Sept 7, 1999

Leviticus is the third part of the Pentateuch. There is

an unsubstantiated roomer in Christian circles that the book of

Leviticus is irrelevant to the Church today.

Although Leviticus is basically a book of law, it is all

said and done inside a narrative about Moses, God and

the Israelites. The book is still law, regardless of this

narrative cover, and therefore tends to be a bit boring

to the sleep student.

The four main sections in Leviticus are; the sacrificial

laws, the priestly narrative, and the holiness code. Each of

these parts have clear instructions and rituals for the

people to practice in their lives. These rules were a

covenant. The sacrifice was a gift, from the individual

to God. Some sacrifices were to be a way to have

fellowship and communion with others. The sacrifices also made

the covenant solid by something called expiation.

Each offering, whether grain, cattle, sheep, bird, all had

different meaning and different purposes. Some were gifts of worship;

some were peace offerings or guilt offerings. (There were

many more types not listed.)