“I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy ... I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.”
I finished Leviticus a few days ago, and I LOVED IT. Not only that, but it has actually made me excited to read Numbers (which I boldly proclaim is my least favourite book in the Bible). It’s a warm, fuzzy feeling to know that God has been at work in my heart because it is really only His Spirit that could cause such a change in attitude.
And if you’re still on this journey with me, give yourself a pat on the back. I’m proud of you. Your progress is not measured by how many of these blogs (or books) you’ve read but by how much of Jesus you want. I have a warm, fuzzy feeling thinking about God’s work in your heart as well.
Do you know what doesn’t give me a warm, fuzzy feeling though? All the blood in Leviticus. The margins of my Bible have frequently been marked with ‘ew.’ But upon further reflection, it would’ve been more appropriate for me to write ‘thank You Jesus.’ Were it not for Him, I would still need to go through numerous gory rituals to be close to God.
In the book of Exodus, Jesus was introduced as our Passover Lamb. Here in Leviticus this imagery is built on as He becomes our sin and guilt offering. In the former instance, an animal was killed to provide deliverance and protection from death. In the latter it is to atone for sin and make restitution with God. Both foreshadow aspects of Jesus’ sacrifice.
God says in chapter 17: “The life of a creature is in the blood… it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Atonement is a weighty word meaning the making of amends for a wrong. That’s where you and I come in: we have all wronged God. Combine this with the facts that we all need God and that a holy God cannot tolerate sin, and you have a sorry position for the human race.
In fact, sinning against God is so terrible that it leads to death. Adam and Eve’s case is the perfect depiction of this: there was the spiritual death of being sent out of God’s presence, and with it came physical death because He couldn’t allow sinful humans live forever.
The price of sin = death
However, because God desires for us to live and commune with Him, He allowed the substitution of an animal’s life for a human life. In the language of Leviticus: a creature for a creature. Yet since people will always struggle with their sinful nature, this practice had to be repeated. It wasn’t sustainable.
Jesus put an end to all of that. It makes sense that only a human life can really substitute another human life. But what about the life of a wholly, completely perfect human? Maybe it could substitute for a few others. What if that wholly, completely perfect human was also the infinite God? I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like a substitution which should be able to cover the infinite people who have lived and will live on this earth. Thankfully, God agrees (and not only that, but it was His brilliant idea in the first place).
I’m hoping your question after all this is “OK, I’ve been atoned for. What next?”
I’m daring to say something which has become somewhat of a cuss word among Christians these days: holiness.
In an attempt to differentiate ourselves from the legalism of older generations, I find my generation drifting towards licentiousness. Sentiments about the grace of God and our permanent sinful human nature are used as excuses and justifications for unholiness. Leviticus is the perfect illustration of why that should not be so.
God did not bring the Israelites out of Egypt because they were holy. He did so to demonstrate His mercy and saving power. But He didn’t stop at rescuing them; God wanted to be close to them. So, in even more mercy, He showed them how to be made holy.
“Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.”
Neither did Jesus offer His life for ours because we were holy. He did so to demonstrate His mercy and saving power. But that power isn’t just for us – it is available to and desperately needed by all people. So how do we then demonstrate this transformative power to them? The answer is righteousness. Why? Because it reflects our righteous God.
In Leviticus, God wanted His children to be holy so that they could be like Him. Today, God still wants His children to be holy so that they can be like Him. And in doing so, they can show the world who He is.
“Be perfect, therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”