Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus as the third book of the Torah and a part of the Old Testament and the Pentateuch of Moses may give us insight into the structure to Israel and the role of the Levites in it. In the Hebrew Wayyiqro (וַיִּקְרָא)‎ has been defined "and He called".

The English term Leviticus is derived from the Latin Leviticus, which in the Greek appears as Λευιτικόν (Leuitikon), who were the Levites. The Greek expression seems to coincide with the rabbinic Hebrew torat kohanim(תורת כהנים), "law of priests" because its contents appears as a manual for Religion since it is concerned with the duties of the people and the priests to God and their fellowman.

Many Scholars may generally agree that Leviticus developed over a long period of time, reaching its present form during the Persian Period between 538–332 BC. During the process of development were there important changes in the text and interpretation that have altered the intent of Moses?

Or is the book actually intact sufficiently so that with the power of the Holy Spirit we can still comprehend the divine intent?

Purpose of the book

The purpose of Leviticus is to instruct the Israelites on how to maintain holiness or be sacred which is to be seperate.

To be separate from the world of Nimrod, the idolatry of Terah, the bondage of Egypt requires people to pursue and practice righteousness. To do that they needed to do proper worship in their community and nation ensuring that God can dwell among them.

It order to impart the divinity of that revelation th book outlines the law which is spiritual and the rituals and ceremonies that facilitate a relationship between God and His people as individually as a large nation, emphasizing the importance of a form of purity and sincere atonement.

Sacrificial System

The key to understanding the purpose of Leviticus is accept that the book was written to establish a sacrificial system that was also providing both a social safety net for the society of the peculiar people that formed the nation of Israel bound by social bonds of faith, hope, and charity rather than contractual allegiance, enforceable authority, and civil entitlements common in the world established by men.

It is said that this system allows the Israelites to atone. We see in Leviticus 16:30, the Torah summarizes the purpose of Yom Kippur. But does a day and the rituals performed make an atonement for you or purify you?

If evil is an absence of good or a fleeing of the light into darkness the atonement would be a turning around and returning to the light, the truth and the way, or what the new testament calls repentance.

Moses, like Jesus, taught the way of God. That Atonement meant was not paying a debt but like the prodigal son was a returning to the way of righteousness of God.

Has private interpretations distorted the true teachings contained in the Torah?

It is not rituals and ceremonies twisted by the imagination of those who would unmoor the metaphors of the sacred texts and worship that doctrines of men and their ideology.

Role of the Priesthood

Leviticus details the responsibilities and qualifications of the publicservants called priests of a nation of, for, and by the people who sought the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.

The priests are tasked with the daily ministration of receiving and distribution of the sacrifices by the people for the people and overseen by the people who only tithed were freewill offerings rather than the compelled tribute, like the way of Nimrod, the Abimelechs of the world, and of course the Pharaoh and the bondage of Egypt.

Community Guidelines

The book provides statutory guidelines regarding the pursuit of nurturing community practices, restrictions concerning parasitic indulgences, and moral conduct. These guidelines of rights and responsibilities are intended to put Israel as a nations, reinforcing their identity as children of God into the hearts and minds of people.

Leviticus can be foundational for understanding the relationship between God and man, emphasizing the importance of a Worship not of pomp and posturing but one of sacrifice through freewill offerings rather than force which creates the social bonds of a free community and society and nations.

The book of the called out

It is literally the book of those "He called" which refers to the calling out of the Levites to become the Church in the wilderness.

Many of the prophets during different periods of time found that Israel had become corrupt including the Levites. Certainly Jesus thought they had become corrupt and by his own words was going to take the kingdom from them and appoint it to His Little flock who would bear fruit.

"Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Matthew 21:43

Jesus would eventually call out that little flock along with his own Sanhedrin and appoint a kingdom to them because the priests of Judea were making the word of God to none effect by the institutions they created.

