Exodus 35-Leviticus 18: The transcendence and immanence of Yahweh's holiness (God is far and yet near)


Most bible reading programs hit an uphill task when it come to the 27 chapters of Leviticus! The meticulous rituals, sacrifices and laws seem so archaic and out of context when compared with 21st century Christian living - why should we still labor through all 859 verses of Leviticus? I will offer three practical tips and three questions to consider.

Three practical tips:
  1. Read Leviticus with an corresponding audio version in the background. It will help you pace through the nitty-gritty parts by having an external voice to accompany your reading of the text. Here is a popular bible app with accompanying audio - Click here for Android and click here for IOS.
  2. Choose a more "readable" Bible version - for example NLT (New Living Translation). 
  3. Watch the Bible Project videos that comes with Read Scripture bible reading program. I really enjoyed their overview of Leviticus as it gave me a panoramic perspective which heighten my sense of appreciation for the book.
Three questions to consider: 
  1. How can sinful man be forgiven and reconciled to the holy God he has offended?
  2. How can this God dwell with His sinful people?
  3. How is God able to redeem mankind?
Although description of rituals abound in Leviticus, the aim is to set right the vertical relationship with Yahweh, followed by the horizontal relationship with one another. One thing to bear in mind is that the sons of Israel were already living in an ancient near Eastern culture where systems of sacrifices and rituals are already the norm. The laws and rituals in Leviticus are not new cultural developments, rather it is a set of cultural distinctions (Lev 11:44-47). It is not a matter of whether we worship but who (or what) we worship, not whether we sacrifice but what are we sacrificing and for whom?

Connecting the dots
Although Adam and Eve were driven away from the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:23-24), Yahweh's covenantal love never stopped pursuing His called ones and the construction of the tabernacle is a physical representation of that pursuit - "let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them." (Exod 25:9). There is a strong biblical-theological case for Eden being a Temple-Garden. Adam is depicted as a priest to his task, namely, "to work" and "to keep"(שָׁמְרָֽ) the garden, which is the priest’s task in the temple (Num. 3:7-8; 8:25-26; 18:5-6; 1 Chron. 23:32; Ezek. 44:14). Hence, Yahweh delivered the sons of Jacob from the bondage of Egypt into the bond of a divine relationship. However, this relationship requires mediation because of God's consuming holiness. 

As you read Exodus 35 to Leviticus 18, do not get bogged down by the intricacies of the tabernacle construction or by the details of the sacrifices and rituals but picture in your mind the immanent love of a transcendent God who reaches out in such a way that His love remains consistent with His holiness. God is love (1 John 4:16) and God is holy (Lev 11:44). Look out for the following love-holiness connections.
  • God was so specific about the details of the tabernacle because it was a symbol of heavenly things (Heb 8:5, 9:11). In other words, God wanted His people to learn more about Him, their need, and His provision. God would use the tabernacle to do that.

  • The love that redeems the sons of Israel also requires atonement (covering) for the sin which separates. Note the relational nature of the five sacrifices of Leviticus 1-7. 
    • The Burnt Offering (Lev 1; 6:8-13) - a daily atonement reminding of the relational gap caused by sin.
    • The Grain Offering (Lev 2; 6:14-23) - a gift expressing relational gratefulness to the God of all blessings.
    • The Fellowship Offering (Lev 3; 7:11-38) - an offering of relational sharing with others to rejoice in the fulfillment of a vow or as an act of thanksgiving.
    • The Sin Offering (Lev 4:1-5:13; 6:24-30) - an individual offering expressing relational repentance, noting the serious nature of sin and how it affects everybody.
    • The Guilt Offering (Leve 5:14-6:7; 7:1-10) - an offering emphasizing the need for relational restoration where there is a need not only for the payment of a penalty but also the practice of restitution as well.
Activity idea
The tabernacle is such a rich symbol pointing to Christ as the "greater and more perfect tabernacle" (Heb 9:11) that there is a five-day simple devotional you can use as a family. Download pdf devotional sheet from https://bible.org/assets/pdf/FIT%20-%20Tabernacle.pdf

It is amazing when how God utilized physical constructions to reflect heavenly truths about who He is and pointing to all that Christ would become for us!

Question to consider - did Moses make an error by stating "all winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable"? (Lev 11:20). Aren't insects supposed to have six legs instead of four? Is this a significant biblical error? Answer to be revealed next week!

Christ in Scripture
Lev 8:15 points out for us the three purpose for applying blood on the altar - purification, consecration and atonement. Heb 10:10-12 expands on this - ".. we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God."

The one sacrifice of Jesus Christ as the perfect Lamb of God, with His shed blood has purified and cleansed us from unrighteousness, consecrated and set us apart as servants of righteousness, atoned for our sins through His act of penal substitution. All 859 verses of Leviticus point to the two verses fulfillment of Heb 9:13-14 - "For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"

"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." (Rev 5:12).

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