The Case for Leviticus

Leviticus is my favorite book of the Bible. 

“Are you being sarcastic?” 

No. Absolutely not. It’s my favorite book of the Bible. And here's seven reasons why.

First, it’s beautiful. The sacrifices are beautifully symbolic of what Christ has done for us. The cleansings are beautiful. They kill one bird over a bowl of fresh water, dip scarlet yarn and hyssop in the bowl, sprinkle the house seven times, and release a second bird into the field. Beautiful. 

Second, it’s systematic and orderly. It’s artistic and well crafted. It’s mathematical and clearly defined. Each artistic stroke reveals the character of the artist. Praise the sacrificial lamb who in every way meets the requirements for a perfect sacrifice to cleanse me and make me whole. Praise him who is spotless and without blemish. Praise him for marking the lobe of my right ear, the thumb of my right hand, and the big toe of my right foot. I am marked guiltless. I am marked clean. I am purified and whole. 

Third, you may tell me the sacrifices are gross. Yes. Yes they are. But they are meant to be. That is what our sin does. Our sin makes us gross. Our sin deserves spilt blood. Our sin demands death and the outflowing of our lifesource. It demands our lifesource be cut off and poured out on the altar and splattered here, there, and everywhere. Yes, it's gross. And it's the display of truth. 

Fourth, Leviticus is true. 

People get bored reading all the laws. They say, “This doesn’t apply to me today. We don’t offer sacrifices anymore. And anyway, Christ has set us free from following the law.” 

But it applies to us. I read the laws and start to think, "Could I follow these? If I actually tried to obey the entire book of Leviticus, could I? Could I measure up? Maybe so."

Who am I kidding? 

No way! There is no way I could keep all the commands of Leviticus. I can’t even remember them. How could I keep them? I can’t remember if a thief is to repay one fifth or five times what he stole.

And I can’t keep from stealing. I steal all the time. I steal glory from God. I steal attention from my fellow humans. I steal time and space and love. I think of myself and not of others. I take. I don’t give. Can I keep the law? No.

But praise Jesus for keeping the law in full. Praise Jesus for coming and taking my place and living the life I couldn’t live. Praise him for his righteousness and love. Praise him for his grace. Praise him for making all things new. He lived the life I couldn’t live. He died the death I deserved for it. Praise God!

Fifth, let’s assume for a moment I could keep the law. Cool. Good job, Beth. You did it. You are made right with the King.

Not.

Because you see, more than just my actions exclude me from God's presence. My hormones make me unclean and when I am on my period, I cannot enter the presence of God. I am unclean.

Now, I cannot control my hormones. Sure, I’d love to never bleed. That would be wonderful. And so convenient. But my hormones dictate otherwise. I cannot turn them off. I cannot tell them to behave. My very being is offensive to God. I am by nature an object of wrath. 

But praise him! I can indeed enter the presence of God, because when I enter his presence he does not see my old nature. He does not see human death. He does not see my transgressions and sins. He sees me alive with Christ. Jesus has raised me up through his great grace and seated me with him in the heavenly realms. And all of this is not for me, but for God, that his great glorious goodness may be revealed to all. Beautiful.

Sixth, let’s consider the qualifications for serving in the temple. Priests may serve in the temple only if they are of correct lineage and are undefiled. I have proper lineage through Christ, but I have been defiled. Not by anything I have done, but by the sin committed against me I am disqualified from serving my God in his temple.

But praise God who through Christ cleanses me from all shame! Praise him who washes me clean from the sins others have heaped up against me! Praise him for the freedom he has given me in Christ! Praise him who sets the captives free and leads them in triumphal procession in Christ to spread everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him!

Seventh, it reveals the character and nature of God. It reveals his heart. It reveals his love for humanity. It reveals his desire to make all things right that somehow he may be with us despite the evils we have done. He will make a way. He will overcome. He will do whatever it takes. 

Do you still say Leviticus is boring? 

Things to pray for:

That I would never take off the shoes of readiness of the gospel of Christ. That I would boldly proclaim the good news of God's Kingdom available now on the earth to everyone I encounter. That I would make this my first priority and my primary work. 

That I would not lose sight of God in my fever or in the drama in my life, but that I would follow him wholeheartedly whatever may try to throw me off track. That I would prioritize discipline. 

That I would continue confessing my sins and becoming right with God. I've been actively sinning the past few weeks, and wondered why I couldn't hear the voice of God anymore. Hmm. Wonder why.