The Called out of Christ would institute a similar system with Lively Stones of a Living Altar with a daily ministration of Pure Religion to provide all social welfare for early Christians who would not eat at the tables of the welfare system operated through the temples of Rome because from David to Paul they were warned that those dainties were a snare and a trap. They knew that the free bread of those systems of the word were provided by men who called themselves benefactors but exercise authority one over the other.^[1]

Reminder of the way

We must constantly remind ourselves that Moses was leading a people out of the Bondage of Egypt where they were in captivity as subjects of Pharaoh. They did not own their flocks nor their land but the government of Pharaoh owned the equitable title to all but the priesthood and the people only held an appearance of title. a portion of their labor belonged to the the government of Pharaoh and through crafts of State that bondage increased in cruelty.

Everything Moses did and taught was a part of a divine plan to set the captive free so that they could serve the God of creation, the giver of life, by serving one another in righteousness. Over the centuries the words of Moses were twisted until people did not follow his way to liberty under God and often fell back into similar states of bondage where they were snared again as merchandise of the governments of the world.

Sophistry and lies are the tools of the adversaries of that God of life.

Outline of Leviticus

I. Laws on sacrifice (1:1–7:38)

A. Instructions for the laity on bringing offerings (1:1–6:7) The types of offering: burnt, cereal, peace, purification, reparation (or sin) offerings (ch. 1–5)

1 Laws for Burnt Offerings

1 If the Corban is burnt

2 And Accept the Corban

3 Then it is divided

4 Put in the altar

5 They shall decide the order

6 Of the flock

2 Turtledove sacrifices

B. Instructions for the priests (6:1–7:38)

1–6. The various offerings, with the addition of the priests' cereal offering (6:1–7:36)

7. Summary (7:37–38)

The first seven chapters of Leviticus supposedly deals with five sacrifices which theoretically did not survive beyond the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. But if the Pharisees and Masoretic texts that followed are actually a misinterpretation of the original text due to apostasy and sophistry then what was Moses really trying to say?

II. Institution of the priesthood (8:1–10:20)

A. Ordination of Aaron and his sons (ch. 8)

B. Aaron makes the first sacrifices (ch. 9)

C. Judgement on Nadab and Abihu (ch. 10)

III. Uncleanliness and its treatment (11:1–15:33)

A. Unclean animals (ch. 11)

B. Uncleanliness caused by childbirth (ch. 12)

C. Unclean diseases (ch. 13)

D. Cleansing of diseases (ch. 14)

E. Unclean discharges (ch. 15)

IV. Day of Atonement: purification of the tabernacle from the effects of uncleanliness and sin (ch. 16) V. Prescriptions for practical holiness (the Holiness Code, chs. 17–26)

A. Sacrifice and food (ch. 17)

B. Sexual behaviour (ch. 18)

C. Neighbourliness (ch.19)

D. Grave crimes (ch. 20)

E. Rules for priests (ch. 21)

F. Rules for eating sacrifices (ch. 22)

G. Festivals (ch.23)

H. Rules for the tabernacle (ch. 24:1–9)

I. Blasphemy (ch. 24:10–23) J. Sabbatical and Jubilee years (ch. 25) K. Exhortation to obey the law: blessing and curse (ch. 26) V. Redemption of votive gifts (ch. 27)

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Not exercise authority
Matthew 20:25 "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you:..."

Mark 10:42 "But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you:..."

Luke 22:25 "And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye [shall] not [be] so:..."

[exauth-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Not exercise authority
Matthew 20:25 "But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you:..."

Mark 10:42 "But Jesus called them to him, and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you:..."

Luke 22:25 "And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye [shall] not [be] so:..."

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Leviticus

Contents

The Book of Leviticus

Purpose of the book

Sacrificial System

Role of the Priesthood

Community Guidelines

The book of the called out

Reminder of the way

Outline of Leviticus

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Leviticus

The Book of Leviticus

Purpose of the book

Sacrificial System

Role of the Priesthood

Community Guidelines

The book of the called out

Reminder of the way

Outline of Leviticus

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