BONUS - The Introduction To Leviticus

Welcome to 5 -Minute Bible, your daily guide for your daily reading. Today's February the 13th, and we'll be looking at an introduction to the book of Leviticus.

Now, before we open the book of Leviticus, we need to pause and locate ourselves in the story.

Leviticus doesn't begin a new chapter in Israel's history. It continues the same story that's been going on so far.

Exodus ends with the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle. God has rescued his people, he's forgiven their rebellion, he's chosen to dwell in their midst.

And Leviticus opens with a question that immediately follows from that reality. How can a sinful people live with this holy

God who's going to be dwelling among them without being destroyed? And Leviticus, not an interruption in the story, is going to answer that question.

Now, Leviticus is not primarily about rituals and rules or priestly bureaucracy.

It's about survival in the presence of God. It's the holy God has moved into the camp of Israel, and his presence is both life -giving, but it's dangerous, and Leviticus is going to explain how

God makes a way for his people to remain near to him without being consumed by his holiness.

And in that way, the book unfolds in a careful movement. God provides sacrifices that deal with sin and restore fellowship with a sinful people.

He establishes priests to mediate between himself and the people. He defines holiness not only in worship, but in daily life, in food, and in time, and in bodies, and in relationships, and in justice, and in mercy.

And Leviticus teaches that holiness is not a withdrawal from the world, but an ordering of every part of life under God.

At its center, Leviticus declares that God's desire is not distance, but dwelling.

He doesn't remove his holiness to stay near his people. Instead, he provides blood, and mediation, and instruction so that the people can live with him in safety.

And in that way, Leviticus is the manual for life with God at the center.

Now, as you begin the book of Leviticus, I want you to ask the following question. How can a holy

God dwell among sinful people without destroying them? And Leviticus answers that by showing us that nearness to God is going to require sacrifice and the shedding of blood.

And that leads to the central tension of the book. There is no holiness without annihilation.

God's presence is a gift, but it's not a casual one. Sin cannot be ignored.

It cannot be managed or minimized. It must be dealt with. And Leviticus shows us that forgiveness is not free.

It's costly. And that holiness is not optional. It's necessary.

And this intersects with our real life today. Many people want God's presence without repentance. They want forgiveness without change.

They want grace without obedience. And Leviticus dismantles those instincts because if God draws near, he doesn't do so on our terms, but on his.

The same God who saves also sanctifies, which means to live with him is to be reshaped by him.

And all of this prepares us for the fact that Leviticus is explicitly about Jesus Christ.

Every sacrifice described in the book anticipates his cross. Every drop of blood anticipates his shed blood for our sin.

Every priest foreshadows his mediation. Every call to holiness prepares the way for the one who's going to fulfill that perfectly.

Where Leviticus provides repeated sacrifice, Christ offers the once and for all sacrifice that will forever take away sin.

Where Leviticus regulates access to God through blood and through boundaries, Christ opens up a way permanently through his own body.

You see, Leviticus teaches us that sin requires death and holiness requires separation and nearness requires mediation.

But the gospel declares that Christ has borne the death, fulfilled the holiness and become the mediator once and for all so that we could have access to God.

What Leviticus explains through symbols and types and shadows, Christ accomplishes through reality.

And as we enter Leviticus, resist the urge to try to skim through it or rush past it really quickly or to even skip the book altogether.

The book teaches us how God lives with his people and how his people are going to learn how to live with him.

And that is an important lesson as we look forward even to the coming of Christ.

Now, a little bit later today, we're going to begin Leviticus one through four, where God provides the first and the most foundational answer to how to live life in his presence.

And that is through sacrifice. And with that, read your Bible carefully, devotionally and joyfully.

And may the Lord use his word to sanctify you completely. And we will continue our journey tomorrow.