, 1987.
2 Howard, Kevin. Rosenthal, Marvin. The Feasts of the LORD. Thomas Nelson Inc. 1997.
3 Talbot, Louis T. The Feasts of the Lord. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. 2014.
4 Ironside, H.A. Lectures on the Levitical Offerings. CrossReach Publications, 2017.
5 Jukes, Anderw, The Law of the Offerings. Published by Counted Faithful, 2012.
6 Merrill, Eugene H. Kingdom of Priests. Baker Book House, 1987.
7 Sailhamer, John H. The Pentateuch as Narrative, Zondervan Academic, 1995.
This is a pdf file of this article for downloading.